Return To Wem ....

Yesterday was another busy and blessed day . In the morning I led the service at the Bridge .Then we had yet another roast dinner at Grannie & Gramp's before setting off for the evening service over at Wem .

It was good to be back amongst our Shropshire friends and it was great to be back in the pulpit over there .... I was reflecting on Psalm 39:4 ...

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life."

Going into a New year and in fact going into a new decade it is important that we reflect on how we use our time . So if we are to make better use of our TIME as Christians in 2010 then we need to .....

Trust more in the promises of God.

Imitate him more by seeking every day to be more Christlike and maturing as each hour passes..

Meditate on him more ...our devotional life is vital to our spiritual health .

Enjoy him more ...stop dwelling on the past and being anxious about the future .Enjoy His grace ,his mercy ,his love , his peace TODAY . Living in the day we have been given , enjoying his word , enjoying our friends and family given by Him TODAY ...

If you want to hear the full sermon then I am sure it will be posted some time next week on the Wem Baptist Web Site ...there is a link on the right of this page.

After the service we all trundled off to the Wrights house for yet more food and more games on the Wii . I wasn't impressed with my Wii Fit weight !!!! The mince pies have definitely added some extra blubber this year :-) I can feel a new years resolution coming on :-)

Bosing Day ...family & friends

Well as usual there was tons of food left over ,so we invited Grannie & Gramps over for a second helping today and then later on Dave ,Debbie ,Becky , Abi and John came over for more food , Wii and a good old fashioned board game :-) Good times ,fun times . Anna has posted some Photos on her blog ...CLICK HERE

Christmas Day 09 ..

Christmas day was one of the most relaxing in years ...Pressy opening at 7am ..followed by church at The Bridge ..followed by a huge Christmas dinner cooked by my gorgeous wife ...queens speech at 3pm ..slept on the couch at 4pm and then out for more food at Jane & Nicks in the evening ...great day .Praise the Lord for good times with the family :-)She only has gozzy eyes for me :-) A splendid meal

Had to have the pud

Pressies everywhere

Katie pulling her usual photo face with Anna

Still looking into each others eyes after all these years :-)

Laura made the cake this year ...she melted some glacier mints to decorate it ..cool

Laura having a bit of a moment

Anna wearing her best hat

Grannie ..well not sure what she is doing here

Gramps ..he can hear Santa In the evening we went over to Jane & Nicks ....Nick looks a bit like popeye in this one ..our Jane is not thin enough to be Olive though :-)

Christmas ....

It's all a bit different this year . Our first Christmas back in Liverpool since 1985. I am saddened by the fact that both mum and dad are not part of it this year .

The last couple of weeks seem to have flown by , going from one Carol service to another whilst slowing recovering from the swine flu !

Lots of folk in this time have been visiting and sharing some Christmas cheer ...sadly though I don't have much photographic evidence .It would have been good to capture Les Stampers face after attempting to go for a jog on the Wii fit .... I thought we might have to call an ambulance :-)

Last night was great . We had our small group around for a Christmas party that ended up with one huge snowball fight . It's great to have a bit of snow at this time of year . Anna has posted some pics on her blog .... CLICK HERE

Off out again tonight to Debbie Webster's for more mince pies ...I don't think my stomach can take much more ..I will be looking like Les soon :-)

Cold enough to be Christmas :-)

Woolton woods this morning. Been singing "In the Bleak mid Winter"
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I have been in bed for too long now :-(

The flu has really got hold of me this week. Never had flu and hope never to have it again! Thanks to all the folk who have wished me well. Hoping to be back in the land of the living next week :-)
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Laid low :-(

Sorry for not blogging lately. I have been suffering from classic man flu and because of that my world has come to an end :-). For two weeks now the virus has been having its wicked way and judging by this mornings coughing fit it is showing little sign departing.

But I will soldier on with my faithful Olbas Oil and vick vapour rub and my trusty lemsip :-)
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Ellen the maker of paper trees. What a good idea :-)

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Bargain Hunter .....

Yes it was me on Bargain Hunt yesterday . Thought that I gave Brad Pitt a run for his money . Just waiting for Simon Cowell to ring now :-)

If you misssed it you can pick it up on the web fromm the BBC I-player site . http://bbc.co.uk/i/ny5rx/

And if you want to hear about a real bargain then click here :-)

The Pace is picking up....

I have now been at the Bridge for a month and the pace is picking up. Its great that every day is different from the next. I have still much to learn and many people to meet but I am starting to remember a few names now :-)and become a part of some of the ministries. Met up with the Student Ministry leaders tonight Jess,Dan and Amy. Lasagne,cake, coffee and prayer what a combination :-)

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The Harrison clan

Met up with an old mate and his family. He dresses funny though:-)
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Wii men :-)

Mark and Rob fine figures of Wii men :-).this was a bit of light relief after Liverpool's poor showing in Europe tonight.
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Bargain Hunt ...date for the show ...

Bargain hunt contacted me last Friday and have said that the show thast Phil and I recorded will go out at 12:15pm on Tuesday 10th November .

So make sure you dont miss it ... I will be signing autographs after the broadcast ;-)

Cakes at Harrods :-)

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Cakes at Harrods :-)

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Good & Sad days ....

Today is a good day as we are all in London as a family. I want to go to the Museums and the girls want to go to the shops ! And because I am such a sacrificial dad I am sure the girls will win the day.
Last night was funny. We had a meal at the Hotel we are staying at and then departed for our room via the lift and just as we were entering the lift Laura dropped something that had a very pungent aroma.... If you know what I mean ! It was made even more embarrassing when two fellas got into the lift and noticed the aroma :-). Laura died a million deaths. Never seen her face go so red. I chuckled all night.
Sad day today in one respect. Today marks the second anniversary of my mates death Paul. Still miss him loads but I am thankful for so many happy memories :-)
Anyway off to the shops I go. Lots of trips to coffee shops me thinks today :-)
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HMS Illustrious in dock.

Chris and Helen came over so we took a trip down to the docks :-). The pride of the Royal Navy was in dock :-)
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Let me be the first to wish you all a happy Christmas :-)

Gill says that John Lewis gets you in the mood for Christmas :-)
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First Sunday at The Bridge

We all enjoyed our first day at our new church today . So many faces , so many names and so few brain cells to try and remember them all :-)

We spent our bargain hunt winnings tonight :-)

As you know over the summer Phil and I recorded the BBC show Bargain Hunt winning £37 in the process. Well tonight we celebrated our win with an Italian night out. Great meal , great company :-)
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George and Anita Wed

Over at Wem today for George and Anita's wedding. Great day. Photo from Gloria :-)
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Farewell to Wem

Sunday brought an end to our 5 years in Wem. The final service was emotionally charged with yours truly shedding a few tears in front of the gathered flock.
We will all miss the folk at Wem. The five years have been a real blessing to us all as a family.
So as one chapter opens another begins and for me that means the Bridge Chapel in Liverpool. I am looking forward to what the next few years will bring.......
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More food in Wem.

Because I am a little nomadic at the moment. Working in Wem and living in Liverpool I am being fed by the folk in Wem :-).Meta and Ron did us proud yesterday with a wonderful roast pork dinner. Yet again the diet starts tomorrow.
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Live from Dave & Heather's wedding.

Great day down in Worcester.
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Teenage Daughters .... wonderfully challenging :-)

Teenage logic is always a challange ...all good for my sanctification .... anyone got a spare shed that I can hide in for a couple of days ;-)

Death has no victory.

Read a good quote from Thomas Watson yesterday ..........

" The wheels of death's chariot may rattle and make a noise, but they are to carry a believer to Christ."

Death is never pleasant but what lies beyond is too wonderful for our finite minds to fully grasp.

I go there to prepare a place says Jesus ....

Praying for all those who are suffering this morning.
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A return to Wheelock

Yesterday after preaching at Wem in the morning we headed over to Wheelock Heath church in Cheshire. The church were Gill and I were members for 11 years throughout the 90's.
Lots of happy memories came flooding back and I was privileged to be allowed to preach.
Thanks to all who made us feel welcome. It was a very encouraging time of worship as hearts and minds were lifted up to The King.
Hopefully I won't have to wait another 5 yrs before going back again :-)
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I am traumatized

Phil between hospital visits and a funeral stripped off in the car today! Not a pretty sight. Does anyone know a therapist ?
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One for the girls Norman's pecs

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Edie and her Yorkshires. A proud woman

Norman and Edie are feeding me this afternoon. There goes the diet then :-)
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22 years ago today:-)

Our wedding anniversary today. Love her even more today than I did when she walked down the aisle all those years ago.
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Brothers in arms

My last elders strategy meeting at Wem. I will miss the fellowship and encouragement of my brothers. They have been a tremendous help to me and my family over the 5 years
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Les & Cathy 25 yrs of happy marriage :-y

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A new arrival Isabelle for Steph& Andy

Great to go and see mum and dad Beeston today. Congratulations for the safe arrival of bobbin a la Isabelle. Praying for you all as a new family :-)
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Courage through faith.

Katie and Laura have to wear blazers for school now! The plus side is their school badge :-)
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Settling In

Well its been a bit of a roller coaster ride over the last few months. Days of laughter mixed with days of tears.

The wedding of Rob and Amy on Saturday was a day of laughter and tears. Rob made us all run for the Kleenex during his wedding breakfast speech. Not a dry eye in the house. It was a great day.

Our new rented accomodation is great and we have settled in really quickly. The downside has been BT who just can't seem to get the phones working ( and hence a further delay on the internet, which my teenage daughters are not too happy about ). So if you are trying to phone us on our new number don't bother use the mobile. Hopefully we will get it sorted by Christmas!!
The other problem has been the Royal mails redirection service. Our mail is going astray. So if you have sent us a card that might arrive in time for Christmas as well!!

Back over in Wem tonight for a members meeting my last one :-(
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The Happy Couple

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Live from Rob and Amy's wedding :-)

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Kirsty in her carnival outfit !

Its carnival time on Saturday in Wem. So carnival fever is starting to set in
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Laura's turn today

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Calderstones Park. Beautiful

Calderstones park has so many beautiful trees..
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Katie is back in uniform :-)

Katie starts at her new sixth form school today. Very smart :-)
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The cakes of Wem.

Last night at Wem we said goodbye to Dave Christmas with a few cakes!!. Dave has been part of the congregation at Wem for 25 years and in that time he has served faithfully in many ministries. He is off to live in Worcester with his wife to be Heather. We will miss you Dave.

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Chesters new park with exercise machines !

Well we arrived in our new home. And are gradually getting through a mountain of boxes. Calderstones park is nearby so Chester is happy!
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Last crop of Sweet Peas.

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Chester's last walk in Wem.

Chester and I are both sad this morning. This is our last walk on the farmland near to our house in Wem. This has been a real place of stillness for me and many prayers have gone up from these fields. I will miss them :-(
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We shed a few tears today ..

Today was the cremation service for my mum over on the Wirral .It was good to see so many of mums and our family and friends sharing the loss with us .

Thanks to Phil who led the service so well and thanks to all our friends and family who have sent cards , text messages etc . Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated . Thank you :-) x

Anyway life goes on at a hectic pace .We move to Liverpool on Saturday and there is still so much to do ....including a sermon on Sunday !

I may well be offline for a few days whilst I set up the internet connection ...but I will return ... and will probably be typing in a scouse accent :-)

Holiday Sadness...

Whilst on Holiday last week we received the news that mum passed away on the Wednesday . I will miss me mum as I miss me dad .... :-(

The funeral is planned for Next Thursday the 27th