Here it is - the first fruit from my garden this year - one raspberry - and it tasted pretty good too. A few other raspberries may be ready soon, a couple of tomatoes are forming, the lettuce is almost ready to start picking - but the sweet corn is only knee high - what's going on there?
Monday, 13 July 2009
First Fruits
Here it is - the first fruit from my garden this year - one raspberry - and it tasted pretty good too. A few other raspberries may be ready soon, a couple of tomatoes are forming, the lettuce is almost ready to start picking - but the sweet corn is only knee high - what's going on there?
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Codex Sinaiticus
Have you ever wondered what one of the oldest Christian Bibles looks like. Codex Sinaiticus was handwritten well over 1600 years ago, and the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. And now it is available online at http://www.codex-sinaiticus.net/
You may be interested to take a look even if you don't understand a word of Greek.
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
A Bucket full of Love
Given the option of knowing exactly when you were going to die would you want to, or not? According to Morgan Freeman in The Bucket List, 96% of people would say 'no'.
But often when we are confronted with our own mortality things come into a sharper focus than before. Suddenly there are things that we want to do with the time we have left.
In 1 Peter 4:7-11 Peter passes on some instructions to his readers about what their priorities should be given that the end is near. None of us can be sure when the end will be. We may think we have another 20, 30, 40 years or more, but we don't know what is just around the corner. The Bible also tells us that time will come to an end - but it doesn't tell us when that will be.
But Peter wants us to live as if it could be today. And the most important thing, he says, above all else, no matter what else you think you need to do, is to love each other deeply. And this is only possible when we have already accepted the love that God has for us. We have been forgiven so much - and therefore we love each other, and allow that love to cover a multitude of sins.
See the best in people this week, rather than suspect the worst. Put the needs of others before your own needs. Be generous and big hearted. Do something kind and unexpected for someone.
But often when we are confronted with our own mortality things come into a sharper focus than before. Suddenly there are things that we want to do with the time we have left.
In 1 Peter 4:7-11 Peter passes on some instructions to his readers about what their priorities should be given that the end is near. None of us can be sure when the end will be. We may think we have another 20, 30, 40 years or more, but we don't know what is just around the corner. The Bible also tells us that time will come to an end - but it doesn't tell us when that will be.
But Peter wants us to live as if it could be today. And the most important thing, he says, above all else, no matter what else you think you need to do, is to love each other deeply. And this is only possible when we have already accepted the love that God has for us. We have been forgiven so much - and therefore we love each other, and allow that love to cover a multitude of sins.
See the best in people this week, rather than suspect the worst. Put the needs of others before your own needs. Be generous and big hearted. Do something kind and unexpected for someone.
Monday, 6 July 2009
Well fed
Yesterday we had our International Sunday and after the service we really enjoyed a lunch together with food from many parts of the world. It was good to try some new things, and listen to people enthusing about dishes from their own country and encouraging others to try a bit. I was certainly well fed by the end.
We had 21 nationalities represented, and in rough west to east order they were:
USA, Brazil, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, St. Lucia, Tobago, Grenada, St. Helena, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, England, Scotland, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Heaven is going to be filled with people from every nation (Revelation 7:9), and one of the images used in the New Testament is of a great feast (e.g. Luke 14:15-24) - so it is good to get some practice in now!
We had 21 nationalities represented, and in rough west to east order they were:
USA, Brazil, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, St. Lucia, Tobago, Grenada, St. Helena, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, England, Scotland, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Heaven is going to be filled with people from every nation (Revelation 7:9), and one of the images used in the New Testament is of a great feast (e.g. Luke 14:15-24) - so it is good to get some practice in now!
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