Writing It Randomly

How Can A Step Back Take You Forward? The story of Noah, the Ark, and the Great Flood taught me how. I reread it alongside Wendy Blight's 'Obeying When It Seems Impossible' teaching on Genesis 7. At the end of it, she asks whether there are any seemingly impossible tasks in our lives, and what we can do to take a step closer to accomplishing them. My life so far had nothing as daunting as Noah's instructions from God, but I recalled advice my father once gave me. He said that I need to surrender control once I've asked/prayed for help. You see, my dad jokingly told everyone that my very first words were "Ek wil self" ('I want to do it myself'). Although this paints a clear picture of me as a toddler, I have since learnt that it is important to ask for help. The only part of this whole thing that I haven't mastered yet, is to allow enough time and opportunity for others to help me after I've asked them to. Rainbows are a sign tha...

God does not tempt. He tests. We should know this already because the Bible told us so. Centuries ago. ["Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness ... to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart..." - Deut. 8:2] Now if you didn't know about this, or if you keep forgetting, don't feel guilty. Same here - if it wasn't for Lysa TerKeurst's First5 teaching on Deuteronomy 8 last year, I'd probably still be confused. In it, she asked, " Might God be using these humbling circumstances to get you to a place of deep and unshakable trust in Him? " What a #TruthBomb moment, right? Now before I chatter on, let's make a mental note NOT to confuse His spiritual tests with temptation, though. According to the main definitions on  Dictionary.com , there is a clear distinction between the two words: tempt /tɛmpt/ verb ~ to attempt to persuade or entice to do something, esp something morally wrong o...

Fisgard. It sounds like something out of a Kim Wilkins novel, but it's actually the first lighthouse built on Canada's West Coast. PC:  Matt Hall "Built by the British in 1860, when Vancouver Island was not yet part of Canada, Fisgard's red brick house and white tower has stood faithfully at the entrance to Esquimalt harbour. Once a beacon for the British Royal Navy's Pacific Squadron, today Fisgard still marks home base for the Royal Canadian Navy." [- Fisgard  Website ] Binge-watching ' What's for Sale? With a View ' might be to blame, but I can't get over this one. Isn't it gorgeous? PC: Heather Jones via AmazingPlacesOnEarth.com It seriously looks good from every angle. PC: Dennis Crabtree PC: David Broad Happy Lighthouse Dreams,

Suffering from depression is like stumbling around in familiar territory. Just as you catch a glimpse of an exit, you take a wrong turn and 'round and 'round you go. In her teaching on Deuteronomy 2 'Turning North' Lysa TerKeurst highlighted that "He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" [ 1 Cor 10:13] . I find enormous comfort in this revelation. After their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites found themselves wandering the desert for 40 years. They must've felt hopelessly lost most of the time, but God always gives you a way out. For them, it was Moses. For me, there are numerous healthier options. Dakhla Lighthouse, Western Sahara [PC: JB Dodane]

A truly magnificent structure. At 68 metres, Vittoria dwarfs Slangkop  (South Africa's tallest), and the copper version of Giovanni Mayer's  Winged Victory statue is just the cherry on top. PC:  Italy Magazine The fact that the lighthouse aides navigation on the seas at night comes as no surprise to me. What I do find notable is the fact that it was built to commemorate the Allies' fallen sailors of World War I. The construction project was completed on 24 May 1927 and the lighthouse is still being used today.

The Cow and the Calf. As I ventured into the land of lighthouses, I quickly learned that lighthouses all have different looks. Some are  tall , some are  short , some are  bright , some are  stocky , some  aren't even round . PC:  Wight Way While some details were added as a result of the architectural trends during the years they were built, their sizes and locations all come down to visibility, which is also the reason why the tower of St Catherine's lighthouse is shorter than when it was originally built. In 1875 it was decided to reduce its height by 13 metres because the light at the top was frequently shrouded in mist. PC:  Visit Isle of Wight Notice the little tower to the left in the photo above? No. This is not a second lighthouse tower. This is what the locals refer to as the Calf - the location of the fog signal house until they stopped using it in 1987 (it was moved to this second little tower from the...

The Mykines Holm lighthouse was built in 1909, but it wasn't the Faroes' first. The first lighthouse was lit way over on the other side of the Faroe Islands in 1782, on the northern part of Nolsoy . Towards the end of the second industrial revolution (a few years before the first world war), it looks like the construction bug bit the Faroe people, because they built the first bridge over  Holmgjogv , as well as the first path from Mykines Bygd   (the  village ) to Mykines Holm (the lighthouse islet) in the same year that they constructed Mykines Holm Lighthouse. There have been twenty-one lighthouses on the islands to date (give or take a few that had to be rebuilt over the years). During World War II all three manned lighthouses - Akraberg, Mykines and Nolsoy, were attacked (bombed). After the war ended in 1945, it took three years to set things in order, rebuild, and clean up the islands. PC: KE Adventure Travel Did You Know? Apparently...

A lighthouse doesn't have to be real for me to love it. Take this week's lighthouse pick for example. It's obviously digital art and not a true photograph, but as I gaze at it, I can smell the salt on the foamy waves and feel the gusts of wind tugging on my hair. I imagine myself standing on the shore, staring at that light and letting the world fall away. There's something beautiful about letting nature do with you what it will. The Holy Spirit is my guiding light, and I will reach the final destination when my time has come. Until then He keeps me safe. Digital Artist Unknown By the way, I've searched everywhere I could think of, but I only found this 'lighthouse in a storm' picture on various wallpaper websites. Do any of you know who created it?

