Danny & Julie & a £32,000 bottle of whisky

Danny and Julie popped over last night with some of their tribe ..for some strange reason the conversation turned to whisky and Danny and I discovered this story ..posted on the BBC news web site about a businessman who bought a rare bottle of whisky for £32,000 and then drank it that same night with his friends .....£32k on a bottle of whisky ...we live in a mad and often sad world ...

More Christmas Photo's from Paul &Al's

Check out the wellies.....
One of Paul's most valued Christmas presents was a range of products from this company ...click the link and look at his photo ....he is a man in desperate need of their rejuvenating power ;-)
It was a very snowy couple of days
Its a good job I haven't added the sound file ..I thought I would spare you that ....
Dan one of their Alsatians ...

Boxing Day

We have been away for a few days ...well actually we got a little snowed in at Paul and Ali's house in Derbyshire .....Photo's of that to follow later on ..

But for now I thought you could see the Boxing Day crowd who descended on us ...My sister Jane , Nick and their children ..Naomi & Ben ....As well as my mum and Gill's mum and dad

A traditional day .....excess food ...children exited , Nanna catching 40 winks on the sofa .... I wonder how many homes up and down the land had a similar experience :-)

I bet you didn't have Darth Vader though ...

I still had my pinny on !!

This was taken from Katies new camera .... I still had my apron on ....next year I really must explore a little more of my masculine side :-)

Hope you all had a good Christmas day ....

Poor Santa

These pilots must be blind ...poor santa !!

Visit from the Wrights

We felt sorry for this lot ...so we took them in ..gave them a cup of coffee and a mince pie and sent them on their way ....oh by the way the one with the silver streaks in his hair is Pastor Phil .... he has shares in this company :-)

The Delightful Dakin's

Ron , Lorna , Martha and Matt called in last night for a takeaway and a wee dram around the chimenea ....Ron being slightly deranged thought it would be a good idea to roast some mince pies over the open flame .... and strangely enough they tasted rather nice ...so forget about roasting chestnuts , roast your mince pies instead

Incidentally I thought you ought to know that Lorna is now in her 40th year :-)

Thought for the day

This one is taken from Jonah Chpt 2

"Those who cling to worthless idols

forfeit the grace that could be theirs"

Odd one out

Ever felt like your the odd one out :-)

Carols on the Corner

On Tuesday night I was asked to lead a group of 50 or so neighbours who wanted to gather together to sing carols , organised by a couple of folk who live at the end of our street . It was good to see people willing to step out of the hectic Christmas shedule and take time to reflect on the message of Christmas through the singing of Carols ..

Yesterday I started reading Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones' book "Studies on the sermon on the mount" ...Highly recommended ...60 sermons that expound Christ's blueprint for Christian living found in Matthew Chapters 5-7

Today I am off to one of the local residential homes with a few folk from the church , carols , mince pies and a christmas message from me ... I think I will be speaking on Simeon ...read his story here ....an old man who was able to die in peace because he was able to say "for my eyes have seen your salvation"......

What does the Lord require of you ?

Bin thinking about this text this morning ....thought you might like to as well ...(Micah 6:8)

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Aim at the fly

A touch of toilet Humour .....To think that someone actually sat down and pondered the problem of urinal spillage ... crazy world .....My wife has ordered one for our house !!

Carol Service

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Taken from Luke's Gospel ...Good news of great Joy ...the prevalent theme of our Carol Service last night . 330 folk came to join us . The singing was great and the gospel preached very clearly by Phil was even greater...

Spellings

If like me you are not particularly good at spelling ...then be consoled..... you are not alone
:-)

In The Bleak Mid Winter

Over the last couple of days I have been attending various Christmas performances put on by the children ... Laura ( my youngest ) had a starring role in one of them, singing a solo part of that popular carol " In the bleak mid winter" ....the last verse in this Carol is always a challenge to me at this time of year ....

What can I give him,Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherdI would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise manI would do my part;
Yet what I can I give him-Give my heart.

