61,000 Donkeys

2007-02-26T11:32:00.000Z

LOST AND FOUND

Don’t you hate it when you lose things, and even more the advice you get when you try to find them. More often than not its always my fault when I lose things and leave them in my room only to get buried under mounds of other things that are waiting their turn to get lost. In the end I find them and they are where I left them (surprised? Didn’t think so).

However recently my Pastor was preaching and he used this same situation to bring out a point about our daily walk with God. Do we feel as if we lost God? Do we feel as if we are missing something in our faith? If the answer is yes then we should examine our lives. Has anything changed? When was the last time we felt close to God? When you identify that time compare now to then, have you stopped doing anything (or perhaps started doing something) different? If you stopped reading your bible then start, have you stopped praying, start have you stopped meeting with God’s people, start! Often its when we stop these routine activities and get caught up in other things that God seems distant to us, try going back to those necessary activities to find what you lost.

Often it is the case that when we lose something its where we left it, the best thing about God is he will never leave us and he is infinitely patient. Often he is just waiting for us, calling to us to come back to him. I may go all over the place BUT God’s going nowhere!

2007-01-17T13:20:00.000Z

Do Balrogs Have wings ?

This may seem a funny question but it has been around for… well since Tolkien wrote Lord of the wings. I came across this at my A-levels, writing a piece of research on Tolkien. the balrog is a mythical daemon that they fight in Moria, in the recent film it is the most famous part of the whole trilogy and is depicted with wings. There is a lot of debate out there! if your interested in finding out more try:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balrog

and the external links has even more hardcore essays on the subject. Anyone fancy a MA on Balrogisum?

More ways to waste your day from Jonny :)

2007-01-16T14:51:00.000Z

GANDALF and PIPPIN sit on stone steps . . . Both

covered in sweat and grime, bone-weary from fighting,
spirits and hearts bruised . . .

PIPPIN:(quiet)

             I didn't think it would end this way . . .

 GANDALF: (gently):

             End? No, the journey doesn't end here.

PIPPIN looks up at GANDALF, questioningly . . . .

GANDALF: Death is just another path, one that we all

must take.

ANGLE ON: GANDALF looks down to see PIPPIN looking
up at him with fear in his eyes . . .

GANDALF: (remembering)

The grey rain curtain of this world rolls

back and all turns to silver glass . . .

(to himself)

and then you see it . . .

ANGLE ON: GANDALF breaks off, lost in reverie . . .

PIPPIN:

What, Gandalf? See what?

GANDALF:

White shores ... And beyond . . . A far green

country under a swift sunrise.

PIPPIN stares up at the OLD WIZARD'S FACE, softened
quiet and full of peace . . .

PIPPIN:(quiet)

Well, that isn't so bad.

GANDALF:(gently)

No . . . No, it isn't.

2007-01-08T16:42:00.000Z

WHO IS STUPIDER:

Man who throws ball

or

Dog who fetches

???

2007-01-08T15:32:00.000Z

HERE’S JONNY

So many might have noticed my absence, but that was explained in the previous blog post. So I’d thought I’d share some randomness from my trip across the ocean.

Day 1: in cinema seeing the pursuit of happiness when the lights come on and there is an announcement that a tornado has been sighted please evacuate the cinema and proceed to the tornado shelter, please do not leave the mall. Like day 1!!!

Visiting a southern Baptist church, it was big, the worship hall could have fitted my whole church site in (or close to at least). Preaching was good glad the gospel is the same in the US

Bookstores, the main bookstore has Christian books in, like ones you would want to read!

Food, I had root beer, American beer (yes it is as bad as everyone thinks). Taco bell, authentic Mexican, American burgers, dinner milkshakes, homemade fudge, and southern fried chicken

Texas being famous for the Wild West meant we went to the historic stockyards, got to see a Rodeo, funnier was the reaction of Lindsey and her mum going into the rodeo and smelling the air. Saw calf lassoing, stunt riding, bull riding and the works. Also got to try on cowboy stuff 

Cars, all the cars are bigger, the roads are bad. Many many trucks on the road, but petrol is about 1/3 of the price, it costs the same in petrol to run a gas guzzling truck as it did my fiesta. Also saw a beautiful 65” mustang being done up/

New years, spent time with some of Lindsey’s family friends in a huge house, really Texan people playing poker and pool.

Films saw night at the museum, the pursuit of happiness and children of me. Children of men was really good but made me homesick as it is all filmed on location in Kent and London.

Culture, went to see the bodyworlds exhibit. If you get the opportunity see it, yes they are real bodies but my word you see just how good God is in his making of the human body!!!

Shopping, I gave in and bought cheap Oakleys, not that I will have a chance to use them much in wet England but I am weak.

Overall it was a good trip, but now its back to reality and time to get work!

2006-12-27T21:35:00.000Z

MEET THE PARENTS

So, i'm going to be away for the next 8 days, why6? i'm off to America to meet lindseys parents. I think this could be an..... interesting experance, she lives in dallas, texas. So i have lots of stereotypes of Americans in my head, and texans are the cowboy type with big guns. Also i heard the men are really protective of their daughters. So best behavior, stiff upper lip and tiddley pom away I go.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all :)

2006-12-26T14:37:00.000Z

ROOM 101

It’s my 101^st post. So I thought I’d do a 101 special J.

So what 3 things would Jonny send to room 101?

4x4’s.

Yes those Chelsea tractors the bane of the road user everywhere. They seem to always park badly, they never see you because everything is too small. They are really bad for fuel efficacy and are in the worst group for co2 emissions. At night when you travel on the roads because they are so elevated their headlights are slap bang on the same level as your mirror so you get blinded. I see no need for these, if you have lots of kids get a people carrier or an estate car. The fact is the 4 wheel drive is now becoming a road car, there are sporty “vogue” versions, what farmer would buy a vogue? surely this is aimed at those soccer mom’s. I saw a top gear where they raced a new range rover sport against a tank, the range rover was shamed, it cant handle what it was designed to do, off road, though it did have lots of space and a refrigerator in the arm rest. These beasts have my vote to go to room 101! (with the exception of those who live on farms who have need for off road vehicles)

Liberal Theology

This is one thing that should be locked away and never seen again. Its derisive, its dribble. Theology that says things like, Jesus is not God, penal substitution is wrong, and the Bible is not the word of God. These are the basics that if you take away leave gaping holes in your faith and reduce you to licence or religion. Either way its will leave you empty and unfulfilled.

Processed Pop

Okay the first time round x-factor and pop idol got our attentions, but why do they persist in continuing? There is soo much samey rubbish that get thrown in our faces I think we should let music be music on its own merits and on the talent of the performers. With all this clutter being blasted out our TV and radio it strangles those with talent who haven’t been given their showbiz break. Ratings should not control the music business.

I hope this doesn’t sound like ranting, it is but its light-hearted. My room 101 selection for my 101 post.

2006-12-24T20:37:00.000Z

Merry Christmas

A happy christmas to all who read my blog.
A small christmas thought to all my readers.
The goose doesn't realy get the best deal at christmas, what being killed, stuffed, cooked and all.
This Christmas DONT BE A GOOSE, instead celebrate the true meaning of christmas, God come to earth, Jesus' birth.

Merry Christmas

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace,
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His Wings.
Now He lays His Glory by,
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the New-born king!"

2006-12-23T18:11:00.000Z

WOODLAND WANDERING WONDERINGS:

So with all this cold and fog there are still things outdoors that need to be done, like walking the dogs. Now I like doing this I often walk in the woods and reflect, think, or just drink in the beauty of the woods. Last week I was walking in the woods and being honest things wernt/arnt that good with me. I was in a stretch of the woods, tired and down. And I just stopped waiting to hear from God (I did ask first).

I looked behind me and saw the corner I had come around in the distance, the sunset glow spilling from the direction I came to cast a golden shadow onto the path. Looking around me it was dim and muddy and cold, looking a ahead I could see the well known path but it was obscured by fog and the lack of light. Then for a moment I caught a glimpse of another dog walker in the distance before he was again swallowed by the fog.

This bought a few things to my mind. Looking back, I had come round a corner from light into dark, I could see where I had come from, but I couldn’t go back, that wasn’t the way to go. There was light in my life but now things have got darker. Looking at where I was, it is not a place to stop, its dark and hard and muddy. My path at the moment is difficult, but the path is also well trodden (hence all the mud). Two things here first, this is a well used path, we all live (or lived) and there is nothing new under the sun. People have been through what I have been through and yet have made it out the other end, the path is hard but its not impossible. Second I have been this way before, many of those footprints are mine and I know this path. I have been to some dark places previously in my life and I have got through them, I know that my life now is not as bad and I can cope by experience.

Lastly the distance, looking onwards I cant see where the path goes. I don’t know what my future holds at the moment uncertainty and foggy. But I do know that the woods end and then I can go home. Likewise this life will end at some piont in the (hopefully) distant future and I can go home, the woods arnt endless I just cant see the end. Also the figure in the distance, he has gone ahead of me, he has been down the path and is going before me. Jesus had done everything I need, he is my guide on my path and I can follow him, when the fog and dark descends he can disappear from sight, because you cant see him doesn’t mean he isn’t there.

I can look back and worry over better times gone and what I have lost, I can look down and get bogged in the present and my emotions and see a helpless situation. I can look forward and fear as I cant see the way . Or I can trust through experience and knowledge that the endless foggy darkness will end and where I am is not where I will be forever and walk on in the knowledge that I have a Lord who has gone before me and will get me home.