Construction started in 1887, but the lighthouse officially came to be used in September 1890, replacing three older lighthouses. It stands in the middle of Southwold (on the Suffolk Heritage Coast ) where it is still being used today, with tours available to visitors PC: Mark Stace

PC: Jatinkumar Thakkar The original lighthouse was constructed in Bristol, Maine, using saltwater in 1827. It soon started crumbling so in 1835 it had to be replaced with a new structure, built using fresh water. And thank goodness for that! It's gorgeous. Pic Source Looking at the rock that slopes downward to the sea, it's quite obvious why this lighthouse was built in the first place. No ship's bow would survive that coastline if it came upon it without warning. Pic Source Volunteers open the tower to the public daily between 10:30 am and 17:00 pm, weather permitting , and you can climb it free of charge. That's if you are able to make your way all the way over there. I resign myself to the fact that I can only view it in photographs like the ones I posted here - and with the WebCam . PC: John Bald

There are many weeks that I find myself on the brink of giving up on this whole weekly lighthouse post thing , but the moment I look at a new lighthouse photo, I fall in love all over again. This week's beauty is located near the City of Falmouth, Massachusetts: PC: Ed King PC: Enzo Figueres (left), Roupen Baker (right) PC: Alexey Sergeev

A Seriously Old Lighthouse Technically, the Maiden's Tower (aka Kiz Kulesi) is actually just a tower that, for a time, was used as a lighthouse, but still... PC: Trey Ratcliff * The exact construction date isn't known, but according to its website , some sources have dated the origins of the tower structure to go back as far as 341 BC! That, by my standards, is ridiculously old. Apparently, the tower served many purposes throughout the past 25 centuries. So far, it's been a tax collection office (like a port terminal, controlling ships entering and exiting the harbour), defense fortress, military base, demonstration platform, lighthouse, quarantine hospital, and a radar station (to control sea and air traffic). Any building this old, won't survive on luck alone, and there have been many restorative operations executed, but on 16 December 1993, another massive restoration project was launched and in 2000 the Tower was finally reopened as a tourist venue...

Pic Source "Have you ever wondered....  Why not all Lighthouses are the same colour?  What they look like inside? Why Lighthouses are no longer manned? Find out… by taking a guided tour around the only lighthouse in Devon open to the public!" [See Start Point, Devon, website ]

PC:  Ben Fewtrell Beautiful, isn't it? With Christmas just around the corner, I'm drawn to its Red and White colouring. So festive! The lighthouse was built in 1858 near Watsons Bay, now part of the Sydney Harbour National Park, which they started conserving in 1975. It's an active lighthouse, but there are trails up to it - for more Tourist info, see their  website (they even have a link to a virtual tour via Google Streetview for couch potatoes and penny pinchers). PC:  Adam Rybka

This Dutch lighthouse was erected near Breskens at the Nieuwe Sluis (New Sluice), and its lamp was first lit on 19 January 1868. Photo by Tom Davidson on Picssr The lighthouse was opened to the public in July 2015, so if you're able to make the trip, you can explore the lighthouse over weekends (Fridays to Sundays) from April to October. Photo by Harold van den Berge on  Flickr P.S. If you want to hear something relaxing, visit the lighthouse's home page .

"Once surrounded with numerous buildings and land, the Morris Island Lighthouse is now completely surrounded by water." - Theresa Stratford,  Bulldog Tours Painting by Matthew Campbell Painting by James Mann

PC:  Pixabay This active lighthouse, which stands at the end of a wooden pier in Podersdorf-am-See on the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl ( Neusiedlersee )*, is a well-known landmark and tourist attraction near the Hungarian border. *Austria's largest lake. [20 November 2016 Update: Added Photo to the Left] PC: Viktor Hanacek

For an introvert like me, disconnection is nearly as important as connecting. Not that my internet hiatus was purposefully planned. They never are. They just happen, and before I realise it, weeks have gone by without a single post. I have come to the realisation that I pull myself inwards for a spiritual breather whenever there's a lot going on, or when I get overwhelmed. You see, living with anxiety is almost like being constantly baked. You have all these things you want/need to say (or do), but they get blocked in by paranoia (or severe lethargy). By the time you finally decided on how you want to express yourself, it feels like you've missed your moment, or that the topic is no longer relevant. [This vicious cycle is very similar to the one in which you feel fat, then overeat to silence those feelings, which makes you feel fat...etcetera.] The Bad News is that I still haven't figured out how to break the cycle every time I find myself trapped in it, but the G...

Picture Credit: Pawel Rozenek Ynys Lawd is actually the small island on which South Stack Lighthouse was built. As you can see from these photographs, the location is absolutely breathtaking, and if you are adventurous enough to brave 400 steps up and down a cliff face,  you're in luck! This lighthouse is open to visitors all year round (but it's best to check ahead if they'll close it down for scheduled maintenance). Read all about its history HERE . Pic from  Visit Anglesey  website Image Source:  Marinas

Farol de Felgueiras, Porto Except for the images I found (below), I also think you should check out Gail At Large's Foz Do Duoro post  if you want to learn more about Portugal. Actually, just follow her blog - she posts regularly, and each post is complimented by beautiful photographs, most of them her own. Pixabay Free Image Image Credit: Jota Cartas