I look to the wisdom of the age
the guru, wiseman and the sage
I look to men from ages gone
Look to the wise and to the strong
I look to the self and to the throng
Yety only in the LORD can i carry on
I look to the north and to the south
yet nothing meaninful comes from men's mouths
I look to the east and to the west
Only in the LORD am I blessed
I look to the left and to the right
the LORD is my strength and my might
I look high and i look low
The LORD is all i want to know
I make the LORD my shelter
my castle on a hill
I rest in the Almighty's shdow
Looking with hope to the future, when all will be well
So, i've gopt back from Relay II safe and sound (apart from a nasty cold), it would be normal for me to blog about the whole experance.... well i'm still trying to work out excatly what i've been through and what i've learnt so you'll have to stay tuned for that one. However today i finnished Pilgrims progress. I have bveen currently reading this book (which is awesum) and Pilgrims Regress by C. S. Lewis (which is confusing).
There is justy soo much imagry in this book. I'm going to share my faverote bits.
The Cross: Christian escaping the city of destrution is looking for the Celestial City, he travels with a burdan on his back, yet he goes throught he narrow Gate to the Cross where "I saw his burdan fall off and it rolled down the hill inbto a tomb where it was seen no more". Again all our sins and burdens in this life in the shadow of the cross are removed and gone.
Soon after he gets new clothes and a scroll. On the hill of dificulty Christian stops to rest and reads his scroll. I remeber thinking.. I wish i had a scroll or something that i could just pull out to remind me i am saved... well yes as soon as i had said that the sheer ludicoursy of the comment hit home. (for those who havent twigged yet, we do have the bible we can read at any time to tell us we're saved)
Giant Despaire and the Castle of Doubt, Again a powerful image, probably of the situation John Bunyon was in. Christian and his copmpatrate hopeful drift from the path and are locked in Prision. There they are beaten by the gaint and left to Die. The giant tryes to remove all hope from them and tell them to kill themselves. Christian sucumbs and is dispaering and considering killing himself, yet again his friend hopeful is there to encourage him. Eventualy they escape through the key of Promise... how much can dispear be overcome when re remeber and act apon God's promises of salvation.
Lastly the end, when they have to go through the waters to get to the celestiasl city. (i.e Death). They are at the end of the Journey although Christian is going throught he waters and is crying out that he cannot be saved, in his hour of death he looks back and sees his sins and failings and is drowing. Again hopeful is helping him along calling him to remeber God's work and promises of salvation to all, inc Issiah 43 "you will go through the water and they will not wash over you" (one of my fav Bible verses) they emerge on the other bank and enter heaven.
Such a beautiful book, images are there and meaningful For those who havent read it i recomend reading it as i do it little justice in this post.
So its nearly Relay II, thats our second training confernce. I have been told not to be cynical or sarky about it. It will be fun to meet the wole crew again... and play the wonderful guessing game.. who are you again????One drawback, its in Ledbury in Herefordshire, at a Christian confernce centre called Dyke House. Have you been there? its a place you use a grid refernce to find its in the middle of nowhere. Its fun for weekends away.. but a whole week there??? in the middle of nowhere??? Definatley is going to do strange things to you !!!
Famous Birthdays:Its MY birthday.. yey and all that Jazz
so who else has a birthday today?
Kevin Costner
Carry Grant
A.A. Milne
Oliver HArdy
Daniel Webster
Auther Ransome
Events today in history
Su-LIn the first Giant panda from China to be shipped to the US 1936
Aparently the first UFO sighting was reported by pilgrims in Boston 1664?
STRANGE DrEaMS
So i had a very strange dream the other night i was a police officer and had been assigned to the dog sniffers to look for drugs. K nothing that odd there as i'm applying to the poice force. But Instead of a dog they gave me a ferret, it was a crazy ferret that went around sniffing for drugs.
My questions:
1) do ferrets have a good sense of smell
2) could ferrets be trained for this sort of work
3) what was i eating before i went to sleep!!!
It might sound silly but ferrets are very small and could easy get places dog's couldn't also ferrets are by far cheaper than dogs to maintain.
So am i on a winner here?
Thoughts on a postcard...... alright just leave a comment
Art: one of my latest projects:
How Shiney are we?
This week we've been going through Philippians in our study. Admitedly we're meant to be looking at How and Why Jesus came as a man. BUT as usual when you read the sciptures some parts just jump out at you:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast to the word of life. (Phil 2 vs 11-15)
Lights of the world, holding fast the word of life. We all agree with this and try to do it. HOWEVER i came across this in my surfing the net (see more on my sex society and the singles christian blog):
Well not being a Christian myself I cannot say much about the demolishing of SAM's however, here's a quandry. As a single woman, who is spiritual and of a different path, it surprises me how many single Christian men that I have met on dates who weren't into celibacy at all. So to me that meant that they weren't Christian at all, and makes it very difficult to understand why a man would say he's Born Again and yet not take that into consideration as far as celibacy and when he has the opportunity for a sexual encounter the religious beliefs go right out the window.
Wonder how true to their faith they must be. Obviously not much in my eyes!
This is a response to an intertnet article on SAM (Single adult misistries), the article wasbadly writtern and ill informed. But the response shocked me. How true is this? We are called to be salt and light, in all areas of our lives for the world to see we are differnt, people will be watching us and what we do as Christians. I do feel sorry for this girl writting, it seems she has gone out and slept with a few christian men, something has gone wrong, where is the "holding fast to the word of life". Why wern't these men witnesing??? their tounges were obviously being employed in the wrong way!
a few musings:
1) Temptation, it easy to judge, but we must beware "that you don't fall". Yet it is a real danger out there, temptation is real and we can fall and sin. Be aware of where you struggle, pray and seek help.
2) How important is our witness, to those outside. If (when!) we fall it will be hard to carry on in our witness and evangelisum, we will get critisium and people will acuse of of hypocracy. we in essence will have ebcome a stumbling block for others.
3) How real is our faith? our we fully and complety submitting all areas of our live to Jesus?.. or does our faith fly out the window when something more "fun" comes along. One of the marks of our faith is that we obey and submit to God. How much are we doing this or are there areas we choose to keep to our selves and do not let God in?
4) It also shows the dangers of dating non-christians, even the "spiritual ones", if thier not saved they wont have the same outlooks.
5) We have Grace, when we mess up and seem to have ruined our lives, purity, witness God is still the God who dies for us so that we could be forgiven.
Reverend Fun
I thought i would post up some cartoons from this wonderful website
GREEN TEA!
DOES GREEN TEA CONTAIN CAFFEINE?
YES !
I thought I would share that fact, many people don't seem to know, half say yes half say no, well here it is Green teas contain the jumpy chemicals we have all come to love.
Other benifits of green tea are in helping fight:
- cancer
- rheumatoid arthritis
- high cholesterol levels
- cariovascular disease
- infection
- impaired immune function
- Tooth decay and fod poisoning
So there you are, green tea and its beifits, and most of al it'll stil wake you up!
PUPPY LOVE:-For all those who are fed up and fustrated about my constant conversations about my dogs, I thought i'd introduce you to them. First, this is Stanely, he's about 15 months now, and these are some of his puppy photo's. He's currently abnout twice as big now, and he's still hyperactive. He enjoys rolling in fox poo, eating.. anything, and fetching toliet brushes first thing in the morning, from any toliet in the house!!(I hasten to add these were taken with my mum's camerea so not up to my usual quality)
HELP WANTED:-Matthew 9:36-38 (New International Version)
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field
So help wanted, God wants us to be workers. And we say "yes Lord, i'll work for you". BUT how often is this us working with God in an advisory role???? We say "Lord, you are God, but do you think...", "Lord perhaps if you just...." "Lord are you sure your doing this right?"
Is this what the passage is talking about? Workers in the harvest would be out there sweating, grunting, getting stuck in, knowing that it was a ahrd days work that would be rewarded later. The workers discribed here are just that, WORKERS, not advisors, not overseers, not project managers, ESPECAILY NOT consultants!
God is the almighty creater of the heavens and the earth, He speaks and things happen. Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? (Pslam 94).
My challange to myself and those reading for this new year, Let God be God, and be a worker, one who gets on with the tasks set before him, sweating, grunting and looking forward in hope. God knows and cares, it is not my place (nor yours!) to tell God what to do or how to do things.
Trust, Obedince, Commitment.
Some samples of my hobby/passion/obession- this is where i walk my dogs, and due to the light my digi camera has produced some intresing results, excessice black and orange. Again it was low light and these were some of the good ones that came out.
HERE'S JONNY :)Howdy all those who read the blog. I’m back to the keyboard after a brief holiday.
So what’s been going on….
Not much and lots.
The holidays have gone by at their wonderfully sedate pace. I’ve had much time for rest, reflection and think forward to next term.
I will briefly share a few pointers here:
MUM: Is slowly recovering from her breast cancer treatment from the summer, she’s going to be singed off work for the foreseeable future and still get very tired but progress is steady but slow. Thank God for that
PRESENTS: The top Christmas presents must be the complete Sharpe DVD set and the complete Band of Brothers, I am enjoying a big testosterone high watching these wonderfully male orientated programmes. Although I think the Sharpe dvd’s have a suspiciously same story, Sharpe get a mission, he faces prejudice and opposition from the other officers, he meets some woman and they develop a relationship. Sharpe saves the day against overwhelming odds, He plays the gentleman and rescues the Lady and nothing happens between them. The wins respect from the officers and kills the baddie. Then ends by him walking up a hill, the music starts playing he turns and looks into the distance and the words start “over the hills and far away”. Love it!
DOGS: Yes, I go on and on but I love my doggies. The puppy (Stan) isn’t really anymore, he’s about 15 months, but is sooo affectionate, he has to sit on you somehow. When we stay up late watching films or TV he will go and lie in his cage and sleep. Although he is still a pain at times, The bigger dog (Sid) is still fat and quite lazy. But there is nothing more relaxing than taking the pair out around the wood near the house
CHURCH:
Is going well, lots there who I don’t recognise, there is a sudden explosion of babies, like where did they come from…. Obviously I know where babies come from!!… but there are 3 new babies. Pastors still there doing excellent sermons, and the church carol service was again good.
SNOW: It’s a purely British thing to talk about the weather so here we go.. it snowed, it was fun, I managed to wake my bro up by throwing a snowball in his face, perfect shot!!
WORK: Forward planning for next term, its taking shape.
BIRTHDAY:
In case you didn’t know its on the 18th of this month!! Hint hint
SINGLENESS:
I’ve updated my other blog with a set of resources, why not have a look!!!sex, society and the single christian. I hope to add more througout the term as i write up what i've studied.