Jesus when asked what is the greatest commandment of all replied ' To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength' ( mark 12 :30)

Today, why dont you spend a few moments thinking about the verse from the Carol and the command from Christ and ask yourself honestly am I giving Him all that I am ....

Psalm 51

Read this psalm ....think about it , pray about it and then go to this page ...scroll down to the sermon on Psalm 51 , sit back and listen ..or better still download it to your mp3 player , go for a walk and listen ...its approx 60 minutes ..but a valuable 60 minutes ...far more beneficial to your life than the time it takes to watch a couple of your favourite soaps ...

Chess

Laura ( my 10 yr old) is learning chess via an online tutorial at Chesskids.com . The site is excellent , she has picked up all the moves in just a few lessons ...so it won't be long before she has dad in checkmate :-(

Dentist

Reminds me, I must make a dental appointment :-)

Quiet weekend

Ever had one of those weekends whereby you are not racing here there and everywhere , fetching kids, going shopping ...etc ...yes I know they are a rarity ...but this weekend I was able to relax ...a word not used by 40 something men very often ..

On Saturday I purchased the Daily Telegraph, managing to read more than a couple of pages . In the evening we had a meal at my sisters house followed by a visit to Borders books ...the best shop in the world that stays open late into the evening ..

On Sunday I wasn't preaching ...Phil ( the Pastor ) was back all fired up from his sabbatical and In the afternoon I sat down and watched a movie with the kids " Miracle on 34th Street" ..you wouldn't doubt Santa after watching it ..

So all very relaxing , rare but appreciated

Old Crooners

At this time of year I tend to crave the music of the old crooners ...Bing Crosby , Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin etc ...if you haven't heard of these guys then you haven't lived ...I remember my mum playing them all the time as a kid so I guess I am harping back to my childhood :-)

Off to the Panto tonight with forty teenagers ...should be fun ...look out if you live in Crewe ... Wem are hitting town tonight ....

Opportunities

Keron Fletcher spoke really well last night at the church Christmas meal .... A very clear gospel message for Christmas ..

Today I have been involved in a mother and toddler Christmas party and an assembly at Prees Primary school ..... both wonderful opportunities to share the good news .

Phil's ( the pastor )officially back from his sabbatical today ... I have managed to survive 3and a half months without him ...I have missed him though and I'm glad he is back ...Perhaps will be able to do some studying for college now !!

Katie would like me to inform you that she went to the "Clothes show live" in Birmingham today ..she recommends it ..so you all have to go next year ...

Who was Jesus ?

I had an hour long conversation with a man last week who was struggling to understand just who Jesus was and why all the fuss is made of him . He had a problem with the historicity of the bible, particularly its authenticity .

If you have the same problems can I recommend this book by John Blanchard ,in it he explores the historical evidence for Jesus and then goes on to look at the mans message and its impact ... order it as a stocking filler for Christmas ...it might turn out to be the best investment you ever made ...

Too Many Mince Pies :-(

Got on the scales today ....my first failure in four weeks ....Didn't make the target , I didn't however put any weight on . So its a 2lb target this week ... so I better go and prepare the lettuce leaves ;-)

Tonight we have a Christmas meal with some of the folk from the church . 108 people are going, 50% of which are people who don't normally go to church . After the turkey and mince pies ( which I wont be having of course) we will be hearing a gospel message from our guest speaker Dr Keron Fletcher a consultant psychiatrist from Shrewsbury ....looking forward to it , I will keep you posted ;-)

Festive fervor

Spent the weekend with the family doing Christmassy things ...like buying and decorating the tree ... I get involved in the buying but not involved in the decorating ( its a man thing !!).... all the girls have their own opinion on how the tree should look so I just let them get on with it :-).

The week ahead involves a number of speaking engagements mainly in schools , with the run in to Christmas the kids will be hyper exited .... as are most of the adults .....

Have you done any shopping yet ..... us blokes are so thankful for this new phenomenon called "Internet Shopping" ..no longer having to spend hours looking for a parking space in a packed shopping centre desperately searching for that present that will put a smile on her face and guarantee a large slice of turkey on the day

I thought this was hilarious ...

