A very special wedding!

We had a fantastic time last Saturday for the wedding of my step daughter Verity with David Yarwood. Everybody had a fun time and it was great to meet new people and make new friends. Everything went smooth and as they say photos speak louder than words, here they are!

I'm delighted to report that the couple travelled well to their honeymoon location in St Lucia that they described as paradise. The Lord bless you richly Verity and David in Jesus' mighty name.

An amazing week!

Dear friends, I hope that your week went well. What did you do?

I have spent most of my amazing week doing those:

- getting up early, not fun! It would be fun if I went to bed earlyish but as don't, I feel exhausted...still I love going to work and I can drive to Leek now without the satnav! 

- reading the Bible, this is a joyful time. I have also been pondering about memorising verses better  and as I was talking to my friend Lilly, she mentioned the 'writing' and 'reading' method. I almost dismissed it to start with because I have done that for a while and I am not sure it works. Then thinking about it again, I realise the time I spend on a passage is not repetitive enough, what i mean, is that instead of reading a passage on Monday and moving on, I decided that I am going to spend two or three days on the same passage i.e. last week, I practised on Galatians 5 and this week I am reading Luke 6..guess what? it works! 

- meeting up with my friends on the days I'm not working; that's great and I feel so blessed

- having great fellowship at Milwich village hall for another session of the Pilgrim course. 

-  baking brownies, I managed to do one lot following a recipe without butter or oil, replacing them by low-fat yoghurt (only 6% fat) and they came out nice and gooey. Let me know if you want the recipe! 

- looking after our rabbits, mainly stopping them from visiting the neighbours' garden hopping through a protected hedge! It's hard work, the minute you fill up a gap, they find another one!

-  listening to worship music on my YouTube channel and you may want to subscribe to my channel! 

- I've just added a Po.st sharing button on the right side of this blog. It was not too difficult! Sharing the good news using sharing buttons..

A prayer now, Abba father, thank you for the many blessings this week your pour on our lives lavishly. Though we don't deserve any by our own merit, you surround us with your tender love and you look after us day by day. When we fail, we cry out to you and you hear us and pick us up because you are full of compassion. We ask you to bless us and to protect us as well as our family and friends in the powerful name of Jesus, our saviour and redeemer. Amen.

Have a blessed week-end and good night. 

Butterfly story

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

~ Unknown

Like the butterfly, our struggles are exactly what God knows we need in our life. There are heartbreaking and tough times we face that God wants us to go through in order to change us into the person He wants us to be. As Christians, the struggles we go though are a part of God's journey for us, so we need to learn to rest in His promise to never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) as He works everything around for our good (Romans 8:28). He's preparing us for what awaits - He's preparing us to fly.

Source:  thank you Dot

The hands that flung stars into space!

Courtesy of Steven Abram

This morning, Steven and I had the pleasure to watch the eclipse, the moon moving in front of the sun and it was amazing. Could you see the smilie! My friend Lillie whatsapped me reminding me of the event! Something very special. 

You probably know Graham Kendrick's song, the Servant King. Graham describes Jesus' crucifixion in an astonishing contrast: the hands that flung stars into space to cruel nails surrendered. Other verses come to mind and corroborate this truth. John tells us the following about Jesus:

In the beginning the Word already was. The Word was in God’s presence and what God was, the Word was. He was with God at the beginning and through him all things came to be, without him no created thing came into being.”(John 1.1‑3)
Paul explains who Jesus to the Colossians  "He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Col.1.15‑17)
The supremacy of Jesus
Hebrews explains that Christ is supreme over more than just roles and systems. Hebrews 1:3  says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” Similarly, Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” 

Have a blessed week-end.

That's entertainment!

Last week-end, the evenings of entertainment gave an opportunity for all the Mid-trent Churches parishioners to do a talent show! 

Philip Daniel, Team Rector,  introducing the event.

Gareth Evans from Stowe. Such a wonderful interpretation.

Kool Kids from Milwich. Absolutely fabulous!

Diane Bradley from Sandon. It was a delightful performance.

Steven A. Wit with 'phil'...for those who enjoy playing with words!
At the interlude, a light supper, paté and buns were served.

Gill and Roger Titley from Weston. Absolutely hilarious!

Mary and her team from Milwich. An excellent show mixing wit and humour.

The 'Granna Mia' team from Hixon. Fun, light, amusing, relaxing...

Ian and Angela from Weston....The 'stage cleaners', or 'but there is a hole in my bucket'..wow. a superb interpretation!

Blessings to all.