Preaching with a purpose

Sometimes "real life" is more important then writing my blog. It is always better to interact with people you can see. There is a real danger in becoming a recluse, sat at a laptop. Interaction with people who matter to you, because you see them on a daily basis and actually talk to them and see their reaction to your words, is an important part of being human. Even those of us who now live alone were once a part of a family. That is a wonderful thing. Something worth fighting to regain if at all possible. I live alone but am blessed with lots of contact with my family. So many families have broken up, many more in the last few decades. If you do get the chance to heal a few wounds it is well worth it. Perhaps you are a Dad who has lost touch with his children. Try to get back in contact when they are over 18. They may well be glad of a chance to know you. Take it easy, don't expect too much too soon, but it is worth a try.

What do you spend your spare time on? there are all sorts of possibilities. You may enjoy a sport or hobby. You may while away the hours on computer games or just watching T.V. What good will all this do? A sport is very good for your physical health. On the T.V. you may be giving your mind lots to think about. I say that there is nothing that can benefit you as much as reading your Bible. You may need some notes to help you. These can be very good, but they tend to chop the Bible up into small passages and then you lose the main picture. There are lots of small sections in the Bible which can be read in one sitting, such as the book of Ruth or of Esther. Bigger books like Isaiah can be read several chapters at a time. Those of you new to reading the Bible will need notes to explain things, but there are lots of old timer christians who have read small portions for years, now is the time to read big, healthy chunks. When you read small sections you are like someone at a buffet...

What do you do when your little church needs a new roof and there are only six of you in the congregation? Well with any sense you decide to close and give up on the place and your village. But when you have a sense of vision that God is going to work in this village again, you knuckle down to some fundraising and get on with the job. We are having tremendous support from our circuit of ten churches who are supporting us financially and in our belief that revival can happen.To read more of the story of our chapel and our fight to make it a place where villagers can meet together, in the hope that they will find Jesus here too, click the link below. Would you fight to keep this place open? A Little Methodist Chapel in Devon, England

I was talking with some friends tonight about what it would be like here on earth without the influence of God. There would be no love between people, no helping one another. In Norway on Friday hell seemed to have broken out, but still there was the love of the young people for one another; helping each other to hide from the gunman. In situations like that good always surfaces. Hell itself will have nothing of God in it. It will not be a cosy place to spend time with your mates. There will be no mates, just enemies. Do you really want to go there? Then put your trust in Jesus and spend eternity in heaven with me and what is more important, with God, whose love justice and holiness will shine there, to the delight of all His followers.

We are always taken off guard by these terrible shootings by lone gunmen and yet there has been a steady stream of them over the years. In this country we have had Dunblane, Hungerford and Cumbria. There will always be such events because there is evil in the world and now and again it takes over some seemingly innocent mother's son and turns him into a monster. We like to think it could never happen to us, that our children are safe. Our child will never get shot, our son could never be the killer. Sin is a very potent force and any one of us could do these terrible things. It is only God's mercy which stops us. If we do not repent and turn to God we too could turn into a monster.

How sad to see a young life ended. My daughter is just two years older than Amy Winehouse and I would so hate to lose her. My sympathies go to Amy's family. Fame and fortune are hard task masters and rarely pay out any dividends worth having. They just seem to heighten loneliness and lack of self worth. Amy must be quite famous for me to have heard of her, as I do not generally keep up with the music scene. I sometimes look at Hello magazine in the hairdressers and wonder who all these famous people are, because most of them I have never heard of. What a quiet back water I must live in and I am glad it is so. I am not famous and do not have much money, but I am content and that is worth a lot. A Bit About Me

Today I came across a brave female blackbird, who didn't mind me getting quite close. Later on the path I found a dead chick which may have belonged to her. I hope she has others. Blackbirds are great songbirds and also keep the gardens free of insect pests and slugs. One part of nature depends on another and could not possibly have evolved separately. No here we see a great Creator at work. Creation is designed to work together as a whole, each part needs the other to survive. The Yucca moth could not live without the Yucca plant which symbiotically relies on the moth. Why do people cling to such an illogical idea as evolution? Could it be that they don't want to admit God has a right to know what is going on in their lives? The God Who Does Not Change

I do so many things that I end up in a chaotic state. Any flat surface like a chair or a table attracts things to be put on them. It's a wonder I found somewhere to sit on this settee. I guess I need to develope some sort of system in my life. I'm sure it would be a great benefit. I even wrote a page on Squidoo on how to declutter your house. You can see it below. I am an expert at cluttering and need to learn to continually de-clutter. I can de-clutter quite well, but only about once in three months!! Our internal lives need de-cluttering too. We can be full of resentment in our lives. We need Jesus to sort us out and put us on the right road. How to De-clutter-Your-House

I have looked on the web and discovered this is the Buff Ermine or spilosoma luteum. It has furry shoulders which I guess give it the ermine part of its name. Apparently it likes to visit artificial light and this explains why it is at my door, as from early evening there is a light on there. I am very much enjoying my new hobby of photographing moths. I hope you enjoy seeing them too.For more photos of nature see the pages below. Never forget who created these wonderful things, God Almighty. Don't worship creation, worship the Creator. Down a Devon Lane The Devon Lane in Early Autumn The Devon Lane in Winter The Devon Lane in Spring

