Indeed!

There are important situations in life that just creep up on you; they are situations that one must get right or alternatively really hurt the other person involved. Having got one of these situations wrong myself i am now facing the consequences, which incidentally, i really didn't want to happen.

But while we must all take responsibility for our actions there are still lessons to be learned if one looks hard enough. The lesson is that life has its pivotal moments, whether it be in friendships, relationships or our walk with God. And in those moments there is a great deal of thought needed before you begin to open your mouth. But there is also a need for discernment , what are the implications of what I'm going to say?

While i come to terms with the fact that there are some areas of my life that i continually get wrong, and don't seem to learn from, i can still know that God is faithful.

Moments

Sometimes it seems like life is a series of moments that can make one feel happy and contented or even sad and disappointed. Life can seem this way in the tough times, just a random series of moments. But we mustn't forget that all of our moments have a purpose, whether it be to point towards God and his sovereign will (in the tough times) or to rejoice in him for the good things in our lives (or the mountain top moments).

We must also not forget that God said to his people:" I will never leave you nor forsake you" , so that means that God never takes his hand of our lives even though it can sometimes mean enduring alot of pain. So the hard moments do have a place in our lives just as much as the good times.

Ready for battle!

This is me preparing for my first match at the Redcliffe College sumo wrestling championships. As you can see i have my mandatory eyes close pose that i have for all pictures.

Just out of interest, i won both of my matches in convincing fashion.

The Different Drum

A quote from a book i'm reading on the need for community. The context is group dynamics and it goes as follows:

Begin to appreciate each others' gifts, and you begin to appreciate your own limitations . Witness their brokeness, and you will begin to accept your own inadequacy and imperfection.Be fully aware of human variety, and you will recognise the interdependance of humanity.

My Little Friend

This is my little friend Lydia. She was born with only partial sight and can only really see black, white and shadows. However, she is the most beautiful and bright little girl i have ever met. Even at such a young age she has a zest for life and it's clear to see that she loves being around people.

The Road Less Travelled

At the moment I'm reading "The Road Less Travelled" by M. Scott Peck.I can't recommend this book enough. The main theme is that of spiritual maturity, but Peck writes that the process of growth takes pain and suffering, something we have the innate desire to avoid.

That is all i want to write about the theme of the book, however, i would like to share some of my favourite quotes from it:

A full life will be full of pain, but the only alternative is to not live at all

Genuine love not only respects the individuality of the other but actually seeks to cultivate it

This quote was taken from the health journal:beyond the norm, the context is miracles:

Perception of the miraculous requires no faith or assumptions. It is simply a matter of paying full and close attention to the givens of life.i.e to what is so ever present that it is usually taken for granted. The true wonder of the world is available everywhere, in the minutes parts of our bodies, in the vast expanses of the cosmos, and the intimate interconnectedness of these and all things...

Be Inspired!

Have just been to see the Movie "Amazing Grace". It's the story of William Wilberforce and his struggle with the Abolition of Slavery. You cannot fail to be struck by his compassion for the African slaves on the ships. Of course this compassion stemmed from a very deep Christian Faith.

These are the things that struck me while watching the film:

As Christians we have a responsibility for social reform . This means helping the poor, oppressed and down trodden.Proverbs 31:8 Says:

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves , for the rights for those who are destitute. Speak up and Judge fairly;defend the rights of the poor and needy.
As Christians we should be known for this.

When doing something right, we will meet opposition. Some of W. Wilberforce's strongest opponents were those who had a vested interest in the slave trade. But with persecution one should persevere like William did.

Go and see this film and be inspired!

A Year For Comebacks

Yet another one of my favourite bands are reforming this year, Crowded house. I assume the guy on the end is the new drummer (replacing Paul Hester who committed suicide in 2005). I have to admit that some of their lyrics are pretty strange, but the tunes are just great.

As far as i know they begin touring the UK in the summer, so i'll be sure to go see them live.

A Good Time

On saturday some of us from college went for a hike up the Brecon Becons. Saturday was a difficult choice for me, there were 3 Rugby matches i could of stayed at home to watch but instead i decided to make the effort and get to know people from college. I can be a little bit of a lone ranger sometimes and need to make the effort to get to know people more. It took us between 1.5 to 2 hrs to get to the peak depending how fast people walked. The hike down was a little cloudy.

Easter time

Its come that time of year again, when we celebrate an important part of our Christian faith.At Christmas we celebrate the coming of our Lord and Saviour. Mary sang for joy about the coming of Christ (Luke 1:39-56) . This is something we can share in too because we all know that at that time: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15)

But at Easter we celebrate one of the greatest acts of love one could ever imagine (John 3:16). The freedom we enjoy today came at a great price, but that price has been paid on the cross. This Easter we should remember that the amazing act of love by God is some thing we didn't deserve. However, Paul's great words in the book of Romans sums the whole thing up for me when he said:"Where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound" (Rom 5:20 KJV).

