We're all gone on a summer holiday.....

Hi everybody.

Sorry I have not been around for a while.

Summer routine,

for some reason does not give me so much time to blog!!

We did have a week of VBS which was great. Over 50 kids both from the church and from the neighbourhood.

Too much decorating to be done!!

Now, however we have managed to get away for a few days. We are heading to Oceanside near Legoland for a couple of days.

Today we are spending time with our good friends and fellow expats the Elliotts in Riverside.

I forgot to bring the cord for my camera so I can't upload my photos, something to look forward to when I get home.

Hope everyone is having a good summer and praising God for His grace and favour.

Learning from a Little Letter....Part II

A few weeks ago I had started to pass on the lessons from the little letter to Philemon we were studying in our midweek prayer meeting.

Here is the second part....

Paul's Commendation of Philemon's Christianity

A. His Gratitude:v4-5

Philemon's love and faith toward the Lord Jesus was seen to be genuine, what we might call his love vertically, and his love was also seen horizontally, for all the saints. v5 In other words Philemon's relationship with the Lord Jesus translated into a relationship with his church.

If Paul knew us would he be able to say the same about our Christianity?

B.His Desire:v6

In Greek 'sharing the faith' is the word 'koinonia' which means fellowship which includes serving, giving, sharing, partnering for the sake of Christ. Paul's desire is that Philemon's engagement in 'koinonia' will result in him growing in his experience of all good things Christ gives. What Paul challenges Philemon and us with is this...'it's great what you are doing - do more!' There's always more that can be done in the work of Christ. We can always love more, be more hospitable, pray more, read more, we must never think we have arrived.

C. His Delight:v7

Paul testifies of receiving much joy and comfort from Philemon's faithfulness and the fact that the church has benefitted from it. He was the kind of man you would want to be around, you would be refreshed by his presence.

Application:

So this leaves us with the a few questions...

What kind of testimony do I have..with my Pastors, with the church?

Is it clearly marked by the graces of love and faith?

Does it translate into ministering to the saints in the church?

In what ways does it manifest itself?

We serve a great omnipotent God who has sent his Holy Spirit. By His help we can open our mouths, our arms, our homes, and our bank accounts all to the Glory of God.

Philemon - 'the blessing of a good testimony'

Happy 4th of July everyone....

Final Anniversary Installment....

Elephant seals, Cambria and Sunsets.....

These seals were all over this small beach. They made a real strange noise but were very relaxed and happy soaking up the rays.

Cambria.... This little town took me by surprise, I had not expected such quaint English charm in the architecture.

neither had I expected such glorious sunsets....

We left this part of California with wonderful memories and a determination to return....

A Testimony to Opulence...

Hearst Castle

So, if you can imagine the great halls of Edinburgh castle, breakfast room from the Spanish, ceilings of the Cysteine Chapel, a few Greek statues, the baths from a Roman villa, throw in a dining room from a French Castille, and there you have Hearst Castle. Everything is finished in the finest marble, granite and gold. I have to say I wasn't greatly impressed as we looked at it from afar but when we arrived up at the house it truly was impressive and had all the mod cons of the day. You certainly could imagine all the stars from Hollywood strolling around the grounds, going for a horseback ride, cooling off in the Grecian pools, or having a game of tennis.

Originally known as "Camp Hill," its wilderness offered a place for family members and friends to "rough it" on camping trips. Despite elaborate arrangements with separate sleeping and dining tents, Hearst envisioned more comfortable accommodations. His simple instructions to famed San Francisco architect Julia Morgan in 1919: "Miss Morgan, we are tired of camping out in the open at the ranch in San Simeon and I would like to build a little something"

And this is what he came up with......

Having said that, the view of the Central California coast is hard to beat.

There is tremendous story behind the building of this home. It took a lot of patience and endurance to complete this magnificent home. However, we were reminded of the words of Christ, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul."