On the way back from the post box

I saw this amazing sky on the way back from the post box this evening - beautiful herring bone patterns in orange, with really menacing deep black (can you have deep black?) clouds closing in behind... awesome!

Problems

Christian was preaching tonight on 1 Peter 1 - the start of a new series in the evenings...

What struck me afresh was what Peter says in verses 6 and 7 - that although I may ask God to remove my problems, God may let them remain... and in praising Him in the midst of my problems (because He is God, not because of how I feel), I grow and understand Him better. And so I learn to rely on Him, and as gold is refined in the fire, so I am refined and become ever closer to how He intended me to be.

I love the way the NLT puts it...
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

A Good Year

I went to see this film last night with Mrs D - it must rank as one of my favourites - straight into the top ten... it made me think - what is important in my life - career and progression - or doing what God wants me to do... I know he's challenging me to go deeper with him, and perhaps I need to re-think my priorities...

Druridge Bay

A crisp autumnal Sunday afternoon - what better place to be than Druridge Bay...

I love this place - walking with Mrs D and doglet, searching for sea-glass, listening to the waves crashing on the beach... somehow I always feel closer to God here.

God so loved this whole world

We sang this Godfrey Birtill song at church this morning - I just love the words...

God so loved this whole world
That He gave his only Son
And if we will cleave to Him
We'll not perish
But we'll have eternal Life
And we'll never be condemned
For God’s promises are Yes and Amen!

Yeah yeah yeah!...Yeah yeah yeah!
Yeah yeah yeah!...Yeah yeah yeah!
Yeah yeah yeah!...Yeah yeah yeah!
and Amen!.

Though we walk through dark days
Where the earth and heavens shake
Through the valley of despair
He is with us
Never giving up on us
Faithful and forever friend
For God’s promises are Yes and Amen!

Through the cross we are saved
In the blood we put our faith
For there is no other way
In to heaven
Jesus conquered death and hell
Promised to return again
And God’s promises are Yes and Amen!

The words of verse 2 spoke particularly powerfully to me again this morning - no matter what we're going through, no matter how far from God we feel - he never gives up on us... For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does (Psalm 33v4)

Back from The Lakes

Mrs D, doglet and I are just back from a wonderful week in the Lake District with 5 friends-of-old from Swindon days... lots of great walks (Tarn Hows and Rydal Water were particularly photogenic), laughs and coffee shops... and evenings of Cranium (crazy golf!), scrabble and trivial pursuit (Gandhi and his spinning wheel)...

And so this blog is born - inspired by TheWeeScottie and a long-standing feeling that I should start to record some of my journey with God... as well as some of the more mundane things I get up to!