How is the reality of this effecting your life today? Paul said: I have been crucified with Christ and i no longer live, but Christ lives in me. This is something we partake in too.

If i am honest I'm also writing this to myself, i really do lose focus sometimes and forget how radical and life changing the basic tenants of our Christian faith are. We live the way we do, make sacrifices and sometimes have persecution all because of this amazing act of grace and love that happened 2000 years ago.

We should never forget that or lose sight of it, no matter how hard life gets.

Some wisdom from the inside

I do my weekly placement at Gloucester Prison, not far from the College. This was found scrawled on a prison wall.

I believe in the sun when i cannot see it

I believe in love when i cannot feel it

I believe in God when he's silent

To me this speaks of hope in the most difficult of circumstances , standing , by Gods strength when all around has fallen and holding onto truth when nothing else seems real.

None of us really know what the seasons of our lives will bring.Of course they will bring happy and joyful times , but in the dark and difficult times we need to be saying that: "We believe in God when he is silent". Also that he is so very faithful.

My Favourite Pictures -Part 3

Camp's Bay- South Africa

On the platform are two missionary friends playing football, one is pointing to were the ball had landed.

How Exciting!

One of the best bands of the early eighties are reforming this year. There starting with dates in North America in the summer, then they move onto to the Uk. I'm so looking forward to it, the concert tickets will probably cost alot, so i will have to start saving my pennies.

I think they split in quite acrimonious circumstances, lets hope they can get on in the forthcoming tour.

I think my favourite song of theirs was "every breath you take", no doubt they will be playing that on tour.

My Favourite Pictures -Part 2

Snowing at Capernwray, if my memory serves me right the power was out for at least 3 days because of it.

My Favourite Pictures -Part 1

The Capernwray harbour dock was one of my favourite places. I spent alot of time there thinking about my future. One Friday evening ,this was the sight that met me.

There are seasons in my life that i really thank God for, my time at Capernwray was definitely one of them.

My Only Real Treasure

CS Lewis once wrote:

My own experience is something like this. I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends for the morrow or a bit of work that tickles my vanity today, a holiday or a new book, when suddenly a stab of abdominal pain that threatens serious disease, or a headline in the newspaper that threatens us all with destruction, sends this whole pack of cards tumbling down.At first i am over-whelmed, all my little happinesses look like broken toys.Then slowly and reluctantly, bit by bit, i try to bring myself into the frame of mind that i should be at all times.I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world and my only real treasure is Christ. And perhaps, by God's grace, i succeed, and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependant on God and drawing strength from the right sources. But the moment the threat is withdrawn , my whole nature leaps back to the toys.....

I find myself in the state CS Lewis describes alot because i have toys that possess my heart, whether they be sport or the movies. I'm sure there are other things we could all name that get in the way of our relationship with God.

But i wonder if the answer is having a form of Christian perspective were every aspect of our lives is influenced by our faith. Would that bring us to the frame of mind that we should always be? I think it would, also , it's possible to get to that place becasue i've met very mature Christians who do seem to bring God into everything .I doubt it was something that came naturally at the start, but was an act of will that finally became second nature.

Learning How To Live

For reasons i won't explain,lately I've been visiting people in the latter stages of life, some of them have been living for so long they no longer wish to be doing so.The fact that they are going to die stares them in the face everyday and they have all the time in the world to think about it.

But even though death is a part of life i have to say i don't think about it that often. I only tend to in times of great tragedy or when it happens to a member of my extended family (which it did last Christmas). But if I'm honest i don't think about it because i don't want too. Even though i know my eternal destination i have to admit that i have always been a little scared of death. I think this would explain the feelings of fear I've experienced when visiting the elderly people. Even though i've been living with this for a long time i'm starting to realise that:

Before you can truly live , You have to accept the fact that you are going to die.

This is something my College lecturer shared when talking about the death of his wife. At first look it seems a little morbid, but it isn't. Once you can come to that realisation its possible to move forward and Truly Live.

2007, A Good Year For Movies?

Here is a list of movies that i'm excited about this year:

• The Good Shepard
• Spiderman 3
• 300
• Letters from Iwo Jima (Filmed at the same time as Flags of our Fathers)
• The Simpsons Movie
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Hope Is A Good Thing

The start of a new year always prompts me to think about hope. I hope that this year i will meet that special person who i will spend the rest of my life with, also that the England Rugby team will defend the world cup. But in the great scheme of things neither of the above is that important. What's important is that we have the right idea of "Christian Hope". I read in my devotional book the other day that Hope is not just the absence of despair ,it's the presence of something greater. We have something greater because one can rest in the knowlwdge that no matter what people may choose to do to us God has his hand on our lives. For me, that is a good reason to have hope.

That's quite a deep start to my blog, but i look forward to sharing with those who are interested what God is doing in my life.