A Great Post...

Tim Challies has a great post, over at his blog, on discipline and habits. It's been especially helpful for me as this time of year always causes a reflection on the year that has past and on what needs to be done as we move into a new year and a new chapter.

Check it out here.

Porn...

I think we will all agree that the Church today is totally embarassed and frightened to tackle the issue of porn! The truth is that we can't afford to be! We can't afford to be hiding behind silly excuses or long-standing and unbiblical traditions or using the same old cliches as reasons for not dealing with the issue. Our silence allows the devil to hold his power fully over this issue, allows the power of it to increase in individuals lives as it continues to remain secret, allows for the depression to enter into peoples lives who gennuinely want to get out of the web of addiction but can't do it on their own and can't talk of it because of the taboo nature of it! XXXChurch have been over this week and have brought a bit more attention to the issue, and over the next while I will post more. I hope that now is the time for ALL of us to get involved in seeing the issue tackled, people helped, people restored, people saved, chains broken, families restored, sexual crime fall, reality come back, social integration increase and Jesus glorified as the One who has the power ot make it happen and as the One who has MADE it happen! The nature of pornography is progressive and degenerative (as Ted Bundy admits above), the results of pornography are devastating, and the time to act is now! And we must remember that it affects the person in the pew just as much as the person on the street!

A Gem...

"For the sake of the undiminished fullness of the glory of Christ and for the sake of the radical sacrificial love that the world needs from us, I plead for your allegiance to a robust, biblical, historic vision of Christ whose obedience is counted as ours through faith alone."
-John Piper.

A Gem...

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
- Apostle Paul

A New Graphic...

I was preaching on Sunday night at a youth-type Sunday. I put together a powerpoint for the message and I found this graphic to put in. I like it! I think it starts a job to let your mind and imagination finish. The biblical accounts of the crucifixion, so often, in our own remembrance can be passed over so quickly without considering the implications and pain and punishment of every single bit of what happened to King Jesus. Let's think it all through and praise God that "He made him who knew no sin to become sin for us".

Phil Anderson...

When my original good intention came about to keep up with blogging, one of the things that was going to appear on the site was interviews. Basically, asking questions of people who have a heart for Jesus and are trying to live out their lives for Him where He has placed them, with the gifts that He has given them. Here is interview number 1...as the title suggests it is with Phil Anderson.

-So Phil, to most reading this blog, you will be a new face and name, so tell us a bit about yourself.

Anyone who knows me knows I love football and I love Jesus. Both of these were introduced to me at a young age and both have influenced my lifetyle and how I live my life today.

-What do you do with yourself? Do you work or study or…?

I recently graduated from the University of Ulster Coleraine with a degree in Business and Computing. Now I have entered the ' Real World' and work 5 days a week as the Floor Manager In Cafe Vic-Ryn.

-What would your main interests/hobbies be?

Main interests include football, golf, and most recently PS3 nights with the lads on the recently purchased 42 inch plasma, Fantastic.

-O.K, so I'm not jealous at all or guilty of coveting!! Anyway, from what I can gather football is more than an interest? Is that true? Does it take up more time than a “normal” hobby?

O yes this is true. From I was able to walk ive had a ball attached to my feet. Whether it be on my own in the garden or on the pitch on a saturday I always have a ball nearby and can get endless hours of enjoyment. It takes up more time probably than it should and as a Manchester United supporter I enjoy watching football and also playing pro evo football on the PS3 so I guess yes it is more than a hobby.

-I know that you are a Christian. Tell us a bit about how you came to trust in Jesus and what He’s been teaching you, mainly, since then.

I became a Christian at the young age of 3. Its hard to fully comprehend becoming a Christian at the age of 3 but I feel no matter what age you get saved you will still have an eternity of learning and growing as a Christian as you strive to know more about God. Ive never wandered to far from God and this is due to my upbringing and how my parents faithfully sent me to every meeting at the church for my younger years. I never really had a role as a Christian and found it hard to express my faith with others even in church, untill the age of 19 when I was introduced to Ambassadors In Sport.

-In your Christian life, who would you say has been the greatest influence on you and why?

