How can you measure church growth? Based on doctoral research on the Image of God and Council Estate discipleship, Duncan Forbes gives a new paradigm for viewing growth in our churches. This is session 1 of the Reaching The Unreached 2017 conference. For more info on RTU and reaching Council Estates, please go to http://urbanministries.org.uk/rtu.html […]
Jack and the Beanstalk
Once upon a time, there lived a widow woman and her son, Jack, on their small farm in the country. Every day, Jack would help his mother with the chores – chopping the wood, weeding the garden and milking the cow. But despite all their hard work, Jack and his mother were very poor with […]
Why does he call himself Father
One of the names God has chosen for himself is Father. Why would he do that, when so many fathers abuse and cause problems for their children and their wives. And I understand. As a father myself I make mistakes. I say the wrong thing or don’t do the right things. I wish I could […]
Inspirational Questions for Young People
Where do fly’s go when it rains? What happened to the first 6 ups? Why is your index finger the same size as your nostrils? Why is the word dictionary in the dictionary? Why is it that night falls but day breaks? Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin? […]
Using Query Loop
Thanks for your amazing help.
Relationship First
Programmes are tools we use to help draw people to God. But tools will never lead people to Christ. People lead people to Christ. People become Christians because of relationships. So what do we do to help people become disciples of Jesus. Make friends Tell friends about Jesus (might need a tool for this bit). […]
Why we should all say Grace
God in our waking, God in our speaking,God in our cooking, God in our eating,God in our playing, God in our digesting,God in our working, God in our Resting. When many are hungry, may we eat with humble hearts;When many are lonely, may we share with joyful hearts. A commonly found prayer: source Unknown I […]
Rebel or Radical
Are you…. Rebel refuse allegiance to and oppose by force to resist or defy an authority to feel or express strong unwillingness or repugnance Radical arising from or going to a root or source departing markedly from the usual or customary, extreme or drastic relating to or advocating fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, […]
In a bid for change
In a bid for change, we have to take off our coats, be prepared to lose our comfort and security, our jobs and positions of prestige … a struggle without casualties is no struggle. Steve Biko
One Breath
The eerie mist enveloped me, a shadow slid into my view. Unbeknown to me, figures tiptoed behind me. In a breath, I was hidden. Darkness of the sky blending in with the bag. My head banged against something. In the silence of the night, I was left. The distant sound of the car echoed around […]
Five Loaves – A Story
The little boy woke that morning and looked out on a bright and beautiful day. He jumped up and saw his mum at work in the kitchen. She looked around and saw him and smiled, what a beautiful boy she thought. “Good morning,” she said. “I hope I didn’t wake you. Father and the other […]
Don’t Miss Out
On his return, Jesus was welcomed by a crowd. They were all there expecting him. A man came up, Jairus by name. He was president of the meeting place. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his home because his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, was dying. Jesus went with him, […]
Some Big and Confusing Words
Substitution – Imputation – Justification – Reconciliation – Salvation Substitution The doctrine that Christ suffered by proxy for the sinner, and that his sufferings have the power to make amends. Imputation That Jesus undertook to answer the demands of justice for our sins. Justification This is declaring a person to be just or righteous. It […]
Motivation
Motivation serves as a guiding force for all human behaviour. It is the desire to act in service of a goal and it is what causes you to act. It is also used to describe why a person does something. Extrinsic Motivation These are the motivations that arise from outside of you. e.g. Money, social […]
Discipleship
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… Love your neighbour as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22 v 37-40 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and […]
May Yellowy Rays
May yellowy rays brighten your waysAnd illuminate you like the sun,Take each of God’s daysAs you walk through the maze,And he promises each will be fun. Sheona Gledhill
Sympathy or Empathy
Sympathy is… feeling for someone. Seeing they are suffering Empathy is… about experiencing those feelings for yourself. “Walking in their shoes”.
Post Capitalism
Have we moved on from capitalism? I decided to explore the various elements of capitalism, to see whether we benefit from it at all. We are a low income family, living in social housing and paying bills month by month with no savings. The walls could crash around us at anytime! Socialism + Capitalism combined […]
Flowers that might appear in 2022
Calendula Calendula is easy to grow and will tolerate most soil types, but likes a full to partially sunny position. It will tolerate some frost and self seeds readily. Calendula is a good plant to have around in the veg garden as it keeps out harmful bugs and attracts beneficial ones. It is especially effective […]
Jesus is the true and better Adam, Tim Keller
Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us. Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal. Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the […]
I will give thee for a covenant of the people
I will give thee for a covenant of the people Isaiah 49:8 Jesus Christ is himself the sum and substance of the covenant, and as one of its gifts. He is the property of every believer. Believer, canst thou estimate what thou hast gotten in Christ? “In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead […]
Let the people renew their strength
Let the people renew their strength Isaiah 41:1 All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing continueth by itself. “Thou renewest the face of the year,” was the Psalmist’s utterance. Even the trees, which wear not themselves with care, nor shorten their lives with labour, must drink of the rain of heaven […]
Continue in prayer
Continue in prayer Colossians 4:2 It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord;” and just as […]
We will be glad and rejoice in thee
We will be glad and rejoice in thee. Song of Solomon 1:4 We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will not open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. “O come, […]
They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year
“They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.” Joshua 5:12 Israel’s weary wanderings were all over, and the promised rest was attained. No more moving tents, fiery serpents, fierce Amalekites, and howling wildernesses: they came to the land which flowed with milk and honey, and they ate the old corn […]
It is time for a change
In 1984 I became a Christian and I have never regretted the decision. Becoming a Christian is life transforming – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5 v 22 – 23). You will become renewed. You will become a new creation. So then, […]
Flower Arranging
Look at what appeared on our table this morning. I love my wife and I love my God. God for designing such beauty from nothing and Anna for presenting it so we can enjoy God’s beauty. Thank you.
