So that was 2016...

So...  back to the blog.

It's been more than a year, since putting anything on here and quite a year it's been for so many.

For me, personally, it's been quite a year.

Finally got the London Marathon done, a year after I should have...

I've changed employer, had a great summer with the family and had a few months focusing on not working for any employer.

Took part in my first ultra marathon...

...and bought this little baby...

Now back into part time employment and working that through at the moment...let's see what 2017 holds for us.

What about you?  How has the last year been?  Here's a few thoughts on my latest vlog that I've uploaded to YouTube...

May you know God's blessing in 2017...

Back in Time

This week is quite a week for time itself isn't it?

 

The 21st October 2015 was a day made famous in 1985 by the Back to the Future movies as the day that Doc and Marty McFly went to, in the future.

 

Back then, their vision of the future now looks quite funny. The suggestion of hover boards and self tying shoelaces may seem not quite in line with the reality we see today. Although, perhaps the idea of cars running on alternative energy sources isn't too far fetched at all!!

 

Then, of course, in the UK, on Sunday 25th of October the clocks go back (at 2am in the morning).

 

So, we need to ensure that we amend our clocks to enjoy that extra hour in bed. If we forget then maybe there is a sense that we're living a bit in the future, even if it is only one hour.

 

Time is quite an amazing thing. It dictates our life as it hurtles along and looking back it seems to run ever faster.

 

One of the places I enjoy going to on holiday is Chester and this years back in the summer we were there. Whilst in Chester, we took the opportunity to go into the cathedral to have a look around.

 

 

One of the many items of interest in the cathedral is a clock that sits unassumingly down the north side of that cathedral. It's not a particularly fancy clock, but it does have a very poignant message on it. There it warns of the passing of time so quickly and the real need to evaluate priorities.

 

The Bible talks about time - a time to laugh, a time to weep, a time to live, a time to die and so on. Within the Bible it also tells us of a soul that will live forever and it tells us about the way to life everlasting. This is not a make believe fairytale - but a reality that can be ours from an infinite God. The Bible makes clear that, this way is found through Jesus Christ, who came from heaven, to earth and died for our wrong, that we through Him, might have eternal life.

 

This can be our possession today, but it's a choice we need to make. The Bible says....Our soul will exist forever in one of two places, we deserve punishment in hell on account of sin, but through confession of sin to Jesus Christ and acknowledging Him as Lord of our life, we can know eternal life and be saved from that impending punishment.

 

But that decision needs to be made in time. Again, the Bible says, "Now is the accepted time, Now is the day of salvation". So our opportunity is now, let's not waste our time.... Those words on the clock in Chester cathedral....

 

When as a child I laughed and wept, Time crept.

When as a youth I waxed more bold, Time strolled.

When I became a full grown man, Time RAN.

When older still I daily grew, Time FLEW.

Soon I shall find, in passing on, Time gone.

O Christ! wilt Thou have saved me then?

Amen.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Glasgow Mourns Bitter

22 December 2014
So yesterday was the shortest day, yet for some in Glasgow, today was even shorter...

People going about their busy lives, with focus on the festivities of the next few days. Who to buy for? What gifts to give? What still needs done for Christmas? A familiar scene that we can relate to.

Yet for some this afternoon in Glasgow all of those thoughts have completely gone, to be replaced by anxiety, bedtime vigils, pain, confusion and for yet others, the tragic loss of life.

I left the office today with a colleague to head for a coffee catch up at 2pm. As we walked up Queen St, we conversed about where we ought to go for our coffee. Thankfully we turned up the lane before the Gallery of Modern Art and headed to Princess Square.

We never gave the refuse lorry a second thought as it went about its duties and we turned our attention to a conversation around our work and the challenges that faced us.

Three quarters of an hour later, the challenges we may have had paled into insignificance as we returned to Queen Street to go back to the office and were greeted with a scene of absolute chaos. Emergency services vehicles with their lights flashing. Low flying helicopters overhead and traffic gridlock on every hand.

It had happened again - the scenes that gripped Glasgow less than 13 months ago had returned.

That night at the Clutha was a tragic set of circumstances that brought out the best in the people of Glasgow through the worst of experiences. Not something that anyone wished to repeat.

The stories flooded in and talk of 2 lives, 4 lives, 6 lives gone were heard as that once insignificant refuse lorry ploughed through the Christmas shoppers in a tragic set of circumstances.
At time of writing, the facts are still unclear, but what is known is that life's are lost and families have changed.

It is a poignant reminder of the frailty of our lives. Which often leads us to a re-evaluation of our priorities.