Dont forget the carrots

1st day of December .....only 25 days to go ...dont forget to order the carrots , you know how Santa's reindeer love them :-)

Vegetarians and God

I did another RE lesson with year 7's at church today ...great opportunity , particularly because the 6th formers who accompanied them wanted to stay behind and debate some issues . One young lady , who was a vegetarian wanted to know how Christians who are against murder can justify the slaughtering of innocent animals ..... How would you answer that ?

I took her back to Genesis 1 and showed her that originally it wasn't meant to be that way ..man lived in harmony with all animals ...then I showed her what went wrong Genesis 3 ...when sin entered this world ...the whole creative order was turned upside down ... I went on to say that God, after our fall, decreed that we were to eat animals ....but emphasizing that this was as a result of our disobedience ... "Don't blame God" I said ..."blame mankinds sin"....it made her think and she took a book away with her explaining the basics of the Christian faith ..

Forgot to mention..

Yesterday was weigh in day ( see blogs from previous 4 Tuesdays ) ...and yet again for the 4th week running I am glad to report the shedding of another pound ..four week four pounds ...only another 41 weeks to go :-(

Hectic schedule today , this morning I have two assemblies and one RE lesson , this afterenoon I have a one to one Christainity Explained class ..and then tonight I am checking out the venue for this years Christmas Carol service ...all good stuff

The Word of God ...The bible

Photo courtesy of Paul
I did another RE lesson in church this morning , a bunch of 30 or so year 7 students who came to find out more about the Christian faith ( I'm doing seven of these lessons over this week ) anyway I thought I would take the opportunity to ask how many of them had bibles at home and out of 30 kids only 5 put their hands up ...so more than 80 % had no access to the greatest story ever told ..

This afternoon I went to a lunch with a number of people who spend most of their spare time trying to solve this problem ...The Gideons ...( see photo above )A group of folk who labour in the harvest field , seeking to give as many people as possible access to the truth of life .... they should be commended and prayed for .

This evening another session of Christianity Explained beckons ..tonight I will be looking at what faith in Jesus Christ really does mean , how should it impact your life ..so I best go and prepare ....

Tired

When a boxer has contended in a fight , he spends days recooperating from the wounds and the physical exertion associated with the battle in the ring .. Well when I came home last night after having preached twice yesterday I felt a little like that .I have observed in myself over the last couple of years just how mentally taxing preaching can be , my brain cells have to work overtime , which is made harder by the fact that I have very few of them ...

Couple of school RE lessons at church today ...onwards and upwards..

Anne's wedding ....not forgetting Gareth of course !!

Preparation to the power of 10 !!

All I seem to have done this week is either speak or prepare for speaking engagements ...I have just finished my second sermon for Sunday ...so at least they are both ready ... In the morning at Prees fellowhip I am in Exodus 12 " the Blood of the lamb " and then in the evening at Wem its Philippians 3 . " Pressing on "

In all of this preparation I have not had the time to visit many folk this week ... Who said being a pastor was a one day a week job ;-)

Anyway must dash I need to prepare a talk for the youth tonight !!

Almost went up in flames

Beware of Bargains ...they are not always what they seem ...now you have had the moral of the story I had better tell you the tale ..

I bought a nice looking candle from e-bay the other day , orange and cinnamon , nice for Christmas or so I thought . When it arrived it looked good , nice colour with pieces of dried orange etc within the candle itself , smelt lovely ....so I lit it ...and it looked great ...after two or three days of use it was nearing the end of its life leaving a fine aroma in the living room ...

Anyway I can sense your getting bored now so I will cut to the chase .... I had been in the study whilst the candle was alight in the lounge ... I eventually returned to the lounge and was horrified to find the whole candle ablaze with the bits and pieces within the wax ( a la orange and little twigs etc ) all ablaze ..the wooden coffee table that it was standing on was heating up nicely and was about to become an indoor bonfire !!! fortunately I managed to find my yellow firemans helmet and put the fire out safely ...