In my Christian life my Mum and Dad have had a great influence on me. By the way they brought me up and by our family prayers and their reading of bible stories from such a young age constantly teaching me and helping me grow as a Christian. More recently outside of my family Robert Cuthbert founder of Ambassadors Football Club in Ireland has inspired me due to his vision's and his endless work's and effort into seeing people come to Christ through the medium of football.

-For you, there has been a combining and meeting of your love for Jesus and your love for football. How did that come around?

In 2005 I had the opportunity of heading with a team from Northern Ireland to Senegal to play football on a missions tour to Senegal. For me originally I hadnt played football in over a year and this was a perfect holiday to play football. Over the build up to the tour and the tour itself God opened my eyes and touched my heart by showing how effective using football to introduce people to Christ could be. During the tour we played matches where up to 1000 people got to hear the Gospel spoke, each player we played against received their own bible and links to churches were made. We also coached kids football clinics where we gave illustrative Gospel sketches to introduce Jesus to the kids.

-What involvement have you had with Ambassadors since your first introduction? Are you still involved now?

Since that tour I have been back to Senegal and Guinee Bissau on another playing tour where we played a Senegalese Premier League side and a Bissau premier league side where government officials and Football Association Officials have been in attendance sitting beside pastors who built links. Ive coached kids in America last summer with Ambassadors soccer camps where we have spoke to and had bible times with kids who don't come from church backrounds. And Also I cuurently play in the Ambassadors Football Club here in Northern Ireland where we make it our aim to ' do football different' which sets us apart from others in the league even though alot of the time it is very diffcult and challenging to do.

-Did your trips away leave a lasting impression on you? If yes, then how so?

My trips away have giving me such a lasting impression. Ive seen God work in my life in ways id never imagined. My trips have given me a platform to share Christ with others but also given me the confidence to talk openly about Christ and what he has done for me. In Senegal I seen God's hand on us during travelling and for the first time I believe I encountered God being real to me and to the team in how he led us and looked after us throughout both our trips.

-Do you have any plans for continuing to use your love of football as a medium to witness for Jesus?

Ambassadors Football Club has only started and there is endless opportunities and endless ways we can use football as a medium to witness for Christ. In July next year 2008 Ambassadors is heading back out to Senegal and I hope to be a part of that team. Then in August next year I aim to take up the Internship with Ambassadors where I will be living in England for 1 - 2 years working in local communities and schools.

-For those of us who know very little about Ambassadors, or even just the opportunities that exist, in the sporting world, to witness and take a stand for Jesus, how would you guide us to, either, be involved or to pray effectively for the work?

Check out the website www.Ambassadorsfc.co.uk or www.aisint.net for more information. It is a worldwide organisation with offices I think in 15 different countries. Ambassadors have various coaching tours, playing tours and do lots of school work, work with local communities and in some countries have started prison outreach all using football as their entry into places where otherwise it would be impossible to go. There is opportunites for anyone interested but also lots of areas where prayer is much needed.

-In conclusion, if there is one burning message on your heart that you want people to know, what is it?

Simply don't waste your God given gifts. If something as simple as a football can help save so many souls then what else can we do. Even if you think your gift is insignificant use it for God and he will show you how great a God he is.


I met Phil a few months ago when I started to work in Vic-Ryn and know, from brief chats, that his passions are indeed football and wanting to know Jesus more. It's encouraging to read that in avenues where very few of us expect God is doing things, He really is doing things! It's been good Phil for you to break down some of the corners of the boxes we place around God. Let's pray for Phil as he walks with Jesus, and for Ambassadors as they reach out for Jesus.

Apologies...

So, I guess the regular blogging didn't really happen after all. I got off to quite a good start and then it all went downhill from there. Things got quite hectic with the shop opening etc, but now we have been open a week, I hope I can stay a bit more regular. If you haven't been out to visit us at the shop, then please do. We are delighted to see the shop opened, the vision realised, and people using and being blessed through it. God has blessed us so much in the run up to the opening, and now with the customers... so to God be the glory!

I will post more updates from the last while of blogging silence as time goes by!

A Gem!

"The resurrection is the Father's "Amen" to the Son's "It is finished"!" - S Lewis Johnson.

The World of Mac!

Now my Mac is operational again, I feel like I can post this picture! What a loser!

Stand.

The Desiring God National Conference this year was called STAND. All of the audio and video are available online from the Desiring God website (www.desiringgod.org). Tonight, I got round to start listening to the sessions. I didn't begin with the first, but went to listen to the second which was a question and answer session with John Piper and John Macarthur (2 men who have impacted my life greatly!) It was quite a humorous session in general, but there was so much awesome stuff that came out through their answers; their desires that they had been better dads to their kids and husbands to their wives, the influence of their dads on them, the desire to not give up in ministry, how to keep going through tough times etc. One thing sttod out in particular for me though; John Piper giving one of the reasons for the theme of the conference being STAND, the perseverance of the saints, and the answer came through Piper recounting his own experience of going through a season of depression and being downcast that lasted a couple of years:

"I have spent, goodness knows, how much effort developing a theology of suffering. This conference exists to answer that question. I want to last; I want to stand; I want to get through the discouraging times; I want to help you not be fickle, wishy-washy, drop-out, trade your life away, swap wives, leave jobs, trade churches. I just don't want you to be that way, so I make a conference."- Piper.

I enjoyed this thought, and it energised me. One, to know that other people endure discouraging times, which I seem to be enduring at present. And two, that there is an answer in holding on to our theology of God's sovereignty in the midst of evil and trouble, and that He is still on His throne!

New Contact Details.

For anyone who has any suggestions to make about the blog, or has any questions about the stuff that is written here, please feel free to contact me at the e-mail address below.

Also, for anyone who has any questions, or suggestions, about or for "Worship 247", then, likewise, contact me at the addres below.

simon@worhip247.org

Thanks.

A Much Needed Letter!

I love books! I love to sit down with a good book, a good cup of coffee, and read and be taught. I put quite a high value on a good book, especially when it comes to teaching us things about God and the things of God. We have to be so careful because it is so easy for all of us to get things so so wrong, and if we are thinking wrong then we will be living wrong because of it! Everything we read, just like everything we watch and listen to, impacts us for good or for bad. Now all I'm saying here is that we have to take care in choosing what to read and take care when reading it!

Quite a while back I bought a book called "What Love Is This" by Dave Hunt. The content of the book can easily be summed up by the sub-title, "Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God". Now, my purpose in this post is not to argue for or against "Calvinism", it's about the book. Dave Hunt writes from a staunch Anti-Calvinism position, and he does it incredibly badly! The people for whom he speaks, on behalf of, should cringe at how bad the book is written and how poor a job it does in articulating that particular position. The reason why I am writing this post is because, over recent days, it has come up as a book that has helped to shape people's thinking. Now, what I am not doing here is picking at people, or claiming to be the all-knowing one, I just want to sound an alarm that if you want a book to read on this topic, to help explain the positions, then this is not the one- it will mislead all who read it in their understanding of the subject because the simple facts are wrong!

The letter, that the title of this post mentions, is by a man called James White. James White is a well known apologist, who has responded to Dave Hunt's book by an open letter that he sent to the author. I found the letter only today so my thoughts have not been shaped or formed by this man's letter. I do encourage you all to read it though, if you have read Dave Hunt's book or are just interested.

I would recommend James White and Dave Hunt's book "Debating Calvinism". Ultimately though, if you want something to read on the subject, I say read the Bible- go to Romans or Ephesians to begin! I'm not here to sway your views, just to warn you about the errors in the book and, if you do read it, take care!

The letter is here.

Coffee anyone?

The City Hospital currently have one on order for me, haha! I wish!!

Steve who...?

To most people, the name Steve Lawson means very little. If we were to ask those of our friends who read alot and listen to alot of sermons, even to them, he is relatively unheard of. I want to publicly say that this is an absolute shame! I have been greatly blessed by the ministry of Steve Lawson. He is one of the most active voices heralding for a return to expository preaching in our pulpits today. Expository wha?- a clear presentation and proclamation of God's Truth, letting the Bible speak for itself! But, not only is he active in heralding for this return, he is also active in this ministry himself. He reads the Word, then explains the Word. He is a man who is absolutely convinced of the authority and power of God's Word, and a man who is set on fire by it! Absolutely awesome stuff!

Why the post? His website has been overhauled and is now online again. This is good news because there are loads of free sermons and articles for us to benefit from. Let me be clear, my promotion of this man is not my Corinthian way of saying ""I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ."" (1 Cor 1v12), it is me saying that God has revealed Himself to this man and he has one heck of a burden to proclaim Him. The messages will truly be of benefit, not just because it's Steve Lawson, but solely because he unashamedly preaches the truth and the messages are God-glorifying and Christ-centred, leading us again to where we need to be, at the cross! Enjoy New Reformation Ministries!

A New Effort...

Well... this blog has existed for some time. I have been so inconsistent with updates due to laziness, lack of discipline and lack of things to say. However, over the last while, I have been enjoying looking through quite a few different blogs and websites, and being taught and refreshed by the things that I have read. So, I thought why not use this blog in an attempt to gather together all of those things for other people to see, and also to introduce some new people to all 4 of you through interviews.

So, from now on, this will be a new sustained effort to accomplish just that. Over the next few days, the page will be updated with all the good links that you will need and the posts beginning to be added.

This venture is not my way of telling the world that I have it all together and that I am the fount of all knowledge. It is my way of saying I have so much to learn, and that God is using so many different sites and teachers to show me,

1. how much I really do still need to learn
2. how great He really is
3. that we should tell of His greatness and His glory and His truth to others so that we can all rejoice in the great and true and gracious God that we have.

So make yourself at home. Please add your comments and discuss what is being put up! Enjoy the journey of learning! If you have any suggestions for interviews or improvements, then please e-mail them to me and I will consider them all! Thanks, and don't be strangers.

We Have To Feel It!

I was on Youtube tonight looking for the song "By His Wounds" from an album called "Glory Revealed". I came across this video instead. Someone has taken the song and put it to a clip from the film "The Passion of the Christ". I know that there are many problems held in regard to this film, and a number of them I understand and agree with fully. There are also a number of people that have a problem, in general, with there being any cinematic or artistic portrayl of Jesus, and again I see where they are coming from in one sense. However, in this clip, there is a bit of nonsense feartured, although very briefly, so do guard your minds! However, as an illustration, and illustration only, please read on.

The one thing that stands out for me, with this clip, is that we are seeing, to a large extent, what is being sung (the Scripture of Isaiah 53). Now, I don't believe that we need this film to add anything to what the Bible says, or that without the film or the clip our understanding would be deficient as the Bible says it plainly and clearly enough. What I think we all do, however, is block out the true physical and spiritual realities of what Jesus went through, i.e, He was torn apart when whipped and beaten and crucified and that when Jesus went to that cross the wrath of God was poured out in an incomprehensible way, in that "the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him" (Isa 53v5). We, I, talk of being saved and yet in my heart, far too often, there is a lack of horror that my sin would cause the holy Son of God to be punished in my place ("For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."-2 Cor 5v21) and that He did it all willingly ("he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross"-Phil 2v8; "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord."-John 10v17-18). And because He did all of this, and willingly, that horror should be sweetened by gratefulness and joy, that because of what Jesus has done for me, I can say those words of Isaiah 53, but it should always be with heartfelt thanks for Jesus' sacrifice and not just words that we repeat in a similiar fashion that we carry out normal coversations about the weather or fulfill menial tasks-it should hit us! We should feel this truth in the depths of our hearts! It should cause us to weep, and to be filled with joy, that bitter-sweet reality that, in spite of the wretched state of our own hearts, in our natural state, that we are accepted in the beloved, adopted into God's family, declared righteous in our justification, redeemed, made right with Almighty God and only because of King Jesus.
Again, I don't think we need this clip to show us this. But, for those of us who are expert runners when it comes to pondering the sacrifice of Jesus, it is something that is right before us that will, hopefully, cause us to think about what the Bible says. As a graphic illustration, and illustration only, it may cause us to return to the Bible, to read the truth, and force us then to drop on our knees before Jesus, in awe of the great Saviour that He is! "By his wounds we are healed"! Praise God!

A Sad Report...

WARNING:LONG POST!!!

27"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment," (Heb 9v27)

This verse from Hebrews 9 has been a dominant and recurring thought in my mind over the last couple of weeks. There are quite a few solid theological reminders contained in this 1 verse. None of us are prone to joy when thinking about death, which is probably a big reason for why we never think about it. That issue should be left for another post as it will cause too much of a digression into why our joy seems to fade when thinking about death and its consequences, being with Jesus! What does this text show us?

