We've been thinking recently about the treasure we have in Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4). What a privilege to have a personal relationship with the giver of this wonderful treasure too. I love the words to this great song by Lou Fellingham. It has such a catchy tune, it's been on my mind all day!

We have this treasure from the Lord our God,
A gift of mercy from His hand
His all surpassing power at work in us
To show His Glory and His plan
For He has offered Hope to all mankind
Through sending Jesus to the cross
And now this light he's shone into our hearts
We're holding out to all the world.

No longer living for this passing life
We'll fix our eyes on what is sure
There is a heavenly place prepared for us
That will not ever fade or spoil
So we will walk the path you have given us
In full obedience and with faith
For when the road is tough we will not lose heart
But keep on trusting in His name.

Another great verse and text for the year!

The problems in Kenya are worsening yet again. I was there three years ago, right where the problems currently are in Naivasha. It's so sad.  I know of someone who is there for a few months seeking to share the love of Christ by assisting with social action projects, but sadly he has to return home today for his own safety. I pray that the situation will die down and that there may be real peace there. My pastor and his family are planning to go to Kapsabet for a month later in the year to teach at a Bible School, and John & Hamish are flying to Nairobi and staying overnight before their trip to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro in May.

Well, we certainly had lovely weather this last weekend and it was lovely to be able to go out and enjoy the countryside and see the beauty of creation in varying forms, great views, new growth on the ground with bulbs springing up everywhere, lots of mud, gorgeous sunsets etc.
Yesterday, with John at work all afternoon, the girls busy preparing for the youth service in the evening, I grabbed the opportunity to go out for a drive as I have now got my car back on the road.  So, after Church in the morning I went out to Westerham. It was really busy, loads of people, loads of cars etc. I spent an hour or so sitting outside a tea shop drinking and reading 2 chapters of my book. How pleasant it was just to relax and enjoy the surroundings too - I love people watching.
I then went for a wander and found a sign saying 'Doomsday Mosaic'. On following the arrows and signs I came across a wall endowed with mosiac tiles completed by a local primary school:

I then went down a little footpath and proceeded out on to open fields and rather muddy terrain but had a great time strolling along admiring the views. It was all rather pleasant and peaceful.

All in all, another great day of meeting God, friends, fellowship, worship and relaxation and ready for what another week has in store!

A few months ago, I was chatting to a friend from Church and we were sharing about a recent spiritual experience. We were talking about catching a glimpse of God’s glory.  I’ve been thinking ever since about this and trying to fathom what this really truly means.  Glory seems to have so many forms and aspects to it! What IS God’s glory and HOW do we get a glimpse of it? We are told to give God glory and to glorify Him in our lives but how can we SEE the glory of God?

I looked up the word ‘glory’ in the dictionary and read…. 1a glory – praise, honour, or distinction granted by common consent; renown. 1b Worshipful praise, honour and thanksgiving: giving glory to God. 2a Something that secures praise or renown. 2b a highly commendable asset.

So, I have deduced from reading and studying the Bible that:

·         The glory of God is a revelation of our Lord's nature and being.

The Lord shows us His character by pouring out His love upon us, He continually forgives us, and showers us with His grace and mercy and restores us to Himself! I guess we see it too in creation, it shows God's awesomeness, majesty and might. The glory of God is there for us all to see.

·         The revelation of God's glory has powerful effects on those who receive it and pray for an understanding of it.

Indeed, once we have had a revelation of God's glory, our worship can't help but change. Why? Seeing His glory changes the way we live! It affects who we are and our attitude, changing us from "glory to glory," making us more like Him. Each new revelation of His love and His mercy brings about a supernatural change in us, we are glorifying to Him.  And one day we will be there with Him in His glory.

Does this mean it's gonna be a nice day tomorrow?

I went for a walk in the countryside this afternoon as it was such a lovely day. I came across this old building looking all sorry for itself and fell in love with these big old doors. I'd love to know what's going to happen to this old building - it looked fairly church hall like.

I also saw loads of lovely snowdrops and bulbs appearing in the ground. It's great to see regrowth and new life.

Between the woods the afternoon
Is fallen in a golden swoon.
The sun looks down from quiet skies
To where a quiet water lies,
And silent trees stoop down to trees.
And there I saw a white swan make
Another white swan in the lake;
And, breast to breast, both motionless,
They waited for the wind's caress. . .
And all the water was at ease.

A A Milne - When we were very young.

From the wise words of Pooh.....

Anticipation

"Although eating honey is a very good thing to do, there is a moment just before you begin to eat it which is better than when you are." - AA Milne

How many times is the thought of doing something actually far better than the actual thing itself?

Indescribable by Chris Tomlin

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

INCOMPARABLE, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

"When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all." - Mere Christianity, C S Lewis

Another packed full weekend, full of friends, fun, food and fellowship.

Sunday we went to Church and then had friends round for the day, good fellowship and time together. We played a new game we had for Christmas, something about lyrics which involves singing and song titles and words - quite a laugh, except us girlies lost - again!!!  Still, it gives the the guys something to harp on about for the rest of the day doesn't it?

