The Ashes 2006-07

With just a couple of months to the opening Test, I know it probably seems a little early to be talking about the forthcoming Ashes tour of Australia but I’m sure the Aussies can’t wait to get their chance to put things right following last years demise.

Cricketing authorities in Australia have announced a new zero-tolerance policy towards racism in the stands. They have threatened offenders with lifetime bans from their grounds...but ‘pom bashing’ is ok(???)

Also in a nice little dig PCA chairman Martyn Ball, at the recent Professional Cricketers Association end of season gala, gave thanks for the meal with no reference to the Book of Common Prayer...

God bless the wine and food we eat
To retain the Ashes would be an amazing feat
England’s passion is second to none
So watch out Warnie here we come

Come on England!

Three in a Row

What a great victory! Not as tense as I'd anticipated but quite a comfortable win in the end. This also means for the first time ever three successive wins. Great stuff!

Not sure about those jackets by the way!

Praying for Keeps

Paul Benger spoke in church yesterday on the powerful topic of prayer.

Prayer is an integral part of our lives and the life of our church. Why do we pray?

God wants us to be a friend, to include him in every part of our world everyday. We pray to know his will for our lives, believing that he will guide us. Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Your Kingdom come, Your will be done...’
We pray to make a difference.
We pray to change our attitude.
We pray because there is stuff to pray about!
As a church and as individuals we can have an incredible prayer life. It’s about talking to God - dialogue not monologue. We need to include God in building our lives.

7 steps to successful prayer (it’s not a science but an attitude!)

Desire – realising what we want God to do in our lives. Jesus asked ‘what do you want me to do?’ He was trying to find out what was at the heart of us.
Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. God plants his desires within us.

Decide – James 1:6-8 - But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (7) That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; (8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
Make your minds up. Turn desire into decision. Sometimes we can fear decision making, because one decision can close all other paths (eg marriage) We sometimes don’t make decisions because we want God to guide us all of the time, when often he wants us to make that decision. We remain motionless – God wants us to get moving!

Ask – A simple thing to do. John 16:24 - Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
Asking is so important - but we often avoid it! Keep on asking...don’t give up.

Receive – Faith is a time rebel. Mark 11:24 - Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Faith lives today in the good of tomorrow. Our circumstances seem like nothing has changed. Faith see things differently. Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Speak – We often have trouble talking about things. Our words are powerful. We frame our world by the words of our mouth. Our faith should match our prayers and our speaking should match our faith. Mark 11:23 - I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

See – Something happens when we pray. We begin to see! As a church when we pray we see things expanding, growth taking place. We see the kind of things we will need. We begin to see things not yet seen! (Hebrews 11:1)

Act – James 2:20 - You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? When we pray the result is ‘action’ that moves us towards our goal.

The Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup kicks off this morning from the K Club in Ireland.

This for me is one of the most nail biting sporting events in the calendar. We will be watching it with eager anticipation this weekend especially the final ‘singles’ day on Sunday, which is always a real rollercoaster.

Europe have dominated in recent years...let's hope that trend continues!

Connecting

Great time in church this morning. Paul Benger brought an encouraging message concerning the new season for our Connect Groups in church and spoke on the purposes of connecting.

Ezekiel 37:1-10

Connect groups are all about...

Connecting people to God
Connecting people to people
Connecting people to church

There is much disconnection in our world. Nation against nation. Breakdown in relationships, marriages etc.

The need to connect is essential in our world. We were created for interaction.
Concerning the ‘valley’ in Ezekiel 37, disconnection causes dryness. Sometimes we go through the valley experience – during these times we need to stay connected.
God’s mandate for us is to be connected. He is bringing us together again at this time. The bones are coming together, becoming strong again. God is shaping us into an army.

Genesis 2:18 – And the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him."
Hebrews 10:25 – And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.
John 17:20-21 – (20) My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, (21) that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Three Purposes of Connection

FELLOWSHIP
It’s about sharing life together. Fellowship is something that is happening all of the time. Fellowship happens around Christ. Fellowship is also with one another. We become one, we become connected.
Romans 15:7 – So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified
Ephesians 4:2-3 - (2) Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. (3) Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 - So comfort and encourage each other with these words.
Choose your words wisely!
1 Thessalonians 5:11 - So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Inject courage, don’t suck it out of people i.e. discourage.

FRUITFULNESS
The power of synergy, of coming together - this results in fruitfulness.
Hebrews 10:24-25 – (24) And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, (25) not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

It is important that we are ‘assembled’ and not just gathered. The bones in Ezekiel 37 were first gathered but it was when they were assembled that they became fruitful and an army again! This is our destiny as we do life together.

FAITH
The overriding attitude and spirit within our Connect groups should be one of faith and hope. Not to have a false environment, something that is unreal. But a genuine place of recognising the needs of people, where comfort and strength comes in the form of faith and belief.

Our Connect groups will have that culture of faith and hope. A place where faith is injected into people.

Thankful and Praiseful

Spoke yesterday in church about two things to be ‘full’ of – THANKFUL and PRAISEFUL, the keys to a healthy life.

Psalm 100

Be Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Complaining seems to come naturally to almost everybody, in fact this can be the strongest addiction to break. Therefore God’s command to be thankful could appear to be unreasonably tough. However, if we read the verse as:
“It is God’s will that you be in Christ; therefore you can be thankful that He will work it out for good”, than it is no longer unreasonable and we can be released from trying to thank God for the difficult things that life can bring.

We don’t have to be thankful for the awful things that happen, BUT we can be constantly thankful that our lives are ‘in Christ’.

You can be imprisoned by your own murmuring, but Paul and Silas were broken out of their prison cell by their thankfulness (Acts 16)

How Can I be Thankful?

Make up your mind to live your best life today
Refuse to walk through life dragging the weight of yesterday. Don’t live in a future fantasy,“One day when…”
Psalm 16:5-6 – (5) LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. (6) The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Love the ones you’re with
Friends are those who have journeyed with you. Love and honor those who are where God has put you. Disattisfied, grumpy, unthankful people often lose sight of the importance of good/loyal friendships.

Let the grace of gratitude be always on your lips

Be Praiseful

‘If I didn’t praise I would feel like I had a fire shut within me!’ (AW Tozer)

Praise is Powerful

Acts 16:23-26

Paul and Silas knew the secret of how to lift their hearts above their troubles and enter into God’s presence and power.

God loves your praise of him; so much so, that He says He inhabits (dwells in) the praises of His people

Praise is a Lifestyle

It’s a devotion of life

“...I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalms 34:1)

Praise is a Sacrifice

...Something that we offer to God sacrificially, not just because we feel like it, but because we believe in Him and wish to please Him.

Hebrews 13:15 - Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Praise Sends the Enemy Running

Since praise manifests God’s presence, we also realise that praise pushes back the enemy, Satan.
2 Chron 20:20-24

Praise is about Music and much more

‘Why should the devil have all the good music?’ (Booth, SA)

2 Samuel 6 when the Bible comments on Michal, King David's wife, when she saw David dancing and rejoicing before the Lord - her heart was filled with contempt for him. And David's reply...Yes, I am willing to look even more foolish than this!

David loved God with a passion and zeal – his heart was for God and his house!

Psalm 40:3 - 'He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.’

David’s hearts desire was to worship God. He was effected in his spirit. It motivated him to song and frequently to dance. (He enjoyed God to the full). David was effected by everything around him as he wrote the psalms. In spite of his human frailties his heart’s desire was to praise.

Are you a price-savvy customer?

Mmmm....I love a great coffee.
But what kind of consumer am I?
How price-savvy are you? Read on.

...except Caleb

Speaking this Sunday in church on the attitude or spirit of Caleb.

In particular one of the points of principle that Caleb spoke of as part of his ‘positive report’ that he brought back from the Promised Land.

Caleb and Joshua, told the people, Numbers 14:8-9 - "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”

Caleb looked at the challenges confronting Israel and declared: “They will be bread for us!”

If we look at the challenges we face in the right way, those challenges...

Instead of maiming us they can make us
Instead of destroying us they can develop us
Instead of finishing us they can feed us
Instead of limiting us they can lift us up to new levels

If there were ever a Bible character that displayed a right attitude or "different spirit" toward God and His Word, it was Caleb.

Numbers 14:24 – But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it!

Wholeheartedly!

Number 32:11-12 – (11) 'Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - (12) not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.'

A New Day

Great message in church this morning from Paul Benger. He spoke on having a ‘new wineskin spirit’.

Matthew 9:14-17

God is into new things. We may have a fantastic day, an incredible experience...but God moves on. We should move on. Don’t set up camp there...get stuck in the past.
Psalm 33:3 – ‘Sing a new song’.
Behold I do a new thing...God doesn’t do the ‘old’.
He gives us a new life...you must be ‘born again’.
We can look forward to a ‘new heaven’ and a ‘new earth’.
God has made a ‘new covenant’ through Jesus Christ.

He sometime gives people a new name (many examples in the Bible)
Stop giving OLD names to things. Stop seeing yourself as ‘useless’, ‘weak’, ‘rubbish’ – but ‘blessed’, ‘strong’. Let the weak say I am strong; let the poor say I am rich.

You need a new wineskin, need to oil it – to keep it supple. Anointing, the Holy Spirit. Be filled.

A new wineskin - new spirit, new attitude. That believes God, stands on his promises. Have a ‘youthful spirit’ – nothing to do with age. We can be old and have a youthful spirit. We can be young and have an old, senile spirit.
Be youthful – have a good attitude of heart, we can remain supple.

Things that happen when we get old (so he has been told!)
(But remember it’s nothing to do with age – but spirit and attitude)

Deafness – naturally we start to lose our hearing. Spiritually we can stop hearing the call of God, the call of faith. Keep our ears open to what God is saying.
Slowness – we may slow down in the natural but never let it happen in your spirit, in your attitude. Keep your new wineskin spirit.
Blurred Vision – even at a young age we can let our focus for the future become blurred. Keep your vision clear.
Routines – we get into our routines of doing things. Don’t let your spirit get into silly routines. eg - Bitterness, unforgiveness.
Weakness – as we get older naturally. But not in the spirit – grow stronger. Keep alive in your spirit.
Security – we ensure we get all our ‘policies’ up to date. We don’t want to take any risks. In our spirit – never stop taking risks!
Small World – this can be where we live as we get old. Let us not live here spiritually. Determine to stay out of a ‘small world’ mentality.
Brittleness – as we get older we find it easier to get down but much harder to get back up again. Let us never let our spirits, our attitudes become inflexible. Let us lose our brittle, inflexible attitudes.
Memories – we tend to have memories instead of dreams. ‘We liked it back then’. It’s ‘nice’ to have memories...but keep on dreaming!

Great word!

Yorkshire Day

Today is Yorkshire Day, when men and women from across this historic county gather to celebrate their...well, Yorkshireness - leaving outsiders baffled about why they have such a high opinion of themselves....read on

Floundering or Flourishing?

Jeannie Benger spoke in church yesterday on staying out of the ruts and maintaining a life that flourishes and thrives.

God wants more for your life – do you? He only has good things for you.

Psalm 92:12-14 – (12) The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; (13) planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. (14) They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.

Get the revelation, it’s the difference between flourishing or floundering! Our relationships, careers, finances, health will all flourish.

How do we keep ourselves from floundering? How do we flourish? 4 keys:

Key 1 – Stay planted

Be planted in God’s house. Psalm 1:3 - He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
We will prosper! Make sure your roots are secure, that they are planted correctly. We will bear fruit and thrive.

Key 2 – Stay connected to people

Proverbs 17:17 – A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity
Have and make great connections. When you’re floundering don’t disconnect yourself. True friends help us through tough times.
Also be careful who you connect with. Proverbs 13:20 – He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm
Connect with people who help us fulfil our destiny in God.

Key 3 – Stay focused on the result you want

Stay in faith. God will give you the confidence, even when all around is crumbling.
In the midst of persecution refuse to draw back. Trust in God and in His word. Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God.
Faith helps us overcome any floundering.

Key 4 – Stay positive

Keep a right attitude. Don’t get cynical or critical when others are doing well. Rejoice with them. Guard your attitude. A poor attitude will result in us floundering and not flourishing. Change your future by your response to the present situation.

Lost in Translation

Paul Benger spoke yesterday in church on the subject of transformation by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 – (17) Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. (18) And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.

God’s word is our mirror. How do we see ourselves? What we see can often get lost in translation.

All of us have the destiny of being transformed into the image of God’s son. It was determined, predestined.

It was always God’s plan to transform us right from the beginning of our lives.
So that through the church, Jesus Christ would rule/reign and influence every area of society. To permeate the world, not to be separated from it.

Jesus said he would build his church, and we are the instrument he has chosen to reach the world – this is something that often gets lost in translation. Some people think the church is just limping out, hanging on until Christ returns.

We are His body and we are to be like him, by being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Four attitudes that we need to adopt to be transformed by the Holy Spirit:

1) Openness and honesty before God

Be real. Not wanting to be somebody else. He wants you to be you. He calls us the way we are, and yes He transforms us. Think of the potter/clay analogy. God can take a lump of lifeless raw material and make it into something beautiful.

2) Look into the mirror of God’s Word

James 1:22-25 – (22) And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. (23) For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. (24) You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. (25) But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law--the law that sets you free--and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Don’t just hear – do! When you look into the mirror and see you need a shave – shave!

When we look into the mirror, human behaviour often results in us either ignoring and pretending everything is ok or beating ourselves up because we don’t like what we see.

What we should see is...
Christ and the image we are growing into and what God is making us like. That we live on the right side of the cross - no longer condemned.
We truly find out what God thinks of us. He sees us after the cross, not as ‘lost’ but as ‘found’.

Look at Ephesians 1 and 2 and right down what God sees us as.

3) Realise that transformation by the Holy Spirit is step by step

Change doesn’t happen in a day. God will change us one step at a time. That’s how God grows us.

4) Realise transformation is a work of the Holy Spirit

Change comes by the Holy Spirit of God. We chose to walk by the Spirit or by the flesh. Set your minds on the things of the Spirit. Flick the switch.

God is the great transformer. He changes everything. Death to life, sickness to health, bitterness to faithfulness and so on!

Even the Dogs...

A great time in church yesterday, Paul Benger shared a message entitled ‘Even the Dogs’ taken from Mark 7:24-30.

Jesus needed a rest - the woman needed a miracle. She was desperate for her daughter to be healed.

Jesus didn’t respond to her desperation but to her faith.
Jesus is interested in the detail of our lives – He is the answer to our needs and desires. The woman knew this – that things could get better. God can make things better. She believed it. The supernatural can happen.

4 important truths about her faith that apply to us today:

Her faith was persistent
She kept asking. She knew what she wanted and stayed with it. Match your faith to your desire. Stay with it! Don’t be vague – know what you want.
Proverbs 16:3 – Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed

Her faith was bold
Jesus was not being PC here, about the Jew/Gentile relationship. The woman brushed aside his comments with the phrase, ‘Even the dogs…’ She was bold.
She was passionate and was not going to be knocked back. ‘God will give you the desires of your heart.’ He will even plant them in your heart – desires for the future.
Her desire made her bold; her desperation made her bold.

Her faith had great self-esteem
She had a right view of God and a right view of herself. She believed she deserved it. We deserve it!
She could have got angry, she could have got faithless. “God won’t do it for me”, “He’ll do it for them but not for me”
NO – “I believe God will do it for me!”
Know that God is for us that God is with us.

She Believed!
She wouldn’t pull out of the argument. She believed the Word. Belief is linked to receiving. Faith is about believing something for the future. “It’s going to happen”.
What you believe about your life has a greater impact than what others believe about your life.

The Scandal of Grace

Mark Wilkins spoke in church this morning on the Scandal of Grace. He used a scene from Godfather III where Don Corleone goes to Rome to negotiate a business deal with the Vatican. There in Rome he meets with Cardinal Lamberto, who asks if he would like to make his confession. At first Corleone refuses. He makes a little joke about how it would take too long. However, he wants the cardinal's help, and senses something redemptive in his presence. So Corleone begins his confession.

First he tells of his marital infidelities. Then he admits ordering the murder of his own brother. Overwhelmed by the burden of his guilt, he breaks down and starts to sob. Cardinal Lamberto pronounces the words of absolution, then says, "I know you don't believe this, but you have been redeemed."

Some may find this story scandalous, but, although only a story, this is probably what’s known as the ‘scandal of grace’.

Christ died so that ‘all’ may be redeemed, forgiven, know God’s mercy and grace.

We can know forgiveness from our past no matter who we are or what we’ve done. Some people find that hard to comprehend. In this world we’re hooked on the ‘scandal’ side of life.

As a church we’re going to see the scandalous…but where God’s grace needs to be lavished. We’ve received God’s grace and we need to pass it on...be ministers of grace.

Get ready to show scandalous grace...see people how God sees them.

“To build an outstanding church we need to show outstanding grace”.

God’s grace and forgiveness is for ALL that would ask and receive and a la the Godfather...surely ”it’s an offer we can’t refuse”.

Scolari Quotes

A great coach, who could have been managing England! He utters some wonderful pearls of wisdom from time to time. The latest, concerning Zinedine Zidane...

“Zidane can decide a game. When the ball goes to his feet it doesn't cry - when it goes to my feet, it cries”

You Can Do It!

Spoke in church yesterday. It was a message based on the encouragement given to me by my family in the run-up to the London Marathon – in the form of a little booklet.

Hebrews 10:23-25 – (23) let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (24) And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. (25) Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another— and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The word “unswervingly” is sometimes translated without wavering - it has the idea of staying true and firm without hesitation.

1) Remember - God is with us ALWAYS

Psalm 23 (NLT)

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever!

There’s no running or hiding from God...His love and goodness is constant, unceasing - relentless.

God is always with you – on your journey, on our journey. We should never forget that. He’s at the beginning...at the end – but we often forget he’s with us along the way!

2) Remember - ALWAYS Be Earthly Good

Beware of the flaky, mushy Christianity. (Flaky, def - eccentric, crazy, or just unreliable)

“So heavenly minded…no earthly good” – BUT be heavenly minded and earthly good. Touching Heaven…changing earth.

Guard against religiosity, super-spirituality, which is unreal and means nothing to anyone.

“Get earthed, but remain Heavened as well!”

3) Remember - ALWAYS Consider one another

Hebrews 10:24 – And let us consider one another how we may spur each other on towards love and good deeds.

‘Consider one another...how we may spur each other on towards love and good deeds’ – not only am I thinking about my life but about your life as well, how I might encourage impetus in your life to do what is right.

4) Remember - ALWAYS Encourage

Inject courage into one another – don’t discourage (i.e. suck it our of them!)

1 Thessalonians 5:11-15

Encouraging words make a difference

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life (Proverbs 10:11)

5) Remember - Determination and discipline is ALWAYS needed

We can’t escape certain things that must be present in our lives...if we’re going to see it through to the end – Determination and discipline.

Determination

Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

Press on, no matter what the cost. Focus on what lies ahead, not behind.

Discipline

Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

The word ‘Unswervingly’ gives us a picture of resolute determination and with that must go discipline.

We’re so often put off by that word. Seen as something negative when applied to our own lives.

It’s all about having “good habits” in our lives. We never seem to have a problem with the ‘bad habits’...do we?

Final encouragement - Hebrews 12:1-4

Out of Egypt

On Sunday, Simon Wood brought a message for our church at this time.

See the House full...consider the bigger picture. Don’t look back.

Exodus 1:7 - But the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them

The Children of Israel prospered in Israel but God had something much bigger for them. The Promised Land.

The new king of Egypt was threatened by the Children of Israel – even under affliction they prospered and grew.

Even when we go through tough times...we grow. God inhabits our praises; he inhabits our response - our faith.

God is taking us into the Promised Land, but we may need to experience the wilderness.

During their wilderness experience the Children of Israel kept looking back, longing for Egypt again.

As a church we have moved, we have transitioned – “the wilderness experience will make you look back or even go back, or it makes you move forward”.

Why didn’t the Children of Israel go into the Promised Land straight away?

1) They’d left Egypt but Egypt had not left them

2) They were looking for a god who went before them but had forgotten the promises of God – the Promised Land.

Exodus 32:1 - When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered round Aaron and said, Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him

They needed to lay hold of what God had for them. So do we. See what God sees – the bigger picture.

Own the vision of the House. Everyone of us is a part of it. We’re the master of it – our destiny.

We may face opposition - If God is for is who can be against us!

Be an ‘If only’ church not a ‘What if’ church!

World Cup Photo

I’m sure I used to play on a pitch like this one in my younger days...

Done by the groundsmen of the Olympic Park, Berlin.

Urban World 2050

The world is fast approaching the point where the majority of the human population will be found in urban areas.

The projection is that in 50 years' time, two-thirds of humanity will live in cities. Six experts outline their vision of the urban world in 2050. Read on.

Amazing photo comparison...

Dubai 1991


Dubai 2005

The World Cup

Sadly it's only every 4 years, but I love it! Come on England.

Oh and by the way...

This one's for Steve and Helen (sister-in-law) living in Perth. Well done the Socceroos...a great start.