Another moral for you ...pretty things are not always what they seem .. (apart from my wife of course )

Still on Target ...but only just

Scales came out for the Tuesday weigh in ....3 rd week of the pound a week challenge ...and Yes I managed to scrape over the line at 332lbs ...thats despite tucking into a good pan of Scouse last night ( that I made and I have to say made really well ...Gordon Ramsey look out !! )

Anyway grappling with the texts for Sunday today ...

Amazing resemblance !!

Katie ( the middle cherub) ...decided to do a portrait of the family yesterday ...you will observe how she has portrayed herself as a young , trendy teenager whilst the rest of us are a cross between the Adams family and the Simpsons :-)

We also had a visitor last night ....A hedgehog came to our door ... Chester the dog and Caddy the guest dog went barking mad :-) ...

A very hectic week ahead with many speaking engagements ...the first of which is this morning at the local secondary school ....they have given me the tiltle "Loving the unlovely" ...so I will be doing this story ...

Went to the match

Yesterday , I along with a number of men from the church and their boys , went to watch a premiership match . I couldn't get tickets for the best team in the world , so we all ended up at the JJB Stadium in Wigan to watch Wigan Athletic Vs Arsenal .

Great game , finishing 3-2 for Arsenal . Thierey Henri is an awesome player . It was a good day out for me as I haven't seen a premiership game for well over 3 years . Wigan are a good side , deserving their second place position in the premiership...The Meat and potato pie at half-time was almost as good as Henri's performance :-)

Brrrrrrrr

Still havn't fopund my thermals and I needed them for this mornings walk !!!

School trip

Gill , my better half , went down to London yesterday with the school to see the west end show "Blood Brothers". She said it was fantastic and would recommend it as a must see. The play being set in Liverpool reminded her of her childhood growing up in Liverpool...to be honest I am impressed that she can remember that far back ....oops I'll be in trouble again ..

Off to do an assembly this morning and then speaking tonight at the youth club ..... Its freezing outside today ....the first cold and frosty morning of the Winter .... I must look for my thermals and my hot water bottle :-)

The Time challenge

Looked in my diary for next week ....its going to be my busiest week ever speaking 9 times at different events ....does anyone know where you can find a 30 hour day :-)

On a much brighter note we had a sumptuous meal out last night for my birthday , it was wonderful ..except for the bill that is ...

Later on that evening I led the "Christianity Explained" class . The subject matter was the resurrection of Christ ...read the account here and here ...when you really grasp the truth that Christ rose again ..and you allow the truth of that fact to sink in ....then you will see that Jesus truly was the Son of God ..It will change your whole perspective on your existence ...

Birthday Boy

Yes .. a momentous day in the history of the world ...November 15th 1963 ....the day the world got Rob Whiteway ..... and did it notice .....of course not .... ( well with the exception of my mother she had no choice !! )

It was an early start for the Birthday boy this morning , a 5am drive down to Birmingham airport taking the Pastor and his family on the final leg of his sabbatical holiday ... . I think it is one of the worst feeling in the world dropping people off to go on holiday .... " Thou shalt not envy "..

The scales came out this morning ...as this is Tuesday ...and if you are a regular reader you will know that it is weigh in day .... and again I am pleased to report another successful week ..I hit target at 233lbs ... on to 232 for next week ...not too much birthday cake for me then later..

Resurrected Netballer

Gill( my wife that is ) in her 40th year played competitive netball tonight for one of the local teams ...the first time she has played competitively since her school days ..and we all know how long ago that was ....I wanted to take a picture but she wouldn't let me ;-( ....by the way they lost by one goal ..and the name of the team ...very apt I thought ...THE JOKERS .... That's me in trouble when she reads this !!

Your Response

Yesterday I preached from this text. Peters first sermon. A sermon that resulted in 3000 Jews turning in repentance to Christ . All the more amazing when you think that 50 days before these were the same Jews who were baying for Christ's crucifixion..