Well I have now finished the book I've been reading, Revelation 7 Messages - Be filled with the Spirit

Is it self indulgent for a woman to buy herself flowers???

          .......  How can it be?  Look! - They bring so much happiness and joy!

http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_slideshow.php?item_ID=2283853&album_ID=252814

I'm reading a real good book at the moment, in fact I've almost finished it, but here's an extract I rather liked.........

Enthusiasm is an essential and important part of Christianity and without it the christian faith becomes dry and mechanical. Perhaps if we were to live nearer to the heart of our faith we too might be accused, as were the early disciples, of being "drunk and mad".

Selwyn Hughes - Revelation - 7 Messages Received

We just spent the evening talking and studying Rev 12v11 - 'They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their loves so much as to shrink from facing death.'

It brought the words of this song to mind:

With A Prayer (Love Incarnate)

Love incarnate, love divine,
Captivate this heart of mine
Till all I do speaks of You.

Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2002 Thankyou Music

I love doors, there are so many different types, styles, etc and made of such an assortment of materials. This one looks so weathered, the heat of the sun and dampness of the rain have really taken their toll over the years. This was taken in Gjakove, Kosova in the old town. It looks as though it's been there for centuries.

What is with the weather? It hasn't stopped raining since I got up this morning! It looks so gloomy and dark out there. So just a few weather poems to brighten the day!
Roll on Spring!

The Rain

Pitter-patter raindrops,
Falling from the sky.
Here is my umbrella
To keep me safe and dry.
When the rain is over
And the sun begins to glow,
Little flowers start to bud
And grow and grow and grow.
*****

Another great weekend was had by all, all fairly relaxed and refreshing.
On Friday night we had friends round for a fondue and had a lovely evening chatting and catching up. Early on Saturday morning John went off to the Lakes to climb Helvellyn with 3 friends in the snow and witnessed the horrific aftermath of the accident there when sadly a walker slipped and fell and lost his life. The photos and video that John took are quite chilling to watch especially as we know he didn't survive. It really is a stark reminder that none of us really knows when our last day here on the earth will be. We make plans and go out for days and yet I guess when he went out on Saturday morning with his family/friends he fully expected to return.

The only downer on the whole weekend is that we now have 2 cars that don't work, as somehow I managed to break John's as well as mine earlier last week!

I’ve recently been doing a lot of thinking about the songs we sing. There are many that are really inspiring and that have so much depth and biblical content. This is what I particularly love about Stuart Townend’s songs, their substance is scriptural and complete entirely.

Take the song 'The Power of The Cross' the lyrics are so Christ-centered and straight from the srciptures:

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

We serve a great God who is above and beyond all understanding. We worship an awesome God that delights to hear us praise and sing to Him but how can we do that through some of the songs we sing? Many of the songs we sing are lyrically shallow and empty.
Christopher Idle says, “When the mood leads to a suspension of critical faculties helped by an exciting or seductive tune, it is sadly easy to get people to sing nonsense.”

In the letter to the Colossians Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)
Paul was reminding them to allow the truth and word of Christ to live in them abundantly. Our worship needs to remind us of God’s goodness and grace to us by His actions on the cross at Calvary and we need to be praising him for the blessings of salvation and daily life, in all that we sing. Our praise should be glorifying to God and a sweet sound to His ears not something we do as a ritualistic act of duty. We need to desire God more and be filled to overflowing by His Spirit, our hearts should be bursting with a deeper understanding of all that God is and that should be enabled to happen by the songs we sing.
I love what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:15 - “I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”
I desire to sing with my mind but also to sing with my spirit, so that my spirit soars and has sweet communion with Christ as I worship Him.

U2 are one of my favourite bands and I just love their songs. I found this on You Tube, it's a clip of Bono talking about a new song that originally should have been on their album 'The Joshua Tree', first released 20 years ago and recently re-released. It starts by Bono talking about the story behind the song and the meaning of the lyrics. he then sings along explaining each section. Good stuff.

The Motto text for the Church this year is a good one. They usually are, but for some reason this one seems to be extra refreshing. I guess it's because its more of a statement than a command or attitude of mind that I need to have each day. The previous two year's texts have both been of that nature,'Find out what pleases the Lord' Ephesians 5v10 and 'Do not put out the Spirit's fire' 1 Thessalonians 5v19.

What a thought for each day of 2008.

We sang this old favourite in Church on Sunday, Amazing Grace, but I found this version on You Tube sung to a slightly different tune. When I went to Hillsong the other week we sang it to this tune and it's rather nice.

This version is by Chris Tomlin.

I've had a terrific weekend. Just some simple little things with people you love, places you like to be, doing everyday things can be so enjoyable sometimes.

Sunday, was a special day. The first Sunday of the year - a new motto text for the Church. A brilliant morning service, a great time of singing and a great message. All followed by a lovely pub lunch and a nice country stroll in the afternoon with Cheryl and Hamish. It was a glorious afternoon weatherwise. Home for a nice cuppa before another superb Church service, communion and a time of fellowship at friends. The Holy Spirit was very evidently at work at our gatherings both morning and evening yesterday and it was a joy to behold and be part of.
Kelly returned home after being away on holiday for 9 days - it's good to have her back.