A man must partly give up being a man
With womenfolk.
Robert Frost's "Home Burial".
Friday 19 October 2007
Monday 8 October 2007
Just a quick blog...
I just got home from Birmingham, and had a few minutes so thought i would post an update on life on Planet Menekse...
I've been at JoT's birthday party this weekend! It has been SOOO good! Really encouraging, and was great to see everyone. We had a really wonderful time of fellowship, there's nothing quite like sitting down at 1am in the morning and having a good theological debate :D i really miss everyone now though!
We had a lovely evening on Friday, watched Phantom of the Opera and then talked until 3.30am... And then on Saturday we went for lunch to a Chinese buffet, where we had the rather amusing pleasure of watching Josh attempt to eat rib/s, and Tim attempt to eat jelly, with chopsticks! Then it was Nic's baptism, which was really great, she did SO well giving her testimony, it was really encouraging to hear! In the evening we went bowling which was good fun, Georgie and i finished the "night out" with a bash at the dance machine... But we couldn't understand the scores so we were both winners :D
We played a couple of games of Articulate over the weekend... LOL. Seriously, that game is so good. The confusion that ensued when Nic and i were describing together -
Me - "Ok, it's like the railings that go up stairs"
Nic - "It's like a bannister"
Me - "No Nic, it IS a bannister"
Nic - "It's like a bannister you know, like a bannister"
Me - "IT IS A BANNISTER!!!!"
SO funny. We wasted most of our appointed time laughing! But hey, it's the taking part that counts... Although winning is nice too :D
We stayed up really late on Saturday night too... Talking about intelligent subjects, and generally having a great time... Sunday was sad because everyone else went home in the afternoon, not before we had a walk in the fields near the airport and a good posing sesh! Georgie is making a video out of the pictures, so will have to get her to upload it to youtube.com or something so we can make it famous :D
Well... This was only meant to be quick, and i'm going to the Bible study soon, so i better get going... Got a load of maths work to do later, got my tutor coming tomorrow and i've done very little this week :S too many distractions...
Will blog more later in the week... For now i leave you with this... Something that was mentioned over the weekend...
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called To Day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." - Hebrews 3v13
Do we exhort our brothers and sisters in the LORD to flee temptation and sin enough? It's so important, and something we don't do enough! I know i don't anyway... But how are ways we can encourage one another in that way? Asking what one has learnt about the LORD that day is quite a good one... Any other suggestions?
I think i'm going to try and make the "thought" bits a bit more interactive, i like reading other people's suggestions and thoughts... It's my blog, i can dictate if i want to... :D whether you listen is a whole other story ;)
Blog to you later, have a blessed week :)
NOW it's the second newest one ;)
I've been at JoT's birthday party this weekend! It has been SOOO good! Really encouraging, and was great to see everyone. We had a really wonderful time of fellowship, there's nothing quite like sitting down at 1am in the morning and having a good theological debate :D i really miss everyone now though!
We had a lovely evening on Friday, watched Phantom of the Opera and then talked until 3.30am... And then on Saturday we went for lunch to a Chinese buffet, where we had the rather amusing pleasure of watching Josh attempt to eat rib/s, and Tim attempt to eat jelly, with chopsticks! Then it was Nic's baptism, which was really great, she did SO well giving her testimony, it was really encouraging to hear! In the evening we went bowling which was good fun, Georgie and i finished the "night out" with a bash at the dance machine... But we couldn't understand the scores so we were both winners :D
We played a couple of games of Articulate over the weekend... LOL. Seriously, that game is so good. The confusion that ensued when Nic and i were describing together -
Me - "Ok, it's like the railings that go up stairs"
Nic - "It's like a bannister"
Me - "No Nic, it IS a bannister"
Nic - "It's like a bannister you know, like a bannister"
Me - "IT IS A BANNISTER!!!!"
SO funny. We wasted most of our appointed time laughing! But hey, it's the taking part that counts... Although winning is nice too :D
We stayed up really late on Saturday night too... Talking about intelligent subjects, and generally having a great time... Sunday was sad because everyone else went home in the afternoon, not before we had a walk in the fields near the airport and a good posing sesh! Georgie is making a video out of the pictures, so will have to get her to upload it to youtube.com or something so we can make it famous :D
Well... This was only meant to be quick, and i'm going to the Bible study soon, so i better get going... Got a load of maths work to do later, got my tutor coming tomorrow and i've done very little this week :S too many distractions...
Will blog more later in the week... For now i leave you with this... Something that was mentioned over the weekend...
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called To Day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." - Hebrews 3v13
Do we exhort our brothers and sisters in the LORD to flee temptation and sin enough? It's so important, and something we don't do enough! I know i don't anyway... But how are ways we can encourage one another in that way? Asking what one has learnt about the LORD that day is quite a good one... Any other suggestions?
I think i'm going to try and make the "thought" bits a bit more interactive, i like reading other people's suggestions and thoughts... It's my blog, i can dictate if i want to... :D whether you listen is a whole other story ;)
Blog to you later, have a blessed week :)
NOW it's the second newest one ;)
Wednesday 26 September 2007
The Sound of Music...
Or the writing of a blog in this case :)
Been in Hull today, watching The Sound of Music at the cinema... One off special, so my auntie came through and went to it with my mum and me... My 3rd birthday outing! Haha :) SO good! I forgot how much i love that film! And Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are AMAZING! I'm going to be singing songs from the soundtrack for the next 3 weeks haha.
I had my first session with my Maths tutor this week, went really well and i found it very useful! Gave me a bit of a confidence boost, as i "caught on" quite quickly once i had had certain things explained to me... I think sometimes it's hard home schooling, only from the point that if you are doing a subject that you're parent/s aren't really very knowledgable about, and you're figuring it out for yourself, it can be hard to get past the "sticking" points, well for me anyway. Only really in Maths though... I think because of the nature of it, when you get to a more advanced level, it's alot more difficult to learn the concepts and things than say it would be to study English or History more in depth... I'm just not very confident with numbers though haha, i guess everyone learns differently, and i have no idea if this is making much sense, but hopefully you get my drift! :D
On another note... I was reading Matthew 23 in my devotions yesterday... And i thought i would share a few thoughts with you (as it seems to have become a bit of a tradition to do in the quiet world of Blog) on it, because it really challenged me :) and i speak to myself here before i speak to any of you, dear Readers...
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." - Matthew 23 v 27
The Pharisees were so concerned with how they were perceived by people, that they had become so preoccupied with "keeping up appearances", they no longer cared about what God thought of them and their heart attitudes. I wonder whether once upon a time, these men genuinely loved God and wanted to serve them, or whether the only thing that attracted them to the position of Pharisee was adoration by the general public?
In man's eyes, these men were hyper-godly, wise, knowledgable, etc. etc., yet in their hearts they were hard-hearted, cold and sinful, full of "dead men's bones".
If we truly love God, and are striving to walk more closely with Him, and be more Christ-like in our every day lives, we won't care what man's opinions are of us, as long as we are pleasing God. The Bible tells us that we will be persecuted by the unsaved, we are called to be a peculiar people, but are we willing to give in to that persecution, and forsake God for a few years of peace on earth? Or are we going to stand up for our most precious Saviour, and remember that God's opinion of us matters for eternity?
". . . . for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."
If we are seeking to be Godly, holy, obedient to God, we will have a Godly beauty that far outshines any "whited sepulchres", a beauty that shines through into our every day life, a Godly beauty in our characters that has far more effect than mere words to a lost soul. Telling people of the way of Salvation is very important, but we must walk the walk as well as talk the talk, our actions are just as much of a witness to people as our words!
So the question that remains is this, are we whited sepulchres, only wanting man's good opinion of us, and full of dead men's bones, or are we truly seeking after God, waiting for His leading and walking in close communion with Him? Is God our number One priority, or just a "hobby"?
I hope, dear Reader, that i am an encouragement to you, as the few of you who read this, are to me :)
Been in Hull today, watching The Sound of Music at the cinema... One off special, so my auntie came through and went to it with my mum and me... My 3rd birthday outing! Haha :) SO good! I forgot how much i love that film! And Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are AMAZING! I'm going to be singing songs from the soundtrack for the next 3 weeks haha.
I had my first session with my Maths tutor this week, went really well and i found it very useful! Gave me a bit of a confidence boost, as i "caught on" quite quickly once i had had certain things explained to me... I think sometimes it's hard home schooling, only from the point that if you are doing a subject that you're parent/s aren't really very knowledgable about, and you're figuring it out for yourself, it can be hard to get past the "sticking" points, well for me anyway. Only really in Maths though... I think because of the nature of it, when you get to a more advanced level, it's alot more difficult to learn the concepts and things than say it would be to study English or History more in depth... I'm just not very confident with numbers though haha, i guess everyone learns differently, and i have no idea if this is making much sense, but hopefully you get my drift! :D
On another note... I was reading Matthew 23 in my devotions yesterday... And i thought i would share a few thoughts with you (as it seems to have become a bit of a tradition to do in the quiet world of Blog) on it, because it really challenged me :) and i speak to myself here before i speak to any of you, dear Readers...
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." - Matthew 23 v 27
The Pharisees were so concerned with how they were perceived by people, that they had become so preoccupied with "keeping up appearances", they no longer cared about what God thought of them and their heart attitudes. I wonder whether once upon a time, these men genuinely loved God and wanted to serve them, or whether the only thing that attracted them to the position of Pharisee was adoration by the general public?
In man's eyes, these men were hyper-godly, wise, knowledgable, etc. etc., yet in their hearts they were hard-hearted, cold and sinful, full of "dead men's bones".
If we truly love God, and are striving to walk more closely with Him, and be more Christ-like in our every day lives, we won't care what man's opinions are of us, as long as we are pleasing God. The Bible tells us that we will be persecuted by the unsaved, we are called to be a peculiar people, but are we willing to give in to that persecution, and forsake God for a few years of peace on earth? Or are we going to stand up for our most precious Saviour, and remember that God's opinion of us matters for eternity?
". . . . for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."
If we are seeking to be Godly, holy, obedient to God, we will have a Godly beauty that far outshines any "whited sepulchres", a beauty that shines through into our every day life, a Godly beauty in our characters that has far more effect than mere words to a lost soul. Telling people of the way of Salvation is very important, but we must walk the walk as well as talk the talk, our actions are just as much of a witness to people as our words!
So the question that remains is this, are we whited sepulchres, only wanting man's good opinion of us, and full of dead men's bones, or are we truly seeking after God, waiting for His leading and walking in close communion with Him? Is God our number One priority, or just a "hobby"?
I hope, dear Reader, that i am an encouragement to you, as the few of you who read this, are to me :)
Tuesday 18 September 2007
I'm back!
I hope!
It's been SO long since i last posted, i feel so guilty! But this post is by way of reviving the Blog, and using this to let people know what i'm up to. I'm about to delete my Bebo page, it's just such a waste of time, and i have little enough as it is without wasting it on a site that has no spiritual or educational benefits at all!
Alot's been happening with me recently... Drama, drama! But hopefully life will quieten down now, and i can just get on with studying. I've had more than enough excitement, i can live without it! But i shall blog about that slightly more in depth later, it's one of my rants unfortunately for you, dear Reader.
I've just started AS-Levels, i'm doing maths, english literature and history. I wanted to do politics as well, but i'm doing the coursework etc. via correspondance, through the Kilskeery Christian Independant School, and they don't have politics as an option. Rather disappointing as that was the subject i most wanted to do, along with history, but i may do it at night school when we've moved...
On that note, we have buyers for the house, and we find out next week what's happening, so i'll let you know how that goes! My dad still hasn't mentioned anywhere yet... I don't think people realise just HOW much we live life on the edge, not out of choice but because it's forced on us by my dad refusing to make plans for anything that is more than a week away!
Anyway, this was by way of getting back into the "blogging" mindset, and as it's rather late, i'm going to leave now. I'm going to try and blog again before the end of this week, and then hopefully i will manage to blog at least once a week after that. I'm going to use the time i would spend on Bebo to improve my piano playing skills, hopefully i should be much improved within a couple of months. I want to be able to play hymns well, so that i can play in church when our pianist isn't there!!
Anyway, i shall leave you now, i have a pooch to walk! Blog to you later ;-)
It's been SO long since i last posted, i feel so guilty! But this post is by way of reviving the Blog, and using this to let people know what i'm up to. I'm about to delete my Bebo page, it's just such a waste of time, and i have little enough as it is without wasting it on a site that has no spiritual or educational benefits at all!
Alot's been happening with me recently... Drama, drama! But hopefully life will quieten down now, and i can just get on with studying. I've had more than enough excitement, i can live without it! But i shall blog about that slightly more in depth later, it's one of my rants unfortunately for you, dear Reader.
I've just started AS-Levels, i'm doing maths, english literature and history. I wanted to do politics as well, but i'm doing the coursework etc. via correspondance, through the Kilskeery Christian Independant School, and they don't have politics as an option. Rather disappointing as that was the subject i most wanted to do, along with history, but i may do it at night school when we've moved...
On that note, we have buyers for the house, and we find out next week what's happening, so i'll let you know how that goes! My dad still hasn't mentioned anywhere yet... I don't think people realise just HOW much we live life on the edge, not out of choice but because it's forced on us by my dad refusing to make plans for anything that is more than a week away!
Anyway, this was by way of getting back into the "blogging" mindset, and as it's rather late, i'm going to leave now. I'm going to try and blog again before the end of this week, and then hopefully i will manage to blog at least once a week after that. I'm going to use the time i would spend on Bebo to improve my piano playing skills, hopefully i should be much improved within a couple of months. I want to be able to play hymns well, so that i can play in church when our pianist isn't there!!
Anyway, i shall leave you now, i have a pooch to walk! Blog to you later ;-)
Saturday 12 May 2007
All Better, Just Crazy Busy!
Hello! Long time no talk!
I apologise for the lack of posts recently... Ahh, life has been so hectic, but i really do need to start posting a little more regularly again.
I had tonsilitus for 4 weeks, which was the original cause of my disappearance, but since then i have been really busy with work, visitors and studying. I get my tonsils out soon, which is a blessing, i had a date, but then the hospital cancelled it so i'm just waiting for another date!
So, how is everyone? I wonder if i still have a reader-base? Haha, i will have to start publicising again.
Erm... I don't really know what else to put... This was by way of me getting back into the swing of the blogging sphere, and that done, i have nothing else to say for now, so i think i will say ta ta and blog again later =D
God bless, talk soon!
I apologise for the lack of posts recently... Ahh, life has been so hectic, but i really do need to start posting a little more regularly again.
I had tonsilitus for 4 weeks, which was the original cause of my disappearance, but since then i have been really busy with work, visitors and studying. I get my tonsils out soon, which is a blessing, i had a date, but then the hospital cancelled it so i'm just waiting for another date!
So, how is everyone? I wonder if i still have a reader-base? Haha, i will have to start publicising again.
Erm... I don't really know what else to put... This was by way of me getting back into the swing of the blogging sphere, and that done, i have nothing else to say for now, so i think i will say ta ta and blog again later =D
God bless, talk soon!
Saturday 14 April 2007
My Testimony...
Ok, i know i haven't written for aaaaaages, but i'm just home after a few days in Liverpool, where, last night, i gave my testimony at the YPF in the Free P church there... I'm now fully recovered, and will post an update asap :) hope everyone is well, and that you haven't abandoned my blog without any hope of anymore posts within the next millenium... Hehehe :)
So as i have typed out my testimony, i thought i would put it up here for you to read, if you're interested at all :D
"Before I begin I would like to share with you a few verses of Scripture:
Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created into Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
1 John 4:9-10 – In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
My name is Menekse Inan; I’m a 16 year old, home-educated, born again believer seeking God’s will for my life. I have had the blessing of a sound, reformed, Gospel preaching, Bible teaching church in my home town, also known as **** Free Presbyterian Church!
My parents… My father is a Turkish Muslim (hence the funny name!), and although not a practicing Muslim, he is very Islamic in his world view. He knows that I am a Christian, I’m not sure if he takes it in as my own choice or he thinks it’s because my Mum has “brainwashed” me, and thankfully doesn’t have a problem with it, although I know a few people who’s fathers would disown them over it.
My mum… Was saved about 14 years ago through the witness of a lady in the local charismatic church, they promptly left that church after a lot of studying and praying, and shortly after that the Free Presbyterian’s came to ****. So I have attended that church since a very young age! My mum is such an amazing person, I don’t know what I would do without her wisdom and guidance in matters, even if I don’t listen to her the first, second, third or fourth time of telling me!
I was saved at the age of 7, in my grandma’s house in Turkey. I realized that I was a sinner, and that without Christ I was doomed to an eternity in Hell. And so my mother led me to the Lord on the end of her sofa bed in the upstairs living room. I can quite safely say that it was the best, most life changing, important decision of my life, and I cannot comprehend how God could love a sinner like me, but I’m so glad that He does!
I have a younger brother, Meric, who is almost 15, is also saved, although backslidden. We have been home-schooled together for 8 or so years now.
I went to a Roman Catholic school for the first year of my official education, but then transferred to a small village school a couple of miles away from home when that year finished. My brother came to that school with me, and we continued there for 20 months, until one day, my grandma came storming through the corridors, grabbed us both by the hand and said “We are leaving and not coming back, so hurry up.” – My family thrives on drama. We then discovered that my mum and dad had been looking into home schooling for quite a while, intending on beginning at secondary school age but then, due to various reasons and a lot of prayer from my mum, believed that we would be better off at home and away from the influence of our peers.
Although people argue that you lose out on vital socialization when you are isolated from those around you, that is not an issue for us, we are perfectly able to socialize with people from babies to pensioners, unlike our peers that we see now in our home town, who look to the ground as soon as anyone speaks to them and are unable to maintain eye contact and a decent conversation for more than 10 seconds! We have been grounded in our faith, and taught our education from a Biblical perspective - it is one of the most precious things in the world. I don’t judge anyone who is at school or who sends their kids to school, I just know that it was the best possible thing my parents could have done for me to home-educate me!
Although I was getting a good education from my mum, being taught about the Bible within my curriculum as well, when I got to about 11 I became backslidden. Part of this, I believe, was my lack of trust in God, and the fact that I was worried about being alone.
I soon became obsessed with having friends, to the point where it took over my life. Until I was 14, it was friends, friends, friends. My mum would often tell me that the Bible did not put any emphasis on having friends, but I did not listen. I felt really lonely, because we are in such an isolated place, and there are no young people in our church other than my brother and me, and that became all I focused on. I thought that if I had friends, the feeling of loneliness would go. I did not realize that I was filling that loneliness with the wrong things, instead of leaning and trusting in the Lord, I was trying to trust in myself and the people around me.
In the end, I became so reliant on friendship from those around me, that the Lord removed those people, in a way which was very painful at the time, but it brought me to my senses and made me see what an unhealthy attitude it was to have, and that I should be trusting in the Lord, and walking with Him, and serving Him first and foremost in His life. At High Leigh, August 2005, there was a series of messages that seemed aimed at me, about Joseph and his brothers, and how we should apply it to our relationships around us, since then I have an ongoing mission to get along with my brother!
Although I was so revived after High Leigh, I seemed to soon forget what I felt the Lord was teaching me. Too often do I know that I am in the wrong, yet ignore God and carry on in my own sweet way, and always regret it! But I fell away from the Lord, and 2006 was a year filled with sorrows and regrets, as I look back now, my life was a wasteland through that time, I was of no use to the Lord, and that saddens me greatly. But December 2006 I came back to the Lord, through His grace and mercy I am trying to grow and become a Godly young woman, an encouragement to those around me, and on fire for the Lord, willing to serve Him in whatever small way I can.
Over the past 5 years, it seems the Lord has been teaching me a lesson when it comes to being alone, we may be alone with what seems like no friends around us, but we always have with us the friend who sticketh closer than a brother. And yes, I have friends now, but they come way down the list that has my God and Saviour at the very top of it! I don’t know what the Lord has in store for my life, I know He has His hand on me, and I just trust and pray that if I am walking with Him as I should be, then He will open and close doors according to His will. I still have difficulties with different things, I am not by any means perfect… I’m a work in progress! I would ask you to remember my family, and the church and work that is going on in **** in prayer, It would be much appreciated thank you and amen."
So as i have typed out my testimony, i thought i would put it up here for you to read, if you're interested at all :D
"Before I begin I would like to share with you a few verses of Scripture:
Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created into Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
1 John 4:9-10 – In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
My name is Menekse Inan; I’m a 16 year old, home-educated, born again believer seeking God’s will for my life. I have had the blessing of a sound, reformed, Gospel preaching, Bible teaching church in my home town, also known as **** Free Presbyterian Church!
My parents… My father is a Turkish Muslim (hence the funny name!), and although not a practicing Muslim, he is very Islamic in his world view. He knows that I am a Christian, I’m not sure if he takes it in as my own choice or he thinks it’s because my Mum has “brainwashed” me, and thankfully doesn’t have a problem with it, although I know a few people who’s fathers would disown them over it.
My mum… Was saved about 14 years ago through the witness of a lady in the local charismatic church, they promptly left that church after a lot of studying and praying, and shortly after that the Free Presbyterian’s came to ****. So I have attended that church since a very young age! My mum is such an amazing person, I don’t know what I would do without her wisdom and guidance in matters, even if I don’t listen to her the first, second, third or fourth time of telling me!
I was saved at the age of 7, in my grandma’s house in Turkey. I realized that I was a sinner, and that without Christ I was doomed to an eternity in Hell. And so my mother led me to the Lord on the end of her sofa bed in the upstairs living room. I can quite safely say that it was the best, most life changing, important decision of my life, and I cannot comprehend how God could love a sinner like me, but I’m so glad that He does!
I have a younger brother, Meric, who is almost 15, is also saved, although backslidden. We have been home-schooled together for 8 or so years now.
I went to a Roman Catholic school for the first year of my official education, but then transferred to a small village school a couple of miles away from home when that year finished. My brother came to that school with me, and we continued there for 20 months, until one day, my grandma came storming through the corridors, grabbed us both by the hand and said “We are leaving and not coming back, so hurry up.” – My family thrives on drama. We then discovered that my mum and dad had been looking into home schooling for quite a while, intending on beginning at secondary school age but then, due to various reasons and a lot of prayer from my mum, believed that we would be better off at home and away from the influence of our peers.
Although people argue that you lose out on vital socialization when you are isolated from those around you, that is not an issue for us, we are perfectly able to socialize with people from babies to pensioners, unlike our peers that we see now in our home town, who look to the ground as soon as anyone speaks to them and are unable to maintain eye contact and a decent conversation for more than 10 seconds! We have been grounded in our faith, and taught our education from a Biblical perspective - it is one of the most precious things in the world. I don’t judge anyone who is at school or who sends their kids to school, I just know that it was the best possible thing my parents could have done for me to home-educate me!
Although I was getting a good education from my mum, being taught about the Bible within my curriculum as well, when I got to about 11 I became backslidden. Part of this, I believe, was my lack of trust in God, and the fact that I was worried about being alone.
I soon became obsessed with having friends, to the point where it took over my life. Until I was 14, it was friends, friends, friends. My mum would often tell me that the Bible did not put any emphasis on having friends, but I did not listen. I felt really lonely, because we are in such an isolated place, and there are no young people in our church other than my brother and me, and that became all I focused on. I thought that if I had friends, the feeling of loneliness would go. I did not realize that I was filling that loneliness with the wrong things, instead of leaning and trusting in the Lord, I was trying to trust in myself and the people around me.
In the end, I became so reliant on friendship from those around me, that the Lord removed those people, in a way which was very painful at the time, but it brought me to my senses and made me see what an unhealthy attitude it was to have, and that I should be trusting in the Lord, and walking with Him, and serving Him first and foremost in His life. At High Leigh, August 2005, there was a series of messages that seemed aimed at me, about Joseph and his brothers, and how we should apply it to our relationships around us, since then I have an ongoing mission to get along with my brother!
Although I was so revived after High Leigh, I seemed to soon forget what I felt the Lord was teaching me. Too often do I know that I am in the wrong, yet ignore God and carry on in my own sweet way, and always regret it! But I fell away from the Lord, and 2006 was a year filled with sorrows and regrets, as I look back now, my life was a wasteland through that time, I was of no use to the Lord, and that saddens me greatly. But December 2006 I came back to the Lord, through His grace and mercy I am trying to grow and become a Godly young woman, an encouragement to those around me, and on fire for the Lord, willing to serve Him in whatever small way I can.
Over the past 5 years, it seems the Lord has been teaching me a lesson when it comes to being alone, we may be alone with what seems like no friends around us, but we always have with us the friend who sticketh closer than a brother. And yes, I have friends now, but they come way down the list that has my God and Saviour at the very top of it! I don’t know what the Lord has in store for my life, I know He has His hand on me, and I just trust and pray that if I am walking with Him as I should be, then He will open and close doors according to His will. I still have difficulties with different things, I am not by any means perfect… I’m a work in progress! I would ask you to remember my family, and the church and work that is going on in **** in prayer, It would be much appreciated thank you and amen."
Tuesday 20 March 2007
... iLL ...
I'm really ill. So i will blog to you when i'm better. I have really bad tonsilitus :) but i thought i better let you know i haven't forgotten about you :)
This cheered me up though. You HAVE to watch it... And let me know if you found it as hysterically hilarious as me...
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama.php
I will blog to you as soon as i feel up to it, meant to be going to Northern Ireland this weekend, hopefully i will be better! Talk soon!
This cheered me up though. You HAVE to watch it... And let me know if you found it as hysterically hilarious as me...
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama.php
I will blog to you as soon as i feel up to it, meant to be going to Northern Ireland this weekend, hopefully i will be better! Talk soon!
Monday 12 March 2007
A Little Post... I Think...
OK, so i haven't blogged about anything substantial for a while (if at all :P), but i have been so busy this week. And i am so tired now i could cry. But i thought as i was checking my e-mail, i would write a little blog with a few of my not-so-deep thoughts in it, so that i know i'm still capable of thinking more than anything else :)
It was the children's meeting at church tonight, my Gorgeous Cousin came, she's only 2 and a half, but she really enoyed it, she did (or attempted to do) all the actions to the choruses and made friends with one of the little girls who comes. We also had one new little boy and his sister who has been once before, so that was encouraging.
Anyway, in the story my Mum mentioned Leviticus 11:45, anyway i looked it up and it struck me... I will explain.
Lev. 11:45 "For i am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for i am holy."
Also, on the subject of holiness, 1 Peter 1:16 "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for i am holy."
It isn't really on the matter of OUR holiness that i am writing about, although i am sure it will pop up in the future... But about unredeemed man's attitudes to God's holiness.
It's astounding to me, when you ask a non-believer (and some believers) about sin, and then go on to ask how many of the 10 commandments they have broken and they respond with something along the lines of (e.g.) "Well i've never killed anyone, and i only tell white lies and they don't count... And not shopping on a Sunday is out-dated..." yet the person/s in question STILL think that they are good enough to get to heaven when they die, to be in the presence of Almighty, Perfect God without asking for any type of forgiveness.
Adam was given one commandment to obey, and as a result of him disobeying it, he was banished from having perfect communion with God on earth and thrown out of the garden of Eden... Among other things... And that was just from disobeying ONE commandment ONCE. Why, WHY, do people think that they are somehow "good" enough to get to heaven by works? My conclusion is that those who do not know Him simply cannot grasp just HOW holy, perfect and all-knowing God is. And i think that we as believers can sometimes forget it as well :)
I have no idea if that was random or not, or if it made sense. I will probably read it tomorrow and think "What was i on?".
The answer is, a 2 year old. Pure exhaustion. Although i am partly to blame, however hard i try i can't seem to get to bed before midnight. Oh well :D
If you read this, can you please leave me a comment and make me feel loved? I like getting comments from people :) haha, blog to you soon! God bless :)
It was the children's meeting at church tonight, my Gorgeous Cousin came, she's only 2 and a half, but she really enoyed it, she did (or attempted to do) all the actions to the choruses and made friends with one of the little girls who comes. We also had one new little boy and his sister who has been once before, so that was encouraging.
Anyway, in the story my Mum mentioned Leviticus 11:45, anyway i looked it up and it struck me... I will explain.
Lev. 11:45 "For i am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for i am holy."
Also, on the subject of holiness, 1 Peter 1:16 "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for i am holy."
It isn't really on the matter of OUR holiness that i am writing about, although i am sure it will pop up in the future... But about unredeemed man's attitudes to God's holiness.
It's astounding to me, when you ask a non-believer (and some believers) about sin, and then go on to ask how many of the 10 commandments they have broken and they respond with something along the lines of (e.g.) "Well i've never killed anyone, and i only tell white lies and they don't count... And not shopping on a Sunday is out-dated..." yet the person/s in question STILL think that they are good enough to get to heaven when they die, to be in the presence of Almighty, Perfect God without asking for any type of forgiveness.
Adam was given one commandment to obey, and as a result of him disobeying it, he was banished from having perfect communion with God on earth and thrown out of the garden of Eden... Among other things... And that was just from disobeying ONE commandment ONCE. Why, WHY, do people think that they are somehow "good" enough to get to heaven by works? My conclusion is that those who do not know Him simply cannot grasp just HOW holy, perfect and all-knowing God is. And i think that we as believers can sometimes forget it as well :)
I have no idea if that was random or not, or if it made sense. I will probably read it tomorrow and think "What was i on?".
The answer is, a 2 year old. Pure exhaustion. Although i am partly to blame, however hard i try i can't seem to get to bed before midnight. Oh well :D
If you read this, can you please leave me a comment and make me feel loved? I like getting comments from people :) haha, blog to you soon! God bless :)
Laughed So Hard I Cried...
Before you read this, i have a very strange sense of humour. I found a quotes page, and i have cut and paste some of the funny ones in here, too funny to miss!
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. (IMHO: The funniest!)
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
If you can't fix it with duck tape you haven't used enough.
"I didn't lose my mind, I sold it on ebay."
Eat Right, Exercise, Die Anyway.
Honk If Anything Falls Off.
I Do Whatever My Rice Krispies Tell Me To.
" WARNING: in case of rapture, this car will be driverless. " (NOTE: I don't believe in secret rapture but i just found this amusing :D)
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. (IMHO: The funniest!)
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
If you can't fix it with duck tape you haven't used enough.
"I didn't lose my mind, I sold it on ebay."
Eat Right, Exercise, Die Anyway.
Honk If Anything Falls Off.
I Do Whatever My Rice Krispies Tell Me To.
" WARNING: in case of rapture, this car will be driverless. " (NOTE: I don't believe in secret rapture but i just found this amusing :D)
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
Only Five Days!!!!
Until i go and meet up with Jo and Hannah for the day! Lock your doors, barricade your windows, we will be... UNCONTROLLABLE!!!
I currently have a large amount of energy in my system. It's making me feel very happy :)
This was a slightly random blog entry, i will blog more seriously later :) God bless!
I currently have a large amount of energy in my system. It's making me feel very happy :)
This was a slightly random blog entry, i will blog more seriously later :) God bless!
Friday 9 March 2007
A Quick Post...
Just wanted to share a verse... I have been so busy this week that i haven't really had time to sit and write a blog that i could think about. SO i will share this with you and then i have to go and finish my jobs :)
Matthew 6:25 - 32 - "Therefore i say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet i say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
I read that this morning, it was a Word in season, i worry far too much about the future when i need to remember that God is in control of everything, i need to keep my eyes heavenward. Feeling a bit down today... I just have to remember that i have nothing to feel down about, i'm saved, i'm going to Heaven and God loves me :D
Matthew 6:25 - 32 - "Therefore i say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet i say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
I read that this morning, it was a Word in season, i worry far too much about the future when i need to remember that God is in control of everything, i need to keep my eyes heavenward. Feeling a bit down today... I just have to remember that i have nothing to feel down about, i'm saved, i'm going to Heaven and God loves me :D
Tuesday 6 March 2007
An Article Before Bed... More Like A Rant!
I am very aware that the more i blog, the further down my post on the AV goes, so if you are reading this and have not read the AV post, then please make sure you do :)
I was reading The British Church Newspaper earlier on, i don't know if any of you are suscribed to it, but there is an article on the front page that is clear proof that absolutely NO Christian who calls themselves reformed or is serving God with a passion should be involved in the Ecumenical movement. We are called to be seperate and that's what we shall be, how can we have fellowship with those who have a completely different concept of Salvation and Calvary than we do, putting all other matters aside, Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?". If you are not yet convinced then read this:
Anglicans and Baptists Hear Talk from White Witch - exclusive - by a correspondent.
A practising witch challenged Christian beliefs at an interfaith gathering including Christian leaders in Bishop's Stortford.
Ms Sarah Daisy, a self-proclaimed "practising white witch", addressed about 50 members of "Stort Interfaith" on 20 February at the United Reformed Hall, Water Lane, Bishop's Stortford. Stort Interfaith is an association, long established, for those living in or near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.
Training people to cast spells
Ms Daisy said that there was no such personality as Satan, adding that this was a recent invention by Christianity which was junior to the more established "ancient" pagan religions.She said her group helped train people to cast spells, but that this was only "white, good witchcraft" and not "dark magic", where spells and curses were cast "without people's permission". The term "black" magic was no longer used, she explained, as it could cause offence on racial grounds.
"Fascinating insight to satanism"
During her talk she handed out invitations to a series of "pagan profile" evenings, held in Mildenhall, Suffolk, a spring equinox ritual on 24 March, and a talk on 27 March by "Chris" which it was said would provide "a fascinating insight into Satanism". A talk in May will look at "different takes on Shamanism". Ms Daisy's group holds regular "family friendly events" to encourage families into paganism and "white witchcraft". Only one mildly critical voice was raised at this meeting, despite leaders from four seperate Christian denominations being present.