2006-12-05T09:51:00.000Z

Going Postal

I received two letters in the post yesterday, I thought I’d post two extracts from them:

Letter 1

Dear Mr Hannan

We can confirm our inspection of the above vehicle on behalf of Norwich union motor claims, and advise that we have recommended to them that the claim be dealt with on a total loss basis.

Letter 2

Dear Mr Hannan

… At this time of year we want all our cars to perform faultlessly. A lot can happen between annual services; therefore I would like to invite you to have a special winter safety check on your vehicle for only £10+ VAT.

When you get these two letters on the same morning you just have to laugh.

2006-11-29T17:54:00.000Z

Experiencing God's sovergienty Part III, an unexpected incident:

So this was meant to be a post on my unemployed situation, however events changed it.

Last Wednesday I crashed my car, like totally!!! Going down to Cornwall for a week to do some bits around our property there, anyway after 6 ½ hours travelling we left the dual carriageway onto the country roads. Going around one corner about 35 I realised that I was going too fast and too wide, I put on my breaks and steered in. However my back skidded out and I spun about 90 degrees to face the hedgerow (Cornish ones are normally stone!) which I promptly steered away from but my back again slammed into the hedge, I hit the verge and the car went over. The car rolled over onto the drivers side which made the window shatter, then onto the roof where it stopped in the middle of the road.

So then alls quiet, I’m hanging upside down in the car, this is a really novel experience, however I don’t suggest you try it, just go to Alton towers! first I wonder if I’m alright, yup all seems like I can move, but my cousin hasn’t said anything its soo quite. I ask if he’s okay he replies he is, and we stay upside down. I then suggest we might release our seatbelts, we do and land in the car (me on all the glass!. I put the hazards on and think... we need to get out the car, I ask is Chris can get his door open, he cant. I try mine, I have to kick it open. Then we crawl out the car. Then we stand there in the dark looking at the car. All I can think of is it’s a dream, it must be a dream, I didn’t roll my car. Then I look and realise its real. DAMN ! And only 8 miles from out destination.

So we’re out and a friendly guy phones the ambulance (a not so friendly woman informs us she phoned the police). I now check myself and find I’m dripping blood all over the road, and my arm is sore. Checking it in the headlights of the not so friendly woman’s car who seems much put out she has to turn on her lights it looks okay if bloody. The ambulance arrives and the most awesum Cornish dude gets me in and starts checking me out. He makes jokes, gently rebukes, calms us, and gives me a shoulder to (literally) cry on. Reminding us we are alive! The main thing they were after is if I was drinking (a firm no). The police arrive, take my details breathalyse me, and then take the car away as they have no more interest, I’m insured, I’m sober no more to it.

Then of to hospital after as much stuff is retrieved as possible, including one of my fog lights!. After a wait I get seen, and what follows can only be described as torture! One hours of arm scrubbing and glass removal and stitches (13 ow ow ow!!). Interestingly I have unusually tough skin, good in some way, bad when being stitched. I always knew I was a thick skinned individual! 13 stitches and 5 shots of local anesthic later we are let go. We arrive back at our destination at 12am. 13 ¾ hours journey, a new record.

So what was that all about.

Well a lot to thank God for, only my arm was hurt, I mean I rolled a car, not many people say they’ve done that and walked out of it. Again thankfully God is in control. I AM ALIVE !!!

At the same time if God is in control why did he let me roll the car??

A lot of factors were in this, road conditions (wet and muddy as we found out later when looking back at it) my driving and tiredness not bad but could have been better.

Its just a whole muddy cauldron of “what2 and “why”. But thinking about God’s sovereignty this does reaffirm he in control, and I will have scars to remind me if I forget. I guess most of this I am still working through, I am very shaken up from it, but I suppose I can find comfort in the fact my work on this planet Is not done, God doesn’t want me to be with him yet.

2006-11-14T17:52:00.000Z

Three Practical experances of God's sovergienty
(Part 2)

This post is about an experience but it really isn’t mine. As I visited Sam last Thursday I was again reminded of God’s sovereignty.

Sam (he will be the first to admit) is not the most organised or time conscious person. So as relay began to approach its final term he had yet to do anything about jobs. However word alive approached. A fun (albeit cold) time for all). Sam chose to attend some of the “Godly man” seminars by Kent Hughes. In the second seminar being a godly man in the workplace they were split into small groups within the seminar. In this group Sam met a guy to did computer and software engineering, the same thing as Sam did his degree in. They got talking and went to coffee. It turned out this guy had his own business and was looking to recruit, he gave Sam his card and asked for his CV.

Now Sam being Sam waited a long time before handing in his CV, it happened that when he did do it the guy and his wife had been praying the night before for him and for his CV to arrive. Sam had his interview and got offered the Job.

Now if that was enough Sam’s fiancée’ Rosie also was looking for speech therapy jobs, they were hoping she would find somewhere that they could keep in close contact as relay had been a challenge with distance. Rosie applied for some, got some rejections but got a job in Watford…. where Sam had just got his job.

It amazes me that in the space of a month Sam and Rosie can both get jobs in the same area. Also the circumstances around Sam’s job are amazing. You can see God setting up people in places, using prayer and managing to use Sam despite his bad time keeping !!!!!!1

So application, well it seems if God can do all this for his children I know I can trust him in my present circumstances. I can see God’s full control over all this and am assured and comforted by it.

2006-11-12T12:20:00.000Z

3 pratical experances of God's sovergienty (and thier aplications)
part I

What follows is an account of last week:

I nearly hit a kid in my car. I was driving down the windy roads of Tunbridge wells to sainsburies, I had finished work so I was tired. It was a 30 zone but I was doing 24, which is slow for a road that I know, I am often round there at 30 as its normally clear and few cars on the road. I was coming round the corner past the bus stops and heading to the roundabout. Suddenly a kid runs out into the road, must have been what 12 or sumthing, but he runs and stumbles and gets up and looks at me and legs it. I slammed on my brakes stopping in time and gave him a blast of my horn. Stupid stupid stupid kid. I mean he ran our and stumbled. it was lucky I saw him!

what if I was going faster, even at 30 could I have stopped?

what if I had been checking my mirrors and missed him step out?

what if I had been looking down the road to the roundabout?

what if I had been not paying attention?

what if I had left a few seconds earlier?

what if It had been another driver?

what if he had properly fell instead of stumbling?

what if I was looking at the other side of the road?

what if my reactions (which are good) were not as good?

what if I had had a car fault?

what if the kid was smaller?

what if the kid hesitated and ran out a few seconds later?

what if

what if?

There is no reason on this earth that all that happened by co-incidence, on any other day that kid could be in hospital… or worse, why why why did it all go right?

Yes I was scared and shook up all day, yes I was exceedingly angry at the stupid kid, I mean things like that put life in perspective, it was lucky I saw him coz he ran out stumbled and was under my field of vision. shock.

It made me reflect. There has to be a sovereign God, I mean NO WAY should that have happened. There is a God and he is in control. it’s a hard lesson to learn, a lesson I often forget and a lesson I have to be constantly reminded of. Life, all life is in God's control, he chose to let that kid live, he chose to let me not hit that kid. Life all life is under God's control and rule.

It is also a lesson I need to live out and believe not just acknowledge.

more to follow.

2006-10-19T09:39:00.000+01:00

All over the world the message is the same:

This weekend I was in Germany visiting my girlfriend. Part of the experience was going to Church with her on Sunday. Obviously being in Germany the service was in German, so I sat through an 40 minute sermon in German. Now my German is not really that extensisive, 1 year at secondary school!

Anyway throughout the sermon I was picking up parts. The phrases I heard were “Jesus is the way” and “follow him”. It struck me that yeah I relay did not understand what the guy was saying but the parts I could understand reassured me, the message we preach here is the same as they preach there. In fact the message we have is a global message that is reaching across the world.

Strange to imagine that one day there were a few scared men and women sitting in a upper room fearing for their lives, yet unknowing about the wonderful thing that had happened. Then Their lord and saviour appeared to them. He did not speak English yet it was then the message of hope began. The difference was it was for the world and not just the Jews.

From there the message spread, it went out on Pentecost one message in lots of languages so that all might hear. Many many were converted. From Palestine to Rome, from Rome to the known world.

So today I sit on Sunday in church in Tunbridge wells and I know that in Germany the same message of salvation is going out. Jesus is the way, follow him

2006-10-07T12:42:00.000+01:00

I found this ages ago when googling my name. It is a university in Japan named after me. Well no its not names after me but we share the same name.

http://www.hannan-u.ac.jp/english/index.html

2006-10-06T21:38:00.000+01:00

1) "hello" "hello"
2) "fit in that box" [box reads job profile]
3) "excellent"
4) "jump through this hoop"
5) "good"
6) "congratulations you got the job"
7) "now just keep jumping through hoops till you die or reach 67"

2006-09-28T18:06:00.000+01:00

The Delusion Of Absolute Power:

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Well I’ve been thinking on that recently. Reading one of my favourite books with a guy with either a big axe or a big sword fights a even bigger bad guy with an even bigger axe or sword to rescue the helpless damsel in distress who is his childhood sweetheart who lived in the village along with some form of self revelation yadda yadda yadda. Anyway in the particular book I was reading it had an evil queen who used to be a good character but became evil because he had absolute power. That made me think.

