Diamond Jubilee

It is Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee this year and we are wondering what to do this Jubilee weekend. We might visit Tatton Park, or we might stay local - I'm not sure.  Hubs has hurt his back so it all depends on how he is feeling. We also have the Olympic torch passing through our town this weekend later this month too, so that should be fun.

On Sunday the Queen will travel down the Thames as part of the Diamond Jubilee Pageant, that should be interesting to watch - what a shame we won't be there.

On Sunday 3rd June 2012, over one thousand boats will muster on the River Thames in preparation for Her Majesty The Queen to take part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. 

The formal river procession will be between 2pm and 6pm, starting upriver of Battersea Bridge and finishing downriver of Tower Bridge. The boats will muster between Hammersmith and Battersea and disperse from Tower Bridge to West India Docks. ~ The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant

Flickr

Queen Victoria was our last monarch to make it to a Diamond Jubilee, here is some footage if you're interested :) :






Will you be doing anything for the Jubilee?

Big fire

I was having fun this dinner time looking for an errant Chatterbox (instead of working in the kitchen where I should have been) who hadn't turned up for her clarinet lesson and her clarinet teacher was on the rampage, when I noticed a HUGE column of black smoke rising up in the distance.

Various theories were put forth, tanker explosion on the motorway, gas cannisters at a farm, a petrol station, a bomb, and most of the Year 1 children (ages 5-6) thought that it was their houses and were quite distressed.

Turns out some silos of solvent had exploded at a mill. Great balls of flame could be seen ballooning into the air.


Unfortunately, two people have been badly burned.  It is worrying that a mill would be allowed to place the silos so close to housing, if the wind had been blowing strongly it could have been much worse!

Argh the dandelions

Being ill on and off for what seems like an aeon [see how I transliterate my koine Greek like a true scholar...] I've let things go somewhat in the garden.  So that things look like this:

Dandelions: Flickr

Every time I look out of the window the dandelions look like the picture above.  As soon as I get the mower out they all mysteriously lie flat on the grass and won't mow.  I think they are sentient beings, dandelions, secretly laughing at me.

My dad bought some weedkiller that just targets the weeds, I might get some of that, but it had a weird effect, in that when he sprayed it on the lawn it was like miracle-grow and the weeds grew out of control.  It was funny to see them every day growing bigger and bigger.  He half expected to open the patio window curtains one morning and find the weeds on his patio clicking at him like triffids.  Apparently, this excessive growth was normal, they grow madly and then suddenly die off leaving you with a weed free lawn.

Although, I'm not sure how much grass I have between the dandelions, so maybe I'll leave the weed killer.

Husband rescuing me from the gardening.

Enid Blyton, C S Lewis, and Mother Teresa

How's that for a guest list to an interesting party?

Firstly, Enid Blyton.  I'm reading the first book in the Famous Five series, Five on a Treasure Island, with Squidge.  I'm reading The Ship of Adventure with Chatterbox.  These books tend to follow a bit of a formula and I was amused that we are almost up to the 'Prisoners!' chapter in both books.  I have a great affection for Blyton, I think it has to do with nostalgia mostly.

Secondly, C S Lewis.  I think C S Lewis was an awesome (see how I am using 'awesome' instead of 'cool'? That is because I am both hip and with-it!) writer.  I really resonate with much of his thoughts on Christianity, not everything, but a good deal.  So there I am perusing the internet and doing some blog hopping - you know where you read one thing and think, "What's that all about?" so you Google it, and then the next thing you know you're five links away from where you started and you haven't actually finished a whole article due to the hopping issue.  Anyway, I digress, I came across a post that has annoyed me so much I'm not even going to link to it - though if you're desperate I'm sure Google will obligingly find it for you - in which the writer claimed that CS Lewis was not in heaven because he wasn't a Christian.  Seemingly for three main reasons, he didn't accept Biblical Inerrancy as the author of the post defined it, he was a universalist (he wasn't) because he didn't subscribe to the post author's particular Calvinistic viewpoint, and because Lewis didn't describe the atonement in a manner acceptable to the author.

Thirdly, Mother Teresa, the article about CS Lewis reminded me of a number of negative things written about Mother Teresa when she died, some going so far as to say that she wasn't going to heaven because she was Roman Catholic.

I get so confused by the opinions of Christendom.  Why do we like to condemn the person and not the doctrine? Who gets to decide who is or isn't a Christian? Disagreeing about Christian doctrine is one thing, but condemning someone whose soul is not in our hands is another!

So here are some questions that have arisen after reading a couple of articles:

• Do those who profess it truly believe that it is by faith alone that a man is saved?  
• Do we believe that we have to believe in the doctrine of 'faith alone' to be saved?  That is, are we saved by the doctrine of faith alone?  If so, if I have faith in Jesus but do not accept 'faith alone', am I condemned?
• Are we saved if we have faith, but also believe we need other things as well?
• If someone believes that we need to believe other things with faith (like faith + works) does that negate the fact that they have the faith?  Or does God say, "Well, you have faith but you believe you need works also to be saved so your faith is negated?"
• Do we have to believe that the Bible is inerrant in order to be saved (like this particular chappie did)? Therefore was he saying that the Bible alone saves us? Or is it the Bible and Jesus? Is Jesus, the living Word of God, less powerful to save than the written Word of God?

Please understand, I am not dismissing that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.  Neither am I dismissing the perfection of God's Word.  I am just wanting to know why people who state that they believe that you only need faith in Jesus Christ in order to be saved*: 'That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.' (Romans 10:9); how such people can then claim someone is NOT saved just because they have a number of doctrines that you disagree with. ONLY God can see a person's heart, whether their faith is genuine, whether their love for Christ is real.  Speak out about sin, about what you see as incorrect doctrine, fine - but don't condemn the man to hell because he isn't from your brand of Christianity.

[*NB: This is faith in Christ to save - not a simple belief that He existed or that God exists - the demons know these things (see James Chapter 2) I'm speaking of faith in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and His glorious resurrection into new life.]

Jesus saves - JESUS!  Doctrine is important, yes, but it is JESUS Who saves.

I love Jesus.

Well now, that's rather interesting!

Long time blog-friends know that I LOVE words.  So I know that you dear friends will be forgiving when I do a little word-dance of excitement over a new word or meaning.

I've heard it said before that the word 'sin' comes from an archery term which means 'to miss the mark' (as far as I understand it both the Greek word for sin and the Hebrew word for sin both have this root meaning).

I have personally interpreted this to mean that when we sin we miss the life that God wants us to live.  Sin leads to death (according to Paul's teaching in Romans), whereas righteousness leads to life (for Christians that means life in Jesus).

So imagine my word-related joy when I discovered this on Hebrew4Christians (a site I rather like):

The word Torah (תּוֹרָה) comes from the root word yarah meaning "to shoot an arrow" or "to hit the mark." - The Written Torah

AWESOME (a word one of Chatterbox's friend's teenage sister told me is the new 'cool' - 'cool' is no longer cool).

If you click the link to the Hebrew4Christians site the author explains further.

So:
Sin = missing the mark.
God's teaching (the Torah) = to hit the mark.

I love words.

This n' that n' the other

Chatterbox has been poorly all week and it's been SATs week (National Curriculum Assessment in England).  Poor little one, although Mon-Thurs she wasn't too bad, just a sore throat and cold.  She managed school up until Thursday and then had Friday off school, fortunately the tests had finished.  She hasn't any infection, just a virus according to our doctor.  She was quite poorly this morning with a bit of a fever and tummy ache, but as the day went on she was much better.

Hubs and I went out last night for our bi-monthly date-night, but we'd not been out an hour when we had a phone call from Hubs' Dad to say Squidge thought she'd swallowed something and was quite upset.  So we had to rush back.  She's been OK though, we still aren't sure what she thinks she swallowed, she had the tail of a pot-cat in her mouth.  Nothing had come off the tail but she was convinced something was in her throat.  She has a cold so maybe her throat was irritated.  So we kept checking on her, it seemed to pass and she's fine today.  A mystery.

Hubs has been out all day today at an event in a large local church. The event is all about worship music and leading worship in church.  Hubs is Music Group Leader at our church and he wanted some ideas and inspiration.  He went with his Mom, she too occasionally leads music at her own church.  The girls and I met up with them for tea this evening as Chatterbox was feeling so much better.  They seem to be having a great time, Hubs is still there, it doesn't finish until about 10 pm.

Well, that's it.  I nearly wrote that it is Pentecost tomorrow, but it isn't, that's next Sunday. Do you celebrate Pentecost or Whitsun at your church?

That's My King!

I wonder if you know Him today?

