I came across an interesting website today. Proof that you really can find anything you want on the internet. I am very interested in word-clouds and find them a very nice way to visualise the messages of the Bible. Anyway, this website

http://www.66clouds.com/index.html

has word clouds for each book of the Bible as well as each testament and the whole Bible. I am going to use them as much as I can to help with my devotionals. 

Here is the one from the whole bible

What a fantastic piece of work. I am very very grateful to the people at 66clouds.com and wish to thank them for helping me do something that I have been trying to do for a while.

An interesting pair of chapters tonight. On the surface, they could be seen to be very boring. Nehemiah 2 sees him getting upset and gaining permission to go back to Jerusalem. It just is full of language and nuance though. Little parts show the evident truthfulness of the chapter and the warmth of the King and his wife to Nehemiah is lovely to see.

Another potentially boring passage was the speech given by Stephen to the Sanhedrin. Taken out of context (oh how often does that happen when discussing the Bible with our opponents!) the speech is merely a re-telling of the history of Israel. However, this epic has a sting in the tail. Stephen recounts all the times that the Israelites ignored God and ignored the prophets he sent. Then there is his final point. The Sanhedrin are as guilty as anyone else. They rejected Jesus and that's the most heinous of all rejections.

This is followed by one of the most beautiful scenes in all of Scripture. Stephen is taken out to be stoned and he looks up to heaven and sees Jesus standing there at the right hand of God, waiting for him. Dying and in pain and ready to meet God, what does Stephen do? He prays for his torturers and for their forgiveness. What a hero.

Tomorrow we see the church persecuted and spread about. I am looking forward to reading that chapter ...

I see them out and about in town and I really want to engage with them. Problem is, what is the right way to (ahem) witness? I am thinking of doing some research into this topic over the next couple of days. Hopefully I will be able to post about it and then actually do it ...

This is what our pastor is talking about on Sunday. It is an interesting question and on that we definitely need to get the right answer to.

Churches in Fort William are going from strength to strength. Their buildings are full and there are new pastors and new preachers in abundance. Scotland used to be known as the land of the book. At least we may still be a page in that book.

Problem is though, that we need to make sure we are not being complacent and resting on our laurels. They aren't our laurels after all! So what does God want? We live in a difficult world where the church is not relevant to many people. This is a shame. In our little town there are a myriad of different churches. Some have music, some don't. Some allow a guitar and some don't even allow a piano. Some are high in their liturgy, others are a little more relaxed. They all have something in common though. All of them worship the same Jesus, just in slightly different ways. People should be seeing these churches as beacons. Are they?

Don't get me wrong. I am not now nor ever will be a universalist. I know that there are doctrines of some churches which are wrong. I don't agree with the Roman Catholic veneration of Mary or their ideas about intercession. Doesn't stop Jesus shining out from their churches though. I definitely don't agree with the Free Church and the emphasis it places on membership and the way they do communion. Yet, anyone who goes to their church will hear a powerful exposition of the Good News. Which Christian wouldn't want that?

So, we, as a church, need to be getting Jesus' message out there. Show the people that He is relevant and there are different places and ways in which he can be met. It isn't that we have a mission remember. It is that God has a mission; he also happens to have a church ...

Acts 6 and Nehemiah 1. Both wonderful chapters. Very inspiring. I like the descriptions of Stephen in Acts. When I get to heaven, I am so gonna wait in line to see that man with the face of an angel.

I was also moved by the prayer of Nehemiah about Jerusalem. I love that city dearly. It is a beautiful and moving place. I know how Nehemiah must have felt

Here is something that I knocked up after reading the chapter this evening ...

This is an important question and possibly it is too late to be asking it.

In all honesty, I am not sure. I have never been one for putting forward plans suggesting that they are form God. However, recently, there have been a couple of times when I have stepped up to the plate and shared what I think God is trying to say through me.

On both occasions it has been the right thing to do.

So, what does God want for me? I think he wants me to do a lot more preaching and teaching. To generally get involved more in the church. This is something that pleases me and I do like it when I share God's word. However, I also think that He wants me (and the wife) to get more involved in the wider church in Fort William. Mission is important both locally and globally. I need to sit and pray and pray and think about how I can do this.

Yes, my last Mission Week was a big flop and it hurt me to admit that. It was a big flop because I am a useless organiser. This time it will be different if I go ahead with anything. It will be different because I am better at realising my own strengths and my own limitations. I am willing to ask for help and I know where to ask.

So, any ideas?

Grill a Christian night. Have it in a local venue, ask a couple of the local pastors along, open the floor to any questions. I think that might be a goer.

Pub church. Does what it says on the tin. I am sure there are ways we could do this. (I know it would be difficult for some so maybe a cafe church).

I certainly think some interactive prayer stations will be needed. I will ask the wife to help with that; this is definitely her forte.

Happy New Year

2014 was a great year. It was a year in which I re-connected with God and in which He very graciously allowed me to share some things about him. Church was wonderful Work was great. Family life (when I wasn't being unnecessarily grumpy) was wonderful.

We are expecting our son to arrive in a few weeks and this is utterly wonderful. We have chosen a name for him which the beautiful wife found when she was in hospital. It relates to the story of Nehemiah and I think I will be reading the book about him over the next couple of weeks.

Not everything was hunky-dory. There are still problems that I am facing and there are still things that I irrationally let annoy me. I am working on them but thankfully so is God. That is an amazing truth and one that I hold onto every single day