They say that leopards can't change their spots, well! - can cats???
It's a dog's life!

           Obvious really!

   
        Old ones, I guess!!

"So long as we love, we serve. So long as we are loved by others, we are indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend." Robert Louis Stevenson

This is another great song and the pictures are great too!

Last night I went to a special service in a local church to hear about the work of our local Street Pastor group that work in the area every Friday night. It was a really good service, well attended by representatives from the Council, Police, local Street Pastors and members of local churches. The worship time was good and there were several short accounts given by those in attendance.  It was all very encouraging.

Praise God for the Street Pastor initiative, and praise God that the Street Pastors love because He (God) first loved them.  1 John 4 v 19.

To find out more about Street Pastors log on to http://www.streetpastors.org.uk/

"We may think God wants actions of a certain kind, but God wants people of a certain kind." - 
 C. S. LEWIS, Mere Christianity

Well, 18 months ago we purchased a new computer, a Phillips Media package thing, supposedly capable of playing cds, dvds, use as a tv, all as well as being a computer. Not really sure why, as we really only needed it to do computer type things but hey that's besides the point. Ever since, we have had no end of problems, one after the other, hard disc problems (more than once), fan problems, mother board problems, and now guess what - the graphics card! Yes, it's packed up again.
The £9.99 that we pay per month to PC World meaning that we can have on the phone, next day support, in the home, doesn't help much as it seems everyone at the current time is having problems with graphics cards and they are all out of stock - so we have to wait for a delivery - been waiting for 6 days so far - therefore no email access, computer use, internet access etc, as all we see is a fuzzy screen looking like snowfall!

So no more blogging for a while......
no more emails and no more surfing....

What will we do?
How dependent we have become on technology!

I saw this Eagle at a Birds of Prey Centre at the weekend, it reminded me of this song and Bible verse.

Lord I come to You
Let my heart be changed, renewed
Flowing from the grace
That I've found in You
And Lord I've come to know
The weaknesses I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the power of Your love

And as I wait
I'll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your spirit leads me on
By the power of Your love
By the power of Your love

"....but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40 v 31.

Well, this Saturday Cheryl and I went to Groombridge Place near Tunbridge Wells.  We enjoyed a lovely walk around the gardens, the White Rose Garden, the Drunk Garden, the Japanese Garden to name but a few.  We took a stroll through the Enchanted Forest and came across this little chap! He has stripey legs and a stripey streak down his back. He's a cross between a zebra and a donkey - hence the name - Zeedonk!

Original or what???

Olive trees are my favourite type of tree. I love the way some of them are so old and have so much character, with their gnarled and twisted trunks, gorgeous grey/green leaves.  The picture above is of a tree that was in the garden of the villa that we stayed in this year in Kefalonia.

I always said I would like to have my own olive grove one day, I'm not sure where though, whether it would be in Greece or Italy. But for now I have settled for the one in my garden that we planted three years ago, it was 15 years old then and amazingly is still alive!

Here are some olive quotes.......

- When the dove returned to him in the evening, there was a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak!  Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. Genesis 8 v 11.

- then he promises, ^"I will send rain for your land in its season, the autumn and the spring rains,  so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive oil."  Deuteronomy 11 v 14

- But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I continually trust in God's loyal love. Psalms 52 v 8

- Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the inner rooms of your house; your children will be like olive branches, as they sit all around your table. Psalms 128 v 3

This is one of my favourite worship songs at the minute.

Lillies are my favourite flower. I bought these ones two weeks ago - they've lasted really well.

Some say that life begins at 40! For me, turning 40 coincided with going to Kosova for a week with Smile International, and that had a significant impact on my life. Not really for the reasons you might think, but because God used that particular time to draw alongside me and reveal Himself to me, afresh!

Ephesians 1 v 3-14 has been instrumental in bringing me to this realisation....
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.   
In him we were also chosen,having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of his glory.

This passage of scripture has been brought to my attention on at least 4 occasions since returning from Kosova and I am truly grateful to the Lord that I have experienced Him afresh through it. I can honestly say that I feel closer to God now than I have for many many years and I just want to live my life in praise and thanks to Him, offering myself to Him in His service every day.
So for me, life has taken on a new dimension at 40. Praise God!

Well, this year it was our 20th Wedding Anniversary and also the year that John and I both turned 40!  So, we decided to have a joint bash in the summer. We invited lots of friends to join us but they had to come in fancy dress. The theme for the evening was 'Music, TV, Film and World Stage' - basically anything!!!

Take a look in my photo gallery for the pictures............
http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_items.php?album_ID=245591

This is a statue of Mother Teresa in Gjakove, Kosova

Today sees the 10th anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13 v 13.

On my journey to work today, I noticed several things that took me back 13 years! ... the first day of school for my daughters (now aged 17).

How things change!....................

Had a great day today, weather was sunny for the start of September.
Great message at Church both this morning and this evening. Had friends round for lunch.
Took this picture in my garden in between cooking dinner and serving up.  Followed it up by a game of Pictionary Mania, boys v girls. Isn't it amazing that the boys never let you hear the end of it when they win, but if they loose they say they were hard done by, or had harder questions!

Anyway, marvel at God's creation with me and look at the intricacy of this flower, just one of the many we have to enjoy.