1. Death is an appointment: In many of our times of distress, thoughtlessness or ignorance of Truth we have a tendency to fear circumstances, incidents or illnesses. Our thinking goes along the lines of, "these things could kill me, they could take my life". In one sense that is true, but they are means only and not the cause. The Psalmist put it this way-

"Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them." (139v16)

And in the book of Job we read- "And he said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.""(1v21).

The Bible stresses again and again that God is sovereign, and totally sovereign at that. He reigns over our coming and our going, our life and our death, our waking and our sleeping. We have not and do not determine the time and date of this appointment, God has determined it.

"'In him we live and move and have our being'" (Acts 17v28). All this is quite hard to accept and get our heads around, hence the need for us to not be "conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Rom 12v2). O pray that we may be! Seek that renewal so we can trust in His sovereignty!

2. We are sinners: Where do I get that from? From the very fact that we die! Romans 5v12 says-

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned"

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3v23)

The Bible is clear- we die because we sin!

God appointed the curse of death as a punishment for sin! Now to clarify, I'm not saying that the death of those who die of illnesses or horrible circumstances is a direct consequence for a particular sin but it is a consequence of sin generally and us all being guilty of it.

3. We die once: Two things here; one is that there is no such thing as reincarnation. It is a false idea, an absolutely unbiblical notion. And secondly, there are no second chances. This text says we die and then we are judged. No time to be coming back to do it all again, or making any other sort of restitution!

4. God is just: God is always true to His character and praise Him for that! However, that causes problems for us who are sinners because the attribute that defines all of God's other attributes is His holiness-

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah 6v3). What other attribute of God's is raised to the level of being repeated three times? In the time and culture in which Isaiah wrote, there were no Stabilo highlighters so the way to draw attention and to make your point was by repetion. Isaiah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, definitely made his point, GOD IS HOLY!

"You who are of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong" (Hab 1v13).

So God judges because He is holy and He cannot look at sin. He cannot fellowsip with us in our sin so judgement has to come! A punishment, just punishment, for our wrongdoing and sin!

5. All this highlights something extraordinary and overwhelming! Not from this verse but the next-

"so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."

Jesus was offered up once (to death, to punishment, to judgement), to bear sin ("of many"-not His own and not all), so that when He comes again He will save! What a message, what a truth!

That "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God [in Him]" (2 Cor 5v21)

"But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all." (Isa 53v5-6)

Jesus paid it all! He has removed our filthy rags and dressed us in His righteousness, and all because He died, and He was raised and has finished the work of salvation ("After making purification for sins He sat down at the right hand of Majesty on high"-Heb 1v3), and He has shown us grace-

"8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2v8-9)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn 1v9). Praise God for salvation!

Where has it all come from?

The picture is of a young Adrian Lyttle involved in some redecorating at Orangefield Presbyterian Church. Adrian and I went to and grew up through B.B there together. Since I left the B.B and Orangefield, Adrian and I had no contact. However, a while back, another guy from that B.B told me that Adrian was sick. While away on holiday, a couple of weeks ago, I got word that Adrian had died, at roughly the same age as myself (23). The reason why this verse has been a dominant and recurring thought is because at times like this, things can seem to not make any sense and to be messed up. But then we remember, God is in control, we sin, we die, we face judgement, but then the clinker, we hang on to the hope that on the other side of death, for those who know Jesus, is eternal life and rest and joy in His presence! Adrian knew Jesus and is, at present, consumed in awe! He's more alive now than ever, with the Lamb!
Thank God for the gospel and the assurance of eternity with Jesus because of it, because of His substitutionary death and for His being raised which is proof for our justification:

"That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." 23But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, 24but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Rom 4v22-25)

"Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 15v54-57).

Although we may affirm the truth of the joy following death for the believer, there is a gap left and pain remaining in the life of Adrian's family. It does sting for them, it will hurt badly! This is a prominent stress and tension that exists due to living in the already but not yet period. If you are moved to, please pray for them (his family) and thank Jesus for saving Adrian and giving Him such a life now, even in spite of the horrible period preceeding his entry into the presence of Jesus.

