Well, another week has been spent wandering around Tywyn, Wales. It’s hard to believe a whole year has passed since I was last helping out at a camp run by Christian Camps in Wales. It was good to meet up with old friends and also to make new ones.

Camp this year was definitely wetter! I seemed to spend a lot of time standing still and allowing the, rather fresh, wind to pass through me and my clothes and dry me out! The wet weather also meant the activities for the children were limited to more indoor locations, although the activities were organised in such a way as to keep the children interested and occupied and so they had a good time regardless.

Of course there was the odd good patch of weather allowing activities such as orienteering and canoing, however, I still seemed to get wet! Note to self: Canoing is damp!

Above all, this was a very encouraging week as we looked at the life of the apostle Peter, in both his foolish and wiser moments. I spoke with many young people, both Christians and not, who had many questions, reminding me I don’t know everything.

All I need now is a long bath and a good night’s sleep!

Nos da.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times…” Mt 18:21

As films go, War of the Worlds wasn’t a bad film. It was fairly faithful to the original story, with very impressive special effects. The only major axe to grind was that it was possibly too long, running for almost two hours, when I’m sure the film could’ve been a more comfortable hour and a half. There was also the odd minor glitch in the adaption to a more modern setting but entertaining nonetheless.

Possibly learnt something unusual this evening in my violin lesson. It would appear the great English tradition of Morris Dancing is somehow derived from the African Moors (Moorish Dancing originally I guess)! Anyway, to make my violin playing slightly more varied, my teacher has given me a broad selection of pieces to learn to play, ranging in styles from a Moorish Dance, to Big Band Jazz. Oh, and I have been given a few more scales to learn, although I’ve lost track of what I have learnt so far!

Spent the rest of the evening round Sarah’s for a barbeque, games and general fun. 🙂

Every verse of John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion tells us something of the magnitude of what is happening.

In verse 16 of chapter 19, the authorities have charge of God the Son. If the individuals had realised who they had in their charge, they would’ve submitted to Jesus, yet they did not. Are we like that? Do we not realise who Christ really is and try to control him?

In verse 17, Jesus can be seen doing the will of the Father, willingly bearing the punishment for others, as he makes his way to that which he does not deserve.

The two individuals on either side of Jesus are both in the same predicament, they are both sinners. One of them had realised who Jesus was, asked him for forgiveness and received it. The other one just mocked.

Above Jesus was a description of his crime, yet Pilate hadn’t described his crime by what he had done, but by who he was. Written in Hebrew – the language of religion, Latin – the language of the Empire and necessary for day to day living and Greek – the language of philosophy and learning. Jesus affected all of these and is Lord of all.

Yet again, there were those who wouldn’t accept his kingship and wanted it changed.

Finally, the soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ garments had missed the point. They were only interested in what they thought was the most useful thing about Jesus. They used it as an opportunity to gain material possessions. Despite this, even through their own selfish actions, they were fulfilling prophecy. God can carry out his purposes even through men and women who are oblivious to him.

Rather sooner than I expected, life is back to the usual routine. After spending Thursday washing the Kenyan dust out of all my clothes – with the trusty washing machine, I was back at work on Friday.

Saturday was also back to routine as I beat David at snooker by 4-2 frames, and then went round Dave’s place with some of the usual suspects (and not so usual) for a barbeque. The day was spent talking about our exploits in Kenya, eating plentiful food and playing games in the garden by candlelight. All in all, a very good day.

At least my experience in Kenya has reminded me that though my life may be routine, the routine it is in is a very blessed routine, with my material and spiritual needs met in abundance, for which I thank God.

create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

I need to see more of the world I think. 🙂

Well, I’ve been away from the blog for a while, just over a fortnight I think. This seems to be happening a lot recently! Anyway, for the curious, I’ve been in Kenya with some friends. If you’re interested in finding out what I got up to, have a look at the travelblog.

In brief, we went primarily to help out at a secondary school in Nyahururu, run by The Kisima Pastoralists’ Centre. This gave us a chance to see first hand what life is like for a schoolchild in Kenya, as well as to see their homes and families in Northern Kenya. The reports of recent bandit attacks in the north was made slightly more real as a the primary school involved is a feeder school.

We also got to do the usual tourist activities in Kenya, including a short safari in the Maasai Mara game reserve, taking lots of pictures of magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.

It was also slightly unreal to watch the attacks in London reported as foreign news. I’m not sure it has entirely sunk in yet, as I’m still getting up to speed on what’s been happening. However, all those involved are in my prayers.

I think the past fortnight has taught me a lot of things, not least how blessed we are in Europe to materially have so much. To sit in a mud hut in northern Kenya and to see how few possessions these people have, even food and water, is something, whilst still being happy. Yet, there is also the reminder of how similar we are as human beings, how precarious our lives are and that we are all under God.

Well, that’s two days in a row I’ve been in hospital, not for myself in one case I might hasten to add. That, and the media coverage of the late Mr Whiteley, has reminded me that we are, in all truth, quite frail and fragile.

We wander around, in our daily lives, mostly thinking we’re invincible, that we can’t be damaged or, ultimately lose our life. We carry out our lives without giving death a second though, without stopping to to consider our mortality and finitude.

I guess this is God’s way of reminding what and who I am.

In Genesis 13, Lot and Abram decided to go their separate ways as their combined number was too great for the land they occupied. Abram did this amicably, as Lot was his brother and gave Lot the first choice. Seeing the land to their east was fertile, Lot chose the wealthier option and went east, even though the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were there. Abram stayed in Canaan without challenging Lot’s choice. We read later on that Lot’s choice brought him close to disaster, while God remained with Abram.

Even today, we face the same choices. Firstly, we may have disagreements with others. Sometimes these things should not have arisen in the first place. We are called to love our neighbour, and so if a disagreement is necessary, the resolution should be a loving one. Sometimes, there can be no budging, if the disagreement is on a matter of truth. However sometimes it might even mean backing down and taking second-place if the issue isn’t important.

Secondly, sometimes we have to decide whether to go for a morally dubious job or participate in a morally dubious activity, in order to have great financial/worldly gain rather than to do what it right. Yet, what is right, what God decrees is for our own long-term good. This is not to say financial, or any other type of, ascetism has any merit, for there is nothing wrong with having money through moral activities in itself. We need to be careful what we put first in our lives though.

Ultimately, through our choices, we should place God first, for it is better to be on God’s side whatever the circumstances.

Just got back from the church daytrip to Littlehampton. As appears to be traditional with daytrips, we left Hounslow at a rather early 8.30am, early for a Saturday anyway! The cast consisted of most of the members, as well as many on the fringe on the church. Despite the rather unpredictable British weather, it didn’t rain, and we all managed to spend some time sitting on the beach, chatting and relaxing. After a while people became a little more energetic – I think just after lunch, and the games began, with football, non-stop cricket and rounders all making an appearance. I should have probably stayed away from the football, as I appear to have damaged my ankle in the process. 🙁 Ah well, despite the apparent injury, this was a great opportunity to get to know others in the church better, especially those who had recently started attending services. All in all, a good day was had by all. 🙂

Q: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A: The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.

Q: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
A: At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God, to all eternity.

(Questions XXXVII and XXXVIII from the Westminster Shorter Catechism)

Not so long ago, in my more arrogant days, I used to think military music was an oxymoron, much like military intelligence. These days, I’ve mellowed slightly and I actually enjoy military music (I also think military intelligence isn’t so ridiculous either, but that’s another blog entry :)) This is fortunate, as I spent this evening at Kneller Hall, home of The Royal Military School of Music, for a concert to commemorate the end of the Second World War. The performance was very good, being performed by three bands merged for the evening, with various pieces popular around the 1940s, as well as well known brass band/military fayre. It was not just the ears which were entertained, but the eyes also, as the dress uniforms, flags/colours and fireworks were also on display. The finale was particularly rousing, with Nimrod from the Enigma Variations, the Last Post culminating in everyone rising and singing, without prompting, God Save the Queen. To top it off, the weather was glorious, and the company was relaxed. A fitting way to consider the freedom bought at a terrible price.

Well, after spending last week piled under, I wondered whether I’d be fit enough to run around for a whole hour yesterday evening on the football pitch. Fortunately, my side was populated with lean, mean, running machines so I didn’t have to run too much. It transpired that I managed to run around quite a bit anyway and even score a number of goals! Now I’m not sure if this is because I might be improving, or because the opposition were playing poorly. Who knows, hopefully the former rather than the latter! We’ll see.

In his letter to the church in Phillipi, the apostle Paul writes of the joy which is his through Christ. Even though he is appears to be writing while under house arrest, with his earthly freedoms curtailed he has joy regardless of his circumstances.

Firstly, the chief source of his joy is Christ. Paul knows the joy of sins forgiven, the joy of the gospel. Through this, he takes great joy in making this gospel known to all around, even though he is in chains. He isn’t sitting there bemoaning the fact he’s under arrest, he is neither self-pitying, nor self-praising. All he is interested in is making Christ known.

Secondly, he takes joy in the fact that fellow Christians are praying for him and through the work of the Spirit in him. He knows that God is in control and will do what is right and will answer the prayers of the saints accordingly.

Finally, he knows that Christ has conquered death, and so he has nothing to fear form death. In a way, he is left in a win-win situation. If he stays on earth, he is able to continue spreading the gospel for the benefit of others. If he is called to heaven, he will be with his Saviour, leaving him to say:

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Php 1:21

If we are Christ’s, we also have this joy – if we don’t stifle it. Oh that we would know Christ and experience his joy.