For the first time in their lives their hearts were open to the truth ..."they were cut to the heart" ...... They realised that it was their sin that held Christ to the cross .....

What about you ....Peter's message wasn't just for the crowd that gathered 2000 years ago ..it was for you .... Your sin nailed Christ to the cross . The Son of God humbled himself on a cross so that you could know forgiveness...

Do what the 3000 did ....turn to him in repentance and faith and know the eternal assurance that you have become a child of God ...... Swallow your pride and wake up to the truth about your existence .

40's Night

Last night at the youth club we held a 1940's night . I dressed up in a half fitting ( cos I need to lose a couple of pounds) able seamans uniform , lots of the youngsters dressed up in period costume as well . We had invited a couple of veterans from world war 2 who attend our church to come and talk of their experiences and their faith ..it worked really well . Dick was involved in the D Day landings and Alec fought in Burma .

Tee ( the Pastors wife ) made bread and dripping ( which was actually very tasty ) supplemented by chunks of spam . The music was Glen Miller " In the mood " must have been played 10 times maybe his music will make a comeback ....

Assembly

Off to do an assembly at the Lakeland Secondary school in Ellesmere this morning using the remembrance day theme. I will use the remembrance of many sacrificial deaths to remember the one sacrificial death that effects us all ....Luke 23 :26-47

Coffee table mags

The Dangers of Dinner

Anna my eldest cooked dinner tonight ( trust me, I am as shocked as you ) ...corned beef hash ..it was lovely especially with pickled red cabbage... only problem is ..Katie my middle daughter decided that it was time for a food fight ...but guess who came off worse ...Don't mess with dad Katie ...I am lethal when armed with a spoonful of Corned beef hash :-)

note ..all you Corned beef Hash lovers out there ...click on this more unusual recipe ..watch the video

Waffle

Well I survived Radio Shropshire last night ... I did however get asked to comment on a subject that I know next to nothing about .. The proposed new national curriculum for under 5's ....now I ask you what does the average bloke know about that !! so I must confess that I waffled , which is not unusual for me :-)

Ever since I packed in secular work a couple of years ago and we all learnt to live on next to nothing , Gill and I have marveled at how God through his people has kept us . For instance last night just as we were going to bed an envelope was posted through our door addressed to Gill and I containing a significant amount of cash , the timing as usual was perfect, we had just started to incur some debts ... there was no note in the envelope so the identity of the giver remains a mystery (known only to God)... so if you are reading this who ever you are, we all thankyou for your love and kindness ....

Coffee morning this morning and then sermon prep this afternoon ...Its remembrance Sunday this week so I'll be including some wartime illustrations ...

Back on The Radio

I have been invited back to speak on radio Shropshire tonight . The current affairs show with Tracey Higgins . I'll be on between 6 and 7 so if you are really really bored tonight you can tune in via the internet .

A couple of counseling sessions today along with a planning meeting for the Carol service...Christmas is looming fast :-)

Flying visit

Anne , Jules and baby Dillon popped in this afternoon .....there was much talk of weddings , and dresses and babies ...sometimes I long for non -girlie conversation ...oh the joys of being surrounded by women ;-)
...sorry for the red eye girls ...I'll have to find a decent photo -editor package

Hit the Target

Yes its Tuesday morning so out came the weighing scales this morning( see last Tuesday's post) and I came in at just under 234lbs ...fantastic ...a good start ...on to 233 for next week .... Is anybody else taking part in the pound a week challenge ?????

Classic Fm TV !

If like me you enjoy classical music then click on this site and you can not only listen but watch the vids as well ....

Bridge Chapel

Spent the day over in Liverpool at Bridge Chapel yesterday , taking Phil Wright ( Pastor of Wem Baptist church ) with all his family to see the set up at the bridge ... The ministry at the bridge is always very searching and applicable ...I would recommend that you go to their web site and download a few of the sermons ...

Study day today ...althought its nearly 11 am and I still havn't managed to pick a book up yet :-(

A Pair of Bright Sparks....

