Christmas concert

My daughter and I took part in the "Haynes Christmas Concert" this afternoon in aid of the Savannah Education Trust. The "scratch" orchestra was made up of 68 musicians, old and young. Some of us older ones only pick up our instruments once a year for this event and for some of the very youngest it is their first opportunity to play with a group of musicians. We meet for a short rehearsal and then play to an audience of about 150 people. This year we also attempted singing the Hallelujah Chorus with only one practice run through before hand - it sounded quite good I thought!

A nice way to start the Christmas celebration. The children are now wanting to put the tree up and next week will bring Carol services and the end of school term.

Vision 2010

Last night my daughter and I had the pleasure of attending the local Girl Guiding Vision 2010 event. This is the finale of the Girl Guides centenary celebrations. It was a very cold evening, the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers and Young Leaders all gathered around a beautifully lit campfire and sang the usual campfire songs before all renewing their promise at 20:10 on 20/10 2010! It was a lovely occasion which I hope the girls will remember in years to come just as I remember celebrating 75 years of guiding when I was a Girl Guide. All those who took part in the event were given a  "party bag" which contained a commemorative pencil and a very special promise badge! Well done Girl Guides.

To my dear children ...

FOR YOU I AM PRAYING
“If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us” 1 John 5v14

I have a Saviour, He’s pleading in glory,

A dear, loving Saviour though earth friends be few;

And now He is watching in tenderness o’er me:

And oh, that my Saviour were your Saviour too!

I have a Father: to me He has given

A hope for eternity, blessèd and true:
And soon He will call me to meet Him in heaven,
But, oh, may He lead you to go with me too!

I have a robe: ‘tis resplendent in whiteness,
Awaiting in glory my wondering view:
Oh, when I receive it all shining in brightness,
Dear friend, could I see you receiving one too!

I have a peace: it is calm as a river,
A peace that the friends of this world never knew:
My Saviour alone is its Author and Giver,
And oh, could I know it was given to you!

When Jesus has found you, tell others the story,
That my loving Saviour is your Saviour too:
Then pray that your Saviour may bring them to glory,
And prayer will be answered, ‘twas answered for you!

For you I am praying, for you I am praying,

For you I am praying, I’m praying for you.

                                                            Samuel O’Malley Clough

Jostling around Jesus

Are we jostling around Jesus, going to church, getting involved in all sorts of church activities? It will all be fruitless unless we are doing it with faith.We have to exercise our faith, work our faith and in doing so we will strengthen our faith.

We need a meek and quiet spirit. We need to be submissive to the Lord in his providential dealings with us, in heeding to his Word and by trusting in God alone.Are we known for having a meek and quite spirit? I'm afraid I'm not - pray on.

100 years of Scouting in our Town

I have just spent an enjoyable evening at a celebration firework display commemorating 100 years of scouting in the town. It was a great display - supposed to be to music, but it didn't seem to be quite in time. The fireworks themselves were really good - as is this picture in my opinion taken by my daugher (on my camera's firewoork setting)!

More firework photos ...

A secure place!

This is where my son thought would be a safe, place for doing his maths homework!! :)

True Worship

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

O How the Grace of God Amazes Me!

O how the grace of God
Amazes me!
It loosed me from my bonds
And set me free!
What made it happen so?

’Twas His will, this much I know,
Set me, as now I show,
At liberty.

My God has chosen me,
Though one of nought,
To sit beside my King
In heaven’s court.
Hear what my Lord has done
O, the love that made Him run
To meet His erring son!
This has God wrought.

Not for my righteousness,
For I have none,
But for His mercy’s sake,
Jesus, God’s Son,
Suffered on Calvary’s tree -
Crucified with thieves was He -
Great was His grace to me,
His wayward one.

And when I think of how,
At Calvary,
He bore sin’s penalty
Instead of me.
Amazed, I wonder why
He, the sinless One, should die
For one so vile as I;
My Saviour He!

Now all my heart’s desire
Is to abide
In Him, my Saviour dear,
In Him to hide.
My shield and buckler He,
Covering and protecting me:
From Satan’s darts I’ll be
Safe at His side.

Lord Jesus, hear my prayer,
Your grace impart;
When evil thoughts arise
Through Satan’s art,
O, drive them all away
And do You, from day to day,
Keep me beneath Your sway,
King of my heart.

Come now, the whole of me
Eyes, ears and voice,
Join me, creation all,
With joyful noise:
Praise Him who broke the chain
Holding me in sin’s domain,
And set me free again!
Sing and rejoice!

Emmanuel Sibomana

 

I will build my church

How thankful I am the the church of Jesus Christ is stronger than it's individual members. It is being built by the master builder himself. Jesus said, "I will build my church".

The highest claim that we can make for ourselves is that we are sinners saved by grace.

Bringing in the harvest

I have just been picking some of the veg we have been growing at the bottom of our garden with the children. It reminded me of the sermon we heard in September last year - what has the kingdom of God gained because of you? There is no problem with the harvest - it is ripe for harvesting, the problem is the lack of labourers to gather it in.

First Fruits

We dug our first lot of new potatoes this evening - the children really enjoyed getting their hands messy hunting for all the tiny potatoes! Great fun!

A wonderful Saviour

A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Saviour to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see. 

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life with the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand. 

A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away;
He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And filled with His fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God
For such a Redeemer as mine!

When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise
To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love
I’ll shout with the millions on high.


Update on the vegetable patch - look what a bit of sunshine and rain does!

Wordless Wednesday #1

A humbling thought ...

Our former pastor preached last Sunday. He said the following,

The desire of Jesus to have his people with him in heaven is infinitely stronger than his people's desire to to be in heaven with him.

What a humbling, yet tremendous thought. I suspect our desire to be with Jesus in heaven ebbs and flows with the current of life.

Where are you looking?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace.

The Unkown God.

We have been in the grip of a crisis in the UK and northern Europe. The air space has been closed and thousands of people have been prevented from returning home, or travelling abroad. All becasue a volcano in Iceland has been erupting and creating an ash cloud which is preventing jet planes from flying. This is what men call, "An act of God", even the insurance companies refer to such events as an act of God. The very same people, especially those in the media who like to tell us there is no God. Well this is a display of how great my is God and shows that He is in control - not men. Will mankind take any notice of such events as this? I suspect very few, if any, will. They will still refer to the event as an act of God, and in doing so they acknowledge his power over creation and yet the will not seek to find out who this God is. How sad.

Spring is finally here ...

... and a pair of bluetits are moving into our bird box. We are all quite excited about our new neighbours ...

Journey with my Saviour

Palm Sunday today - Jesus travelled to Jerusalem on a donkey with the crouds shouting "hosanna". Jesus knew what the next week would bring. We don't know what the next hour will bring, but if we are living with the Saviour we have nothing to fear, it is when we go on our own journey away from the Saviour that our real trouble starts.

All the way my Savior leads me,

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my Guide?

Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,

Cheers each winding path I tread,

Gives me grace for every trial,

Feeds me with the living Bread.

Though my weary steps may falter

And my soul athirst may be,

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me,

Oh, the fullness of His love!

Perfect rest to me is promised

In my Father’s house above.

When my spirit, clothed immortal,

Wings its flight to realms of day

This my song through endless ages:

Jesus led me all the way.

Things are sprouting in our garden.

Late last year we decided to start a vegatable patch at the bottom of our garden. Finally this week after much preparation: removing slabs and a tonne of sand, constructing a wall around the edge and filling it with compost and topsoil it is ready for planting.

The vegetabe patch

We have lots of ideas for what we would like to gro, so today I took the youngest two to the garden centre and we bought loads of seeds and some brussel sprouts ... a favourite in our family. Let's hope we have a frutiful year.

I planted out the sprouts today ...

12 Brussel Sprout plants.

Do you need a friend?

I was contemplating this evening how many real friends I have, not how many aquaintances I have. There are mums at school who seem to have lots of friends and stand chatting in groups, some of them have very close friendships. I, more often than not, stand on my own. The Bible says, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Proverbs 18v27.

Later on I read a short peice by JC Ryle:

... If there is one who wants a friend, let that one behold at the right hand of God an unfailing friend, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let that one repose his aching head and weary heart upon the bosom of that unfailing friend, Jesus Christ the Lord. There is one living at God’s right hand of matchless tenderness. There is one who never dies. There is one who never fails, never disappoints, never forsakes, never changes His mind, never breaks off friendship.

That One, the Lord Jesus Christ, I commend to all who need a friend. No one in this fallen world, a world which we find more and more barren every year we live, no one ever need be friendless while the Lord Jesus Christ lives to intercede at the right hand of God.

I'll stick with that friend - the freind of sinners!

O Happy Day ...

Rejoice in the Lord for he is good.

Some days on earth are happier than others. Today is one of those earthly "happy days". It is easy on such days to remember that "all things do work together for good", it is a prayer of mine that I am able to remember this on the not so happy days too.

There is sunshine in my soul today,

More glorious and bright

Than glows in any earthly sky,
For Jesus is my light.

 O there is sunshine, blessed sunshine,
While the peaceful, happy moments roll;
When Jesus shows His smiling face
There's sunshine in my soul.

There is springtime in my soul today,
For when the Lord is near
The dove of peace sings in my heart,
The flowers of grace appear.

There is gladness in my soul today,
And hope, and praise, and love,
For blessings which He gives me now,
For joys laid up above.

Empty send us not away.

It is good to receive answers to our prayers isn't it. I have been praying especially this week to be feed from the Word of God through the preaching today. Well it wasn't a great sermon, it wasn't delivered in an outstanding way, but there were certainly points to take away and reflect on regarding the spiritual growth of the church.

Jesus, we come to meet

With thee, our Lord and King,

To bow before thy feet,

And here thy praises sing:

Compassion on us have, we pray,

And empty send us not away.

May every worldly care

Be banished from our mind;

May we with profit hear;

And peace and comfort find:

Refresh us from thy word, we pray,

And empty send us not away.

Our strength will soon decrease,

Unless our souls be fed,
We feel our health and peace
Depend on living bread.

Thy gracious hand now, Lord, display,

And empty send us not away.

May all true mourners feel

Their grief exchanged for joy;

Thy love to them reveal,

And all their fears destroy:

That when they leave thy house this day,
They may not empty go away.

May all thy children prove

The riches of thy grace;

Each taste redeeming love,

And see thy smiling face:

So shall we all with pleasure say,

  We are not empty sent away.

                                                                                          S. Barnard

Do angels appear on earth in human form today?

The Bible tells us that angels are God's messengers sent from heaven to minsiter to his people.

I listened to a sermon this week which suggested that angels no longer appear in human form, but are spirits that guide us to God's revealled message in the Bible. I don't see why angel's do not appear on earth today in human form, after all they appeared before Christ's birth in human form and after his death in human form.

I am glad that God's angels minsiter to us today. I believe that they watch over us and protect us day by day in serving their heavenly master.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee

Isaiah 41v10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

The text of the best sermon I have heard so far this year! A good "motto" for the year.

Standing at the portal
Of the opening year,
Words of comfort meet us,
Hushing every fear;
Spoken through the silence
By our Father’s voice,
Tender, strong and faithful,
Making us rejoice.

Onward then, and fear not,
Children of the day!
For His Word shall never,
Never pass away!

Francis R Havergal