What does Paul go on to say in verse 58 of 1 Corinthians 15? "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." Hold on, press on!

Leadership...?

While reading through a few blogs, that are linked to Gary's blog, I came across a very helpful post on Gemma Roche's blog. Gemma quoted from a book that she has been reading through called "Doing Things Right In Matters Of The Heart" and added to that quote her own personal commentary, which I encourage all of you to check out as the honesty and genuineness of it has resonated with my own heart. Here's the quote from "Doing Things Right In Matters Of The Heart":

In matters of the heart, it is right that men should lead and women welcome and guide that leadership. She is helpmate (gen2v18). Her goal is to give her man all the help he needs to lead well. His goal is to humbly accept the responsibility and not run from it or wield it like a club.
The guidance that she provides him comes mainly in two forms: in helping him think clearly and encouraging him to act confidently. What comes from this is a shared victory. If it proves a mistake, it is borne together. Either way, what is fostered is true unity of spirit which is the heart of the matter, where the two become one. We have to work at it, but if we do, true unity is fostered and preserved in the complementary exchange of male leadership and female guidance.

Since Kerry and I got engaged, many thoughts and fears of inadequacy and failure on my part have flooded in at times. The fear of failure I mean is the failure to lead well, to live in the model that Christ Himself has displayed for us in His relationship with the church. At times in my own ignorance, and with my lack of understanding, I see the job of leading in a way that is not practical, never mind having to question its biblical roots. Thtat's why this quote is so helpful, and Gemma recounting her own experiences in a different relationship and different position in this "leadership struggle"-it shows the struggle is universal.
We know that what God has told us to do, in all areas and aspects of life and practice, are primarily for His glory but also for our good and benefit. So, when we obey the teaching given on the roles of husband and wife in marriage, Christ is glorified and exalted and seen clearly in the relationship and also the couple live in peace and unity and with a greater and deeper love resulting because we are living according to God's precept for marriage.
Obviously, we would hope, there would be few believers who get married for the sake of it, but because of the love for our future wives/husbands or, as the case is for alot of you, our husbands or wives. For this reason then, and for the glory of the Lord, we need to strive to live in this way. And the above quote helps shape it I think. It is a JOINT effort! The man leads and his wife helps him to see things that he may not already see and to clarify his thoughts and then encourages him to act confidently. Awesome! It's not the rule of the dictator but of the man who loves his wife so intently that he must do what is right firstly, before God, but secondly for his wife's good and pleasure. Obviously, i love Kerry a heck of alot and for that reason want to be a good man, a good husband, a good leader so that she feels safe, loved, respected, honoured and cared for. So, will you pray for me to this end? And if you want this same thought and prayer reciprocated, please leave a comment and I will be sure to remember you as we all strive to live and to love in the way that Christ has shown and commanded.

A Wonderful Discovery...

For many of you, the 4 people who read the blog (yes it has increased by 1), this may not be a new revelation but please be excited with me anyway. While on a break today I was flicking through the Josh Harris website and discovered that Sovereign Grace Ministries have now made all sermon audio downloads free! That is right... FREE!! Messages by the legendary C.J Mahaney, Joshua Harris, Wayne Grudem and the list goes on! So please do avail yourself of this incredible blessing! O may we be instructed and edified through these messages and Jesus be glorified in the lives of us through the change and transformation effected. Soli Deo Gloria.

It's OFFICIAL!!

As I am sure you, the three people who read this blog, have already heard... Kerry and I got engaged. On Thursday past (the 12th July) at Crawfordsburn Country Park, I got down on the one knee and asked Kerry would she do me the greatest honour and give me the greatest privilige and pleasure in consenting to be my wife... and she said yes. Any of you who know Kerry will know how blessed and fortunate I am for her to say yes!! We are making arrangements at the minute and although no date has been set we are hoping for the end of August/ start of September 2008. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we are busting for it to come around and that we would value your prayers as we make the plans, and prepare ourselves to live as husband and wife in the model shown to us in the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church.
On this note, I would like to thank any of you reading this who have made a point of making Kerry and I a point of prayer. We have valued it greatly, and may it continue into this new stage of our relationship together.