Celestial painting…

How big is your God?

Housegroup tonight –

discussing how sometimes we limit what God can do in our lives by limiting how big we make Him… and how difficult it is to make the jump from knowing what we read in the Bible, to outworking that in our lives… we know God is big, but somehow we don’t live our lives as if that were true…

and thinking about times when God appears not to answer us – when what He is asking us to do is to wait… and trust in Him…

These are some of the verses and promises of Scripture we read and meditated on…

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. (Ephesians 3 v16-18)

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ …but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6 v31-33)

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40 v31)

Then Job replied to the Lord:
“I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you…”
(Job 42 v1-2)

At the foot of the cross…

Some song words which had new meaning for me yesterday…

I exchange all my sin
for the promise of salvation
and your name across my brow…

My name is graven on His hands
my name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
no tongue can bid me thence depart!

To think that my name is tattooed on God’s hands – what a truly amazing picture – but it’s not just a picture… it’s true! God will never let us go!

“Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands” (Isaiah 49 v16)

Sunday afternoon perambulations with doglet

Jesmond Dene on a damp but bright November afternoon…

Number 3 godson is 1

isn’t he gorgeous…!

Jelly Night at Kidz Klub

Captain Hook got jellied tonight…

…but I think we managed to wipe most of it off the walls!
Glad it wasn’t me this time!

Grace is like water

Housegroup tonight – we’re working our way through John Ortberg’s ‘If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat’…

Tonight we were thinking about failure and how we deal with it, considering David’s cry to God in the cave (Psalm 142) – and it struck me that it’s OK to fail – as long as we have the right attitude to it – that we should learn from our failures and mistakes – ask God what He wants us to learn, and how He wants us to change… rather than retreating into a cave and feeling sorry for ourselves…

And isn’t it true that when we are at our lowest point, feeling inadequate and ‘a failure’, that we are able to hear God speaking His truth. Somebody said ‘grace is like water – it flows to the lowest point’ – I like that…

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. (Psalm 142 v3)

Rainy in Edinburgh…

…but the Christmas fair is coming!

Double rainbow at Hartside

on the way to Penrith…

Mrs D is home – Hurrah!

Hurrah!

Mrs D returned home this evening after a mammoth weekend away with her year 6s at High Borrans near Windermere. It would appear that much fun was had by all, with highlights including walking around caves in the dark, dangling from ropes in the trees, paddling round a tarn in a canoe, and sitting on top of a mountain under a parachute drinking hot chocolate! Mostly in the pouring rain!

Doglet is also muchly pleased at Mrs D’s return – she has spent all evening lying as close as doggedly possible to Mrs D on the sofa!