Plants, Insects, Your Garden
In your garden you can spray pesticide or you can attract good bugs. These good bugs are the friend against the enemy, the pests that are destroying your garden plants. However, they don’t only live on aphids and green fly, they also need other food. So in order to attract these insects you need to […]
Turning a £5 bike into a dream bike
A while ago I bought a couple of bikes for £10. The one I wanted was with a bit of work ready to ride (replaced an inner tube and oiled and greased the bike). This one was given to Mia and she has been using it over the summer. In the winter this one will […]
Living Off-Grid
We have a fantastic and amazing opportunity to purchase some land and live off-grid. Living off-grid and building a place of retreat, of quiet has been a dream for a long time and we are close to realising this dream. But if you are considering this be aware that it is not all glowing and […]
Building a stool
So I was around my friend Chris house the other day and I was doing some work and using his stool and it was very useful, so time for me to have one. I utilised a foot stool and lengthened it, let the pictures tell the story.
Water
He that watereth shall be watered also himself. Proverbs 11:25 We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the spiritual good of others. […]
Seek ye me in vain
I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain. Isaiah 45:19 We may gain much solace by considering what God has not said. What he has said is inexpressibly full of comfort and delight; what he has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was one of these “said […]
Riches
The unsearchable riches of Christ. Ephesians 3:8 My Master has riches beyond the count of arithmetic, the measurement of reason, the dream of imagination, or the eloquence of words. They are unsearchable! You may look, and study, and weigh, but Jesus is a greater Saviour than you think him to be when your thoughts are […]
Sick for my Lord
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. Song of Solomon 5:8 Such is the language of the believer panting after present fellowship with Jesus, he is sick for his Lord. Gracious souls are never perfectly at ease except they are […]
It is finished
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19 v 30 This morning I heard these word sung in a worship song and it hit home once again, this is it, there is nothing more to be done, Jesus has […]
Fasting and Feasting
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom […]
Adding Flowers
Added some flowers to the bench and caught a Bee enjoying our real flowers.
Painting and Finishing
I am painting the benches this afternoon and getting to a point of finishing them. The courtyard area in our orchard is more or less complete. I have some finishing touches to make on the seat and I have started painting the flowers on one of the benches. And here are the photos. The ‘love […]
Rewiring the shed
Ok so I need to move the batteries to a different spot in the shed, they were getting in the way. Therefore, it is a wonderful opportunity to rewire the shed and install lights etc. My friend Chris who is amazing with all this sort of stuff has done me a wonderful diagram so I […]
Morning
Morning
Morning, this was a view from yesterday as I re-walked the steepest hottest part of our stroll to find those who has taken the lead in the wrong direction. Later after having picnicked in the shade of ancient trees with esteemed company, I walked this path again. This time the sun was a joy as […]
Respryn
Morning, we walked to one of our favourite places yesterday. I was captivated by the light reflecting back from the river, under the trees. It was cool in the shade and the river was freezing. I made myself get in because I knew I would regret it if I didn’t, it was so worth it, […]
Enjoying painting in the sun
I am finishing of our courtyard area and have been painting the final coats needed for the benches there. I have also started the third coat on the flower bench. This bench has already had two coats of the green and now gets its first coat of burgundy. I will give it a second coat […]
View from my kitchen window
Painting the courtyard benches
Last week I built a second bench for our ‘courtyard’ area and it has now produced a really nice seating area. There is always room for improvement and we will keep spending time looking and seeing what we can do. However, today Mia and I started painting this area. First coat done and we are […]
Marvel Films
Well it is time for us and the children to watch our way through the 23 Marvel Films. As we watch them I will get the family to do 3 things: Give the film a rating Guess where Stan Lee comes in each film Give a line on what we thought of the film. This […]
Hugelkultur: the ultimate raised garden beds
Hugelkultur is a German word meaning hill culture or hill mound. It is the ultimate raised bed. It means you can grow a typical garden without irrigation or fertilisation. It is quite simply buried wood, that you cover in manure and then compost and then mulch. It means it uses up rotting wood, twigs and […]
I love my garden
Out in the garden today and shouting for joy. What a blessing it is. Flowers blooming, flowers dying (but thankful for the smiles they have given) and flowers ready to bloom. Alongside this handfuls of blueberries, some ripe and some getting ready to give us its goodness. Yes, I love my garden.
Allium Ursinum – Ramson or Wild Garlic
Also known as wild garlic, this plant carpets the ground in areas of woodland across the UK giving off a distinctive odour of garlic. It has long, pointed leaves which have a garlic scent. The flowers are white in colour. The bulb of the plant can be used to create tonics to relieve rheumatic problems […]