tribute to wendy jamieson

To live well is a good thing, to die well is even better.
Over the weekend I had the priviledge of sharing in the final hours in the life of one of Gods' children and it was a time I will never forget. She was surrounded by people who shared her love for Jesus and who though sad had a sense of hope and peace that we will meet again.
Wendy's last days were a testimony to the love she had for her Saviour, Lord and God. Her thoughts were of others and how they to might know the incredible love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The death of Wendy has reminded me of funerals that I have been to where there was no hope. Where people put on a brave face, made lovely tributes, tried to joke and laugh, but where there was a sense of finality about death.
The scriptures tell us that death is but the end of our life on earth, that for those that love and follow Jesus that it is the entry door into eternity. And it is this hope that takes the victory out of the hands of death and places it back into the hands of believers.
Is this just the hope of a people who cannot face the ultimate reality of death? No, I don't believe so.
There is a song that has a line "my redeemer lives", this is the hope of us who follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Jesus, who history tells us was the greatest of all moral teachers, was also the one that paid for my sin on the cross of calvary and who was raised from death to prove that death is not the end.
Jesus lives and so my hope of life eternal is secure and one day I will meet face to face those who died in faith before me.

prayer is a funny thing

Frankly, I can't work God out sometimes, and that is probably a good thing.
I've discovered that when I pray that for some bizarre reason God takes about 3 months before answering my prayer. This is not true for others that I talk to, but it seems to have been a constant feature of my journey with God.
For example about three months ago I was praying that I would become a person who was happy, encouraging and able to listen. I don't feel that way very much, but in the last week I've had a significant number of people mention those exact characteristics.
Why does God take this amount of time to answer my prayer? I really have no idea. I personally would prefer it was more immediate, but I'm getting used to a very radical idea, the idea that God actually knows better than me.

kids

There is an excellent kids website at http://www.kids4truth.com/hometwo.asp. Lots of good stuff to check out. I've made it our homepage at home so that whenever the kids logon they are encouraged to deepen their own faith.

money III

Just read a very interesting series of sermons by John MacArthur on money available from http://www.msreaderbooks.com/. Part of his premise is that how we use and deal with money is a reflection of our spirituality and I think he is right.
I enjoy his balance when he talks about how money is not good or bad, it is how it is used or misused that is the critical issue.
Why not check out his messages and consider the place of money in your life.
(Please note that a recommendation of his messages on money doesn't imply I agree with all of his views on all topics, but I find him a refreshing and challenging writer who makes me delve more deeply into the Word of God.)

dilbert

And if you enjoy Dilbert cartoons then check this out http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/

peanuts

Just having a fluff around the internet checking to see if I can find anything interesting. If you are a fan of Peanut comic strips then check out this website http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/