Look at that sky. No two sunsets are the same. Why? Because God loves variety. That is why you are unique. God made you to be special. Don't ever let anyone say you are a nobody. There is only one person like you. Even identical twins are really different. You may not be able to tell them apart, but God can. Jacob and Esau were twins but they were very different. God loved Jacob. I've written a page about Jacob's life and how God loved him and looked after him. You can find it below. Interesting Bible People: Jacob

I found this moth sheltering from the rain on my front door. It is a poplar hawk moth. I find it a bit scary, I wonder why? It is quite a big moth. Next I want to see a hummingbird moth, they look amazing in photos I have seen. I have a friend who is a naturalist, I must ask him if he is going on a moth hunting expedition one night soon. His website is below for you to look at. He runs all sorts of adventurous expeditions into the countryside. wildside Experience

Have you ever found yourself in a place you had not intended to visit and met someone in need, who you were able to help? Did that happen purely by chance, or did God direct you there? Something like that happened to me today. I went to a chatroom on the internet that I had not visited for over a year. I didn't know why I did it but I soon found out. After a while of chatting there was just the two of us left and my friend from over a year ago remembered I am a preacher and she asked me to pray for her,because she is in difficult circumstances. We both realized how amazing this was. Usually I get an e-mail inviting me to the site and for over a year I have ignored it and gone on to my next e-mail. Why tonight did I decide to go to the chat room. I believe God was at work sending me to encourage my friend by praying for her.

This evening our minister read from Romans 16. Here you can find a long list of the friends in rome who had helped Paul. It's good to think of all the friends who have helped us in life. God puts those people in our lives at just the right time. Especially people who help us get nearer to God. They are not always the people you would expect. Some of them are very unusual. We need to appreciate them all as we travel on the road of life. you can read more about making friends and keeping them in my Squidoo page below. Making Friends and Keeping Them.

This charming little westie is the reason for me being late. I spent the night dog-sitting at her place and couldn't get to a computer. So I am late. God is never late. He has everything planned and it happens just when he wishes it to. You may think God is late answering your prayer, but He has already answered it but maybe for you the answer is in the future. God is not caught in time as we are, he knows the end from the beginning. If you are trusting in Him He has your best interest at heart and you will get that answer to your prayer, but at the time that is best. However it is not easy for us to wait for that answer, we are by nature very impatient. I am 64 and I believe I am on the brink of having a prayer answered that I prayed when I was a teenager. Sometimes it is best to leave our prayers with God and get on with our lives until He answers and gives us a wonderful surprise. A Prayer for Every Day

What is today's picture? Well all it is is some cooked pasta. Because it came at you out of the blue perhaps you didn't recognise it. Of course that was not at all important, but there are important things in life which we don't recognise because we are looking from the wrong angle. If you would like to see more of my teazers go to the lens below. Often we don't recognise the hand of God in our lives; times when he is using life's circumstances to talk to us and we misunderstand. What people in life generally think of as bad things in life might really be the very thing which will bring us to God. Coming to God is the most important thing in all of life. He is the true meaning of life and we are unfulfilled without Him. God promises that if we search for him with all our heart we will find Him. Get searching now. Quiz: A funny angle

This is Woolly Doughnut and he has been in our family ever since my now 38 year-old son was three and received him as a Christmas present from an aunt. Woolly spent many years in retirement and then I took him on some adventures as you can see in the link below. Imagination is a wonderful thing, but it can get you into trouble. You can imagine that everthing is alright between you and God, but unless you have asked Jesus for the forgiveness you need you are in danger of God's wrath. He is a God of love and he offers you life through Jesus, but He makes the rules and this is the only way to be right with Him. If you accept his way you are going to receive a life where you know his forgiveness and faithfulness for ever. Woolly Doughnut on an adventure

A beautiful rose with a beautiful name. How can we get peace in this day and age? Is your life peaceful, or are you caught in the rat race? As prices go up you have to work harder and harder to make ends meet. Can you keep this up? There is another way. You can find peace with God in Jesus. He can give you a peaceful life, because when you find him, many of the things you think are essential, you will find you can do without. He will become the centre of your life and in him you will find satisfaction. Here is another poem of mine about God. I try to catch you with my words, But you are elusive as an eel. To catch the essence of you my God But you slip through my fingers, And will not be confined In my understanding. How great you are, How small I am, How small my picture of you. Greatness is not enough Splendour not sufficient To describe you, No word can tie you down. I marvel at the wonder of who you are, But my contemplation is not enough To come near you. And so my finite br...

Today we have a picture of a poppy. God not only made moths and other insects but provided flowers to give them food. Each year the flowers appear at the right time for the insects coming out of hibernation. How wonderful is our God who made these things. You may say that these things do not always coincide and then things die. Didn't I tell you last night that this is because of the sin we have inherited from Adam. Do not think that I am accusing you and standing upright myself, I too am a sinner in need of God's forgiveness in Jesus. You can read a bit about my life if you like and also enjoy a feast of flowers. A Bit about Me A feast of flowers

No, it's a moth. I discovered this moth on my front door, as I came in this evening. I looked it up on the internet and found it is a Buff tip moth, camouflaged to look like a birch twig. Is this moth so clever that it can develop this camouflage all by itself over many years? No, while it was changing it would be eaten. This moth was given its camouflage by God Almighty. I have looked at the theories of evolution and find them ridiculous and unbelievable. I do believe in God who can do anything and is a wonderful Creator who has designed a wonderful creation which works in symbiosis and polybiosis. A creation that once worked perfectly but has now been spoilt by human sin. Sin is a problem we humans all suffer from. None of us can accuse anyone else of being more sinful than we are, we all have the same problem. There is a solution to this problem. Jesus died to free us from sin and bring us back into God's favour. If we put our trust in Jesus our sin problem is solved...

Today I have started from a photo. Who you ask is this woman plodding oe'r the muddy path? I have to confess it is, indeed, me. My daughter took the picture one day when we went for a walk in a local beauty spot. Further down the path we came upon the Wellington monument, which sits above the Somerset town of Wellington. It was put there to commemorate the victory of the Duke of Wellington over Napoleon Bonaparte. How readily we celebrate what mere mortal man has done and how lax we are in praising God. Where is Wellington now? Dead and gone. However God continues his eternal existence and will never die or fail in any way. He is the one we should worship.

Do you think it all out before-hand with a topic all straight in your mind? Or do you do what I do, just plunge in and hope for the best? The advantage with my way is that anything can pop up and be the topic of the day. Thinking it all out first could cramp your style. Your topic could turn out to be too narrow and stunted. Of course by contrast mine could ramble. whatever I am to say I intend to include one of my photos for added interest. Anyway what is the purpose of a blog? Are we all capable of holding the interest of people across the world? Maybe not too many of them but if we brighten the day of a few it is worthwhile holding out a hand of friendship. Often I speak about God and my greatest desire is to help someone, somewhere to find God through Jesus. My photos show what the God of creation does. I pray you will come closer to him. Here is a poem I wrote about God's greatness and where you can read about why I wrote it. God the Infinite dwells with me, Vaster th...

My daughter has moved house and it's good to have her near me. However it has been a great upheaval in my apartment as we moved her gradually and somehow I still have a few odd boxes here. Tidying up is not one of my best points, although you might think it is if you read the lens below. It's the continual day to day tidying, putting things away, that passes me by. I'm quite good at throwing things into black bags if there is a sudden unexpected visitor. I find it difficult to tidy up just for my own sake. How are you with tidying? How to De-clutter Your House

God says,"If you look for me with all your heart you will find me." You can only find God through Jesus. Jesus said,"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." The Bible is where we can find out about God and know what he is like. Try this Squidoo lens to help further:- The God who does not change

What makes me want to write at the end of a busy day? I have been too busy living today to want to write very much. I played bowls this morning as I usually do on a Monday. People who play bowls are usually very pleasant people. To play bowls you have to be able to make a fool of yourself now and again. Nasty people can't cope with that. Nasty people might start to play but they soon find they can't hack it and then we don't have to put up with them anymore. If only other areas of life were like that. Do you like tonight's photo? All my own work.

This is last night's sunset. This is more or less what I see from my kitchen window. How blessed I am to live in beautiful countryside. I enjoy sharing it with you. I have now discovered that the tree, the bees of last night were in, is a small leaved lime. Was it from the wonders of the internet that I discovered this? No, it was from a friend in her late eighties. I then checked it on the internet and found that the flowers were indeed the same. You can't beat information from an old one. All those years mean lots of experience of life.

Here is a bee as promised from last evening. A most industrious creature, at work from dawn till dusk.

Tonight I went to take some more sunset photos, which I promise at a later date. I also observed the bees again. I am appalled that, although I have lived in the country all my life, I am so ignorant of nature. The tree the bees were in was covered in blossom. I know trees have to have blossom to reproduce and yet I have been unaware of these blossoms on most trees. I discovered they also had a lovely scent, which no doubt was attracting the bees. The sun went down at approximately 9.10p.m. The bees continued to work in their usual industrious way. I tried to be patient and wait for them to fly home but my patience ran out at 9.45p.m. they were still there as I left. By then it was quite cool but they obviously intended to get every possible second of the day before going home.I also have a rather nice photo of one of these bees, which I also promise to show you another day. Perhaps you would like to see some more of my photography here:- The Devon Lane in Early Spring

Today was spent helping to move my daughter and her husband from a village about seventeen miles away to my own village. It's a great delight to have them so near but an exhausting process. However this evening we celebrated by going to the local pub for a very pleasant meal. Now I'm winding down ready for bed. To do that I am keeping you, my faithful reader, up to date with my progress. Thank you for your interest, you are always most welcome to share what I have to offer. To show my appreciation I have included a photo of a busy lizzie above. I've been a very busy lizzie myself today.