Resurrection

I heard on the radio the other day about a new piece of modern art which is being commissioned to go in a UK cathedral. The subject is to be 'the resurrection' and 5 people are putting forward proposals. One of the proposals was to hang two words from the ceiling:

I AM

I thought how amazing, and what depth there is in these two words. Jesus said 'I am the resurrection and the life' God called Himself 'I AM'. Many times in John's gospel Jesus refers to Himself as 'I am'. It is true to refer to Him as 'I am', it is not 'I was' because He still is, He has been raised from the dead and is in eternal glory and lives on today both in the church and in the world. 'I AM' hanging in the cathedral should be a reminder that He is there present, seeing all that happens and that He is the one true, living God.

Waiting patiently

Taught about Noah in Sunday school last week. In my studies it was really interesting to see how long Noah was on board the boat and some other facts about Noah.

1) Noah was 500 when he first had children, that is about 300 years later than other men at that time.

2) The ark was floating for 150 days, that is 110 days after the rain stopped. I wonder how Noah and his family felt as they were just floating in the ark, wondering when they would be able to get out.

3) They were on board the ark for over a year.

Noah had great faith trusting God and obediently following his instructions, building the ark and entering it with all the animals and being safely kept for all that time. Reminded me how patient we need to be, our timing is not God's timing, we often want to rush ahead but God has everything in His control.

All our times....

Went to Cheltenham for the weekends, had a lovely time, walking in the beautiful countryside, surrounded by beautiful Autumn colours. Wonderful to see the greatness of God in creation.

We went to the chip shop a different one from normal because we had been delivering leaflets for the church creation weekend. Whilst we were waiting for our order we were wondering whether to leave the rest of our leaflets there when we saw a poster for Cheltenham Male Voice Praise concert, that evening. So we rushed home, ate our food and got there just as it started. It was fantastic. Beautiful singing, bringing together Christians form many different walks of life, praising the Lord in song, a foretaste of Heaven. The chairman was very good. One of the things he said was about every day being a gift from God and how we should try to make the most of it, like squeezing the juice from fruit, every last drop. I like that picture.

This is a song I really liked: (imagine a male voice choir singing!) Beautiful words:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ms-gxEOtLA&feature=related

If at first you don't succeed........

Loaf #2 Disaster #1

Yes, this is a loaf of bread!! Tastes as terrible as it looks - a winner for the bin!

Quote from the calendar

As promised, here is the message for yesterday from the calendar:

'For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. Matthew 11:30'

A yoke to be effective, must be worn correctly, positioned properly and secured. The Lord knows exactly how much we are able to bear and places His yoke upon us perfectly. What binds it to us though is our love for Him. So if His yoke feels uncomfortable and cumbersome, we need to check that our love for Him is strong. The yoke is simply doing what it was designed to do. It is helping us bear spiritual responsibilities and making us useful for His glory. Let Jesus dasten His yoke on your hear today. Then wear it in measure to the grace He so freely gives anew each morning.

Take my yoke upon you

Yesterday we had a sermon from Matthew 11:28-31, a familiar passage but a wonderful message. It was just what I needed, in particular, the section that we are yoked to Christ when we have come to Him. He will not let us go, we are yoked to Him for the rest of life's journey and whatever we have to pass through He is with us, He is the experienced one, guiding and teaching us.

And, even better, when I turned the calendar this morning there was that verse again - 'Take my yoke'. I love it when that happens! Will share the message from the calendar tomorrow.

Update

Life has been very busy, but now my schedule is different so there is more time for blogging!

I am in training... for a 10K race on October 17th. Running is deifinitely not my natural sport but with perseverance I am improving and even enjoying the challenge. I can run over 5K now which is a good achievement but need to push on to get near to the 10K mark before the race!

In God's providence it seems I may be about to take a big step in my work and take on a two room clinic premises. I am really looking forward to it but also apprehensive in many ways. Hopefully will be up and running in November, but we'll see...

Heard several good sermons and lectures recently, particularly last week. God gives us just the food and encouragement we need in His perfect timing. I have been made conscious recently that there are so many different things we are supposed to do and be as Christians and feel a long way short of the mark. I am so glad that our salvation is not dependent on us.

Been a long time...

Oh, dear, it has been a long time since I posted but I haven't forgotten about my blog completely! Had a week of holiday and been otherwise occupied with work and coursework. Will be posting more frequently hopefully in 3 weeks when the coursework is handed in.

Thought I'd share this lovely verse I read the other day in my quiet time, found it a real encouragement to me:

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. Psalm 17:15

How lovely to be satisfied with the likeness of Christ.

Always disappointing when you look up a verse in another version and it seems to say something completely different. The ESV version of this verse was the one for me!

A Hymn...

We sung this hymn last Sunday and I really loved the words, so thought I would share it.

My rest is in heaven; my rest is not here
Then why should I tremble when trials are near?
Be calm anxious spirit! The worst that can come
But shortens the journey, and hastens me home

It is not for me to be seeking earth's bliss
Or building my hopes in an age such as this
I look for a city which hands have not built
A country not ruined by sin and by guilt

Afflictions may press me, they cannot destroy
One glimpse of His love turns them all into joy
Let doubt then, and danger, my progress oppose
They only make Heaven more sweet at the close

Come joy, or come sorrow, whatever befall
An hour with my God will make up for them all
The road may be rough, but it cannot be long
I'll walk it by faith, while rejoicing in song.

A Quote...

I am reading 'Striving against Satan' by Joel Beeke which I would highly recommend. This is an amusing but valuable quote from the book about the relationship between the law and faith.

'I thought I must obey the law and went to Moses to make terms with him and he at once knocked me down. I knew I deserved it and did not complain. I prepared myself and went again; and, with a severer blow, he brought me to the ground a second time. I was amazed, and entreated him to hear me. But he drove me from Sinai, and gave me no satisfaction. In my despair, I went to Calvary. there I found One who had pity on me, forgave my sins, and filled my heart with his love. I looked at him, and his healing mercy penetrated my whole being, and cured the malady within. Now, I went back to Moses to tell him what had happened. He smiled on me, shook my hand, and greeted me most lovingly; and he has never knocked me down since. I go to Calvary by Sinai, and all its thunders are silent.'

Sunshine!

It has been such beautiful weather this week - very enjoyable! I am always impressed by how sunshine and blue skies really lifts my mood and noticeably there is a happier mood amongst my patients.

Sunlight is quite incredible how it brightens the earth and can fill your house or room with light. It is a reminder of the Light of the World - Jesus Christ, and His great power. Even the sun has spots on it so is imperfect and yet it can shine so brightly you would not know it!

Urgency and faith

Last night I watched "Deborah 13, Servant of God" on BBCiplayer. Firstly I am so pleased that the BBC broadcast this programme in a fair and balanced manner. It is inspirational to see a young Christian, fervent and full of zeal with a real burden for lost souls. Whilst she puts a strong emphasis on hell she has a real sense of urgency. Hopefully she will soften a little and instead of scaring people to faith help them to see the character of God - his justice and his mercy and the saving work of Jesus Christ and His love for the lost in providing a way to eternity in heaven.







I think many of us as Christians have lost this sense of urgency. There are souls all around us who are perishing and are we concerned? We are often concerned about the decline in standards in our country and will speak openly of these but do we speak openly of the answer to these problems - a saving faith in Jesus Christ.



This also leads me on to something I have been thinking about recently, as highlighted in a previous post. We often pray about things specifically - for people to come to church or people to be healed, safe keeping, etc, and the Lord always answers our prayers with a yes, no or wait usually but how often when we have asked for something and we receive a 'yes' answer we are surprised. I have read about praying expectantly - not sure how this works out exactly because it all becomes a bit of a muddle about everything being according to God's plan - so if we ask for something specifically and believe it is according to God's will we should not be surprised when it happens. Many commentators and books emphasise the need for boldness in prayer and to pray specifically - ask great things of a Great God. I'm sure someone will correct my theology if this is all a bit confusing!

