The more astute of you will have noticed that my blogging has become more “non-existent” than it was sporadic haha. It has sadly fallen down the pecking order of things to do and therefore I don’t want to leave it just in limbo but rather sign off for awhile.

So this is the end of the blog for 2006. Hopefully I will take it up again in the new year and, by the grace of God, I will have a few photos of our firstborn child to share with you. Until then, thank you for stopping by. You were never obliged to so I appreciate all the fun you’ve given me. Please keep me in your feed readers so you’ll know when I’m back.

Until then, so long, farewell, auf weidershen, adieu.

Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and….

Actually it’s been quite nice not feeling a pressure to blog – as for the title, there is no obligation to read and for the past two weeks I found no obligation to write haha…

In the meantime I’ve given my free time to different things which took more priority. Zoe and I have been attending all sorts of childbirth/care seminars (NCT, ParentCraft) as well as gearing up for parenthood. I’ve been active in the church in teaching at the Bible Studies and leading the times of worship as well as all things happening in Pontypridd and on top of that I’ve given the All nations Church website a much needed face lift.

Yes, one year on and it was already time for a change. So now that it’s done I’d appreciate your comments and feedback. I’ve tried to make it very simple, easy to use, pretty, clean, fresh and appealing……let me know if I’ve managed that. Any suggestions too would be helpful.

Click here to get to the church website

But at the same time of doing the website my blog itself suffered from graphic fallout…..which is why, for a short time being, there were lots of little red crosses all over my site – bear with me, normal service is being resumed….I hope.

Also the Fantasy Football League Table has been updated and, yes, Kwaku is still soaring above everyone else. Of course the best news is that I’m third and have risen above Zoe haha. Click the inage below for the table.

Anyway, it’s good to be back and I hope to hear from you soon!

Simple.

Effective.

Have a great weekend!

Here’s the link: click here.

Here’s what mine came back with. It’s not so bad consdiering I’ve been going only 8 months but compare it to, say, Dr Aubrey’s blog….my site is peanuts haha. 

So come on people, share the wealth! Let us know what it generates for your blog and tell us all if we need to invest in your blog? haha

Here’s to a great and fantastic week!

What a great Name Jesus has!

When I stop and meditate on the name of Jesus my heart is stirred within me to worship. I don’t use it as a mantra or any kind of chant but I worship the Name of Jesus – I trust you know what I mean by that.

The name of Jesus was given to the Son of God because all names in scripture have a meaning and that is perhaps lost to us in the 21st Century. Jesus means god is my Salvation’ and that was what Jesus came to do – he came as the Saviour of the world, for me and you. He was given the name Jesus because that was who he was, and what he was sent to do. It was his identity (Saviour) and his mission statement (Saviour) all in one!

Isaiah 40:8 says that the “grass withers and the flowers fail but the Word of the Lord stands forever” Jesus is the Word, from the beginning – that’s what John 1 tells us. His Name will never pass away, He was, is and always will be the Saviour of the world, and the Saviour for you and I.

In the film Gladiator (top, top, top Movie!) there is a great line. It comes from Juba (the African gladiator pictured right) talking to Maximus (hero of the story) as they talk about how Caesar can’t simply have Maximus executed as this would grant him martyrdom. He says: “You have a great name. He must kill your name before he kills you.”

The enemy couldn’t and can’t hold the testimony of Jesus down because his Name will endure forever. From the hope that a Saviour was coming, to Herod failing in his murderous intent, to temptation in the wilderness, to crowds turning on Him, to the betrayal, to the cross and the depths of hell and torment of which we will never endure……the devil could not kill Jesus and take away his name! The Name of Jesus is the Name above all Names!

That’s why it is the ultimate confession we can make – that if we confess with our mouths ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in our hearts that he is raised from the dead – we will be saved (Rom 10:9-10). Why? Because we identify that it is only the Name of Jesus, the Name of salvation, that can save us. We are baptised in the Name of Jesus (Acts 2:38), we are healed by the Name of Jesus (Acts 3:15-17), we can perform great miracles for God in the Name of Jesus (Acts 4:30), we preach the gospel message fearlessly in the Name of Jesus (Acts 9:27), demons are cast out in the Name of Jesus (Acts 16:18), we bow the knee at the Name of Jesus (Phili 2:10) we do everything in the Name of Jesus (Col 3:17), we are commanded to believe in the Name of Jesus (1 Jn 3:23)

As Christians we have the Name of Jesus running through us like a stick of rock - let us keep alive the testimony of Jesus in our own lives, we too have a great name!

Take some time to think upon the Name of Jesus. It can be the sweetest word and song, it can be the most desperate of cries when we have nothing else to cling to – it has been, and will be, both to me for all my life. The Name of Jesus.

Meditate on the Name of Jesus….it points you to the man himself and he is the focus of our hearts and all eternity. There are many songs we know about Jesus but the song going through my head is the one below. Let us not become desensitised or over-familiar to the Name of Jesus Christ but let us raise it high as a banner so that all people will be drawn to it!

“Just the mention of your Name, causes me to bow before you. Tears flow as I adore you, at the mention of your Name – just the mention of your name.”

Rose from the grave today,

And is coming back tomorrow!“

 - Theodore Epp

2 Corinthians 11:3 – Imagination Versus Inspiration.Simplicity is the secret of seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly for a long while, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think a spiritual muddle clear, you have to obey it clear. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will think yourself into cotton wool. If there is something upon which God has put His pressure, obey in that matter, bring your imagination into captivity to the obedience of Christ with regard to it and everything will become as clear as daylight. The reasoning capacity comes afterwards, but we never see along that line, we see like children; when we try to be wise we see nothing (Matthew 11:25).The tiniest thing we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is quite sufficient to account for spiritual muddle, and all the thinking we like to spend on it will never make it clear. Spiritual muddle is only made plain by obedience.

…until they break

Haven’t blogged for a while because of a few techy problems….but it’s nearly all back together. What’s that? You missed me? Gee shucks, you guys are the best…

Ah, the end of the week

Tozer said: “Let a man set his heart only on doing the will of God and he is instantly free. No one can hinder him.”

I have heard Keri Jones often say that the best place in the world that a person can be is in the will of God. It doesn’t matter where you may reside, if you are in the will of God then you’re in the absolute best place to be.

2nd Corinthians 3:17 says: “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” What a great verse!

Being in the will of God, being led by His Spirit are sure ways to find ourselves walking in His steps as He leads us along in His perfect will for our lives.

Be at peace. Be in His will for your life. You will find that you will have freedom, perfect liberty and nothing will hinder you.

Have a great weekend!

I’ve been thinking a lot recently

How much is enough for you? How much do you have to have to be fulfilled? Car? Job? Family? Success? Fame? What is the standard that you have set out to measure the purpose and value of your life? I had my ideas for my own life. I had set out, long ago, on a course of what I knew I wanted to do with my life but then I became frustrated when it didn’t happen as I thought it would.

So I asked God – why is that? And God, through prayers spoken over many days, weeks and months now, began to ask me a question.  He asked me? How much is enough for you?

God said to me: “How much is enough for you? I’ve birthed dreams, desires and vision in your heart for Me to bring about and fulfil in My own time - so why do you feel you need to be further than you are? How much is enough for you? Let me ask you again David, right now, how much is enough for you?“

I thought about it and then two days ago I came to it. The answer. My answer. I replied:

“Lord, I’m sorry that I have strived and grasped for things which are not for now. Those things you have excited me with, they are important to me BUT they do not fulfil me in themselves. You Lord, however, DO fulfil me. So Lord the answer to your question is simple: it is enough for me that You love me.”

Now I feel at peace about all those things that were on my mind. Sure the enemy has tried to put doubt in my mind – but as we resist the Devil, he flees from us. God’s love is enough for me. God’s love fulfils me. I can live in that, I can grow in that. I can survive on that. I can build on that.

God loves me! That’s more than enough for me. Those things that were puzzling me…they don’t compare. In God’s time they will come and I will see them…but I will receive them because I know they are given to me from God my Father who loves me so very dearly.

Friends, how much is enough for you? Is the amazing truth that God loves you enough for you? I hope so. If it isn’t then you have placed other things above God’s most wonderful gift to you and devalued His love for your life.

God has reached out to us, He loved us first and His love is an everlasting love. Think about His love for you and I trust that as you do, just as I discovered, that everything else will find its place, its priority and its time.