Does absolute power really corrupt? in the story it seamed to be used as an excuse to say that deep down she was a nice person. And I think more on what we see, Hitler, Stalin, Nero, and other dictators. We use these as examples to show what power does when it goes unchecked. We do not condone or excuse the actions but we also say the “power” they wielded had a part to play.

Does anyone have absolute power? Yes God, is he corrupt… NO! he is good and pure. This makes me think when people on this earth have great power they abuse it, Yet God has even more power and He is Good, then therefore the problem is not the power influencing us and corrupting us but instead Us using and corrupting our power.

Absolute power doesn’t corrupt us, we are already broken and corrupt. The power is just an extreme outlet for what’s inside ourselves that we would rather not see. All that vile, bitter, hateful emotions and our fallen humanity. The greater the power the more opportunity for our corrupt selves to be expressed.

We say power corrupts, why? Its because we are unwilling to face the fact that the evil done by men who have power is the same evil lurking in potential under our surfaces. We don’t want to see or admit we have a flaw in us so we look for reasons outside our fallen nature to explain evil. We see mass evil done by rulers and men with power and we want to give it a cause that is apart from our broken selves, we seek to blame the absolute power for corrupting men to do the evil we see. We delude ourselves to our own condition.

Absolute power does not corrupt us

A fallen nature corrupts power.

2006-09-20T09:46:00.000+01:00

Fill in the blanks

2006-09-19T12:44:00.000+01:00

Cooking with Jonny II:

Southern Comfort Peach Crumble

Ingredients

2 tins of peaches

3-5 shots of southern comfort

packet of digestives

butter

brown sugar

raisins

cinnamon

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Take a baking tin and grease with the butter.

Add the drained peaches with a little of the juice into the greased dish, and add a handful or two of raisins (depending on preference)

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

On top add the southern comfort spread evenly across the peaches. Again 3-5 shots depending on preference.

Take the digestives, and crush until they arte crumbs, mix with brown sugar then add to the top of the peaches. Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on top again and a few raisins if desired.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until top is golden brown

Serve with custard or cream

For those who prefer a non alcoholic version you can cook without the southern comfort to give… well a peach crumble!

2006-09-15T17:25:00.000+01:00

WELL DONE DAN:

http://danielpeake.com/blog/?p=56

One of my old cell-mates (as in cell groups not dodgy prison style friends) was on the weakest link. I met dan in my final year as he joined uni he studies metology (the weather). He made the final 3 before being voted off. He survied torrents of insults implied as being both camp and wanting to be a weather girl, and survied Anne's trying to fix him up with another contestant. However his woefuly dreadful weather realted jokes made him look a tad foolish.

Well done mate, cut the weather jokes as you make both me and si look like comedy giants.

2006-09-03T22:50:00.000+01:00

ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BEER BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK:

Beer: is one of the world's oldest alcoholic beverages. It is a fermented beverage made from malted barley, hops and water, and is carbonated in almost all cases.

Larger: are the most commonly-consumed category of beer in the world. They are of Central European origin, taking their name from the German lagern ("to store"). Lager yeast is a bottom-fermenting yeast, and typically begins fermentation at 7-12°C (45-55°F) (the "fermentation phase"), and then stored at 0-4°C (30-40°F) (the "lagering phase"). During the secondary stage, the lager clears and mellows. The cooler conditions also inhibit the natural production of esters and other byproducts, resulting in a "crisper" tasting beer.

Ale: is beer that is brewed using only top-fermenting yeasts, and is typically fermented at higher temperatures than lager beer (15–23°C, 60–75°F). Ale yeasts at these temperatures produce significant amounts of esters and other secondary flavor and aroma products, and the result is a flavourful beer with a slightly "flowery" or "fruity" aroma

Stout and Porter are dark beers made using roasted malts or roast barley. E.g. Gunnies

2006-08-31T21:35:00.000+01:00

Things i learnt today:

No matter how good i think i can drive you still cant beat an Audi A3 desil in a 1.4 Feista!

2006-08-30T17:27:00.000+01:00

COOKING WITH Jonny I:

Stuff you need:

2 turkey burgers

some cheese (preferably cheddar)

mayo

Ham slices (3 is good)

Chunky crusty bread (or toast)

What to do:

Grill the turkey burgers as per instructions, when just about ready add on the cheddar cheese and melt it on.

Butter one slice of bread and add lots of mayo to the other. Add your ham (bacon works just as well) to the mayo side.

Insert the two burgers ontop of the butterd bread, combine the two slices to form a sandwich.

You now have the best EVER sandwich

Variations also inculde: letticue and tomatoes, tomatoe ketchup instead of mayo (is okay but mayo rocks), and pickle.;

2006-08-25T09:28:00.000+01:00

Q: Whats green, has six legs and would kill you if it jumped out of a tree ontop of you?

A: A snooker table

2006-08-23T22:23:00.000+01:00

Equal, yet soooo different:

what follows is a conversation that realy opened my eyes to the differnces between men and women.

Jonny: (after waiting for about 1hour for lindsey to get ready)- how long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

Lindsey: hey, I like it. It helps me to realx.

(pause)

Lindsey: what do you do to relax???

Jonny: .... i like to shoot things

(pause)

Lindsey: ... oh

Jonny: So to relax you like to do you hair and i like to shoot things.

(long pause)

Lindsey: (rolls her eyes)- Your such a boy!

2006-08-23T10:53:00.000+01:00

You know you can't sing when.....

Driving in the car with Guns n roses playing loud and you decide to join in the amazing cover of "Knockin on Heavens door" followed by "november rain" and Axel Rose can sing better than you!!!!!!!!

2006-08-21T16:43:00.000+01:00

RELAY: What was that all about????

AGGGGHHHHH !!! Job-hunting sucks. It’s really boring and frustrating. What I find the most frustrating is the whole competency and skills section of application forms.

It just seems RELAY becomes another set of skills I’ve learnt. On my year of relay I have learnt and acquired: inter-personal skills, mentoring training, experience of oral presentations and public speaking, the ability to give and lead interactive seminars, experience with motivating people and dealing with people who have issues with the organisations I work for or personal issues they need help with.

YET true as all this is and as much as it keeps going onto Forms I want to scream at the computer screen that REALY was all about Me. Relay was God working in my life changing me maturing me and making me love him more!

Skills are good, God is better !!!

2006-08-13T13:03:00.000+01:00

Let your light shine forth amoungst men:

A Holy life will make the deapest impression
Lighthouses blow no horns they just shine

D.L.Moody

It was our church's kids hliday club service and this was in the sheet. It's a wonderful reminder that my life and what i do in it matters and affects others.
So challange for me is to be a shiney happy person (with the emphesis on the shining!)

2006-08-03T11:38:00.000+01:00

KLINGON PROVERBS:

When threatened, fight.

If you are sad, act!

Hit them hard and hit them fast.

Klingons do not procrastinate.

If it's in your way, knock it down.

Klingons are a proud race, and we intend to go on being proud.

Great deeds, great songs.

Choose to fight, not negotiate.

If you must negotiate, watch your enemy's eyes.

Brute strength is not the most important asset in a fight.

There is nothing shameful in falling before a superior enemy.

When in doubt, surprise them.

There are no old warriors.

Blood and water don't mix.

Drinking fake ale is better then drinking water.

A warrior does not let a friend face danger alone.

When a warrior goes to a battle, he does not abandon his friends.

Klingons do not faint.

Klingons do not get sick.

Klingons do not lie in bed.

To understand life, endure pain.

Pleasure is nonessential.

A warrior does not complain about physical discomfort.

Klingons never bluff.

Capture all opportunities.

When you insult a Klingon's honor, prepare for trouble.

If you cannot fail, you cannot succeed.

If you cannot be shamed, you cannot be honored.

The Klingon who kills without showing his face has no honor.

Only an enemy without honor refuses to show himself in battle.

May your enemies run with fear.

For one mission, there is one leader.

A Klingon does not postpone a matter of honor.

It is a good day to die.

If you are afraid to die, you have already died.

Death is an experience best shared.

To die defending his ship is the hope of every Klingon.

To die in the line of duty is the hope of every Klingon.

To die while serving the Empire is the hope of every Klingon.

Never leave without your bat'leth.

No Klingon ever breaks his word.

A beard is a symbol of courage.

Stop talking! Drink!

Klingons do not surrender.

A Klingon does not run away from his battles.

Better to die on our feet than live on our knees.

Cowards take hostages. Klingons do not.

Even the best blade will rust and grow dull unless it is cared for.

The used kut'luch is always shiny.

Shooting space garbage is no test of a warriors mettle.

Only fools have no fear.

Only a fool fights in a burning house.

Only fools don't attack.

A fool's only achievement is death.

Mercy or power.

Revenge is the best revenge.

Four thousand throats may be cut in one night by a running man.

An honorable death requires no vengeance.

Tickle us, do we not laugh? Prick us , do we not bleed? Wrong us, shall we not seek revenge?

Revenge is a dish which is best served cold.

If winning is not important, then why keep score.

Gagh is always best served when live.

Admire the person with dirt under his fingernails.

Motives are insignificant.

When a warrior dies, his spirit escapes.

If the warrior's spirit has not escaped, the battle is still going on.

Curse well!

Conquer what you desire.

You have choosen your weapon, so fight!

Love is always smelled.

