Solomon's wisdom

Nicola Poussin, the judgment of Solomon

When life throws ordeals and hurts at you, you wish that you had Solomon's wisdom, a great gift given to him by the Lord. A friend told me some time ago that we could ask for this gift of wisdom too along with a sound mind. Tonight we went to our deanery service at St Peters Rickerscote. It was lovely to meet up with our friends.

 We prayed for the leaders and the people of Ukraine and Syria, for our people in England who do not have enough money to feed their children, for the staff in Stafford hospital still being in the media. If you choose to believe in Jesus, you have life, eternal life. As the song goes, Jesus is our rock, He doesn't roll. During your journey here on earth, put all your problems, debts, job loss, broken hearts, lies, deception, friends betrayal, stress, arguments, illnesses, at the foot of His cross. The other day, I was told that Jesus on the cross was 'a scary picture'..true, but how beautiful and wonderful that Jesus, our hero, died for you, for us, for everybody who declare He is the King, God's son died for our sins and the Good News is that He is risen. Alleluia! Have a blessed week.

Solomon’s Wisdom 1 King 4:29-34

29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

Faith, doubt and Jesus

An exciting new lent course coming up in Mid-trent churches. 

Meet us either at Weston, at Liz's or in Hixon, at our's, the Vicarage. 

Ours will start on Thursday 13th March at 7:30

God's Peace During a Snowstorm

God's Peace During a Snowstorm

In the news: Pass It On

Who built the ark? It’s a good question for many of today’s parents and children, who are “unaware” of Bible stories. Almost three in 10 children do not know that the story of the birth of Jesus is a Biblical tale, research by the Bible Society found.

And many others are unable to identify Adam and Eve or Noah’s Ark as Christian stories.

Although many parents believe it is important for their children to be aware of what is written in the Bible, large numbers of youngsters have never read, seen or heard some of its most well-known stories.

The Bible Society said that these findings point to a decrease in Bible literacy and show that while many people still place great importance on the book, little is being done to promote it.

In the survey of 800 eight to 15-year-olds and around 1,100 parents, 29 per cent of children didn’t realise that the Nativity came from the Bible.

One in five (20 per cent) didn’t identify Noah’s Ark as a religious story and 19 per cent didn’t recognise Adam and Eve.

But almost one in 10 (9 per cent) incorrectly though that the stories of King Midas and Icarus came from the Bible, while 6 per cent thought the story of Hercules was contained in the book.

Nearly a quarter of children (23 per cent) had never read, seen or heard Noah’s Ark, along with 25% for the Nativity, 38% for Adam and Eve and 43% for the Crucifixion.

And parents did not fare much better. Nearly half of those questioned (46 per cent) failed to recognise Noah's Ark as a Bible story, while around a third were unsure of or did not recognise the tales of David and Goliath (31 per cent) and Adam and Eve (30 per cent).

Adults also confused modern day literature with the Bible. The report found that almost half (43%) of parents whose children had seen, heard or read Bible stories said it was important for a child to do so because these tales provided good values, while two in five (40%) thought these stories were important to our history and culture.

Three in 10 (30%) said it was important to ensure that classic stories and books were passed on to future generations.

It also revealed that over a quarter of children (28%) said they would like to read, hear or see more Bible stories.

The Bible Society published the research to mark the launch of its new Pass It On campaign, which aims to encourage parents to keep the Bible alive by passing on its stories to their children.

James Catford, group chief executive of Bible Society, said: "It's clear that parents want to give their children the best start in life. "The Bible's contribution to our culture - language, literature, the visual arts and music - is immense. "It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from.

"The Bible enriches life, and every child should have the opportunity to experience it.

"If we don't use the Bible, we risk losing it.

"We're calling on parents to pass it on." 

Have a blessed week. Yours in Christ, N.

 Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/children-and-parents-dont-recognise-famous-bible-stories-9114255.html

Sex, Marriage, Fairytales

Jefferson Bethke - Sex, Marriage, Fairytales || Spoken Word – Lyrics

Sex Marriage and Fairytales Words: When a video like this comes out many people will want to be able to read and evaluate the words. Here are the words to Jefferson Bethke’s new spoken word poem called, Sex, Marriage, &  Fairytales.

Disney Movies and Chick Flicks they put us in a weird position,
They’ve distorted our reality because we forget they are actually fiction.

Because in marriage we either get better or bitter, either joy or remorses,
What we’re doing isn’t working just look at the rate of the divorces.

So how’s your marriage? I mean common let’s be honest,
It seams more like a prison than the paradise they were promised.

We thought marriage was supposed to fulfil us and make us happy not lonely,
But the truth is God’s main purpose is making you holy.

You say, no one told me, it feels so odd,
Where dating feels like a vacation, while marriage feels like a job.

Yet the secret of joy if we just pull back the façade,
is realising most problems arise when we elevate our spouse to God.

Without knowing it we’ve fulfilled Romans 1:25,
By our actions exchanging truth about God for a lie.

We exchanged God for lesser created things,
It’s like a husband trading his wife for a 2D image on a screen.

Hoping it will set us free just to find out in the fumes we’re chocking,
Because if your marriage rests on anything but Jesus it’s resting on something broken.

Yet guys continually sacrifice their marriage on the alter of sex and lust,
I mean if our dollars were honest they’d say “In Pleasure We Trust”.

So men grow up, put down the controller,
How bout you lead her with grace instead of trying to control her.

Now I’ve never been married but I’m a product of one that was non existent,
So don’t tell me I don’t understand the pain, Don’t tell me I don’t get it.

So to the singles, become friends first before you ever become lovers,
Peruse Jesus as your foundation, before you get under the covers.

Because believe me a strong friendship before marriage will make a good marriage after,
Marriage isn’t just sex, it’s converstation and laughter.

I mean some spouses barely even like each other and the marriage seams like a dead end,
You might share a check-book and house but are you actually friends?

I mean if marriage isn’t a commitment then what’s the point of the vows we say,
Till death do us part really means until the feelings go away.

Like I’ll stay with him, but only until it gets tough and my love shifts,
But I say imagine if a parent took that perspective with their kids.

Can’t you see it, the minute the kid spills something on the floor,
the mom saying forget it, I don’t even love you any-more.

No it’s just like marriage to last you need the strength from above,
Because it’s not the love that sustains the promise, it’s the promise that sustains the love.

I mean think about it, out of anyone who has actually had the right to leave,
God had every reason in the world but he came for you and me.

And on the cross he paid it all took our shame and set us free,
when He could have called down legions of angels, He chose to stay on that tree.

From the cross he looks at you in the eye and says I’m taking this for my bride,
When you trust in Me, you no longer have to hide.

Because of Me it is finished, you have been made new,
You’re spotless you’re blameless there’s no sin in you.

Because His death was a proposal he wanted you no matter the cost,
Where some guys propose on a knee, Jesus proposed on a cross.

So read Ephesians 5 whether husband or wife,
wife honor your husbands, husbands give up your life.

Just like Jesus gave Himself up for His bride the church,
So men lead by serving, by putting her first.

So die to self put your flesh on a life sentence,
Because you don’t fall out of love, as much as you fall out of Repentance.

We speak Manx!

Album to continue 'Manx renaissance' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-26120451

Have a great Valentine evening..

May the Lord bless you and your loved one.

I went down to the potter's house

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Have you ever felt that you were unable to handle a situation the right way? Then I felt inadequate but somehow after admitting it and leaving it to the Lord, things got better and eventually for the best. Though I have read this verse in 2 Corinthians 4:7, I confess that I did not understand it much! Once I realised that I am a vessel for the Lord's love and grace, it became clear. My eyes were open.  

When we surrender our whole to Jesus, He restores us, heals us and repairs this 'broken pottery' for his purpose. David says in Psalm 31  I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.

The Lord tells us through Jeremiah that He is the potter and He shapes us (the pots made of clay) the way he wants us to be. How wonderful to be looked after by our Father. 

This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Jeremiah, go down to the potter’s house. I will give you my message there.”

3 So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working with clay at the wheel. 4 He was making a pot from clay. But there was something wrong with the pot. So the potter used that clay to make another pot. With his hands he shaped the pot the way he wanted it to be.

5 Then this message from the Lord came to me: 6 “Family of Israel, you know that I can do the same thing with you. You are like the clay in the potter’s hands, and I am the potter.” This message is from the Lord. 

Going back to Paul's statement,  this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us, as human beings, we tend to boast too quickly without even realising it! We do notice when others boast but rarely when we do. 

Finally, I like to read this verse of Isaiah, 'We are the clay, You are the potter, We are all the work of Your hands." Our Father who knows us so well moulds us, refines us and transforms us. Are you ready to let Him transform you? 

Lifestyle

I need to change some of my bad habits..yes I am using the plural. One being procrastination, this one needs a miracle, - prayers please - it's a big mountain and I haven't quite chipped at it yet. 

The second one is ' going to bed too late'. Last week, I managed to go to bed at 9:30 pm on Thursday and I was really pleased. I confess that this was due to an intolerable sense of fatigue that meant that I just couldn't open my eyes hence I had to go to bed! 

On Friday, we were out but managed to come back fairly early and I went to be at about 11 pm. I knew that I had to get up to meet my friend at Cannock at 9:00 am and did not want to be late.

Last night I went out with a friend and though I was back home at 11, I ended up going to be after midnight. Worse, I woke up at 4 am and I could only go back to sleep at 6 am. As it is 19 36 now, I meant to post something and I can hardly keep my eyes open. I'm off for a nap. These habits are only the tip of the iceberg..others include eating before diner...etc...

Have a blessed evening. N.