melting clouds

The other day, while having a rest from gardening, i was lying flat on the ground (stretching my aching and ageing back). As I looked up at the blue summer sky (hard to believe this year?), I noticed some wispy white clouds blowing past. As they drifted, they were slowly melting - until thay completely disintegrated.

I've got no idea about the science behind this - don't tell me, I won't understand it anyway! Thinking about it though, I realised that while I was amusing myself whimsically watching fluffy clouds melting, other people in the UK were coping with flooding. Then I realised that millions were affected by flooding in South Asia, while there is severe drought in Australia.

If we're all subject to the vagaries of the weather, what is my responsibility to those who are suffering - beyond any temporary aid relief?

Well, I've been thining about stuff to do with the transformation through the in-breaking of God's Kingdom (I'm just finishing Steve Chalke's 'Lost Message of Jesus' - a subkject for a future posting). We do need to move on from personal salvation to personal and community transformation. But I wonder if a more appropriate word for the change that is needed is regeneration. The idea being to revitalise that which has become tired, without jettisoning those aspects that are good.

I need to mull this over for a bit, but any contributions would be appreciated.