Klingons kill for their own purposes.

Don't trust those who frequently smile.

A sharp knife is nothing without a sharp eye.

If you sleep with targs, you'll wake up with glob flies.

No pain, no gain.

The son of a Klingon is a man the day he can first hold a blade.

The victor is always right.

In war, there is nothing more honorable than victory.

History is written by the victors.

To find ale, go into a bar.

A ship cloaks in order to attack.

Everyone encounters tribbles occasionally.

If you want to eat pipius claw, you'll have to break a few pipiuses.

Trust, but locate the doors.

Don't trust Yridians who bring gifts.

Don't trust Ferengi who give back money.

Don't just aim; hit the target!

If a warrior does not fight, he does not breathe.

You pay attention to your Fek'lhr and I will pay attention to mine.

No enemy is boring.

If you don't use the painstik, the child will never celebrate his Age of Ascension.

Have the courage to admit your mistakes.

Buy or die.

A girl chases a boy until she catches him, with luck he is not maimed for life

2006-08-02T12:24:00.000+01:00

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A

What follows are some selected highpoints from the four weddings of this summer:

Best reception location: JULIE Held at the high rocks hotel, just round the corner from home as we both live in the same town. Wonderful sunny day in a country inn in the garden of England (Kent)

Best looking bride: RYOKO: Seriously amazing gown with veil and gloves. There are correct terms to describe it all in colour and size and shape but her dress was spectacular.

Best reception entertainment: DAVE&JEN: Barn dance, sooo much fun, they showed you the steps and everyone can join in its all swapping partners and dancing. Very social.

Best food: ALEX&RYOKO: Homemade food from their local church. HOWEVER their local church is full of internationals that live in reading. We had Cypriot, polish, Russian and of course Japanese traditional food. Homemade sushi tops evrytime

Most Hats in the Church: HAYLEY. Not a requirement but one of the families had all the female relatives all turn out in hats.

Most compliments on how good I looked in a suit: HAYLEY: again many many people seem surprised when I dress up and there were many compliments on my sharp dressing

Most random/original idea for the reception: JULIE: They hired the local steam train to take them to the reception, and we all got a ride.

Funniest best man speech: ALEX&RYOKO: very good included getting Alex to tap dance for everyone. However when they had the childhood stories about Alex getting into trouble…. Well it seems I was involved as well so double embarrassment.

Best Church Music: DAVE&JEN: Chichester has some great music talent in the church, and the creams that were all my friends were taken to make the band. Also the Grooms father sang a solo of ‘blessed be your name’ to the acompiant of Irish drum and whistle.

Best Sermon: DAVE&JEN: One of the church leaders from Chi did this, very personal, funny, Godly and relevant to today. Admittedly one of his illustrations was stretching it but was really good to hear Ian speak on marriage, communication and Love is nailing the others faults to the cross.

Most touching moment: HAYLEY: Running late into the chapel to see her waiting to go in having a brief moment of anxiety as she always does.

Felt the most Old: JULIE, my word she is a year younger than me she hadn’t graduated yet!

Best Stag Do: well there was only one, Alex’s involving paintball, bbq, world cup, throwing Alex into the Thames and jumping in for a swim as well.

Just like to wish all four couples God’s blessings on their marriages.

To end it has to be in the words of Hugh Grant: “a weekend without a wedding… what an unheard of thing!”

2006-07-24T23:31:00.000+01:00

Grace:

Man how often do i forget what its about.

I've been stuck in bed for nearly two weeks now, the doctors say its a "viral infection" (aka- dunno). I am getting better so i'm not vomiting everywhere. But satill can't realy get up and be active!

So this is now the first summer in 12 years i missed camp, i went to camp, got converted at camp, had soo much spritual imput on camp and i now lead on camp. I was atculay looking forward to it this year. I even got myself qualified as a Kayak coach so i could be of more use.....
.. but i'm not going.

But as i said, its not about how many camps i do, God can work without me. Whislt i mouch about in the stuff i'm missing and what i could be doing i need to rember its not about me doing Camp its about God.

Man i sooo need to learn this lesson !!

2006-07-18T17:27:00.000+01:00

Sound Advice:

Watching Top gear the other day they had challange on. Buying an italian super car for less than the price of a second hand mondeo (£10 k). They had to do various challanges and they all basicly had serrious problems and fell apart.
what follows is my conversation with my Dad and his sage advice-

me: atcualy although not as reliable, it would be fun to own a old italian super car, make it yours fix it up etc

dad: you don't want to do that. They'll cost you the earth and break you heart.

me:... oh

>pause<

dad: its the same with Itailian women, they cost you the earth and will break you heart. Better off with the mondeo.

Wise advice from my dad. Just one last question, what sort of woman is the equivilent of a mondeo????

2006-07-17T18:15:00.000+01:00

have you ever met an invisable man? if so how did you know? (if not how can you be sure!)

2006-07-16T22:15:00.000+01:00

Top 10 Greatest Baddies:

1) Alan Rickman- DIE HARD
2) Alan Rickman- Sheriff of Nottingham
3) Dath Vader
4) Arnie- The Terminator
5) Ming The Merciless
6) T-Rex
7) Hannibal Lector
8) Sean Bean in Goldeneye
9) Agent Smith (the Matrix)
10) Sideshow Bob (the simpsons)

2006-07-16T15:25:00.000+01:00

I was at my ex-housemates wedding yesterday (3 down 1 to go this summer!) It was as always wonderful. However we sang 'here is love' and there were 4 verses. I had never sang the last wo and the words were amazing. So for those who havent seen them before i thought i'd blog them up:

Let us all His love accepting
Love Him ever all our days
Let us seek His Kingdom only
And our lives be to His praise
He alone shall be our glory
Nothing in the world we see
He has cleansed and sanctified us
He Himself has set us free

In His truth He does direct me
By His Spirit through His Word
And His grace my need is meeting
As I trust in Him, my Lord
All His fullness He is pouring
In His love and power in me
Without measure
Full and boundless
As I yield myself to Thee

2006-07-14T15:47:00.000+01:00

If I were a....

so i am now unemployed and waiting to hear back from the police force. I got thinking what would be my top 5 jobs if i could go and do anything:

1) Army Pardre (Chaplin)

2) Top Gear presenter

3) Film Critic

4) Surfing instructer in Austrailia

5) Author

2006-07-05T22:35:00.000+01:00

Home

so its all over, Relay has finnished what now in my life and travels? well there is a lot in the short term, missions, camps, weddings (1st 3 weekends in july!!) kayaking etc. However it all stops in August. What then?

well i've applied to the police and that takes absolutly ages like 6-9 months so i'm back home at my parents house facing the joys of temp work in an enviroemnt where i'm not going to be tr4eated as i normaly am and is also not going to last.

After all the excitement to relay 3 thinking about workplace ministry i was all fired up to launch into the next phrase of God's big plan for my life, excited and ready. However God is saying wait. so i'll wait.

Playing this song by the beautiful south kinda summed up my feeling about leaving friends to live at home:
Do you know where I'm gonna go?
None of you have guessed, so none of you can know
If you've been, that's not where I mean
It's got class and it's got excellence like you've never seen

Your town is dragging me down
Dragging me down, down, down
Your town is dragging me down
Dragging me down, down, down

in retro spect i can look over team days and find some comfort. We were looking at moses and the piont came up that between chapters 2 and 3 of Exodus there is a gap of 40 years, the piont being there is normality in life, God uses that time to form us and shape us for the next stage/challange/trial/unexpected event that will come our way.

As i write this i think i see things a bit more clearly,, hands up it was just meant to be a moan with the sarcastic song, but God has bought to mind team days trainign and its meaning and indeed challange.

I face a period of uncertain waiting in between relay and whever i go.
will i trust God?
will i carry on in disipline and growing in Christ?
will i continue to live by grace?

all those who read and know me please challange me as i want the answers to the above to be YES !

2006-06-29T15:30:00.000+01:00

No more Socks !

The latest installment on my singleness blog has arrived. What sort of gift is singleness?????

http://thesinglechristian.blogspot.com/

2006-06-29T15:19:00.000+01:00

TOYS FOR BOYS :)

Browsing through the junk mail we get in the house i came across the latest machine mart cataolgue. This is sooooooo cool.

You know when you used to walk into toys r us....

sorry i'll rephrase that, You know when you walk into toys r us you go wow i wnat that and i want that and i want that its like an aladings cave, well its just the same with this catalogue. Full of the wonderful things i'll never need or use:
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/

2006-06-15T15:03:00.000+01:00

BIBLES FOR BAYONETTES: The Battle cry of LOVE

Leaping forward you land heavily, the air rushes out of your lungs in a whooossshhh, yet you don’t have time to think about that. Readying your weapon you start to fire, rapidly, the echoes of your team around create a crescendo of gunfire. Your target lies in front, 50 meters of open ground lie between you and the enemy. You continue to fire, desperately trying to empty your magazine and suppress the enemy. Cordite smoke burns your nostrils and hot brass cases rest amongst the undergrowth and over you. Empty now there is one action left, the enemy is down, you are still 50 meters away. You ready for the charge, 50 meters seemingly a marathon away, 50 meters of open terrain, 50 meters where you aren’t shooting, 50 meters where you are going to have to run towards the enemy guns. The order comes, in an animal like way you rise up and start across the gap, adrenaline kicks in, your mouth opens and out comes a sound, a half roar a half scream, encompassing both fear aggression and defiance. A war cry of hate directed to the enemy as you charge towards him, a war cry coming from the inmost being of yourself.

It struck me on relay 3 of the importance of Love, and that as Christians we are described as soldiers but our warfare is very different. We have a battle cry of Love. When soldiers charge they give a war cry, to help boosters themselves and to scare the enemy, it is an aggressive cry that comes from within. A war cry of love is a different thing; first it is not from within us but from God. We are humans and our nature is faulty, Grace allows us to be changed, God’s work in our lives lets us have a battle cry of love. It is one that is not about aggression and anger, but one of submission and peace. Love is about the other person and as Christian soldiers our battle cry is love. That is love of God for us, the love of God for the lost and the love of us for the lost, our battle cry is God’s love shown in the Gospel.

Soldier fight with the aim to dominate. The more numbers, the better terrain, the heavily fortified. The bigger tanks, the better weapons the more disciplined and well trained. The stronger the better. All these are part of winning wars. Christian soldiers have the reverse; the gospel reminds us of our weak and helpless state. It also promises help in that. Christian soldiers do not rely on their own strength or action but on God. Christian soldiers are actually at their most effective when they are in a state of recognised weakness and dependence before God: ‘God chose the foolish things to shame the wise, God chose the weak things to shame the strong’ 1 Corinthians 1:27.

Soldiers fight with the aim to minimalise their own casualties and maximise the enemies loses. They dominate the field in order to eliminate the enemy. Christian soldiers recognise that it’s not about our lives. In fact our Captain himself went to the cross to die. Our fight as Christians is not about preserving our own lives but about fighting for the lies of those who are against us. We hold out the gospel to them, in an effort that they may be saved and NOT die! We in fact approach this with a minimal view of our own lives: But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ’ Philippians 3:7-8. Soldiers fight to keep tier own lives and take others; Christians fight to save others lives at risk of their own.

In battle many things can go wrong, accidents, luck, weather, surprises all occur. The result of the battle is not known till just before the end. Uncertainty marks a soldiers life. Christian soldiers already know the outcome; we have victory through Jesus our captain. He has won the fight for us and the result is known. Where as solider live in uncertainty, we should live in victory, yes there are battles to be fought and uncertainty in life. However the war is won, we are victors!

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57

2006-06-04T22:37:00.000+01:00

a word of life... a word for life

something my Pastor said struck me in the service so i thougt i'd blog it up.
When we feel depressed and down one of the symptoms is we lose intrest in life, it becomes bland and we can't relate, colour and meaning disapear.

But not so with the word of God, when we feel down it is often then we find the most enriching passages in the bible and we find new meaning and hope through God's word. In our personal grief and trail, we can see the truth of God's promises and character.

when all becomes dull, God's word is just starting to bloom into an explosion of colour into our lives

2006-06-03T00:19:00.000+01:00

Did you know :

150 people are killed by coconuts each year?

(thats 10 times the ammount killed by sharks)

2006-06-01T23:13:00.000+01:00

Dear All,
next week is Rely 3, i will be away enjoying the lovely shropshire, yet is can be a bit lonely and emotional. Please send comfort food to me at the following address:

Jonny Hannan
Relay
Quinta Christian Centre
Quinta Hall
Weston Rhyn
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY10 7LR

(please dont send letters, not that i dont care but the staff read them out!)

2006-05-31T14:28:00.000+01:00

Tis the Season:

It's that time of year again. People are getting married, this weekend see's the first of the 4 wedding this year. Whats slightly more concerning is that the next 3 are all one after the other. Not going to be a cheap month.

In the spirit of the thing i decided to watch 4 weddings. Intrestingly this was writtern by richard Curtis after havig to visit many many weddings, life fuels comedy, very good. Please not i don't know how this film ended up in my collection i think it must of.... been pu tthere by a magic elf.

Funny moments being the aweful best man speach where no one laughs.... i've had that, and i even gave the groom all his best material!

Forgetting the rings... havent done that because i wasnt allowed to have the rings until we got into the church.

Sitting on a table with all the ex-girlfirends, well that wont happen but the comedy of the situation is good.

Following quotes i felt akin to:

"whose is it today?" after rushing in late to a service

"A saterday when nobody's getting married now thats an unuasl thing"

Also noticed at the end they did feature a dog, a labradore at that so the film went up in my estimation

Sillyness aside i do wish Phill and Julie all the best on saterday and am looking forward to it

2006-05-26T13:10:00.001+01:00

Almighty arms and holy hands
A love that through eternity spans
Arms that won’t reject my love
Hands tenderly caring from above

Friendship more solid than earth can give
It will not waver, it will not faint
It will not fail while I live
Love not fickle love, so great
A love that is always willing to wait
Love not like that on earth below
Tossing and changing as the winds blow

A love that wants me beckons me in
That heard my cry from deep within
A love that takes me, makes me whole

A love that heals and restores my soul

2006-05-24T18:04:00.000+01:00

God does not call the equiped

But equips the called

2006-05-23T18:09:00.000+01:00

I picked this CD up the other day. It took me about 2 weeks to finaly work out who this artist was. She's did "everybodys going to war" tjhats got a lot of play time at the mo.
It is a good album, nice and acoutic, it realy should be KT Tunstals new album as the style is quite like that.
Track 1: everybodys going to war, v good
Track 8: Sophia is awasum, piano and her voice, very well done.

Its about 36 in the chars and going cheap, i well recomend it. Has anyone else heard this album, if so leave your thoughts

2006-05-22T15:49:00.000+01:00

Thinking Ahead for Relay:

Here is a check list of the top 10 things you will find yourself needing on a year for relay:

1) A bible:
If you can get one with a mini concordance and cross-references for the text this makes you life so much easier. Study bibles also have lots about context and archaeological finds etc that can give you depth to studies. If you combine this in a nice bible case where you can store pens, notebooks, tracts, life gospels, notes, handouts, then your life becomes easier

2) Filo fax:
Planning your time you’ll need one of these.

3) Decent sleeping system
You’ll be travelling lots, they’ll guarantee you a roof, even walls, but if you have a good sleeping bag, pillow that can travel, roll mat (and a teddy if your that way inclined) it makes the year easier.

4) Reward cards:
All that shopping on a budget, means that reward cards will help, Costa, Nero etc often do reward cards, you’ll be in coffee shops a lot that if you just collect the points you’ll soon have free coffee. Also by the end of the year your tesco club card should give you enough points to afford a cabbage.

5) Travel card:
Before you graduate and start relay get a student rail card, again travelling etc is a common occurrence, with one of these you get 1/3 off your train fare.

6) A good phone contract
Amount of time you’ll be chasing students with phone calls or texts is unbelievable. Also you’ll be out at random times you’ll need a mobile for people to get hold of you

7) A decent rucksack
If your out all day at 3 meetings at once you’ll be needing something to carry it all around. Look for one that has separating compartments and also gives good back support.

8) A hobby
You will need to rest on relay, this means down time. If you have a sport or a hobby or interest then check out if you can continue it in your area, if you’re an avid birdwatcher and you go to Manchester… you might not have much luck, plan ahead.

9) A sense of adventure, open mindedness and willingness to get involved.
It will be unlikely that the Cu you work in will be the same as where you have come from. Be ready to try new things, do new things, meet new people, and make a fool of yourself out of love.

10) Thick skin, and love in the face of adversityYou aren’t a student and you aren’t the leader. This means your role is somewhat different than you may be used to. You now work for an organisation, it might take a while for folks to see you as a person, keep at it, don’t take it personally and keep on loving your peeps.

2006-05-17T16:55:00.000+01:00

Feeling Morbid?

Death clock

2006-05-15T16:55:00.000+01:00

Ode To My Bed

I'm 6 foot 3 and it must be said

i'm realy to big for a single bed

It may seem vain

but to fit my big frame

I need a bed thats as big as a train

When i lie down to slumber

i need a large portion of lumber

if the bed is to small

and i am too tall

then my spine becomes shaped like a cucumber

I love my big bed

for when i lay down my head

i can stretch out and sleep like the dead

2006-05-13T12:38:00.000+01:00

Jonny Has Needs:

In Response to Nathan's blog, here are my needs:

1) Jonny needs a slap

2) Jonny needs to see some lalalaura

3) Jonny needs nerdy hearts

4) Jonny needs a few decent meals and perhaps some time beefing himself up

5) Jonny needs to develop more caution and patience, do less on his own, and become a "team player"

6) Jonny needs soldiers

7) Jonny needs to stay away from any direct trauma on it and we just see how it progresses.

8) Jonny needs to focus on his own game and get back on the horse,

9) But when he gets busted by a vice squad investigating prostitution, Jonny needs rescuing

(this is done by typing; "your name" needs into google.)

2006-05-13T12:26:00.000+01:00

2006-05-08T16:49:00.000+01:00

Understanding Grace !

I've just finnished writting the first major article for my Singleness Blog, http://thesinglechristian.blogspot.com
It's entitled: Singleness in the Shadow of the cross. It was realy hard to write.

Writting on the cross... it realy blows your mind.

Trying to explain the unexplainable

understand the in-understandable

do justice to something that human words or efforts will never be able to do.

Grace, blows your mind!!