Greater Faith

I have been reading through the pentateuch in my morning quiet times. It has struck me once again how the journeys of the children of Israel and all they go through in coming out of Egypt and reaching the promised land are so closely related to our Christian walk and there are so many lessons that can be learnt from their journeys.

In particular it is striking how many times the Lord provides for them in incredible ways - the ten plagues, the provision of manna, the provision of water and quail, conquering various kings and lands. Yet, even after seeing all of this, they do not trust the Lord enough to take them into the promised land when they see the 'giants' living there. What a picture of us! We so often doubt that the Lord will provide even though He has provided so many times before. With our God nothing is impossible, and if only we had greater faith we would see greater blessings.

Cry Baby

One of the things that is really rewarding in my job is when a parent brings a baby who is crying loads or not sleeping and then after treatment they respond really well becoming a happy baby who sleeps nicely. It is fantastic to see the change in the baby and the difference it makes for the parents!

Health policy

I'd be amazed if anyone reads this post, I'm sure the title is off-putting. I realise my blog is getting a bit boring without more pictures, need to get out with the camera more.

Today I have been looking at political drivers behind health policy. It is quite interesting to note that health ministers on average have a term of 2.5 years. Each minister or party is trying to show they have achieved something so policy setting tends to be quite short-sighted looking for quick results. Osteopathy takes a more long-term view of maintaining health and has a strong emphasis on preventative medicine, this does not tend to be the case for the NHS. For example we do not have a policy of screening all post-menopausal women for osteoporosis as is the case in some Scandanavian countries. This would be a means of preventing fractures and reducing the number of hip replacements needed - but this would be a long-term cost benefit. With regard to heart problems there is now a more preventative schedule in identifying high cholesterol and high blood pressure but the sceptic in me asks whether this is driven by the pharmaceutical companies who are selling the statins and anti-hypertensives.

It is interesting to think about these things and realise that there are many hidden factors driving the way things are done. This is the same in many areas of life - business, medicine, financial institutions etc. etc.

Lovely sky and another week

The sky was beautiful at sunset tonight. Shame I didn't have a camera, some lovely purples and oranges silhouetting the clouds.

The week has flown by and I haven't got around to posting. Somehow reading other blogs is more interesting! Last weekend I had a coffee morning for Caring for Life - a charity in Leeds which looks after vulnerable adults through projects based around the farm and other outreach. I had never done something like this before and was pleased that quite a few folks from church came and we raised a good sum.

At the moment I am reading Holiness by J.C. Ryle. It is an excellent book and in a strange way very contemporary. Particular challenges that arise from the book are the need for us each to have increased faith, we so often like to keep our own crutches of support without trusting completely in the Lord and leaving all to Him. Another problem he highlights as a failing of the church is a lack of strong conviction about what we believe and why. Many were indifferent about various doctrines and therefore not standing distinct from the world and able to give an answer to faith questions. He particularly emphasises this with reference to the battle against Rome. A lack of strong conviction is a problem that is still present today although we do not just battle against Rome.

Spring

It is lovely to see signs of spring. For me the first sign that spring is on its way is the sight of the willow trees changing colour, they are the first trees to come into leaf. Now the snow has cleared the daffodils are really growing and will come on alot with this milder patch. It is lovely to observe the changing of the seasons.

That's the last bus now, who knows how long it will be until the next one.....

Married to Christ

I was thinking about preaching the gospel in churches and came up with this analogy, not sure whether everyone would agree with it, feel free to comment.

When a person becomes a Christian it is like an arranged marriage, they become married to Christ but it is vastly different from earthly marriage. A big similarity is that there is love at the centre - Christ loves the sinner and gives His life for them and the sinner loves the Saviour. Whilst it is important we know that we are sinners and we are lost without salvation surely it is important that as well as emphasising our sinful state the preacher needs to point us to Christ. We need to see who He is, what He has done and therefore why we should love Him and trust Him for salvation. If someone was arranging a marriage for me I would not want them to spend ages telling me about the benefits of marriage and why I need to be married, I would want them to tell me about the person whom I was to marry and why I would want to marry them - the emphasis is quite different.

Here come the buses.....

No posts for ages and now I have several things to post about. There never seems to be the time to sit down and write on this.

Did anyone hear the news reports last week about Neandertal man? It seems they have some more research which suggests that he may have been able to talk! They even had a recording of what it would have sounded like - no idea how they know what it would have sounded like? To me it sounded like someone talking without moving their tongue! Next thing they will be saying Neandertal man was a human very much like us!

Last Friday there was a fantastic article in the Daily Mail by the Archbishop of York - very direct and to the point about the bias against Christians in the country and also how those who call themselves Christians - 72% in the last census (from memory) - need to stand up and be counted. A summary is given here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1144203/Archbishop-York-John-Sentamu-tells-Christians-wake-defend-beliefs.html

Valentines Day

Only time for a short post, but thought it was interesting to look at the Christian perspective on Valentines day and the background to it. Below are two views on it (the second one is an interesting biblical perspective - not sure about it though). I like the idea of making the day about the best love - the love of Jesus.

http://www.geocities.com/alexstevenson.geo/valentine/

http://home.sprynet.com/~pabco/stvalen.htm

Woops

Woops, hope this blog is not going to turn out like my old diaries - regular entries for the first few weeks and then a gradual dwindling to nothing!

The Bank of England lowered the interest rates again last week which is all well and good but I can't help thinking a hole is being dug. All those pensioners who have saved up and were using their interest as a source of income will now be having to spend their capital. As pensioners they will not have any means of regaining that capital so it is a steady wearing away of their resources. It seems very unfair. One source said that pensioners would have lost 80% of their income if they were relying on savings. In the long-run they are likely to have to rely more heavily on the state which will possibly be a greater cost to the state than maintaining a higher interest rate - even just for pensioners! I don't know enough to make suggestions for solutions but I do feel that the politicians are often so coccooned in their world that they seem very out of touch with what is happening on the streets and long-term consequences.

Snow Pictures

Low Back Pain

I did some research a little while ago looking at what factors can be identified in children that could predict that they would suffer with chronic low back pain as adults. Of all the things you might immediately think of - height, weight, carrying a heavy school bag, sports participation, sedentary lifestyle - none of these things can be validated in the research. The only factors for which there is strong evidence in many papers for predicting chronic low back pain as adults is experiencing psychosocial distress as children and smoking. Smoking is generally tied up with psychosocial status anyway. Interesting isn't it!

Riches

I was thinking about the verses below:

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Perhaps this is where God's blessing will be in the 'credit crunch', and people who have their riches removed will turn to Christ. It would be wonderful to see a revival in our day and generation.

Although the divide between the rich and poor in this country is ever-widening we are all rich compared to those in so many other countries. It is so easy to begin to rely on our possessions and trust in our wealth but at the end of time these will all come to nothing. The one thing that is certain is that at the end of our time we will leave this world naked, just as we came into it. All our riches will be as nothing unless we have eternal riches in heaven.

I was listening to something on the radio this evening where a man was complaining about how chastity education was taught in schools and creation instead of evolution in America. How nice it would be if that complaint could be made in the UK.

SNOW!!

I really love snow and really enjoyed spending some time playing in the snow this afternoon - shame I had to miss work, many patient's cancelled and the weather was too bad to travel. It was lovely to see so many children and families outside having fun.

I thought it would be interesting to see how many times snow is mentioned in the Bible:
It is mentioned three times relating to leprosy on Moses (Exodus 4:6) and Miriam (Numbers 12:10) and Gehazi (2 Kings 5:27). There is an interesting verse which is almost exactly the same in 2 Samuel 23:20 and 1 Chronicles 11:22:
'And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.'

Job uses the word snow 5 times.

Other 'snow' verses:
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7

When the Almighty scatters kings there, let snow fall on Zalmon. Psalm 68:14

He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. Psalm 147:16

Praise the Lord from the earth,you great sea creatures and all deeps,8 fire and hail, snow and mist,stormy wind fulfilling his word! Psalm 148:7,8

Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters. Proverbs 25:13

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool. Proverbs 26:1

She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. Proverbs 31:21

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:8

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heavenand do not return there but water the earth,making it bring forth and sprout,giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;it shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10,11

Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Sirion? Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams? Jeremiah 18:14

Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form was like sapphire. Lamentations 4:7

The Ancient of Days Reigns“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. Daniel 7:9

In the New Testament there are only two mentions of snow:
The angel of the Lord who came and rolled away the stone from the tomb has snow coloured clothing: "His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. " Matthew 28:3

John describes the hair of the voice that was speaking to him as "The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow" Revelation 1:14

It is surprising how many verses there are.

