Impressing The Great Judge

Down on the beach I strutted and swaggered

Wearing new swim trunks,

‘cause my old ones were paggered

I puffed out my chest so I looked the bees knees

Every fit girl, I was looking to please.

I got some new shoes expensive, right cool

Whilst wearing these I’d be nobody’s fool

The heels were of leather, and the uppers were too 

Ev’ry goose I met, I’d surely say ‘BOO!!‘

I got a new suit, Shark skin real suave

To look my best, a good time I’d have.

Well would you believe it, Steve got one too,

I was peeved, I can tell you.

Went out in my track suit, Best money could buy,

With my nose in the air, I went sailing by,

To much of a hurry, to stop or to listen,

didn’t notice the sweat on their foreheads a glisten

I got me a tattoo, one just for fun,

A little bunny rabbit with a dirty great gun

And I lapped up the praise, adoration an’ all 

But in the night I still felt so small

So what is the point of this little ditty?

Does what you wear make your Heart less pretty?

Is it important to take off what you wear?

to come before God naked and bare?   

Or should I stand tall in my swim trunks and suit

With my fancy tattoo and my leather shoes beaut

My brand new trackies tucked under my arm

To impress The Great Judge with all of my charm

March

it’s been the second coldest March on record.

Two weeks ago at least a foot of snow fell over a few days blanketing most of the UK. in thick white beauty followed by further falls as if to make sure everyone had a share.

Some regions suffered power failures and men braved the Arctic conditions to restore customers supplies.

Roads over the Pennines were blocked by deep snowdrifts and abandoned vehicles, nothing new if it was February but this is supposed to be Spring.

Thankfully though Winters grip must loose as the sun gains strength and the earth warms to the kiss of spring. In some spots the snow lingers where it lay deepest but it cannot stay much longer as Spring finally arrives with the burst of colour from Crocus and the trumpet of Daffodils.

The harsher the grey of Winter the brighter the burst of Spring

Open

^-17 
King David should have been at the front, leading his people into battle but instead he stayed at home and got into more trouble than he bargained for.

Nathan was sent to point out the error of his ways.

Psalm 51

The Message (MSG)

A David Psalm, After He Was Confronted by Nathan About the Affair with Bathsheba

51 ^1-3 Generous in love—God, give grace!
    Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
    soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
    my sins are staring me down.

^4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
    it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
    whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
    in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
    Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

^7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
    scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
    set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
    give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
    shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
    or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
    put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
    so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
    and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
    I’ll let loose with your praise.

^16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
    a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
    when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
    don’t for a moment escape God’s notice

Jesus opened his arms and His hands on the cross for us

open your heart and He will open your lips

Opportunity

Opportunity Knocks is a British television and radio talent show originally hosted by Hughie Green, with a late-1980s revival hosted by Bob Monkhouse and later by previous winner Les Dawson.

The original radio version started on the BBC Light Programme from 18 February to 30 September 1949 but moved to Radio Luxembourg in the 1950s. It was shown on ITV from 20 June 1956 to 29 August 1956, produced by Associated Rediffusion. 

A second run commenced on 11 July 1964 and lasted until 20 March 1978, produced first by ABC and then by Thames Television.

Hughie Green presented a single episode of Opportunity Knocks for RTÉ in 1979. 

Opportunity Knocks was revived by the BBC from 21 March 1987 to 2 June 1990, hosted initially by Bob Monkhouse from 1987 to 1989 (under the title "Bob Says Opportunity Knocks!") and subsequently by Les Dawson in 1990.

My memories of Opportunity Knocks are of the show as compered by Hughie Green

I like to think of the Opportunity Jesus affords each of us as He knocks on the door of our hearts.

It would seem that we build extensions for ourselves each with another door.  

He said in Revelation 3:20

'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

Are you into room building?

Are there any doors that remain locked to Jesus?
Please take this opportunity with me to open your heart to Jesus now. 

Forward

There’s an old saying ‘he’s not backwards in coming forwards’ 
meaning ‘he’s not shy’.
There’s a big difference however between shy and humble.
Shy shuns company. Humble does not.
Jesus was not shy. He knew who He was.
He chose to be humble even on the cross.
He was patient, kind, never jealous, never sang His own praises and 
He wasn’t arrogant.
Jesus never stops being patient, never stops believing and hoping you’ll open your hearts door to Him and He never gives up.
His words are forever.
He is forever
1 Corinthians 13:7-8
Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.
Love never comes to an end.

so then let’s go
FORWARD with our eyes on Jesus

Forward

2 Peter 3:13-16

The Message (MSG)

^11-13 Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.