Kitty is becoming more unstable

Ontological Argument

I studied Anselm's 'Ontological Argument' as part of my Religious Philosophy component of my Religious Studies A' Levels and it's always fascinated me.  How do you explain the nature of being in relation to God Who does by nature dwell in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16), Whose judgements are unsearchable and His ways past finding out (Romans 11:33), Whose ways and thoughts are way above earthly thinking (Isaiah 55:9)?  This is pretty much Immanuel Kant's reasoning in his objection to Anselm's Proslogian - we cannot experience God in the same way that we can physical objects in the natural world.  But this is the beauty of Jesus Christ, in Him we can actually know God.  We can have a relationship with God.  In Christ, God is our Father, Who will never forsake His children and will never leave us.  We are protected in His love.  We won't on this earth fully understand God - for whose mind is big enough for that? - but one day we will meet Him face-to-face.

Having said all that, as far as I am aware, Anselm's meditation was not an argument put forward to convince the atheist of the existence of God but rather a meditation on the incontrovertible knowing that God exists.

From Proslogian:

Chapter 2: That God Really Exists

Therefore, Lord, you who give knowledge of the faith, give me as much knowledge as you know to be fitting for me, because you are as we believe and that which we believe. And indeed we believe you are something greater than which cannot be thought. Or is there no such kind of thing, for "the fool said in his heart, 'there is no God'" (Ps. 13:1, 52:1)? But certainly that same fool, having heard what I just said, "something greater than which cannot be thought," understands what he heard, and what he understands is in his thought, even if he does not think it exists. For it is one thing for something to exist in a person's thought and quite another for the person to think that thing exists. For when a painter thinks ahead to what he will paint, he has that picture in his thought, but he does not yet think it exists, because he has not done it yet. Once he has painted it he has it in his thought and thinks it exists because he has done it. Thus even the fool is compelled to grant that something greater than which cannot be thought exists in thought, because he understands what he hears, and whatever is understood exists in thought. And certainly that greater than which cannot be understood cannot exist only in thought, for if it exists only in thought it could also be thought of as existing in reality as well, which is greater. If, therefore, that than which greater cannot be thought exists in thought alone, then that than which greater cannot be thought turns out to be that than which something greater actually can be thought, but that is obviously impossible. Therefore something than which greater cannot be thought undoubtedly exists both in thought and in reality.

Chapter 3: That God Cannot be Thought Not to Exist

In fact, it so undoubtedly exists that it cannot be thought of as not existing. For one can think there exists something that cannot be thought of as not existing, and that would be greater than something which can be thought of as not existing. For if that greater than which cannot be thought can be thought of as not existing, then that greater than which cannot be thought is not that greater than which cannot be thought, which does not make sense. Thus that than which nothing can be thought so undoubtedly exists that it cannot even be thought of as not existing. And you, Lord God, are this being. You exist so undoubtedly, my Lord God, that you cannot even be thought of as not existing. And deservedly, for if some mind could think of something greater than you, that creature would rise above the creator and could pass judgement on the creator, which is absurd. And indeed whatever exists except you alone can be thought of as not existing. You alone of all things most truly exists and thus enjoy existence to the fullest degree of all things, because nothing else exists so undoubtedly, and thus everything else enjoys being in a lesser degree. Why therefore did the fool say in his heart "there is no God," since it is so evident to any rational mind that you above all things exist? Why indeed, except precisely because he is stupid and foolish?

~Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109)

How awesome is that?

I'll bet you're thinking I'm a bit of a saddo, but I don't care! :)

Jesus: The Lord is Salvation

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
~John 17:3

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
~1 John 5:20

For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord;
~Proverbs 8:35

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
~Psalm 73:25

Knowing You Jesus ~Graham Kendrick 

All I once held dear, built my life upon, 

All this world reveres and wars to own; 

All I once thought gain I have counted loss, 

Spent and worthless now compared to this. 

 Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You 

There is no greater thing. 

You're my all, You're the best, 

You're my joy, my righteousness, 

And I love You Lord. 

Now my heart's desire is to know You more, 

To be found in You and know as Yours, 

To possess by faith what I could not earn 

All surpassing gift of righteousness 

Oh to know the power of Your risen life, 

And to know You in Your sufferings; 

To become like You in Your death, my Lord, 

So with You to live and never die.

Beautiful, moving singing

A beautiful moment on Britain's Got Talent, he is so shy and yet what a talent! You'll have to click on the link to watch on Youtube.

Results of my eye scan

Refer Spam - be careful!

I'd noticed an increase in traffic in my blog stats, but the referring sites were unknown to me and I never click on an unknown link. So I Googled the sites without actually visiting them and found some interesting information.  They are what is known as 'Refer Spam'. Apparently, some of these sites can have malware or viruses and may also have p*rn, so never click an unknown link.

Here is some good advice about dealing with them: How to Handle Refer Spam

Wild Weather, Mormons and Good News