PJBelfast

I was introduced to the Japanese art of Kintsugi ("golden joinery") today, also known as Kintsukuroi (金繕い) "golden repair"). It is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with laqueur or glue dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. It teaches that broken objects are not something to hide but to display with pride. Collectors became so enamored by the new art that some were accused of deliberately smashing valuable pottery so it could be repaired with the gold seams of kintsugi. As a philiosophy, it treats brokenness, breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. In Kintsugi, the break is obvious, but the golden repair makes the object one to be admired, making the vessel more valuable, beautiful and useful again. Jesus is known as " the healer of the broken hearted ". He is the master artisan who takes the fractures and failures of our lives, repairing our brokenness.

It's good to " come apart and rest a while ." So with all the barrenness that there can be in a busy life, I've planned to come on a guided weekend spiritual retreat in the tranquil and scenic setting of Tobar Mhuire, a "Passionate order" Retreat & Conference Centre near Crossgar in Northern Ireland. On my earlier prayer-walk, I came upon Mary's well, which is the meaning of the Irish word Tobar (well) Mhuire (Mary). It was once  a source of water and refreshment but is now clogged up and disused. The morning had been on the one of contrasts. On the one hand it was filled with silence, yet on the other, busy contemplating various scriptures of reflection. Having prayed for family and good friends in an earlier reflection, the spiritual direction guides then gently challenged us  to pray the Prayer of Jabez, a four part prayer - a prayer for ourselves. I wasn't expecting to be praying for myself, but check it. It is found in 1

If the rave reviews are anything to go by, tonight's date night at the Ulster Hall should be a rip roaring success. This  production, features the outstanding vocal talents of South Africa’s Belinda Davids who is apparently "the chosen one" out of 1500 applicants for the tribute role of Whitney Houston. It seems like only yesterday when Whitney starred on our TV screens, along with Kevin Costner in the Bodyguard. The show tonight includes 20 of Houston’s most popular tracks taken from the full span of her career, including ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All’, ‘I’m Every Woman’, ‘Exhale (Shoop Shoop)’, ‘Million Dollar Bill’ and more.  The reviews inform me this is to be one beautifully crafted tribute to one of the world’s most revered singers. “I saw Whitney live in concert twice. Belinda Davids’ show featuring her songs was, dare I say, better.”(Review) It's the intermission and I can tr