^14-16 So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master’s patient restraint for what it is: salvation. Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing. Some things Paul writes are difficult to understand. Irresponsible people who don’t know what they are talking about twist them every which way. They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it.

Sense

23rd December 2012
A friend who does not have internet access just telephoned and asked if I could find details and a phone number of a Charity for him.

He said he'd seen an advert and needed to know how to contact them.

This charity helps deaf/blind children and he wondered how these children could communicate.

He said he thinks the name of the charity is Sense.....

25th December 2012
Which brings me to this post, which incidentally is completely different to what I thought I might write,

I reckon the only way to really communicate with someone is to let them know they are Loved

Like Almighty God communicated to mankind that first Christmas Day desiring to enter into a relationship with those who respond to His Love.

There's no time like the present to respond with praise and adoration.

Heirloom

The City of Bradford was once the centre of the worlds woollen trade and as a lad it was quiet common to see Flatbed Lorries carrying great bales of wool for delivery to the various mills in and around the town

I would watch the workers winching these bales up and into great yawning doors in the mill side.

The air would be filled with the smell of lanolin

The sound of the looms in the weaving sheds was horrendous and the workers would mouth words to each other and so became good at lip reading.

Most firms wove sheeps wool others alpaca and some mohair from goat but whatever hair was used the end product off those looms was the best cloth in the world.

The Tapestry Poem by Corrie Ten Boom 

My life is but a weaving 

Between my God and me. 
I cannot choose the colors 
He weaveth steadily. 
Oft' times He weaveth sorrow; 
And I in foolish pride 
Forget He sees the upper 
And I the underside. 
Not 'til the loom is silent 
And the shuttles cease to fly 
Will God unroll the canvas 
And reveal the reason why. 
The dark threads are as needful 
In the weaver's skillful hand 
As the threads of gold and silver 
In the pattern He has planned 
He knows, He loves, He cares; 
Nothing this truth can dim. 
He gives the very best to those 
Who leave the choice to Him.

                    ---

Ephesians 3:6

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Titus 3:7
so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
                    ---
I’ll leave the weaving to Him

He weaves Heirs on His loom….

Discovery

I discovered a new song that had been hiding in my heart the other day and thought I'd share it here

Psalm 33 (N.I.V.) Sing to Him a new song;

Psalm 98:1
A psalm. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Zephaniah 3:17 (N.I.V.)
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
http://bible.cc/zephaniah/3-17.htm

Matthew 10:27 (N.I.V.)

²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

A New Song

Change

“If things don’t change they’ll stay just as they are”
I’m not sure where that comes from but it makes me smile and a smile to start my contribution to a most excellent chain of blogs this month can’t be bad.
I think life can be likened to a river ride.
A river starts off as a trickle of water bubbling out of the ground somewhere up in the hills and as it makes its meandering way down to the valley it gains momentum, getting a little wider on the way.
Soon in the valley it’s waters nourish the plants and creatures where it lies almost still as though basking in the summer sun.
As it makes it’s way relentlessly toward the freedom of the sea it must pass under bridges, power water mills and turbines and squeeze  thruogh narrow rock strewn gorges, bubbling and frothing, tumbling over falls on the way.
then one day it reaches it’s destination, where it thunders and roars and lashes or lies calm and still like a milll pond.

Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)
The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Revelation 22:17 (NIV)
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
A poem to end

Yorkshire Waters Lament

I love the sound that water makes
in puddles, ponds, canals and lakes,
in streams and rivers gushing,
rushing,
pushing rocks and stones and pebbles,
in babbling brooks, in leafy nooks, gently wandering,
meandering,
mumbling, bumbling,
past bush and tree rumbling,   
over waterfalls tumbling
almost stumbling,
onward ever onward to the sea.
Beaches caressing, fishermen guessing,                     
strollers impressing, bathers undressing.
Sometimes dashing,
sometimes smashing, ever crashing.
alone, bereft, in rocky cleft,
surface stabbing, children gabbing,
crabs a grabbing, star fish nabbing.
The Ocean, the place to be.
All waters join and shout with glee,
I’m free, I’m free, I’m free.
-------------------------