Here I stand...

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been in this dusty corner of the internet! Reading some of my old blog posts has been like getting up in the attic and finding a box of long forgotten books and memories - some treasured ones you’d forgotten all about and others you wish you could forget! So, I’ve blown the dust off, pulled the cobwebs down, swept through and given the place a lick of paint. But you may well ask why the, sudden and long overdue, flurry of action!

Well, after a prolonged absence from the blogosphere, I have returned. (I doubt there’s anyone that actually reads this anymore, but I’ll carry on regardless!) In this post I’m announcing to, what I can only presume will be, the emptiness of cyberspace, that I’ve got a couple of posts lined up over the next few weeks. I haven’t posted because I’ve been avoiding it – largely due to the content for my next post. On December 28th 2008 my Grandfather died – since the funeral I wanted to make my next post my tribute to him – I’ve been avoiding it for a while, but I think the time has now come when I can share my thoughts and memories of him. Since the last post I’ve also read and reviewed another book for the publishers Thomas Nelson, I’ve started reviewing ‘Death by Love’ and I'm in the process of reading another book! I’ll post my thoughts over the next few weeks. I’ve been away a lot over the past 3 months – I’ve travelled to Lithuania & Latvia (preaching for the first time throu...

I did intend to review ‘Death by Love’ next, but on Wednesday my first book from the Thomas Nelson ‘Book Review Bloggers’ scheme arrived and I haven’t been able to put it down (I finished it in 4 days!) Born prematurely, undergoing invasive brain surgery at eight weeks, confirmed blind two months later, then diagnosed as autistic – life was full of challenges for Rex from the outset. It seemed his life was to be one of darkness, isolation and difficulty, forced upon him by his multiple disabilities  – until the light of music dawned, revealing an incredible gift! Cathleen Lewis shares a mothers joy, pain, frustration and elation at the birth of her child, the hurdles they face together and the way God used her disabled son to teach her to trust Him. As I read this book I grew to love Rex, feeling compassion for every trial he faced and rejoicing in his every triumph. I was grieved by peoples readiness to either, sideline Rex because of his disabilities, or investiga...

  Seeing as I’m three days into my Bible-in-a-year-athon I thought I’d post a few thoughts. So far I’ve read Gen chapters 1-7 and Matthew chapters 1-3. The tension introduced at the Fall in Genesis 3 only increases as we see various potential saviours  rise and fall in the following chapters. Cain, born as Adam & Eve’s first son – could he be the rescuer God promised in Gen 3:15? No - as it turns out! What about Seth – could he be the fulfilment of the promise? – He was good, but not good enough, the curse remains! Now Noah, here’s a good bloke – we’re told that he’s righteous, blameless and walks with God (Gen 6:9). Maybe he’ll be able to rescue humanity? The end of chapter 7 is a cliff hanger – God has initiated a re-creation through the flood and we see Noah and his family in the ark – their ‘Garden of Eden’. Could Noah actually be the second Adam? Well I guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out. (Don’t worry, I know what happens!) The ...

The first (second!) post of 2009!! – It seems like it should be a thoughtful post filled with meaningful memories from last year, and ambitious plans for the next. This isn’t going to ‘that post’! This is just a quick post to point you in the direction of a few interesting things on the net and share a few quick thoughts. Firstly, the interesting web pages. I’ve decided to join in with the Oakhall Church Bible reading scheme – I was looking for a Bible-in-a-year plan and I found this one through another blog that I read. This may become another commitment that I later regret, it may become a legalistic ritual rather than a loving relationship, but my intention is to do the readings and post a few thoughts on here to keep accountable (I’m also on the lookout for a living, breathing Bible reading partner – watch out CCD folks!) Check out the plan by clicking here ! This week I’ve found various bloggers making reference to an article by Matthew Parris entitled “As an ...

(This was meant to be my Christmas post but with one thing and another I didn’t get round to posting it!) Recently I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the incarnation, for obvious reasons. I’d told a number of people that I was going to post my thoughts here – I’ve finally got round to it! Over Christmas we’ve sung and listened to some fantastic truths, but it was one song in particular that struck a chord with me. I was listening to the album ‘Christmas Child’ by Nia and the lyrics of the track ‘The Final Word’ stayed in my mind – especially the following lines. He spoke the Incarnation and then so was born the Son. His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one. Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine. And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine. As I said in a previous post, we can get lost in the ‘cuteness’ of the nativity play and forget the strife that surrounded the the birth of Christ. However, even if ...

I had been eager to get my hands on a copy of “Married to a Martyr”. I’d heard about the three Christians killed in eastern Turkey during April 2007, but it was difficult to find any coherent account in the confused stories and rumours that emerged. This is the biography Susan Geske, one of the widows, who in the midst of her grief, speaks out to make the truth known. Through the short, accessible chapters we learn how Susan made the journey from unbelief, to a faith that will cost her so much, we witness unrequited love that blossoms into marriage and how God-given desires became reality. Very little is revealed about the three men’s murder, though we are left in no doubt that they suffered horrifically, and that they made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the gospel. I was reduced to tears a number of times as I read this book, and it ultimately left me feeling deeply challenged – fulfilling Susan’s desire that “…the story of my husband, and his two friends’ outright commitment ...