Monday's .... meditation & marriage.

I try to keep Monday's free from meetings. I spend more time meditating and occasionally take my bride on a date. 😄👍🏻❤️. ... today has been one of those days.  

 Great place to walk and think. 

 

 A treat tonight... anchovy salad 👍🏻

 

Followed up with shopping for the Blytheswood  shoebox Christmas appeal. 👍🏻

Putney with the middle daughter 😄

Had a day with Katie yesterday . Megan's for breakfast ( she always takes us there 😄) and then onto her church. Hillsong London. 

Great day , great weekend. Refreshed 👍🏻

 

 

 

The farm tour part two 😄

When the girls were little a trip to the farm was part of our staple diet of days out. As grandparents now history is repeating itself. 😄 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of days with Anna & Noah & Laura 👍🏻

Travelled to Portsmouth to see Anna and little Noah. I am officially a very proud Pops 😄❤️ 

Manchester today

Attended a conference on evangelism today. Addressing the question that most people ask . If there is a God then why pain and suffering. ? 

God has never in his word said we will not suffer in this life. In fact he has said that in this world we will have tribulation. 

What lies beyond this world though is a paradise that has no death or pain. 

This we believe and this we trust as Christians. There is light at the end of the tunnel. And if we would only look hard there is light in the tunnel as well. 

 

The simple things in life .....

 

Gill and I walked and talked and enjoyed the sunshine on Saturday afternoon. There is a lot going on at the moment so it was nice just to take some time out enjoy the fresh air and the Mr Whippy 😀 . The simple things in life are free .... we'll almost free ,it cost a couple of quid for the ice-creams 😎

 

The future is always going to be good. 🙏🏻

 

McDonalds meets Luke's Gospel 👍🏻

 

Food for the soul and a nutritious breakfast wrap for the stomach .... Why not. 😄

Overcome fear ....

 

It's just not about us ... It's about Him

Sunday's are special in many ways. 

During the week our thoughts are often very self centred and we become self consumed . 

On Sunday we move away from this way of thinking and living and we give ourselves over to God. 

He becomes the centre as we gather in His name. Giving Him the glory. 

So if you gathered with God's people yesterday why don't you spend some time today recalling what you heard and in so doing you will turn your thoughts off yourself and back onto Him. The longer you can do this throughout the week the more peace and joy you will know and the more God centred your life will be. 

 

Some .... times ...

Some of your time is well spent .Some of your time isn't. 

We all know the difference .... 

If today has not been well spent then don't despair . 

The beautiful thing about God's grace is that from this moment on changes can be made ..

So take some time to ponder , listen to the voice of conscience married to His Spirit and make the changes. 

Time is a wonderful gift given to each of us. Let's not waste it . Make each moment count .

To God be the glory. 

This is a poem found in Chester Cathedral 

 

Raindrops keep falling on my head ..

 

Went for a walk today , a spur of the moment thing to Crosby beach. Didn't take our raincoats. 

Still much enjoyed though 👍🏻💦💦

The day Noah got locked in the car🙈

 

Anna managed to lock Noah in the car today with the keys inside 👀

It's a good job we have the fire brigade 👍🏻

The way forward....

Sometimes in life you can't see a way out of the clouds that surround you. 

The clouds of financial insecurity , of illness , of loneliness or a million and one other problems. 

When this happens , when the cloud descends then believe that the Lord knows and that he will guide you. 

All we have to do is keep on going forward one minute at a time , trusting that he will guide our steps. 

So look beyond the clouds today and fix your eyes on the Good Shepherd who is going to lead you beside the still waters. 

Every generation ...

Today Bethel welcomed the young and the not so young 😄

Lister Drive infants year 1 spent an hour in our company learning about the church and what we believe as Christians enjoying some juice and biscuits to boot. 

This was followed by a community lunch for the more mature folk in the district who enjoyed soup and pudding followed by the good news of Jesus. 

Food for the stomach and food for the soul. 

Good news for every generation. 🙏🏻

Is Jesus relevant ???

I was asked to answer this question at a lunch bar for Hope University Christian Union today. Along with Josh. 

Yes is the answer in case you were wondering 😄

He is our maker and our master and our messiah.  That makes Him more than just relevant . That makes him central to our very existence. 

Have you acknowledged his relevance in your life today ? 

🙏🏻 

Not by bread alone 😄

Each week I go into a school in Liverpool to help run their Christian Union. What you see above is their staple diet 🙈. 

However I am pleased to report that at the same meeting we chew on the Word of God which is far more satisfying. 

Have you fed on it today ? " Taste and see that the Lord is good "

Drawing near ....

Today as I sit in our conservatory ( our oasis) ,the rain falls ,the music plays, the word of God speaks. 

He draws near ... Peace flows , guidance is given. He ministers to me from this place of stillness. 

Go and find your place , draw near to Him today. 

I could taste the past ...

It was the harvest thanksgiving service at Great Warford Baptist Church today . 

For centuries ( since 1642) God's people have gathered in this place. Ever since the days of Oliver Cromwell. Generations of folk have come and gone and still God's word is proclaimed from this pulpit. 

The sense of history was tangible . Oh that this pulpit would continue to proclaim His name until that glorious day when history is no more. 

To God be the Glory 

The Bride and The Groom

Yesterday ,The Bride ( Sarah) and The Groom ( Josh) became husband and wife at Bethel. 

A day that they had thought about and planned for over the last year or so. A wonderful day , full of joy and celebration. 

One day,  we the bride of Christ will meet Him . Oh what a day that will be. And until that day we make ourselves ready. 

So how is your preparation going ?  

The sisterhood 😄

Family life is a joy. Our family is separated by many miles , Portsmouth , London and for one day yesterday York ( Laura.) Even with the separation imposed by distance modern technology bridges the gap. Well almost. 

Yesterday our family whatsapp group was awash with banter , the banter of sisterhood and in this there is much solace and joy. The joy of knowing that in a loving family you can be yourself and relax into the good humoured Micky taking without any long term lasting damage 😄

Families are designed to bless God and to bless each other. For that I am very thankful. 

Where has that gone ?

Noah officially celebrates his sixth month here on earth today. It is hard to grasp the way in which time does indeed fly. 

I am writing this in my study at home and the sound I hear is the tick-tock of my wall clock ... Time ticks on , it is relentless. 

On the one hand this saddens,as you know that at some point your time will one day come to an end and you will depart from those you love and cherish. On the other hand beyond this life is paradise , secured for us by the one who came to lead us in the way , the truth and the life . Leading us ultimately into life eternal. As the clock ticks this is our hope. 

So Noah if you read this many years from now and I am long gone ,know that paradise awaits you in Jesus. Know that one day we will all be reunited in the eternal realm. Worshiping together , the one who gave Himself for us. 

Centre Parcs .... Elvedon weekend :-)

This weekend we really enjoyed our time in the forest courtesy of Centre Parcs. 

Noah was on his first family holiday and had his debut selfie !!

Katie brought Jess all the way from Tasmania :-) 

A wonderful relaxing weekend. Really thankful to God for the time we had. 

March..... A celebration

This month saw Laura's 21st Birthday celebration and the birth of baby Noah James. 10lb 8oz to Anna and Andy. Our first grandchild ...wonderful. 

All together again ... Probably the last time .

It was great to spend time with Gill and the girls . It is not often that we find ourselves back to how we were for many years just the five of us. 

It was nice and will probably never be repeated now with Anna about to give birth to our first grandchild. 

Old memories being given over to new memories ... Exciting times ahead. 

I am looking forward to being a grandad :-) 

Old Friends.

Good to meet up with these two muppets the other day. 

Shared lives for many years now. They are a blessing. 

A quick trip to France.

Last Saturday we flew out to the Midi-Pyranees region of France . To stay with our greatest of friends Paul And Ali. 

Three days and nights of French culture , good conversation , much laughter , great food and plenty of peace. 

Times such as these allow you to recharge and think. 

Grateful for this short break. 

We never stop learning.

Life is a gift. A beautiful gift that we unwrap every moment of every day. Sometimes we unwrap sad painful layers and other times joy and peace and hope. 

A life that teaches us every time we unwrap its paper. When we reach the final piece of paper the final gift will be overwhelmingly beautiful. 

We will see him as he is. Jesus Christ , the Lord of life and saviour of mankind. 

So much to look forward to. 

In life and in death. 

Motivated to do .... To live ...To love

Whilst struggling with the sniffles I spent some time listening to some motivational speakers. 

The principles they give to us have many parallels in the word of God. ( interesting and worth spending some time on these last couple of days ) 

Man Flu .... It's real :)

The last few days have been challenging ... Sniff, cough, splutter moan to Gill :-) 

Glad to report though that today is a better day. 

Even gladder to report that Gill and I are off to France for a few nights tomorrow . 

Good friends , good food ... Good times ...memories made...  Au revoir 😄🇫🇷