Suddenly getting the right gift is no longer appropriate, but getting the right care is.
Our stress is no longer at whether they'll like it or not but whether they'll live or not.
The gift of a lifetime is replaced with the prayer for the gift of life itself.
These are the emotions and thoughts that are around us today in Glasgow.
Our heart goes out in love to those that have been touched by this tragedy and as words escape us, the words of God himself come to us;
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
The question of "Why?" will be asked and yet we cannot know or understand. At this time of year, we pray that those affected might know the comfort of God. That those that are wrestling with a difficult set of circumstances might know the Peace of God and the God of Peace.
Our prayers go out to the families and our praise to the emergency services at another tragic event that will be felt sore by the people of Glasgow.

Posted with Blogsy

Bucket List Marathon

I've never really had a "bucket list". At least not until recently that is. Then having done a half marathon last year, I decided that to do a marathon before I was 40 (Feb 2014) was the next challenge.

I'm pleased to say that I achieved that back in May and was delighted with my accomplishment (4hrs 9mins).

But I have to say that I felt particularly flat after the event. I guess it's one of those things that you have focused on for so long and then once its over there's not that same focus.

It got me thinking about "aspirations" and "ambitions" that people have in general. We often look for satisfaction and fulfilment in our next achievement. For some that might be the next promotion or an achievement in family life, a sporting accomplishment or many other things.

But do these things really satisfy?

In the Bible, Jesus spoke to many people who had tried many things to satisfy them, but found that they were left empty. On one occasion, in John ch 4, Jesus spoke to a women at a well in Samaria, who had, had 5 husbands and now a live-in lover and yet, was still unhappy and unfulfilled.

She had come to the well for a drink, but on that occasion, Jesus offered her living water as he said, "whoever drinks of the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus offers us something that truly and fully satisfies - eternal life!!

This is something that we can't have on our own strength, because each of us have flaws in our life (which the Bible describes as sin).

Yet, we are promised from God that if we confess our sins and believe in what Jesus has done for us when he died on the cross at Calvary, we can have this eternal life.

So, what's on your bucket list? Make sure you give God some thought and consider why Jesus came into the world and died. It was for you, that you might have eternal life in heaven with Him.

Thanks for reading!! God Bless!

 

Posted with Blogsy

#john316

So, I was asked by a twitter friend to post John 3:16 as my status on twitter and Facebook today (18/3/2013). In fact it is part of a bigger Facebook initiative that is raising awareness of this great verse in the Bible.

And, so I agreed to it and hence my status will have that verse on it for today. But why did I do it? Why bother?

Quite simply, because I happen to believe that it will make a difference. I don't know everyone that reads my blog. I don't know your background, race, religion or status. It matters not.

This is a universal, all inclusive statement. It is a statement that does not focus on one religion or another, but simply states the love of God in action.

I wonder have you heard this verse from the Bible before. Here it is:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever, believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life".

 

I remember a little song that we used to sing about this verse. It went something like this;

"25 words in John 3:16,

No greater verse has ever been seen,

12 about God and 12 about me,

Son in the centre, Verse 16, John 3"

I recommend it to you as a great verse to commit to memory and to come to know the truth of - John 3:16, Here's a little vlog about this verse, that tells of an experience I had recently when quoting this verse;

 

Posted with Blogsy

Light is on The Way

Well, the days are getting longer again here in Scotland. I'm very much looking forward to being able to go to and from work in the daylight shortly.

Today it was almost light and what a difference it makes. Somehow you feel happier and healthier when the lighter nights come along and there's nothing better than hearing the birds beginning to sing.

There is that sort of feeling that we've survived another winter and that tends to spur us on to new and exciting things.

 

So what is the value of light? - well according to the Bible, people love darkness better than light. The light certainly shows up all the faults and none of us like to be shown up - let's face it!

But light also helps us to see clearer. Jesus described himself as the "light of the world" and states that those who follow Him shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.

He points us to the way to God - in fact He is The Way. What Jesus did in paying the price for our wrong on the cross at Calvary was sufficient to open up a way to Heaven and back to God, if we simply rest on the finished work of Christ who conquered the power of death and sin.

So, as the lighter nights come in - check out the Bible and what it says about you and about Jesus and get in contact if you have any questions...

Thanks for reading !!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Remember, Remember

Well we are back in November again, the month that we seem to have so much to remember.

We started off on the 5th of the month with Guy Fawkes night, where we remember the "gunpowder, treason and plot" and celebrate the failure by Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

Then on the 11th of November we remember at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month those that fought and died for us in wars to bring us freedom.

And so, remembering is undoubtedly, a theme for the month.

A wise man once said "Remember your creator in the days of your youth". This is in fact a verse in the Bible from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 1. The balance of the chapter goes on to explain why it is important to remember and I've attached my latest vlog here that expands on this;

 

So each of us will remember different events, people and circumstances this month. But let's take time to remember our creator.

There are so many people that have made it their lives work to disprove that the creator exists. Many are happy to follow that route. But I urge you, with an open mind, to consider the possibility of a creator who is beyond the explaining of our finite mind and I urge you to consider your accountability to him if this were reality...

I believe it is reality......would you consider it too?

 

Posted with Blogsy