2006-05-07T13:32:00.000+01:00

2006-05-07T13:28:00.000+01:00

I've jsut come back from giving blood, which makes typing a weee bit hard.
Anyway i think there is some cosmic deving comedy going on. My blood type is B+. Those who know me know i can be slightly cinical and sarcastic and at times a weee bit depresive. However it seems God has chosen to infuse me with a message in my blood. B positive !!!

On a serrious note, give blood :)

2006-05-06T15:43:00.000+01:00

The road of Providence is uneven and unpredictable - yet we know where it leads: it leads to freedom.

G. Bush jnr 2005

2006-04-30T16:34:00.000+01:00

NEED GUIDENCE?

Burning questions?

what should i do?

indescison just bugging you?

who, what? when? where? how?

Try This: http://www.indra.com/8ball/front.html

2006-04-27T15:38:00.000+01:00

Size Matters:

How tall are you and which celebs do you share your size with?

www.sizematcher.com

I'm as tall as:

Arnie :)

Clive Owen

JOhn cussack

JOhnny Cash

I could have:

Jom carey

LL Cool J

Gene Hackman

Chris tucker

Go on waste some time :)

2006-04-21T12:37:00.000+01:00

Caption Competion:

add your comment

2006-04-20T14:26:00.000+01:00

The Agressive Man ??

I had a conversation with a student about the Elderidge Book Wild at heart. (In case you don’t get it from the post I’m not a fan).

We were discussing the various flaws and thoughts of the book. However this one struck me. We talking about how we should model our Masculinity and deal with it. One of the points of the book is that men are “wild at heart”; they are created in a way that they seek battle/action etc. When discussing whether it is right or not for you to teach a child to fight back against a bully it came up that this is explained because God made man aggressive. Hmmmm that didn’t sit right. (how does that fit with turn the other cheek). The books says “aggression is part of the masculine deign, we are hardwired for it”. His point being boys will play with guns and battle etc; this is how God made us. I am a little scared that it will breed a generation of men who use the excuse “that’s how God made me”.

Thinking on this for a while I came up with this, God did not create us aggressive God created us powerful. Man has within him power with potential to be used in many ways. Aggression is the result of the fall where men abuse their power.

So manliness and strength, how are they shown? How can we demonstrate our strength?
Some questions- who is stronger?

The man who can walk away from a fight secure in his identity and validity being found in Christ or the one who goes in fists flying

The man who can forgive a murderer or the one who goes and takes his revenge

The man who hits is wife to assert his authority or the man who takes time to build up his wife’s confidence in his ability to lead

The man who does, no matter what, or the man who does not for the sake of others.

God made men powerful, and potentially dangerous, the fall made us abuse that power, as a result men are aggressive. Jesus, look at him, he had the full power of God in him, the ability to command nature, heal the incurable, power of life and death, the power that created the world by a word, the power that by a word will one day end it. Jesus was potentially the most dangerous man to ever walk the earth. YET he willingly served others, he willingly took abuse and scorn; he willing sacrificed his power in the service of others.

A true measure of a man is not his ability to exercise power, but his ability to sacrifice it!

2006-04-17T21:19:00.000+01:00

A EASTER MESSAGE

2006-04-02T16:13:00.000+01:00

Did Paul do Relay ???

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of--I am speaking as a fool--I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

2 Corinthians 11 21b-29

This was my quiet time the other day, for some reason I found it encouraging. It’s Paul defending his ministry to the Corinthian Church. My musing are:

Paul has to defend himself, people don’t accept him and he has to fight to earn and keep the trust of his flock. In fact his flock are going off seeking other new and more interesting teaching of others, Paul pleads with them with unconditional love to come back to him. People reject Paul and he still loves and cares for them and their life.

Look at Paul’s long long list of what he went through, I don’t think we’ve been through anything like that, often when I have bad time I just want to stop to catch my breath. My mind is “wow that was hard, I’ll just stop and rest and work out what just happened”. Or we look to ourselves and our problems, again “man things are hard, I can feel the darkness closing in, I need to stop it all so I can concentrate on holding it all together.” Look at Paul, he’s going through all this AND he says: And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. So in the midst all all his troubles etc Paul is still carrying on the work he is given. He is dealing with his problems and with his task. Paul is concerned above all with God’s work and his trials are part of that yet don’t hinder him.

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
Here is interesting and also comforting. Paul is human too, he looks at all his problems in his churches and admits he is weak as well. Often I feel why bother helping other when I can’t help myself, or I am such a hypocrite telling others how to live their lives when mine is in a mess. Paul struggles to, yet he knows he is weak and can still help others? Why ? GRACE- “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:8-9) Paul is a weak human but he knows God’s Grace will get him through and his weakness only glorify God more when God works in Paul.

Also Paul’s love for his flock. When they fall he is “indignant”, especially when made by others teachings. I know when I see friends and fellow believers hurt by teaching it makes me Mad! Teachers are there to help us in Christ yet they can pull people down as easily as build them up.

Did Paul do relay? It looks like he wrote the book on it! (many infact!!!)

So what? My troubles are there and real, as are yours, as were Paul’s! Trials and troubles does not mean we can put down the baton (for UCCF people reading that) or give up. It means we must keep on trusting in God’s grace and that through our weakness and helplessness he will work, why? So that all will know that it is not our work but God’s.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2006-03-31T17:02:00.000+01:00

Though i'd give the blog cloud a go, if my blog is like what i'm thinking etc then this cloud is like a picture of my head.... its a lot prettyer than i thought.

on retrospect, thank God you can't see inside my head
And thank God for Grace that means my head will one day be perfect, along with the rest of me !

2006-03-25T15:38:00.000Z

The LORD: Paths, Ways, Hills and Valleys

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Psalm 23:3 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.

Psalm 40:2He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Psalm 25:4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Psalm 56:13For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

Psalm 90:2Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Micah 4:2Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths."

2 Samuel 22:31"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

2006-03-21T15:08:00.000Z

Murphy's Law:

· If anything can go wrong, it will

· Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

· If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong

· If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway

· If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which something can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop

· Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse

· If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something

· Nature always sides with the hidden flaw

· Mother nature is a bitch.

· Murphy's Law of Thermodynamics: Things get worse under pressure.

· The Murphy Philosophy: Smile . . . tomorrow will be worse.

· Matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value

· Enough research will tend to support whatever theory.

· In nature, nothing is ever right. Therefore, if everything is going right ... something is wrong.

· It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

· Nothing is as easy as it looks.

· Everything takes longer than you think.

· Everything takes longer than it takes.

· Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.

· Every solution breeds new problems.

· No matter how perfect things are made to appear, Murphy's law will take effect and screw it up.

for more jolly observations on life go to : http://www.murphys-laws.com/

2006-03-19T16:43:00.000Z

Must Love Dogs ??!??

Friday night back home is the usual film time. So we ended up watching “must love dogs”. John Cusack and someone else. The basic plot is two divorcees meet and fall in love something happens in the middle but they resolve it yadda yadda yadda. Film starts with them both being set up by “well meaning” relations, kinda funny. It ends up with them being posted on internet dating by their friends, her profile has under it “must love dogs” hence the title.

HOWEVER despite the comedy moments and Cusack’s great on screen presence I have a bone to pick with the film. THERE ARE NO DOGS !!! Well I tell a lie, there are about 3 scenes in which she has her dog, who does steal the show. But for a film that seems to be about Dogs its not. Do not be deceived.

I was hoping for something along the lines, of:
Girl meets Guy, :)
Girl meets Guy’s dog, :/
Girl and guy get together, yet have dog related tensions :-o
Girls says “it’s me or the dog”, > :-l
Guy looks at his hound and then at her and says “on your bike”. :S
Guy and girl break up, :(
time passes in which girl has life revelation about dogs after either being saved by one or watches lassie or deals with her inbuilt child phobias and comes to a pro-dog realisation of her stupidly and decides to go back to the guy (still working on this)
Girl and Guy meet, girl apologises to the dog about her comments and dog related ahtred and asks whether the dog would mind her getting back with her master
The dog barks his approval "woof"
They kiss at sunset on the beach/dog park (guessing beach)
The end

Like Lassie meets pride and predjudice with a little bit of bridget jones thrown in.

(feedback apreacated)

It was a good film but it did not deal with any of the issues that dogs and the love of dogs bring to relationships. I mean when I say “must love dogs” (which I do) it is a serious thing, right up there after: must be a godly Christian and a girl (whose not related to me or married), no 3 is must love dogs. This film that seemed to promise to speak to me on many levels infact lacked all the levels i was looking for, I was betrayed by the media! I was very glad Cusack was there to redeem the feature, as well as Cheryl Crow on the soundtrack.

2006-03-17T22:51:00.000Z

Something For the ladies:

Aparently the latest trend in beauty treatments is a Chocolate massage. Looking round the net alot of spa's and hotels offer this service. It involves... well being mssaged in choclate. HOWEVER i dunno what the benifits are... there seem to be no articles about the benifical properties of this treatment apart from that it smells nice. Crazy or revolutionary? place your comments

2006-03-17T18:54:00.000Z

A Teddy with a Kalashnikov, you don't see that every day!

Why is he smiling????

2006-03-16T22:22:00.000Z

At a school speach day (my going to a traditional school and having these sort of things) the Master of the Skinners company gives a word of inspiration to the boys of the school. This one has stuck with me so I thought i'd share;

Never chase busses or women, there'll be another one along every 10-15 minutes

2006-03-11T14:31:00.000Z

Re-thinking Finance

So i woke up and serveyed my garden, as i normaly do whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. And i look at the wildlife and think... man that's one FAT pigeon!

