So I had an hour or so to just enjoy painting, so I did:

SOme of my other attempts are in my art directory, take a look.

Tomorrow at Church we are having a Celtic service so I am looking forward to enjoying community, simplicity and God. The songs I have chosen arent all Celtic in style but it is more to do with the simplicity of style and centering on God.

I will post some results (another week before I am back at work after all)

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My wife is due to give birth to our first child on Sept 17th. I still don't have a start date for my new job and I am getting slightly stressed

I think it is the enormity of it all. Still I am amazed at how things have worked out. We have been able to pay all our bills since I left work in April. Tax refunds and a pension refund are just a couple of the things that have come through.

I think it reminds me a little of when I was growing up and my dad was out of work. We never went without and that's the same now, God is faithful. Though I may be stressing a bit, I am so thankful for the time to get my head right after my last job and the time to do all the following :

Decorate the nursey, and spare room
Paint the fence
Paint the windows
Stick up loads of shelves
Pick up Baby stuff from various ebayers!
Explain Communion to 60 6 year olds
Explain communion to year 8's
Do a couple of school assembelies
Read up on Baptism and Infant baptism (so I can make a decision of whether we have a christening or dedication)
Paint the new vicarage
Attend morning prayers (experience common worship!)
Go to a water colours session (I will post them later)
Be able to spend time preparing for leading sorting the worship and encouraging the worship team ( they are all better than me)
Read loads of books
Watch Blackadder (nearly all the way through)
Prepation for being a dad(reading an ace book, will post a review)
Watched a load of films
And loads more!!!!!

MOST of all having time to think, to pray, to live each moment. Life is for living and I can't help but think of the positives, I have a beautiful wife a baby on the way, though we don't have much money we are rich. Maybe that is what Jesu meant when he said the Blessed are the poor for they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.

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WASTE- I sttod up on Sunday night and church and told people that I have a new job but no start date which has been a massive release. I also shared that the hardest part of all this is the not knowing. My personality type is such that I have to be doing something, I cannot sit around at home all day doing nothing. I need to be in the midst of something.

What I am trying to say that we often see life as a waste of time when we aren't doing what we want to be doing, when actullay life is so valuable. There is that moment when this woman breaks open her expensive perfume (think really expensive Armani or the like). Jesus followers (ie christians like me) said what a waste that could have gone to the poor. Do you know soemthing without thinking the disciples revealed something in what they said. It was a waste to lavish something precious on Jesus. When faced with a day in front of me I plow into painting the fence, doing the washing, decorating, doing stuff.

It erks me when politicians call me a consumer, as if I am some mindless entity who has no understanding or intelligence. I don't go with the herd I can think for myself, I have reasons for why I belive, why I live my life and make my choices. Yes at times I am a hypocrite but my desire my passion is to live like Jesus did. What that looks like I guess is the part which takes time but that is not a waste.

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I have been offered a new job! So having been unemployed since April I now have a better job than I started with. I don't think I really realised how stressful the whole think has been as I now feel totally shattered!

I find out proper start details and stuff tomorrow. God is good.

I know the picture above is probably fake but it made me laugh. I think it really helps not to take ourselves too seriously.

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I Was reminded of that verse in the bible:

2 Cor 4:6-9 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 the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

I really find that in times when I am really down that gettin out my guitar and singing really lifts me, I focus on God's faithfullness and it reminds me that he has promised that he will never abandon us.

The picture below is from a great flickr page just click on the image it will take you to it. It is one of my favorite songs by Matt Redman. It makes me think that I try and put God into my own image, and try and make him what I want (the great sweet shop owner in the sky who gives me what I want, as long as I have enough pocket money).

If any of you are going through tough times too, let me know I would love to pray for you.

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Great!!!

Still I can go to the interview tomorrow without a job offer and get myself ready for it. Wasted most of the day waiting for the answer (and practiscing my golf swing!).

No point in worrying about tomorrow as today has enough worries of it's own. By the way if you ever need a recruitment agency Reed have been great, not only have they arranged a couple of interviews they also provided loads of tips for interviews, mock interview questions and the like.

Will let you know how it goes!At least Spain are through to the euro final, I don't think I could have coped with Russia and Germany!!!

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At least I can look forward to a round of golf on Sunday before church! It's easy to over spritualise things and look for signs here there and every where. The reality is I need a job and I need to take one that pays the right amount in the right location. What I find a real comfort in this time, is the amount of people praying for me, the text messages of support, the gentle enquiries and the offers of support from friends. Being a chrisitian is being part of a large family, some times you absolutely love it, other times you seem to be arguing with your brother or sister(just like a family).

I will post again later today. Thanks for your support.

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You know what though? Even though I feel this pressure, I know that ultimatley it is God who provides all that I have. We were asked a couple of weeks ago, what do we value? What would we find difficult to give up? I felt that honestly there wasn't a single item I own that I would be unwilling to give up; even my guitar! Instead I realised that my family is so much more important.

Before I went to university I went to Kazaksthan. I remember going into the home of a lad we met out there. I was offered a peach and a glass of water. I later found out that most of the people in Tashkent were struggling to make ends meet, large families in small accomodation, intermitant electricity, teachers having market stalls as they weren't getting paid, police officers stopping people and fining them for offences as they werent getting paid either. They were a generous people with what little they had. At this moment I earn nothing, I am unemployed but I have so much. I can celebrate God's provision and learn a little of what it means to be content in all circumstances

Phil 4:10-14 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.

I won't know today whether I have a new job or not, I will find out in a few days time but what I do know is that God will provide.

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In the last month at our church we have had an Environment Sunday, given to TEARFUND and Quizaid for Christian Aid. I think it is really important to not only talk about our desire to live for God but also to put this into action. I hope that the church continues to support those who are sick and opressed wherever they find those in need.

http://yousingiwrite.blogspot.com/2008/01/compassionart-donates-songs-to-charity.html#links

The above article is excellent, I feel challenged to be more generous in my giving and to be more concerned for our world. It is all too easy to get compassion fatigue to think of environmental issues as politicians trying to find new ways of generating tax revenue (though they are). Living a simpler life is better all round.

The challenge is to actually do it!

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This is an excellent application, have some fun making some word art. Great for brain storming

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Ok I admit it, I have doubts about a lot of stuff, why are christians so unlike Jesus a lot of the time? Why is there so much bad stuff happening in the world? Why dosent God answer my prayers the way I want them to be answered?

But,you know what? I think God is big enough for me to ask those questions and many more. In fact I would say he wants me to ask these questions. Anyone who is a seeker after truth should ask questions, however hard they are.

The church should always exhibit three things that Jesus brings:

LOVE

HOPE

EMPOWERMENT

For God so loved the world that he gave...Faith is substance of things hoped for...Go into all the world...

This is an idea expressed by a group of theologians(people who are cleverer than me). That instead of being defined by what we do not believe, we should instead be able to exhibit these principles in all that we do.

As an example, Communion (Mass, the Lord's table, Bread and wine, The Eucarist) expresses God's love, that he sent his son to a hurting world so that we might know his love. It brings hope as we remember that our sin can be forgiven and is forgiven, and that one day he will return. And empowering because we are reminded that we have a fresh start even though we have sinned (missed the mark, messed up, done things our way) he cleans it away and we are free. Therefore we can go and live in freedom. That is empowering.

You can apply the same to preaching, to worship(our response to God), bible study, life.

If Jesus is who he said he is then we should exhibit what he is about. It isn't just a nice idea but revoltionary.

Love, Hope and Empowerment on their own miss the mark. It is only when we realise that he is Love, he is the Hope of the world, that he has chosen to use the weak and the foolish that we can be truly free.

If in my work (when I finally get back to work) I value people more than money, I show his Love. By living as if there is more to life than me, shows there is Hope. By doing a good job being an example and helping other I show that I am living for him this is freeing and life giving Empowering.

I am saying I do not live by a set of rules but for a purpose.

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Well, I have two job interviews in a couple of weeks and  friends have provided a whole bunch of clothes and nursey stuff for our baby; that is due in September.

I have decided to try and think far more creatively and over the past few days I have started to come up with new ideas.

Take this picture of a love heart, it made me think about God sending his son for me, so I can be right with him.

I am trying to do some glass painting with a great quote I heard a few months back. I will upload it when I have sorted it.

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It was actually me who was leading the bible study. My answer, for what it's worth, was that God would have forgiven him, and in looking at the rest of the old testament would have relented.

The reason we discussed Grace was that it is down right scandalous. The very worst sinner in the world can be forgiven and made right with God.

What's more scandalous is that we cannot do anything that is good enough, I would far prefer to measure myself against a murderer and say I am better than they are but if I measure myself against Jesus, I realise that I am the worst hypocrite and in need of His grace and mercy.

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Almighty God,
you have given your only Son to be for us
both a sacrifice for sin
and also an example of godly life.
give us grace
that we may always most thankfully receive
these his inestimable gifts,
and also daily endeavour
to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All Amen.

It reminds us that Jesus both came as a sacrifice (to deal with sin)and an example (holiness lived out). I don't know why it hit me but a felt like weeping.

Then when we met up with some of our cell group, we talked about Daniel 5, I asked the queston:

Would God have acted differently if Belshassar had ackoweldged that God was God, and had turned away from his sin?

We then went into a discussion on GRACE.

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I have been out of work since April and I feel challenged to write done some of my thoughts and journal entries over the next few months.

My title for this is:

Is God faithful?

Do you remember those science experirments you did during your GCSE's and A Levels? You already knew the answer (apply heat to ice and it will melt) or that you should be able to plot a line of best fit through clusters of results. You could even put in some results which were out of line. I already know the answer to this question, but I do not intend to plot a line of best fit I just expect God to prove Himself faithful once again.

I also want to enter into conversation in doing this, what new ways will God prove Himself? Life is not straight forward, when God passed by Moses, He wasnt in the Wind or the Earthquake. Will we take time to listen to his voice?

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