Sparklers are definitely a girls firework ....and even then laura had to wear a glove :-)

Friends & Fireworks

55 of our youth fellowship traveled over in convoy to Wheelock Heath Baptist Church last night for an evening of fellowship and fireworks .....Simon Butler one of Wheelocks illustrious youth leaders didn't let us down with the bonfire ...in fact the neighbours became so worried they called for the fire brigade !!... it was a great night ..thanks to all who helped out ..

This morning I ventured for the first time into the realm of Go -Kart driving .... as part of our Mission 2006 campaign we had organised a Go -Karting race with church members and friends ...I discovered that I don't have a gift for taking bends without skidding off the track ...so Jenson button is still safe as Britains number one :-)

Bangor in The Rain

I spent a very wet day in the city of Bangor ( North Wales) yesterday as guests of the universities Christian union . I had been given a couple of topics to speak on .... In the afternoon session " What would Jesus say to Saddam Hussain?" and the evening session " What is a Christian ?"

Thanks to all involved with the work at Bangor , you made me feel very welcome ..I'll be praying for you ...and a special thanks to Rich Andrews who put up with me for the day in his digs and who knows how to cook a mean pizza ...Thanks Rich

Today I have a very different challenge 220 primary school kids descending on the church for 2 hours ...I best go and prepare something to say :-).......

1st Anniversary

Anna ( my eldest daughter) wants me to let you know that her and Mike ( her Boyfriend) celebrated their first anniversary of going out with each other yesterday .....(oh yuk I hear you cry )...anyway Mike being the dutiful boyfriend cooked her a three course meal at our house ..and Anna was still alive this morning to tell the tale :-)

The Cross

We had a full class last night at the Christianity explained session ...we looked at the crucified Saviour and asked three questions...
1. Why did he die ? ( acts 2:22-28)
2 What does it mean ? ( Isaiah 53:1-6)
3 How should I respond ? ( acts 2: 36-42)

Read the texts and think about it for yourself ....if you want clarification then e-mail me.... whiteway@supanet.com

Becky you will be shocked !!

Becky ...how can you doubt that I will look like a stick insect after 45 weeks ...this will be the look on your face when you come to stay next time ...you will be so shocked at the transformation :-)

Weight loss

All the psychologists agree that if you want to lose weight then you should hold yourself accountable ....so I thought to myself who can I tell ...who can I be accountable for my latest jaunt into the world of dieting and fitness ....so I have decided its going to be my loyal readers ...that you :-)

So I weighed in at 235 lbs this morning ...yes I know very frightening ..at 6ft 2 I should be about 190 lbs ...so my intention is to lose 45 1bs ...... easy ....mmmmm ....I'm going for a pound a week ...so I have a mere 45 weeks to complete my objective ..

Your role as my observers is to hold me accountable .....you might like to suggest a few forfeits if I fail ...but remember to keep them clean as I am training for the pastorate :-))

So my target for next week is 234 ...so keep your eyes peeled next Tuesday morning ...Incidentally if anyone else want to join in this quest ,then feel free to be accountable as well, by posting your efforts in the comments section ..... onwards and upwards ( or I should say downwards in this case !! )

Good Preacher

Danny Foulkes of Iconoblog fame ( when he used to update it that is !!) ...gave me a web site where you can find some excellent sermons from a very capable preacher ...he has a very grand name .......Dr. Arturo G. Azurdia III... we will just call him Art ...Download and enjoy.

Tearaway teenagers

When you leave them alone for a few hours look what you come home to !!

Countryside living

Every morning and sometimes in the evening Chester ( my dog ) takes me for a walk in the fields near to our house ...here are a few photos from our walk on Wednesday this week .

Just finished my sermon for tomorrow morn ...here's the text ..Luke 23 :39-43...the question for you is which criminal are you more like???? ..the one who didn't believe and just hurled insults at Christ or the one who did believe and now lives forever in Paradise ..... You can only be like one or the other ...there is no sitting on the fence ..there is no middle ground ....so which are you like ?