Whose the Old Guy with the Grey Hair?
Church yesterday, was a blast.
Don't know where they came from but some serious traffic control had to take place prior to the morning service starting. Andy (our site Manager) was doing a great job siphoning off the cars down the park, telling them all to find a spot next to an empty caravan.
Then it was back to ours, for a bit of BBQ and to watch England play Ecuador. Good win, but boy was it boring. Not a lot to cheer but at least we are through.
Then to the highlight of my day. It was storytime with the kiddy winkles. But, would they let me tell the story, NO, that had to keep asking for pictures, which is great if there are some, but what do you do when there isn't???
As you can see, we loved it,.......... they showed their appreciation by mugging me! such fun, great practise for my impending grandchild. Soon and very soon..... we are going to have a grandchild!!!!!!!!!
So what do you think I should be called. It's caused some debate in the house I can tell you
Vote now for your favourite name from the list below
Grandad
Grandpa
Gram-per
Gramps
Grumpy!!!!
Pops
Popsi
Pappa
Piella????
Any other offers ????........ COME ON VOTE NOW
The Great thing about Prayer is..........
The Great things about Prayer is this
Philip. 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. You see it doesn't matter what goes wrong in the mundane things of this world........ cars breaking down....... probably down to the age of the car and the amount of use I've given it........... it doesn't matter about computers breaking down.......... it's my own fault I didn't do backups........
At the end of the day these things can get fixed........ and the Bible tells us not to be anxious, but to pray. It never ceases to amaze me that in the midst of potential turmoil
(and that's where the devil sits) we can bring our thoughts and our anxieties to God and He will guard our hearts and our minds
(the battlefield)So,............ I'm really Happy :-) Are You??
My Computer Crashed at work and I have no backups
Okay this is pretty serious
We have so much fun and love life like there's no tomorrow, but today i was told we have lost the hard drive on our WORK computer.
Because of a busy lifestyle that we all live there are no backups. This recovery could take 3-4 weeks work. Please will you pray that this works out.
But hey........... He's STILL GOD
A (mundane) Week in the Life of.........
Do you think Emily might look like this????
Hi Folks,
Okay at last we are back by popular request
(or was it a threat or two), but to be honest we haven't got much to blog about, but thought we'd give it a try with a look back at a mundane week in the life of Steve & Gill
The World Cup attempts to grab us (well Steve actually) but in the main we remain fairly undisturbed by it except for watching England. (I just wish they'd really get it together)
So, travel back in time a week and our visit to London.
We had been invited to display Prayer Week at The Alpha Dynamic Prayer Conference in London and drove with a car loaded with stuff to give away, the 4 hours to London only to have the car implode into a ploom of black smoke as we sat in traffic in Chiswick High Street just 4 miles from our destination.
"Hey whose car is smoking so bad - eeeks it's us"
Realised I (Steve) had not renewed my RAC cover and my Landrover warranty ran out last month. Never mind keep smiling :-)
Meekly, rejoined the RAC and then watched a cyclist attempt to clear the bonnet of an oncoming Volvo Estate car, as his bike crunch into the front end with a sickening blow. Man!! did he fly, aaarrgghh did he make a nasty sound as he hit the floor.
But it's okay he was fine, a few bumps and scrapes as the woman driver remonstrated with him - about it being his fault - while he still lay on the floor. If we hadn't felt so bad for the guy it would have been hilariously funny
Well 4 hours to London and another 4 hours to complete the last 4 miles, 1st being towed, then waiting for a taxi, and to complete the task, trying to get through the London traffici. We kept smiling, even though all the conference gear was still in the Landrover.
Got to the hotel and threw the 2 tickets for Phantom of the Opera we had purchased (at a discount) in the bin. It was already too late to go. But we kept smiling and went out for dinner instead Yummie!!!!
Slept like a log and woke in time to get to Alpha Conference (just). Jeremy Jennings, Co-Ordinator for Alpha prayer, seemed pleased to see us, and he decided to get me (Steve) up to talk about Prayer Week.
Well now that was a good time, those Londoners are so friendly - they laughed when I spoke, then again when I mentioned Eastenders and again when i told them how annoyed I got with apathetic Christians. They laughed when I quoted scripture (When two or more are gathered) and they laughed when I sat down. Funny lot, maybe they were on something - oh Yes it was Holy Spirit, Praise the Lord I thought they had lost it for a moment.
It was a great day. We met with 24-7 Prayer team, met with Julie Anderson of Prayer for the Nations, talked Prayer Week with Nicky Gumbel and sat and chatted with our friend Carl Brettle (he gets everywhere!!!!
bit like a rash - HaHa only joking, we love you Carl)
Meeting people is always a chore - we were next in line after Nicky just out of picture
Can't remember the name of the guy in whiteInvited to a BBQ at Jeremy's in the evening. Great time had by all. Then on Friday morning we made our way to Euston station, purchased 2 tickets to come home on the 11.30 direct to Llandudno (home by 2.30pm ..... cool!) leave the car and get it next week.
My phone went, it was the garage.............. GOOD NEWS........ the car would be ready by 3pm. Back to the ticket office - long queue - refund on tickets and to Hyde Park for some chill time while we waited 3 hours.
A few ice creams later - It was HOT!!! - we made our way towards the tube to get car.
My phone rang......... it was the garage.......... BAD NEWS............ car won't be ready until next week. To make it worse, it's the TURBO and could cost £1,000......... ouch!!!!
This is how my car looks to me at this momentBack to Euston........... queue for 2 tickets.......... make Glasgow train with minutes to spare......... it's packed. Standing room only............. but God helped us find 2 last seast left. Phew!!!!!
Change at Crewe and Lee & Sarah pick up a very weary pair at Colwyn Bay just glad to be home. Still smiling
Saturday............. couldn't get out of bed.............. but work called
Sunday - Fathers Day - preached on 'Why Don't Men go to Church'.............. thank goodness for trains at least you get a chance to work on your sermon, or there would have been little chance to do it.
Monday - work all day............ catching up with work. A weeks worth in a day but got there. Gill putting home back together after we've been away. Likes everything clean and tidy - love that Girl!!!!! Afternoon visting friends like Pete, Midge, Kathryn & Margaret. Great to see them and give them a long overdue HUG
Tuesday 6am Prayer Time - awesome time praying a lot for PDBC and our friends there
Tuesday - BAD NEWS - the work computer breaks down with no back-ups.......... just praying they can sort it out. It's gone to Hospital. Please Lord fix it..............
Tuesday - GOOD NEWS - I Love LANDROVER. Although not fixed until next week, Landrover have decided to fix it FREE of charge - must be God (Praise Him). They call it goodwill. I call it a nothing short of a miracle.
New expectation of how car may look when I go to pick it upTuesday - GOOD NEWS - Loraine rings up to tell us of her TV stardom. ON HTV talking about PDBC and World Cup fever.
Loraine YOU ROCK girl.
Anyway, as far as I can remember that's another mundane week in the life of Steve & Gill, so all that remains to say is that as you've all hassled us to blog the least you can do is COMMENT............. No one is allowed to exit this page without commenting or you'll....... you'll........... you'll BLOW UP
Luv ya all
Steve & Gill
We're too tired to Blog
Okay we know this is a cop-out but we're just too tired to blog, so follow this link to LEE's great Blog all about the weekend and you'll see and hear just how we feel too.
Lee's Blogand then go to Sarah's Blog for insight from another viewpoint
Sarah's BlogThanks, you guys, you sure saved me a whole lot of work Phew!!!!!!! by the way, if you missed i61 this weekend, you REALLY missed a great time......................... but Love ya anyways, see you soon we hope
Steve & Gill
This is what you call - DOG TIRED
Invitation to the Hog Roast - Sunday
To all our friends who log in and check our Blog. We'd love you to come to the
'i61' Hog Roast this Sunday after church
Church starts at 11am - The Hog Roast about 12.15pm - Come for both or just the barbecue and bring a FRIEND
(yes,...... you must have one somewhere - think hard!!!!)Go to the
www.i61.org '
About Us' page for more details
We will also be having a Puppet Show at about 11.30am, and a Bouncy Castle available
(FREE) both before and after church.
For those budding future World Cup stars
(COME ON ENG-ER-LAND - Vindaloo...... Vindalooo.......) we will also have a target goal for the kids to try their luck and see who is the best at footy.
This is David Beckham and this is what England players do when they miss in a penalty shoot out - Oh No! Not Again!!!!!!!All in all it promises to be a great day.
& ....................... Don't worry about the weather, it's guaranteed to be good as one of youngest members aged 8
(you know who you are) prayed during the service last week for a Sunny Day, so it will be
Hope to see you there - Love Steve & Gill
Hey i61'ers....Let's not be Boring..... OK?
Why are men so bored in our churches?
A business guru once said, “Your system is perfectly designed to give you the results you’re getting.” Christianity’s primary delivery system, the local church, is perfectly designed to reach women and older folks. That’s why our pews are filled with them. But this church system offers little to stir the masculine heart, so men find it dull and irrelevant. The more masculine the man, the more likely he is to dislike church.
What do I mean? Men and young adults are drawn to risk, challenge and adventure. But these things are discouraged in the local church. Instead, most congregations offer a safe, nurturing community-an oasis of stability and predictability. Studies show that women and seniors gravitate toward these things. Although our official mission is one of adventure, the actual mission of most congregations is making people feel comfortable and safe-especially longtime members.
How did Christianity, founded by a man and his 12 male disciples, become the province of women? There is a pattern of feminization in Christianity going back at least 700 years.
But the ball really got rolling in the 1800s. With the dawning of the industrial revolution, large numbers of men sought work in mines, mills and factories, far from home and familiar parish. Women stayed behind, and began remaking the church in their image. The Victorian era saw the rise of church nurseries, Sunday schools, lay choirs, quilting circles, ladies’ teas, soup kitchens, girls’ societies, potluck dinners, etc.
Soon, the very definition of a good Christian had changed: boldness and aggression were out; passivity and receptivity were in. Christians were to be gentle, sensitive and nurturing, focused on home and family rather than accomplishment and career. Believers were not supposed to like sex, tobacco, dancing or other worldly pleasures. The godly were always calm, polite and sociable. This feminine spirituality still dominates our churches. Those of us who grew up in church hardly notice it; we can’t imagine things any other way. But a male visitor detects the feminine spirit the moment he walks in the sanctuary door. He may feel like Tom Sawyer in Aunt Polly’s parlor; he must watch his language, mind his manners and be extra polite. It’s hard for a man to be real in church because he must squeeze himself into this feminine religious mold.
Men, if you’ve felt out of place in church, it’s not your fault. If you’ve tried and failed to get a men’s ministry going in your church, it’s not your fault. If you can’t get your buddies interested in church, it’s not your fault. The church system is getting the results it’s designed to get. Until that system changes – radically – men will continue to perish, both inside and outside our congregations.
Some of you don’t know what I’m talking about. A feminized church? Some guys are happy with church just as it is, and see no need for change. Others are the sensitive type and actually like the macho-deficit. But try to see church through the eyes of a typical guy. It’s intimidating for a man to hold hands in a circle, to cry in public, or to imagine falling deeply in love with another man (even if his name is Jesus).
If we’re going to be fishers of men, we’ve got to do a better job considering men’s needs and expectations. Jesus did it; so must we.
Note: taken from an article that appeared in the May/June 2005 edition of New Man magazine.
