The house of the LORD God

Last Sunday I preached from Davids sin in numbering the people (1 Chr 22). This was followed by the judgement of God upon the people. God in his mercy repented of the evil (not morally evil - but the awful consequence of sin) but David was shown the place of sacrifice, which was "accepted" by fire from heaven.The Oxen were the substitute for the people.
This surly points to Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment of all the Temple stood for, and our substitute, whom the wrath of God fell on, and which sacrifice was accepted. This is where God meets his people.

Eating out 2

http://blackhorseireland.com/
A pleasant surprise to be invited out to for a meal on Wednesday at short notice. After securing a baby sitter at short notice. A time to catch up with old friends and enjoy some Good food.
Service was good as was atmosphere.
Venison sausage in black pudding crisps to start, followed by T bone stake accompanied by the intriguingly named triple cooked chips. Highlight was the sweet - a raspberry soufflé which was absolutely scrummy.
Will return sometime God willing.

Power Cut

Yesterday evening we had a power cut for about 3hrs. This followed a short but fairly violent storm. As the outsid light went down we managed to find the candles and turned the years back in the living room. No computer, no TV, no memory on the phone, no boiler, and too dark for me to read. How we depend on electricity, but don't realise it most of the time! (I think that the more technical we get the more fragile our life styles become.)
Then its rather like our attitude to God. We only seem to notice when he withdraws his influence. Of course he is always near, but some times he is appears to have forsaken us. Then we realise our dependence on him. Oh that we might value His presence more.  - "I am with you even to the end of the world"

What manner of man is this?

I preached from the concluding verses of Mark 4 this Sunday morning. The disciples while obediently following Jesus command find themselves in the middle of a tremendous storm. It was so great that their boat was likely to be sunk. Jesus is asleep, his head on a pillow, standing in complete contrast to the panic among the disciples
This all was a test of their faith (which they failed - Jesus said they had no faith in this matter), which stands as an example of the seed falling into the rocky ground, in the parable of the sower at the beginning of the chapter.
After Jesus rebukes the wind and the sea, and the disciples - they ask this question what manner of man is this? I wounder if we have truly contemplated the answer to this question.
It is a wounder that Jesus is truly man as well as truly God - as he came to suffer in mans place as our substitute.

Pig Roast and Bonfire

After a busy week and a disappointing 6-1 loss at the Saturday football in the morning , it was good to go the Manor Farm in the afternoon for a get together, games, a pig roast and a fire with the 8-13s.
It was good to catch up with friends, meet their children and enjoy the food.
A match was sufficient to start the fire on a single piece of paper. In just a couple on minutes the whole pile of pallets, and garden waste was blazing away.- a reminder of James 3 v 5 -Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

Esther - part 2 - God works his purposes out

 Sunday morning we looked at Esther 4,5,6 & 7. In this section we find that Haman who had hoped by hanging Mordecai what would happen to people who wouldn't honour him by hanging him from a 20 metre high gallows,ends up leading him through the city wearing the kings clothes riding the kings horse declaring that this is what happens to the man whom the king delights to honour! what a God we have. What encouragement for these times of Christianophobia! Haman is eventually hung on his own gallows.

The Half Day of Two Games

It is Saturday again so the morning is football.

Match 1.
My boys team recorded a good 9-0 win in the first round of the cup. Particularly pleasing as he was in goal. The first choice was away, the second ill, but he bravely stepped up to the plate. Two impressive saves, one from a deflection showed a performance that couldn't have been justified from the warm up! Well done

Match 2.
My eldest girls team away to the top of the league, and they got hammered 10-1. The scoreline was justified. Once again she ran her self to a stand still, and was justly voted her teams best player by the parents. Come on boys please put some effort in too.

Stiff Necked People

Having suffering from neck pains this week I am reminded of the Children of Israel who were described as a stiff necked people.

Ex 32:9  And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

A bit of discomfort - but perhaps a reminder of our spiritual position before God, and the need to be softened, and to concentrate on serving God rather than ourselves.

2 Ch 30:8  Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.