Sunrise Today

Beautiful....

Worrying Statistics

In further evidence of the decline of our nation I heard 2 concerning statistics this week:

1) Telford in Shropshire has one of the youngest populations in a UK town in Britain and it has the lowest church attendance in the country.

2) Between 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 marriages in Hertfordshire end in divorce.

We need to pray for God to have mercy on our country.

Zambian Mission

On Tuesday night Phil Bailey came to talk at the midweek meeting about the work of Zambian Missions Support. It was a really fascinating talk and it is amazing how much the project has grown in just 5 years. What I was particularly impressed by was the farming project where they showed that with using good farming methods of planting at the right time and taking care of the ground with regular weeding the crop quality and yields could be increased enormously. Another interesting part of the project that he mentioned was the trials they are doing with different plants. There is a particular plant which is very effective in reducing the likelihood of malaria. Phil stated that he felt that one of the most important things in fighting AIDs was to encourage good nutrition. The people would then be strong enough to fight off infections. So, with good farming methods and increased food and variety of food and vegetables health and welfare should improve. In Zambia 1 in 4 people have AIDs.

www.zambianmissionsupport.com

History repeated

Have you ever noticed how often history repeats itself through the generations? Reading through Genesis there are lots of examples of repetitions. Abraham pretended that Sarah was his sister and then Isaac pretended that Rebekah was his sister. There are also repetitions of immorality. Another more obvious example is Isaac and Rebekah had their favourite sons and then Jacob went on to have his favourite son.

I'm sure there are lots more examples, I will keep an eye out and keep you informed. Can you think of any more?

Last weekend..

I thought this was a nice picture of one of the Cheltenham colleges - lovely architecture, they don't make them like that now!

January Cloudy Skies

Speak often with one another

Last weekend I was away at a different church and heard some really good sermons. On Sunday evening the sermon was from Malachi 3:16-17:
'Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him'
I had only been talking with a friend earlier in the day saying that as Christians we often find it so hard to speak to each other about the LORD and therefore it is almost unnatural for us and becomes so hard when we try to speak to unbelievers. If we were used to speaking often with one another then it would be natural for the things of the LORD to overflow into our conversation with all people. The verses are a picture of salvation given to us in the old testament and give encouragement to be diligent in our Christian living.

Wii Fit

This evening I have had a good long session on a Wii Fit and I love it! I think it is a fantastic way to keep fit, I really like the 4 facets to the training to give you a really good all round fitness. It is a safe way to exercise with goal setting and regular monitoring to see how you are progressing. I enjoy the ski jump and slalom games as well as the hula hoops. My current fitness age on the Wii Fit is 41 so I obviously need a lot more practice! All good fun.

Welcome...

Welcome to Cloudy skies. Today is my birthday and I thought I would start a blog to see if I can keep it up for a year. I really enjoy reading other peoples blogs so I thought why not have a go myself.
What will it be about? My intention is to share my thoughts on all sorts of things and hopefully stimulate some response. Most of the posts I would imagine will be linked to the main aspects of my life - first and foremost being a reformed Christian in the UK and sharing thoughts related to sermons, things I read etc, secondly things related to my work as an osteopath and the studying I do about things related to osteopathy and then anything else I fancy really - life as a single christian, politics, the weather etc.

Why Cloudy Skies? Well, I love looking at the sky and the different formations that can be seen in the clouds and the beauty of the sky at different times of the day and year. It is wonderful evidence of God's creation. The blog title is "like a mans hand" referring to Elijah's prayer and faith when the servant sees a cloud like a mans hand on the seventh time of looking. Elijah is an example to us all as the book of James tells us.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog.