Summer Sun and Dr Needham

Well having no internet connection for 5 weeks now I have had some withdrawal symptoms from surfing the net, so much so Im driving the kids crazy with my rapid Tv channel changing to find somthing of interest! Anyway I brought the laptop to my husbands office and spending time drinking coffee and reliving office life with Jimmy and John who I worked with 14 years ago !!! Obviously I got on so well with Jimmy we got married.
Well summer has passed very quickly read a few books, but the pre season college training is not quite gone to plan, what with work and Kids and a visit from my mum.
Mum and I spent time chatting and a lovely day out to Brodie by ourselves, so I have a bit of work to do. Thens theres the Candidates conference at the end of this month, Im so excited but a little terrified! I was at the east church in Inverness yesterday and the minister there spoke of recognising God working in our lives I think more so than ever do I see God this .


So heres what Ive been doing on my first Student Summer ! and one of the Kids and I off to the Beach

Lentil Soup

I have heard that Jewish mother are renowned for chicken soup to comfort and fix all that ails.Well being a Scottish mother its lentil soup that I produce by the pot load in the winter,to which my teenage rebel without a cause daughter turns her ickle vegetarian nose up at.
Yesterday I received a text from my daughter saying "call me now" so in the pursuing moments of thinking whats wrong ,is she hurt or in trouble. No my daughter just wanted to let me know very some exciting news "Mum I like lentil soup its great"!!

Now if you are reading this thinking whats the big deal,Ill explain. You see Ive been praying about my daughter and I and our relationship as communications can be a little difficult,and that little moment of lentil soup I believe is comfort and love from my Father in Heaven.





John 6:26-28 (NIV)
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

Christs Humanity

Jimmy and I have been painting our living room this week and doing some very late spring cleaning. However Ive returned to reading (in a very nicly painted room!)Jesus both man and God buy Steve Olyott,in preparation for next semmester.Jimmy informed me its all about the pre-season training!Only he could try to inspire me to read more using a football analogy.
The book has given me alot to think about over the last few days about Jesus as man both in body and nature and what this has meant for me and the world

Anyway I think this hymn from the fifteenth century says it better than I can (the football analogy here is "bring on the sub")



O Love ,how deep,how broad,how high!
it fills the heart with ecstasy,
That God ,the Son of God ,should take
Our mortal form ,for mortals sake.

He sent no angel to our race,
Of higher or lower place,
But wore the robe of human frame
Himself,and to this lost world came.

For us He was baptised and bore,
His Holy fast and hungered sore
For us temptation sharp he knew,
For us the tempter overthrew.

For us he prayed,for us he taught,
For us His daily works He wroght,
By words and signs and actions thus,
Still seeking ,not Him ,but us.

For us to wicked men betrayed,
Scourged,mocked,in purple robe arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross abd death,
For us at lenght gave up His breath.

For us He rose from death again,
For us He went on high to reign,
For us He sent His spirit here.
To guide ,to strenghen and to cheer.

To Him whose boundless love has won
Salvation for us through His son,
To God the Father ,Glory be,
Both now and through eternity.

Amen

Dunvisitin at Dunrobin

Just home after a lovely day out with the kids to Golspie. Went on a surprise visit to my friend Liz, which was great. We saw round Dunrobin Castle and Liz gave us the tour and knew all about the castle and its history.Then we went for tea we had great fish and chips and a stroll down the beach.It felt like summer had arrived.My boys are happily creating cartoon scripts on their new pads which they think they will print and sell for pocket money!!
I have that sleepy content feeling after a great day,hope we have more of these summer days in store.
Hope you are having a good summer too
Every Blessing
Andrea

The Good The Bad and The Ugly

This week has been a really difficult one with Sunday,Monday and Tuesday all having huge disappointments and hurt, but nothing is insurmountable with God.
However on a lighter note tonight I found out Id passed my Greek module, this was the module that was worrying me.
So celebrated with a little dance around the living room, to my daughters embarrassment. Not a jot did I bother! So the paradigms are off the wall now.
I'm helping out at the kids club this week at Church and having some great fun ,especially playing Dr Potty in the drama( move over Cameron Diaz!!)
Anyway here's a link to the kids(not the kids at our church)and my favourite song of the week
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mMZy05ooFY&feature=related

by the by
the good is my pass
the bad was the beginning of this week
the ugly... my acting skills

Every Blessing for you week

Awakening to Call

Over the last year I have been reflecting on my personal call from God .This is a Thomas Merton passage I read and found quite beautiful about the universal call of God for every human being inviting you to offer your song
"The first chirps of the waking day birds mark the point vierge of the dawn under a sky as yet without real light,a moment of awe and inexpressible innocence,when the Father in perfect silence opens their eyes.They begin to speak to him,not with fluent song,but with an awakening question that is their dawn state,their state at the point vierge. Their condition asks if it is time for them to be.He answers yes.Then,they one by one waken and become birds.They manifest themselves as birds,beginning to sing.Presently the will be full themselves and begin to fly...All wisdom seeks to collect and manifest itself at that blind sweet point, the virgin point between darkness and light ,between non-being and being."
Called or Collard Francis Dewar p39

Prayer

Im half way through reading Yanceys book on prayer and Im really enjoying reading how with prayer God changes our lives and the world, he describes a two way process of speaking and listening to God. I'm not writing a book review just some thoughts

I have been praying recently about the horrendous situation in Zimbabwe and for Gods hand to restore peace ,Mugabe believes it is only God that will remove him from power.

In the book Barth is quoted as writing "to clasp our hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world " Sitting in my home a thousand miles away from Zimbabwe watching the news, I know the most powerful thing I could ever do is speak to God.

Justification and Martin Luther

My recent essay was on on the wonderful Doctrine of Justification ,Gods saving righteousness through our faith in Christ. Justification by faith alone was Martin Luther's great spiritual and theological breakthrough. It did not come easily. He had tried everything from sleeping on hard floors and fasting to climbing a staircase in Rome while kneeling in prayer. Monasteries, disciplines, confessions, masses, absolutions, good works-all proved fruitless. Peace with God eluded him. The thought of the righteousness of God pursued him. He hated the very word "righteousness," which he believed provided a divine mandate to condemn him.
Light finally dawned for Luther as he mediated on Romans 1:17, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." He saw for the first time that the righteousness Paul had here in mind was not a punitive justice which condemns sinners but a perfect righteousness which God freely grants to sinners on the basis of Christ's merits, and which sinners receive by faith. Luther saw that the doctrine of justification by grace alone (sola gratia) through faith alone (per solam fidem) because of Christ alone solus Christus) was the heart of the gospel and became for him "an open door into paradise.... a gate to heaven."

This life changing grace and righteousness is free to you and I, through Christ on the cross for us

The organisation of the Church of Scotland
WOMEN IN THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND
An open letter to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1967:
This appeal comes from six women who believe that they have been called to the ministry of word and sacraments, and that the time has come for the Church of Scotland to take a decision on this question. We believe that the theological principle at issue is quite simply the following: that God can and does call on women to the ordained ministry of his church.
We do not intend to argue the theological case here: that has been done many times before, and there would appear to be an increasing consensus of opinion in the churches that there is no valid theological reason against the admission of women to the ministry.
If that is so, then we venture to suggest that the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland should not delay further by merely sending the report of the Panel on Doctrine to presbyteries 'for their information.' Rather, the General Assembly itself should initiate action now, for the following reasons:
(a) The Present situation in which the Church of Scotand both ordains women to the eldership and licenses women to preach the word, but refuses to ordain women to the ministry of world and sacraments, is clearly anomalous.
(b) Within the Presbyterian tradition an increasing number of churches admits women to the ministry; twenty-two member churches of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches now ordain women.
(c) In the meantime, candidates are being lost to the Church of Scotland. At least eight women members of the Church of Scotland have become ministers of other churches; there are at the moment a number of women in the theologcial colleges, and it is not know how many others may be called.
(d) The question of the relation between the Church of Scotland and other denominations must not be allowed to obscure this issue. If the Church of Scotland is persuaded that the theological case is sound she should act, possibly in consultation with churches with whom she is aldready in conversation. Further, is not action necessary in order to avoid the anomalous situation described in the proposed Plan of Union with the Congregational Union of Scotland?
If the Church of Scotland were to reach a positive decision on this issue, then not only would individual candidates be available to her ministry, but we believe that a new freedom might be experienced at all levels of the church's life, and new patterns of ministry be worked out by men and women in partnership.
We beg that the General Assembly face the basic question - submitted in a petition in 1963, referred to the Panel on Doctrine for consideration, but not answered in their reports - viz. the reality of God's call of a woman to the ministry. If we are in error, show us our error. But if our belief is sound, then we ask that the church should take steps to remove the barrier, in order that the call may be tested of any women who may present themselves to the church as candidates for the ministry.
Claude Barbour, Ministere Feminin, Certificat d'Etudes Religieuses
Margaret Forrester, MA, BD, DCS
Elizabeth Hewat, MA, BD, PhD, DD
Mary Levison, BA, BD, DCS
Mary Weir, BA, BD
Sheila White, MA, BD, DCS

It is now 40 years since women have been ordained in the Church of Scotland. I have been looking at my call to serve Christ over the last 11 months and by Gods grace I hope to continue, learning and growing in my faith through his word . I long to serve Christ to teach of his love, compassion and greatness and answer the Gods call , even though I ask why me? In my heart it is about serving not changing opinion about women that has been done before I was born.

This morning with C.H.Spurgeon

Up early this morning about 5am it was very peaceful so had plenty of time to start the day with prayer and reflection. Read Spurgeon and just wanted to share his thoughts as it lifted my spirit and fixed my eyes on Jesus.
Isaiah 40;11
"He shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom"
He carries his lambs in his bosom,Here is boundless affection.Would he put them to his bosom if he did not love them much? Here is the tender nearness so near are they that they could not possibly be nearer.These are precious love passages between Christ and his weak ones.Here is perfect saftey in his bosom who can hurt them? They must hurt the shepherd first. Here is perfect rest and sweetest comfort. Surely we are not sufficiently sensible of the infinite tenderness of Jesus!
Spurgeons daily readings (287)

After those wonderful soothing words it was time for a chapter of Greek verbs,horse fed ,last nights dishes done,rhubarb picked for a few students,kids lunches made ,porridge on,breakfast and then the rush of our family to get to school ,college and work.

I hope you know our saviours love ,his rest and comfort today and you have time to be nearer to him

Blast from the past

Ive been listening to Tracy Chapman again after finding it ,whilst looking for a CD for my daughter. It took me back to my late teens going on a bus trip to London with my friend where the bus driver agreed to play the cassette I had. This isnt one of the songs from then but its a great song

heres the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSO3ZW3hL1Q&feature=related

Counting blessings

We used to sing a great chorus at sunday school its a pretty old one .( not that I am!!) " Count your blessing name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done"

So not having had the best couple of days with one thing and another , I thought Id share a few blessings Ive had this week

• The freedom to pray with friends in the wonderful sunshine we are getting just now.
• A loving husband who encourages my study and listens when I get excited about a bible passage
• Money to pay the rent
• Sleep and food
• Kids that make my life interesting and fun
• A wonderful letter of encouragment and support that came on a day when tears werent too far away
• the oppertunity to speak to a friend about Jesus and try to answer her questions

This list is endless really as Gods love is endless

My salvation and my honour depend on God. Trust in him at all times ,O people pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge

Psalm 63;7-8

Essay stress

Im trying to finish off an essay due in today the question "compare and contrast the kingship of David and Solomon"so Im having a 10 minute break to share some valuable advice given to me this morning !
I believe it may possibly be an Ancient Australian proverb

"if you bite of more than you can chew ,keep on chewing"

Well in reference to my essay I might be chewin this for many hours and just pray I get it over my neck before midnight!

G day !

Time Patience and Children

As I sit and prepare for a service on sunday I am struck by my lack of time and patience but an over abundence of Children .Now I love them dearly but I really need to get the balance of time and patience with them sorted out
so my verse for today and reminder to us all is Galations 5;22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Easter Monday

This is my first attempt at blogging after being encouraged to blog by friends. So here goes ,enjoy the spelling mistakes.
Well, it being Easter and the celebration of our risen Lord its been a busy couple of days. We had a fantastic sunrise service(7 am) on the beach this year and breafasted later on bacon rolls .It was rather cold but the snow stayed away, my boys told me they couldnt feel their toes when the service finished. When my hubby and I returned home from Church ,to catch the end of the Passion on the BBC , which was pretty good .we tuned in munching on the kids easter eggs to Channel 4 ,to see the second half of Robert Beckfords documentary " The secrets of the 12 Disciples ". It was reallly interesting , we only saw from the discussionof Judas onwards ,which created a discussion in the living room on :was Judas the evil guy of the bible ? The progamme also showed that there would have probably been female apostles ,another hot potatoe ! How the early church would not have taken to Jesus equaltiy of women.
The conclusion was very encouraging to be disciples of today,possibly just enought to create an interest in finding out more about this Jesus and what he it all about.
Anyway best get off and do some reading and plod on with the Greek.
You can read more here http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/C/can_you_believe_it/debates/disciples.html