Thinking of getting married ?

Last saturday, we went to the Diocesan Synod (my first) and I found it very enjoyable. Our first speaker Gillian Oliver told us about The Weddings Project. We found out that training events are being planned for clergy and lay people involved in helping couples. A range of literature has been developed to help both churches and couples plan the big day. Her presentation was excellent, very interesting and funny too. She mentioned a new website rich in information on how to plan a church wedding: http://yourchurchwedding.org

So I went on exploring this site. Well-designed, it has a vast amount of information. For instance, did you know that...... Marriage boosts happiness

Research continues to show that in the long run marriage makes you happier.  Independent research commissioned by the CofE found that nine out of ten people say marriage has made them personally happier and their relationship stronger.

And in a paper published in 2005, (How Does Marriage Affect Physical And Psychological Health?) academics conclude that after comparing many other similar studies, marriage improves psychological health and has a big effect on happiness.

Wow, I didn't know that!

Something else caught my attention as we are very careful about not wasting energy and doing our bit for the environment at home..read on

Jessica and Joe's green wedding tips

One of our Real Wedding couples, Jessica and Joe, share their top tips for a greener wedding:-

1. Pick your own flowers: ”All the greenery was from my Mum's garden and the flowers from her sun-warmed greenhouse,” said Jessica. “For the flowers we bought, we tried to have those with less air-miles, or not from heated greenhouses.”
2. Stay close-by: “We could have chosen to marry in a different church, but most of our friends lived in London, so the travelling distance to this church was less for guests. And, we held the reception at the church, so no further travelling for anybody!” said Jessica.
3. Cut down on carbon: Jessica added: “Joe really wanted a nice wedding car, so found a gas-converted Bentley - gas is better for the environment than conventional fuel.”
4. Go for home-grown: As far as possible, food and drink at the wedding was local, organic and/or Fairtrade.
5. Enjoy Britain: “One of the biggest contributors to a wedding's 'carbon footprint' is the flight for the honeymoon, so we chose to stay at a friend's home in Dorset and had a lovely time walking around the countryside,” said Jessica.
6. Save a tree: Jessica and Joe’s wedding invitation used far less paper than conventional invites because it was small and folded in such a way that no envelope was necessary. What paper they did use was made from recycled materials. Further wedding details were put on the internet, saving yet more paper.
7. Rings of peace: “Joe tried to find a suitable antique ring. It takes up a lot of energy and resources to make new rings and you have to be careful where the diamonds come from.” (Seehttp://www.kimberleyprocess.com/ for more about this.)
8. Chic looks for less: “I found a dress for £70, a floor-length veil for £5 and my wedding shoes in one of Oxfam's specialist wedding dress shops. I had one bridesmaid who wore a nice dress of her own,” said Jessica.“The boys just wore their own suits and we tried to find ethically-sourced ties; although renting is another good option. “Clothes can be a big expense, so these decisions were good on our pocket as well,” she added.
9. Enjoy giving: “Going green on the wedding presents can be very challenging,” admitted Jessica. “Although our income was not great, we realised that compared to many people in the world, we were still very privileged and could buy our own goods eventually. So instead of the usual things, we had our wedding list with Oxfam Unwrapped.We asked for safe drinking water for 225 people, 500 school dinners, 5 health workers, 4 teachers, 266 trees, 2 alpacas and a donkey!“

Fantastic! Finally, the most wanted Bible reading is 1 Corinthians 13, famous for weddings, which ends at verse 13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Have a blessed evening!

Worthy is the Lamb

Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
Our Lord is awesome. Praise the Lord!

The Equality Bill

You know me, I don't do politics, however I happened to stumble on an e-petition related to our fundamental right of freedom of expression. Shouldn't we, as Christians, have the right to tell others about the Good News without being 'persecuted'. So I could not resist to let you know. 

The government has given the illusion that it has backed down on an amendment to the Equality Bill that would force people to act against their God-given consciences.

This innocuous sounding bit of legislation is just one more attempt by the government to take away more and more fundamental freedoms of conscience and liberty of speech, that have taken centuries to achieve and cost the lives of our ancestors, and force us to “conform to the pattern of this world,” The latest version of the Equality Bill is in effect, worse than that produced in 2003.

The Amendments to Equality Bill are to be voted on in the House of Lords very soon.

The legislation aims to strike out major exemptions for the purposes of organised religion, relating to occupational requirements, with regard to sex, marriage and sexual orientation. Specifically the legislation will restrict the rights of religious bodies to employ personnel who conform to their teachings only if their duties are confined to worship activities or the explanation of doctrine. The government is making out that it is prepared to make a few concessions, but these are mere crumbs.

 In my opinion, the legislation is designed to reduce religion to a mere cultural eccentricity, where there is no expectation that belief will be considered to be either objectively true or be translated into behaviour – certainly if such beliefs conflict with the government’s secularist ideology, morality and values – which are already imposed on us as absolute and objective truths. In my view, this is just another example of the government’s interfering (facilitated with threats, fines, loss of job and even worse) not just into our churches, but into the most intimate area of our lives: our consciences; our thinking; our emotions, into our families and the apples of eyes – our children.

The Petition can be found here: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/harryhammond/

David Skinner

To find out any more, click on this link

http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2010/01/26/equality-bill-government-illusion/

Have a blessed evening. In Jesus' name.

Week of Prayer for Parliament & Government

5-11 June 2010

For your diaries - the seventh annual Week of Prayer for Parliament & Government will take place from Saturday 5th to Friday 11th June 2010. Supported by Bible Society and 24-7 Prayer, this important event is a partnership between Christians in Parliament (CiP) and Christians in Government (CiG). Driven by the Christian communities that work in politics and government, it will involve daily prayer walks around Parliament and Whitehall, daily prayer across the parliamentary estate and in Whitehall government departments, large worship events, prayer for political parties and much, much more. With prayer support form Christians and prayer networks across the UK and the world, this is a great opportunity to pray for God's mercy and blessing on our nation. .

2 Chronicles 7:14

Happy Mother's day

Wishing all mothers, mothers to be, grand-mothers and great-grand-mothers a VERY HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY. May the Lord bless you and your family in abundance. In Jesus'name.

Crazy act 1 done!

That's it, the vicar has climbed up the steeple...successfully! He wore a yellow jacket that said..Getting closer to the boss! Here are a few photos courtesy of Kath Newbould, thanks again Kath!..I wish that I'd seen him do it but then again, I feel giddy just thinking about it!

Going up!...

and down!!

Job done! Congratulations to my darling hubby!  Many thanks to the team of contractors.

The Servant chosen

The Servant Chosen Isaiah 42:1-4 -
Introduction
During Lent we are going to be looking at four passages from Isaiah known as the Servant songs.
They are always worth looking at but they have a particular importance during Lent. It is during this
period that Jesus reflects upon, amongst other things, the nature of his forthcoming ministry. During that wilderness period, passages like these, as they have a prophetic nature, must have been in his mind.
Towards the end of that period, Satan comes to tempt him suggesting that there is a better and
quicker way to gain followers Luke 4: 6-7. As we know, Jesus resolutely rebuked him, citing other passages that helped him to keep his mind focused as to what he really had to be about Luke 4:8, Luke 4:12.


The question is, how did the Servant songs come to be and how have they been seen?

First, in and around Isaiah's time and that of the Babylonian Exile some couple of centuries later
these passages would have had some kind of fulfillment. Isaiah did not speak into a vacuum;
neither was he trying to predict the future in the commonly accepted sense of that. He saw the
nation and its spiritual state for what it was. He knew God had said that disobedience to him would
result in them being deprived of the land of promise, Joshua 23:16
Alongside that, Isaiah and his fellow prophets were people open to and listening to the Lord and as a result of that, delivered his word in encouragement and judgement.

These songs tie into that whole scenario.

Secondly, before the time of Jesus, and since from those who do not accept him as Messiah, attempts
are made to see other people or even the nation of Israel itself as being the object of these passages.
In Jesus though they have a supreme fulfillment and Matthew applies today's passage to Jesus and says
it is fulfilled in him (Matthew 12:17) However it is fair to say that through him there are aspects in which they
are also applicable to his people as his servants. We can therefore be challenged, encouraged and stimulated
regarding the nature and mind of ourselves as servants of the Lord.
Serving the Lord - vv 1a & 6a
Servants in bible times:
– equalled slave
– were essentially the 'goods' of their owner
– the owner could treat them as he saw fit, but often they were seen as an important part of the household
– had no choice about being obedient and disobedience could lead to death
But as we look at the Lord's servant we see it is theserving of a partnership:
– there is a balance between 'servant' and 'uphold'
– the Lord has delight in him
– walks hand in hand with him - 6a
– he also enables him with the Spirit - v 1
Serving People - vv 2-3
Here we have a small context of the servants operation:
– does not shout to be heard - v 2
– always leaves room for hope and so change and growth - v 3a
Serving Nations - vv 1b, 4 & 6b-7
The 'work' of this servant is also far reaching:
– nations - vv 1b & 3b
– islands (continents?) - v 4b
– whole earth and with specific mention of the Gentiles (none Jews) - vv 4a & 6b
The 'work' of the servant is specific:
– to bring justice - v 1b
– hope through his law - v 4c
– releasing people from various kinds of bondage - v 7
Jesus the Servant
Filled with the spirit - cp his conception and baptism
Always concerned to do the father's will but much reflects partnership and relationship cp John 10:30

He was gentle yet straight in his dealings with those to whom he ministered.
His work is universal
– justice flows from the cross for all
– hope is through salvation - new life, freedom and resurrection
– he saw it through despite the cost
– reaches right round the globe
'Me' the Servant
Consider from the above where and how we can fit into this.
Rev. S. A.

Go back and be happy!

 During the half-term hols, I started to read 'Go back and be Happy' by Julie Papievis, an amazing story. Somehow I progressed slowly as it is an emotional read and I had to put the book down and wait for a few days before resuming it. This is how Julie introduces it on her website:  

On May 10, 1993 my life was changed forever because someone ran a red light.  After a life-threatening car accident, I suffered a severe brain stem injury and medically died, rating a "3", the lowest number possible on the Glascow Coma Scale.  According to medical experts, 96% of the people with such a severe injury either die or remain permanently comatose.  The few who survive typically face a non-functional life.  I completely beat the odds even though I remained in a coma for over a month. Paralyzed and unconscious, I was transferred to the locked brain injury wing of a rehabilitation facility, where I awakened with vivid memories of my near death experience.  During "death" I saw my grandmothers in heaven.  They instructed me to "Go back and be happy" and assured me that my body would heal.  Although medical experts said I would never walk again, or be able to take care of myself, I didn't listen.  I believed the words of my grandmothers.
If you want to find out more, here is Julie's website. 
http://www.gobackandbehappy.com/
Have a blessed evening, in Christ.

We believe in Yeshua as Messiah....

 Among the 14 million Jewish people there is a group of perhaps twenty or thirty thousand people, born Jews, who believe in the Torah and the rest of the Tenach and practice Jewish customs and religion.  They also believe in Jesus. Some, if not most of them, prefer to call Him by His Jewish name, Yeshua...
 We believe in Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah because He alone gives sense to the words of our Jewish prophets.  There is Isaiah 53 with its minute description of the suffering servant who was despised and rejected, afflicted with pain and stripes, by whose "stripes we are healed."   He then dies, is buried, yet is revived and suffers all this "for the affliction of my (Isaiah the prophet's) people."  All this can best be applied to one person only - Yeshua of Nazareth.  The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98) teaches that this chapter refers to Messiah. The Targum of Jonathan begins the passage with the words Ha yatslakh avdee Mashikha, "Behold my servant the Messiah shall prosper
 From the first book, Bereshit, to the last prophet in the Tonach, Malachi, the Messiah's activity involves "the people" or the nations.  Yaacov Aveenoo foresees it and says:

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. (Genesis 49:10)
Isaiah the prophet sees Him as the "root of Jesse which shall stand for an ensign of the people;
to Him shall the Gentiles seek" (Isaiah 11:10).
In Isaiah 49:6 Messiah is proclaimed with these words:
It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the preserved of Israel: 
I will also give thee a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Malachi says of Him (1:11):

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same
my name shall be great among the Gentiles. PEACE THAT MESSIAH GIVES

   Jewish believers in Messiah Yeshua found that only in Him they have rest, peace, and satisfaction.  They heard Messiah's invitation, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).  They verified it in their own lives.  They read the record of His promise, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).  They found Messiah to be the Great Gentleman who always keeps His promise.  The result is that we can say together with one of the first hosidim of Messiah Yeshua, Simon bar Jonah, called Simon Peter:

Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art the Messiah, the Ben Elohim. 
(John 6:68-69)
How about you? Have you received your Redeemer, the Stone whom the builders rejected?
In Him is life, light and joy and in His sacrifice is forgiveness of sin.

Reprinted from The American Messianic Jewish Quarterly Reprinted 

with permission of 

The Messianic Literature Outreach 

6161 Busch Blvd., Suite 205 Columbus, Ohio 43229

For further information contact: 

-MENORAH MINISTRIES -

P.O. Box 460024

Glendale, CO 80246-0024

Voice: 303-355-2009 Fax: 303-355-6901 

E-mail: menorah@menorah.org 

Internet Page: http://www.menorah.org

Happy Valentine day!

 In essence, Jesus is God’s Valentine to us.  Someone cleverly put it this way:

Holidays at last!

Hey, I do love my job right, but it is so nice to have a few days holiday..So this is what I am going to do:
 read the Bible,
 go swimming,
 go to town with Imogen,
 write letters instead of mails,
 go walking and biking,
catch up on some French dvds,
 might go to Birmingham though I cannot be bother driving these days..
take a few photographs,
tidy/do housework (of course!)),
oh I was going to forget, drive everybody crazy including my hubby who is NOT on holiday,  (only joking),
What about you my friends, tell us what you are planning to do over half-term..
May the Lord bless you, in Jesus'name.

A site of interest!

http://www.why-the-bible.com/site_map.htm

As you may have gathered, I have lived in England for a fairly long time and I have heard in staff rooms usually, many derogatory comments on Napoleon.... and I was so surprised to read the following quote on the above site....mind you, I am no historian!


Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French

"You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.”
“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”
“I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel.  Neither history nor humanity, nor ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.”

James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Have a blessed evening. In Jesus' name

"It's a miracle," said rescue worker

French rescuers who found Darlene Etienne, 17, said it was a miracle that she had survived for more than two weeks trapped in the debris. Miss Etienne's family said she had been studying at the College of St Gerard when the powerful earthquake struck on Jan 12. "We thought she was dead," Jocelyn A. St. Jules, her cousin, said. Her discovery comes five days after the Haitian government officially announced the end of search and rescue operations."I don't know how she happened to resist that long. J.P. Malaganne. Rescuers said she was shocked and dehydrated but happy to be free.

"She just said 'thank you,' she's very weak, which suggests that she's been there for 15 days," Commander Samuel Bernes of the rescue team said. "She was in a pocket surrounded by concrete." Mr Bernes said that neighbours had been searching in the rubble of their home in the central Carrefour-Feuilles district when they heard a voice and alerted rescue teams. The girl was trapped between a collapsed wall and a door and was able to lie down, rescuers said.Miss Etienne, who has an injury to her leg, was given oxygen and taken to a French-run field hospital for treatment.
More than 130 people have been unearthed since the earthquake, but most of those were in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and authorities have said it is unlikely for anyone to survive more than 72 hours without water. But the stories of survival against the odds in Haiti continue. Earlier this week a man whose house collapsed during one of the strong aftershocks to hit the city was rescued after 12 days trapped in the rubble. 

Wismond Exantus, 25, was saved from the wreckage of the shop where he worked in Port-au-Prince on 23 January, after surviving 11 days by drinking Coca-Cola and eating snacks...He spent the 11 days buried in the ruins of the grocery store praying, reciting psalms and sleeping, he said. "I wasn't afraid because I knew they were searching and would come for me"
Let's hope that there will be more survivors in the near future. During the week I only listen to the news going to work and coming back home, on radio 3 and 4 and somehow did not realise that there'd been some survivors so I was so moved and pleased to hear that there'd been more. I do not believe in luck but I believe firmly in the power of God.  Let's praise the Lord for these lives. Let's commit in his hands the Haiti people, the UN and every rescue worker involved in restoring the country. In Jesus' name. 
More details on the following website http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/

Trust in the Lord always.

Trust in the Lord

Somehow, what's happened in Haiti is in the back of my mind. The shock, the suffering, the anguish, the despair are visible on the photos and films. The devastation caused by a 60 seconds tremor is huge. If you are alive, you will thank the Lord and start fighting to help others. I do not question why the Lord has let this earthquake happened as I trust in Him. 

Keep on praying

All I want to do is pray and keep on praying for the people of Haiti and the rescue workers there. After a week, they found two women, one 25 y.o. Hotteline Lozama and the other one, Anna Zizi, 69 y.o. in the rubble of Port-au-Prince cathedral. Her son declared: I never give up hope, no. We were praying a lot for this to happen. Also, an eight-year-old boy and his sister have been pulled alive from the rubble by US rescue teams. The young boy named Kiki emerged from the rubble with a grin and arms outstretched. He was rescued along with his 10-year-old sister by two American teams.

Father Lord, comfort those who have lost loved ones, that they may know and feel your presence with them. Carry them through the difficult days to come. Help the rescuers to find those who may yet be rescued. May your Holy Spirit give strength, hope and perseverance to every person working to find survivors and to those who look after the injured.   

How can we help Haiti's people ?

Tearfund have dispatched emergency funds to help survivors of the devastating earthquake that has hit Haiti, including the densely populated capital Port-Au-Prince and the surrounding area. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and millions of people live in the affected area. Many buildings have been destroyed or badly damaged in the capital Port-au-Prince, including the presidential palace and the five-storey UN offices.  Looking at the pictures on the news is so upsetting. Today, the papers were reporting that armed gangs were louting in town. 

EAUK's member organisations are responding swiftly to this disaster

They include….

Tearfund which has dispatched emergency funds and a response team

Samaritan's Purse which is sending a disaster assistance team and mobilising resources

World Vision which has 370 staff in country and is providing immediate relief for victims

World Emergency Relief which is providing emergency supplies

Compassion has mobilised its Disaster Relief Fund

WorldShare are channelling funds through their partners working in Haiti on the ground                           Mission Aviation Fellowship have three aircraft based on west coast of Haiti. Medical supplies are being flown in.

Please consider whether you can support or donate to these efforts. Each of the above have an appeal or you can donate to The Disasters Emergency Committee.

As Evangelical Alliance member organisations respond to the earthquake in Haiti, the Alliance is calling on Christians to pray for the survivors and the relief efforts. 

The earthquake, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, struck on January 12. Relief and development agencies, including Alliance members, responded immediately, deploying staff and creating emergency appeals. Magalie Boyer from World Vision, who have 370 staff in the country, spoke of the earthquake: "It felt as if a truck had hit a wall. There is extensive damage in the city. People had to spend the night in the streets. They are not comfortable staying in their houses." Boyer added: "World Vision Haiti will distribute first aid kits to survivors, along with basic materials such as soap, blankets, clothes and bottles of water as an initial response."

Winter in the Midlands..

This is it, the snow is melting..it is slush everywhere. In a way, I am pleased as it means that I wont spend 10 minutes trying to clear my windscreen!

Aren't those wagtails brave, trying to feed in spite of the snow.. We haven't managed to walk by the canal yet so these are backgardent shots..I shall go back to more planning now!
Have a blessed evening.

Want to know more about christianity?

How much of an optimist are you?

As it is the beginning of a New Year, we cannot help thinking about new beginnings. Most people will even go far as taking new resolutions and endeavour to hold them. I am not sure what is the most popular resolution now : spending less, losing weight, travelling more, making more friends, finding a wife or a husband, making more money, sticking to one's job. Some of us may be more pessimist, say, realist and not bother as they think they will fail them quickly.
As a Christian who believe in the Good News that Jesus was raised from the dead and is alive, I should always be an optimist. What about you? Do you always live in the joy of our Lord’s resurrection? Do you always reflect that in your daily lives? Well, if i answer this question truthfully, i admit that I've had my moments of pessimistic weakness. This afternoon, as I was reading 2 Timothy 1 6-7, Paul reminds us ' to fan into flame the gift of God'..further down, he encourages us even more : , Jesus-Christ who has detroyed death and has brought immortality and life through the gospel.. Paul'se exhortation is extremely clear.
The minute we have become Christians and put our trust in Jesus, then we should be optimist, and with all what it entails, happiness, joy.. in Christ we are promised the best possible outcome. In John 14:2 Jesus tells us : I am going there (my father's house) to prepare a place for you.
If you are not a Christian, the Good News if  for you too. .. God our Savior, .. wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-5.

gomakedisciples: Jews do come to faith in Jesus...

Messiah declared he was Y'shua.
In Luke 4:16-21 Jesus said: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He annointed Me to preach the gospel (besorah) to the poor...
I have found another excellent site called jewishgentilecouples.com

It is worth having a look.
Have a blessed day!