Summer – Matthew McKinnon's Blog

Finding a safe place!

DSCN9552 — Beautiful Inverary Castle – Looks like a safe haven?

Well since times immemorial humankind have sought shelter and safety in times of trouble, from cold, rain, snow and storm, from wild animals, and from fellow humans, who seem to be continuously fighting and shedding blood. Early on caves and caverns and holes in the ground served their purpose, and then all other kinds of structures suitable for their environment, often built with amazing ingenuity. Such structures can be seen here in Scotland at so many interesting sites. These including brochs and towers and island fortresses, and attract many archaeologists, tourists and visitors every year. These can easily be researched on line. Here are a few photos from Skara Brae in Orkney.

Of course in later eras 2000 to 3000 castles were built in Scotland, and whilst many now are just ruins, around 1500 are still standing and it would take a lifetime it seems to visit them all! But here are some photos of some magnificent ones we have visited, which in their time provided a place of safety for their residents.

Balmoral Castle – King and Queen’s summer residence.

Finding a safe place during WWll in Glasgow however looked nothing like the photos shown above. We were fortunate however to have two air raid shelters next to our newly built block of flats, and I remember being carried down to one after the sirens sounded. A rectangular reinforced building with three or four rooms with concrete benches on either side and a long corridor with one end door. A stray bomb did go off at the other end of our road killing a number of people so that encouraged more folks to make use of the shelters. Here are a couple of photos of one old shelter the same as the one used by us, still standing today, but modified with front door and window, I guess to use as storage space. Probably been standing for 85-88 years, without it would seem, any maintenance.

This blog has partly been inspired by a first hand report from Ukraine at our church recently, telling us of the war situation there and its devastating effect on the Christian community and the population at large. It was good to hear that amidst the chaos and tradgedy caused by bombs, drones and missiles bringing death and destruction, the church was playing an important role in bringing shelter, relief and succour in Jesus’ Name. We are also receiving at church regular reports from Lebanon with the same stories of tragedies, suffering and loss, where again the church is playing its role in relief and counselling efforts to help the bereaved, injured, homeless and traumatised people. I guess we could write screeds on the Middle East, and Sudan (currently the world’s worst humanitarian crisis) that we seldom hear about. I was in Sudan as Tearfund’s representative during the civil war, so know something of the horrors of such situations. And so we could go on, and on. At Tearfund we sometimes spoke of supporter fatigue, where people would give money but didn’t want to know the details. I would recommend Tearfund if you have a heart to give, they do a great job and have a Glasgow Office. Just go on line and click Tearfund

Donor fatigue of course is understandable, for we all receive so many requests for help, whilst having difficulties and problems of our own. Thankfully we have been saved from warfare on these shores for over eighty years, and have had no need to find shelter from bombs and missiles, and by God’s grace, long may that continue. However isn’t it true we have many other battles going on in our hearts and minds, that we wish we could find shelter from? Family, finance and fear? Health, heartache and hopelessness? And I guess many more. Sadly in our society today the place for shelter too often is sought, by running to alcohol, and drugs. Then there is the proverbial ‘head in the sand’ approach, which keeps pressing on with life, ignoring all difficulties until they eventually catch up with us!

For me the answer is found in a person, God’s own Son the Lord Jesus Christ who promises life in all its fulness. including peace and forgiveness as we respond to His call to come. ‘Come to me all you who are burdened and heavy laden, and I will give you rest’. Before he returned to his Father he also said to those who loved and followed Him, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.‘

When storms of life do come. its good to have a pilot aboard. At church recently we were looking at Psalm 46, it was a favourite of my dad’s, it starts like this:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

A popular hymn these days uses these words from the lips of Solomon The name of the LORD is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe. Prov.18.10 Plenty versions of this hymn to choose from on You Tube, check it out!

With that I’ll sign off, summer is anticipated here and seedlings in the greenhouse are now being planted out. I wish you God’s blessing wherever you are, and whatever season you are in. Its always good to hear from you. Matthew

The Year 2025 as seen through my camera lens!

Now that the Christmas and New Year festivities have passed, I have made time to review my photographs taken during 2025, which is something I like to do, before all its memories quickly disappear into my photograph archives! Well they say, photos at times speak louder than words, so this blog will be with less words on the photos, I’ll let them speak for themselves! Here are some winter photos to start ….

< A night in Glasgow attending
the ‘Messiah’ >

Wintertime and winter days have their own special memories

The garden is a real pleasure at any time of the year, but Springtime for us means ‘Spring cleaning’ in home and garden. …….

and of course a Spring Holiday to the Isle of Tiree. First the journey ….

Now a quick look at Tiree …….

Those who subscribe to this blog will know that day trips are often a common feature. Here are just some from 2025.

Lastly I’ll show you some more weather shots, which are always a topic of conversation when we meet with others here in Scotland.

Well I find it difficult to choose the pbotographs to display in this type of blog, as some are chosen more for the memory they invoke, than for their photo quality, but I hope you enjoyed my photos as much as I did in putting them together. I finished with photos of the sky during day and night, as I always think it displays in such a powerful way the Glory and Majesty of God. The new 1.5 hr. documentary film released in December 2025 that I watched before Christmas, called ‘Universe designed’ is one I reall;y enjoyed, so no doubt that influenced my choice! (Available on You Tube, Amazon Premier and Netflix)

Of course at Christmas we remember the Glory of God revealed at the coming of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and recently at Church we have been enjoying a study in John’s Gospel looking at the life and work of the amazing JESUS! Again, you can log-on to greenviewchurch.co.uk then just click on sermons to listen to the latest or past sermons.

In writing about the amazing JESUS I was reading in the Bible at the book of Colossians this week and came across this famed passage in Paul’s letter, which illustrates how amazing He is! It reads – ‘The Son (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation — if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel’.

I’m so happy to know that although I was once alienated from God and an enemy in my mind because of my evil behaviour, I have now been reconciled by faith in Jesus Christ and His dying love for me. So this amazing Jesus is just a childlike prayer away, spoken from the heart: ‘Sorry dear Lord Jesus for my sin. Thank you for dying for me, Please forgive my sins and come into my heart and life as my Saviour and Lord. Amen’. ….. now you are reconciled! Praise Him.

Wherever you are I wish you God’s blessing as we look forward to 2026

Matthew

The Harvest is past, the Summer’s ended – 2025

It’s lovely to sit in the morning quietness and watch the sunbeams start to creep across the garden. To see the birds activity, and often to watch the resident squirrel do his morning inspection! Today being the 31st of August, this was the last morning of Summer in 2025 here in Scotland.

Tomorrow we enter Autumn, and ‘dead on cue’ the forecast is for rain and strong winds, so we can expect a ‘windfall’ of apples from our apple tree.

Tonight I’ve been looking back on this year’s summer and enjoying photos of places, flowers and the greenhouse etc. I hope you enjoy them. Firstly, the trip we made recently to the beautiful Isle of Bute on the Clyde Coast, which I promised in my last blog.

Now some other summer photos!

So the harvest is past, the summer ended ……….

I started my blog by saying ‘It’s lovely to sit in the morning quietness ….’ and it was there I had the thought for this blog’s heading. Many moons ago as a teenager I had sat in a church service and heard the preacher speak on a verse from Jeremiah 8:20. the full quotation was ‘The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved” Jeremiah the Prophet of God who wrote them, warned his people to repent of their sins, but his message went unheeded, He therefore lived through a time of war, when the nation was attacked, and many were killed and many others taken captive. They had looked to others for help, but it had not come. His plaintive cry was “Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people”. This was written in the seventh century BC.

I guess at times we all feel like weeping for people around the world who suffer in so many different and tragic ways. The statistics are mind blowing. Last year (2024) – 233,000 people are estimated to have been killed in armed conflicts. One Christian organisation that report on Christian persecution says 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted world-wide – 4,476 were murdered last year, 7,679 Churches and properties were attacked and 4,744 Christians imprisoned. Tearfund one of the UK’s leading charities, in their Autumn report speaks of an unprecedented increase in crisis. When we worked in Africa with this organisation, it was not uncommon for those around the table to say ‘If only we could stop the arms race for one year, thnk of what could be done with the money saved’.

So whilst people all around the world, men and women, boys and girls cry out to be saved, from war, famine. drought, persecution, abuse and poverty, Governments continue to increase military defence expenditure. In 2023/24 the UK budgeted £53 .9 billion and then budgeted £56.9 billion for 24/25 with a promised 2.2 billion uplift for 25/26. Worldwide in 2024 the figure is estimated to be US$2.718 trillion! That is $2,718,000.000,000 Wow!

Do you get the feeling that something is wrong with humankind? I’m reminded of the famous quote of G. K. Chesterton the author, philosopher and Christian apologist of the last century who responded to a newspaper article on this subject. He said, “Dear Sir. What’s wrong with the world? I am”. Yours G. K. Chesterton.

The preacher of my youth wasn’t slow to remind us that when we point the finger at others, four fingers point back at ourselves. For we are all far from perfect. Yes we are all children of Adam, and we might not say ‘Scotland first’, but act like it’s ‘me first’. You see it on social media regularly, ‘if someone annoys you, or doesn’t like you, the advice is ‘dump them’.

The Christian gospel is so counter cultural. We read in the book of Romans ‘… God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) and again, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”. So the message is clear we ALL need to be saved from the consequences of our sins, and the only Saviour is Jesus Christ God’s Son.

Yes, like the leaders of our world past and present, we too will give an account. We don’t all automatially go to heaven, but are in danger of eternal separation from God (which the Bible calls hell) unless we turn from our sin and receive the free offer of Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Summer is past, time is moving on .. would you like to be sure that you will be in heaven? then act now … for it is written:

For he (God) says,
“In the time of my favour I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.

Always happy to hear from you. I hope this short reflection will lead you to commit your life to Jesus Christ if you have not already done so.

Wishing you God’s blessing wherever you are – Matthew

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