in need of a pacemaker

summer 1980 on a smelly farm in axminster. sitting in the lounge next to plastic tableclothed B+B dining space watching a race from moscow. ovett and coe...and the winner was coe, i think.

i remember this period of athletics. there was ovett and coe rivals in olympics and world champions and then there were world record attempts. and in these there was a pacemaker- some poor soul whose job it was to run until their lungs collapsed so that more illustious athletes trailing in their wake might complete the race and break the record. there was a point in the commentary when a voice would observe in passing, 'the pacemaker has dropped out'.

pacemakers were there for a reason, to make people run fast enough. sometimes i feel like my pacemaker has dropped out - the result is just as dangerous, but mine was there to slow things down not speed things up...sometimes everything seems too fast and all around is the blur of express train windows...

this is from where- speeding trainlife- i am returning to think about the whole idea of sabbath. godspaceandtime- room to manoeuvre and to catch the breath- room to do more than pass through but to appreciate- room to remember what is important- room to re-direct...not so much a pause in the journey but a part of it...a stop along the way...the place from which to start rather than the space into which to collapse exhausted.

Jesus was a good pacemaker..he started from stopping and provoked people to think again about what was important. He made people more intentional because he reminded them of who they were and pointed out the importance of certain things like love and God and hope and sharingspaceandtimewithotherpeople

mary and martha- luke 10.38-41- mmmmm know i need to do some marthaing today but not before i have maryed...