Something that has been on my mind for a while, if your doing relay and going to a nice green leafy uni town then there is a way to get cheap food.

1) Invest in an air-rifle, a nice CO2 powerd .22 would do

2) Shoot pigeons

3) make pigeon pie and spend the rest of relay shooting, cooking, and eating what God has provided in your garden.

The pigeons in my garden are the correct sort (i.e wood pigeons) as my house just boarders the south downs, please dont do this to town pigeons, thier like dirty and diseased.

Also if you get bored of pigeons, well there's squirels, foxes and owls. Wonderous varity to eat.

2006-03-10T14:07:00.000Z

A thing of Beauty

The world has create many wonders of art

The Venus de Milo

The roof of the Sitene Chapel

The Mona Lisa

BUT I think there is nothing so pleasing to the eye

sooo soothing to the sould

so refreshing

so relaxing

so beautiful than

A well packed car:

Ignore the two raggamuffins if you will and gaze on the beauty of this car, packed to the gunnals with parafenalia, luggage all specficly placed with care in a way it all fits

gaze and see true art and beauty in the boot of a car

2006-03-06T16:23:00.000Z

Car river time queen hat run look hurt dog victory moon jump yucky deacon insomnia goggle phone red zoo cow plod grumble dial cook week saw wash need thing truck win loose depth war murder ball table snooker tennis lawn grow twist shrink pills dot quickly six snort slug shooter board bored bed sleep need tired gun draw paint jump high low wide side mice cat house out in cricket dish plate tea set dinner silver gold bronze trampoline lips kiss love fight hit thump divorce separation kids mess issues tissues couch crouch crawl trawl fish tuna dolphins miss aliens ships ports sailors warriors soldiers green blue purple orange Wellington napoleon TOO waterloo talavierea poiters crecy bludge rimes Germany knight day MANY bright sun grass smoke pub drink addiction flew window goose kettle WORDS tea coffee slaves cotton shirt tie minister font church pope pipe preach trees forest black dark haunted mansion family ghost show direct guide dictate Stalin Hitler acorn Volkswagen Audi audit tax prison shower walks bars doors locks hair blonde brunette flare topper sea waves storms tsunami devastation terror horror fear weeping scared scar blood fire ice water meek bless steam burn burning flames wind snow bite biting white blind brail hail boils goats ale cheese wine California beach part sex pregnant birth life new cutting edge bleep megabyte gig Microsoft LIFE Apple banana kiwi Australia desert dessert sweet yum chocolate endorphins gorge gluttony IS seven ninety nine millennium frumpy end days madness tranquillity absence lack alone NOT A fulfilled water lake mountains trees solitude company drowning voices noise loud faces SERMON invasion riot rebellion sin forty eight forty two meaning purpose questions searching seeking eyes heart bones lungs lymph enzymes bile mouth speak language barriers racism intimidation friend soul salvation free law grace Jonah Joel jezebel Ahab mobey dick two thousand leagues under the sea Frankenstein Dracula pride and prejudice Emma Shirley Doris Jo Joe pill bill LIFE waiter price biomechanics steak rare well done medal prize praise race work computer IS NOT A internet fact fiction banks music world fingertips sore caravan pained broken trouble BOOK wounded healthy wealthy rich planes trains and automobiles lies deceit helmet movement march drill carpenter plumber leak leek potatoes mash boiled fried egg scrambled chicken soup grilled tried tested exams stress sweat blood tears flee fast unhesitatingly away now impedingly safety castle fortress rock hidey-hole cubby hole black hole white hole unknown unexplored unglimpced uncomprehended out there waiting patiently quietly roaring lion teeth toothbrush LIVE toothpaste LIFE broom knives pan salt pepper spices curry India Africa America England London father mother son daughter family together sunshine cheese table arm-wrestle moon duck tired slaughter energised shower jelly mobile

2006-02-28T17:09:00.000Z

Wandering wandering
Through fields dark and grey
Amberling amberling
Ignoring the call to obey
Strolling strolling
Going on in my own way
Shepherdles and kingless
Vagabond, rebel, astray

LIGHT
Light shines into my darkness
Grey turns into black and white

Accountable accountable
I’m lost I’m dammed I’m dead
My life laid bare before me
Before the judge, the court, the king
My wretched deeds, my wretched life
My sins transgressions crimes
The things I’ve done, the things I’ve said
The wrong thoughts, oh my lord I am dead

What hope have I?
To who can I cry?

Again the light shines back on me
And bids me listen to his voice

Visions, pictures, words, flash before my eyes
A babe, a man, a rough cruel cross
A death, another dead instead of me

A life a life
The tomb is empty now

A promise a promise
If I would follow him
If I would turn from my wretched ways
And make Christ Jesus my king

The slate is clean, the price is paid
My crimes on him were laid

I walk a new path, narrow, straight and true
Where all will become perfectly made anew

I wonder I wonder
Why all this for undeserving me?

2006-02-27T15:29:00.000Z

Prayer Point

I've have just this minute posted my aplication to Thames Valley Police.
I would apreacte prayer in this matter. :)

2006-02-27T15:21:00.000Z

What Ever Happend to the PINK Ranger?

Kimberly aka Amy Jo Johnson, the star of wondeful saterday morning rubbish. Yet as power rangers went of of fashion and into obscurity we (... well I) wonder what heppend to the pink ranger???
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005057/

imdb shows us that realy not a lot. Highlights inculde an cameo in Spin City and ER.

2006-02-20T16:13:00.000Z

Caption Competition:

(After a late night in the Pub I was beginning to get rather tired of his big mouth !)

leave your caption in comments :)

2006-02-10T17:11:00.000Z

Biblical Babes???

So in the Uni Cu we’ve been going thru Ruth, I also decided to go thru it with one of the colleges I work with. You can get quite a lot from Ruth it is such an amazing book. Anyhows, I was prepping the first Chapter and reading about Ruth and her response to Naomi about leaving I was like… wow I wish I could have married Ruth. Then it struck me… I don’t actually know what she looked like; all I have is her character and her actions. Then I thought more about it and was like… she could like have one eye, an extra finger and webbed feet, and thinking more about it I actually don’t know what any of the women in the Bible looked like, I just made a picture for myself of some amazingly attractive woman when I read Ruth. Why.. well it’s because of what we’re told of her. It seems the woman in the bible are attractive or ugly because of their character, it’s us who imagine them to be good looking because of what we read of them and what they do and say.
I guess my point is this; we’re told that real beauty is on the inside.. many many times, BUT when do we actually understand it. It just struck me that a good way to help people to understand this is to get them to look at those in the Bible they think are “good looking” and ask why. And its not because of their appearance!!
I bought this up the other night and we had a good discussion, people were really jumping on this, we’re all subconsciously doing this to biblical character, Ruth, Sarah Ester (referred to as “a hottie on the loose” by one of my CU girls). It’s like we’re halfway there, we know it but soo often we only look at appearances.
So when we are told about true beauty being our Godly character we should seek it and look for it in our brothers and sisters. And help others break the culture and see what God wants us to see in our Brothers and sisters

2006-02-10T17:06:00.000Z

Pratical Theology

I thought this was aproprate due to the nice weather we're having.

2006-02-09T16:19:00.000Z

Alternate valentines:

So it's the 14th and your your housemates are out doing.. well you dont want to think about that. What oh what can you do.....

This is an idea for you to try, i've done it before and worked wonders.

1) Get your mates

2) Get a selction of real ales / 6 pack of stella

3) Watch Saving private Ryan (or the Rock, Full metal Jacket, Platoon)

This is a garenteed way to cheer you up with a testostorne overdose and relise that desire of camardre, brotherhood, standing firm in the face of adversity and shooting the facless enemy (well k maybe not that last)

if that doesnt work, i've also spent valentines day doing army training with the cadets on a week long course, nothing like early mornings, cooked breakfasts and shouting to push those valentines day blues out your head. Although signing up to the army just to escape Valentines day may be a little excessive and i'm not recomending it.

2006-02-08T16:15:00.000Z

Free Speech

Ignoring the response of the Muslim communities I’ve had a few thoughts on the whole issue in relation to the cartoons published in the Danish papers.

I was reading the comment by Simon Jenkins in the times, he bought tout the point that ALL new papers are censored, albeit self centred, there is an editor who looks through and edits (or censors) what is in the paper, something’s you don’t put in and leave our for public decadency, therefore the publishing of the cartoons were both deliberate and intentions.

What is free speech; the articles defend freedom of the press/free speech as the ability to satire and parody the sacred and religious…. Frankly if that’s what free speech is I don’t want it. I mean for people who have nor religion and nothing is sacred then free speech becomes just an excuse to dilbretly mock others.

Hang on I tell a lie, I suppose to people there are sacred things, maybe if a Islamic paper published a cartoon of a dog doing obscene acts with the (dead) mother of the editor of whichever newspaper that would be fair game… I mean that would be free speech….

But (you say) that would just be rude and offensive and vindictive. My point, the cartoons were exactly that. It might be free speech yet it certainly wasn’t loving or sensitive.

Also, people are upset with the protesters carrying slogans referring to 7/7 and threatening violence on the newspapers etc… isn’t this free speech? Isn’t this just people excersing the same right the papers did?

Right I say now I condone neither. The cartoons were offensive and rude, and the protests were shocking and excessive. My main thought would be how would we feel if a paper published a cartoon of Jesus in a gay bar? Or perhaps St Peter fast-tracking abortionist killers and bombers into heaven? This is my issue, there may be free speech, yet why do we not have as much passion for when people blaspheme, we just ignore it, or if people mock our saviour, we just stand and take it. I’m NOT advocating any attempts of violence or brutality on people who are irreverent, just a challenge to stand up more for our faith when its being eroded and mocked.

2006-02-06T13:56:00.000Z

LONDON CALLING.....

It hard with FE events to find fruit and encouragement at times. You turn up to London and there are more staff than students, your CU’s could have benefited so much yet all had other things on. YET you’ll do it because God wants you to. Atcauly I thought the day was really good and I got a lot to help me in FE work and to help train others in my CU’s.
We were helpfully reminded of “God uses the weak and foolish things” in this world.
The bible is full of them:
*Goliath bought down by some scrawny kid with a pebble
*Gideon saves middian with 300 men
*A talking donkey!
*Ablimelech was killed by some woman dropping a mill stone on his head
Yet in all these it is God working and we know that because they are soo weak and foolish! God show himself powerfully in the weak and foolish things.
Likewise, the Gospel, a crucified king, God on a cross! To those who don’t know its seems weak and foolish. Yet we know that this is actually the best news ever, because we can’t save ourselves, God does it for us, again God acts and is Glorified in seemingly week and foolish situations.
I don’t know what your CU, Church, work situation is, I don’t know how weak and foolish you feel at the moment, you might be sitting there wondering how on earth God could be working in your situation if God could use you at all????
God uses weak and foolish people and situations, like me and my work.

SIZE DOESN’T MATTER, ITS WHAT GOD DOES WITH IT THAT COUNTS!

2006-02-06T13:54:00.000Z

RELAY II

Wow I think I’ve just about come to terms with what went one... it was an exceedingly strange time. I went there thinking “why am I here” (something I often ask myself). I was not especially looking forward to it, it would be a lot of looking back and lots of people saying how amazing their time on relay was. Well I was right but I enjoyed it none the less.
Relay II was very practical, we had to do both an OT minor prophet bible study and a Evangelistic talk, both useful skills. So what did I learn.
· Joel- This is a scary book! Lots of locusts, armies or armies of locusts. Interestingly we have little to no info on Joel and who and when he wrote. Instead of looking for plagues or invasions in Israel’s history it means we should look ahead to what it tells us about God’s Judgement. First we see immediate judgment which is the removing of the blessing God gave his people in Israel, then later there is the Day of the Lord which is the final day of Judgement of the earth. It not nice, God here is the Holy Holy Holy one who will enter into Judgement against all, his Judgment will be thougher and complete no one will stand against it. However there is hope, if people will truly repent then God will forgive and bring back his blessing and give them shelter from his wrath.
· Mission, I do wonder to what extent relay is a reciting centre for IFES and OMF... Again John Williams (UCCF mission guy) spoke on mission without boarders. Very encouraging, basically Jesus sent his spirit out to the world and salvation was made available to all at Jesus’ death. So when people go to mission, Jesus is already there waiting for you. The context was people going out to the world but how true is this for all? When we move when we start new jobs etc Jesus is already there waiting for us.
· There’s nearly always another way to do something. We had a karaoke night, our team hadn’t practiced or got costumes so basically we would be awful. Now I can’t sing but I can think outside the box. So our team performed Alaniss Morrisette’s “Ironic” in interpretive dance. We have the music start... then stop, then Kath let loose on her bongo’s with intermittent performing of the lines from the song. All rather “out there” I don’t think they we ready for it. Special mentions to Sam who climbed up a pillar, Dan for his dry dry parched dry repetition of the line “ironic”. Not so special mention to Hoop’s who decide to tip a jug of water over me.... I said a cup Dave!!! We came 3rd overall... a decidedly good result for something that would either be amazing or stupid and was I suppose both.
· I am an Introvert. After a week of no “me” time I got back home. I just wanted to sleep and sit in my dark room with Tracy Chapman on softly in the background. Actually my housemates had guests for dinner, I had just walked in the door when they all arrived.... I was very good and didn’t scream “leave me alone !!” I made excuses and went to my room for solitude and refreshment and time to ponder over relay II.
· I also learnt what God is doing in my life. We had a “lets reflect time” so I reflected looking back at a letter I wrote on relay 1. BOY did I have a lot of issues... and still do. It was odd I knew God was doing stuff but I couldn’t see what. With help from Kath to reassure that things weren’t as stupid as I thought I went to the next talk. On Luke and being ready for the Lord. There were three points, two were we should have 1) Love for God’s people 2) desire for God’s glory. And yeah this is what my relay year has been about, learning to love my silly, random and much much love worthy students. And getting frustrated because the CU’s aren’t what they could be, God could do soooo much more and be soo at work.

Relay II, was not a waste of time as I thought. I actually enjoyed it despite the lack of sleep privacy and a hideous cold! :)

2006-01-30T16:55:00.000Z

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

2006-01-29T16:32:00.000Z

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.

2006-01-20T15:36:00.000Z

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 !!!

2006-01-18T12:09:00.000Z

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?

2006-01-17T19:00:00.000Z

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

2006-01-16T15:17:00.000Z

Art: one of my latest projects:

2006-01-13T15:44:00.000Z

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.

2006-01-12T12:47:00.000Z

Reverend Fun
I thought i would post up some cartoons from this wonderful website

2006-01-10T14:27:00.000Z

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!

2006-01-09T10:42:00.000Z

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)

2006-01-08T14:42:00.000Z

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.

2006-01-07T14:52:00.000Z

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.

2006-01-07T12:25:00.000Z

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.

2005-12-21T18:47:00.000Z

Single Christian?

I have undertaken a new blog project (this ones still going) From my study and from relay and uni experance i have decided to do a blog dedicated to Christian singleness. I will attempt to publish as mch as possible the reasearch and museings i have had so far on being a single christian, especialy what the bible says on this topic with the aim to help those out there struggling.
hope people find it helpful (when i get it started)
the site is:

http://thesinglechristian.blogspot.com/

2005-12-21T18:36:00.000Z

Relay the NOT so terrible truth

Right i've had a cuppa coffe, breakfasr and some reflection.
Yes i am insane but that was already established before relay
i just need to get more sleep, much more sleep...

2005-12-21T10:18:00.000Z

Relay: the terrible truth:

Yes I will speak now and not be silent, Relay messes with your head!!!

How you ask?

After Well its Christmas time a time to relax and unwind after a term of student work. However all is not as it seems. Last night I was dreaming, although the content was based around situations that I had to get out of due to the Relay commitments, I couldn’t stay at a house because it was mixed so I was in the countryside trying to make phone calls to find somewhere to stay!!!

I’m dreaming about the relay commitments? Relay is invading my sleep!!!

Is anyone else out there suffering?

Or is it just me/ have I just lost it?

2005-12-17T12:36:00.000Z

7 THINGS:

To do before I die / (get married)

Get published, either my writing or Photography
Walk hardpans wall, I attempted this did about half of it with better planning I could do it again.
Find some amazing archaeological find... temple maybe
read the bible all the way through
skinny dipping
win more shooting trophies
Hug Kath

I can’t do

sew, sing, play the piano forte’
chin ups
walk though walls
put up with “crap” from people who really should just leave it and get on with their lives
drive… legally
Find the last piece of the jigsaw!!
Hug Kath

Say most often

I luv my doggies
No MILK !!! I drink it black
something unconstructive or inapropreate in supervision time
Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?
well I don’t say this but its more of a gesture of affection, making fist, hit my chest twice then leave the fist slightly off the chest pointing at whoever I want to feel this gesture of affection
What’s going on?????
Kath I don’t know what’s going on!!!!

Films I watch over and over

Terminator 2
True lies
Gladiator
The Rock
Galaxy Quest
Fifth Element
ummmm…. Errr…… sliding doors

Books I love

The bible
Robert Jordan’s wheel of time series
David Gemmel…. Well all his books are fantastic
Steven King The Stand / Needful things
Raymond Fiest Magician (and his other works)
Emily Bronte Wuthering heights
George Orwell 1984

Songs I listen to the most

1. Cheryl Crow First cut is the deepest

2. Cheryl Crow. feat Kid Rock Picture

3. Eminem Like Toy soldiers

4. Eminem When I’m Gone

5. KT Tunstal The other side of the world

6. Iron Maiden The Wicker man

7. Linken Park. Feat JayZ, Numb/encore

2005-12-16T18:57:00.000Z

Penitent Poem

God I’ve had enough of running
I am empty, spent unfulfilled
Lord my feet have been wayward
I’ve sought paths that are not yours
I’ve travelled wide and easy ways
My mind and heart have turned away from you
My inner being raged against you

Lord renew my heart, I want to come back
Lord to be in you, my rock, my anchor for my soul
Lord to be in you, my protection and hiding place
Lord to be in you, you refresh my soul

Lord thank you for the Cross
Those rough wooden beams that from a doorway to you
Under that foolish message, I find salvation and wisdom
Lord I can do nothing! Please let me remain
Lord I desire nothing else! Please let me remain
Lord you have promised salvation to me,
So here I remain

Writtern in response to Guilt within and the promises of the faithful God to forgive those who come to Him.