Churches Together
Stort Interfaith developed from what was originally a Christian ecumenical "Churches Together" group in Bishop's Stortford, established in the 1970's. it is now affiliated to a regional grouping, East Of England Interfaith. the group is a part of the developing "Interfaith Network for the UK", whose co-chairs are Rt. Rev. Tom Butler, the Bishop of Southwark, who recently had difficulties explaining an incident following a drinks reception at the Irish Embassy, and Sikh Jagjiwa Singh.
The Interfaith Network has established strong regional associations, whose boundaries coincide with those currently used for elections to the European Parliament.
It has dozens of member bodies, including the Council of African and Afro-Caribbean Churches, The Roman Catholic Comittee for Other Faiths, The British Muslim Forum, The Buddhist Society, The Hindu Council, The Regents Park Islamic Cultural Centre, Jamiat-e-Ulama Britain (the Association of Muslim Scholars), The Muslim Council of Britain, and Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe.
Seven "religious" groups belong to the Stort Interfaith group: Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, and United Reformed, plus members of the Quakers, the Council of Christians and Jews and the Baha'i faith.
I was reading The British Church Newspaper earlier on, i don't know if any of you are suscribed to it, but there is an article on the front page that is clear proof that absolutely NO Christian who calls themselves reformed or is serving God with a passion should be involved in the Ecumenical movement. We are called to be seperate and that's what we shall be, how can we have fellowship with those who have a completely different concept of Salvation and Calvary than we do, putting all other matters aside, Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?". If you are not yet convinced then read this:
Anglicans and Baptists Hear Talk from White Witch - exclusive - by a correspondent.
A practising witch challenged Christian beliefs at an interfaith gathering including Christian leaders in Bishop's Stortford.
Ms Sarah Daisy, a self-proclaimed "practising white witch", addressed about 50 members of "Stort Interfaith" on 20 February at the United Reformed Hall, Water Lane, Bishop's Stortford. Stort Interfaith is an association, long established, for those living in or near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.
Training people to cast spells
Ms Daisy said that there was no such personality as Satan, adding that this was a recent invention by Christianity which was junior to the more established "ancient" pagan religions.She said her group helped train people to cast spells, but that this was only "white, good witchcraft" and not "dark magic", where spells and curses were cast "without people's permission". The term "black" magic was no longer used, she explained, as it could cause offence on racial grounds.
"Fascinating insight to satanism"
During her talk she handed out invitations to a series of "pagan profile" evenings, held in Mildenhall, Suffolk, a spring equinox ritual on 24 March, and a talk on 27 March by "Chris" which it was said would provide "a fascinating insight into Satanism". A talk in May will look at "different takes on Shamanism". Ms Daisy's group holds regular "family friendly events" to encourage families into paganism and "white witchcraft". Only one mildly critical voice was raised at this meeting, despite leaders from four seperate Christian denominations being present.
Churches Together
Stort Interfaith developed from what was originally a Christian ecumenical "Churches Together" group in Bishop's Stortford, established in the 1970's. it is now affiliated to a regional grouping, East Of England Interfaith. the group is a part of the developing "Interfaith Network for the UK", whose co-chairs are Rt. Rev. Tom Butler, the Bishop of Southwark, who recently had difficulties explaining an incident following a drinks reception at the Irish Embassy, and Sikh Jagjiwa Singh.
The Interfaith Network has established strong regional associations, whose boundaries coincide with those currently used for elections to the European Parliament.
It has dozens of member bodies, including the Council of African and Afro-Caribbean Churches, The Roman Catholic Comittee for Other Faiths, The British Muslim Forum, The Buddhist Society, The Hindu Council, The Regents Park Islamic Cultural Centre, Jamiat-e-Ulama Britain (the Association of Muslim Scholars), The Muslim Council of Britain, and Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe.
Seven "religious" groups belong to the Stort Interfaith group: Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, and United Reformed, plus members of the Quakers, the Council of Christians and Jews and the Baha'i faith.
Work...
This is what i have to put up with... He's a regular cutomer and the thing on his head is a pizza delivery bag... He did it with no provocation...
My New Book...
I started writing a post earlier, and then somehow managed to delete the entire thing JUST before i published it, which is rather annoying to say the least. So i will start again and hopefully this one will make it to my main page, otherwise i'm just some crazy girl blogging to herself...
Before i start, i hope everyone had a blessed Sabbath :D
So, my new book... It's so beautiful! A classic, i don't read modern novels, they're written for instant pleasure and gratification, full of gossip and immoral behaviour, not at all beneficial for expanding ones mind, vocabulary etc. and they are, generally, just trashy reading. But anyway, it's The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, seen the film and the stage production but haven't read the book yet. The actual copy of the book is absolutely beautiful, published by The Collector's Library, it's hardback with gilt edges... I've attatched a picture which doesn't do it ANY justice but you get the jist :) not that i'm obsessed... Can't wait to get reading it, but i may wait until i've finished one of the 4 i am currently part-way through reading!
My favourite book (secular) has to be Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, if you've never read it then i HIGHLY recommend it :D i love Wuthering Heights as well... And Vanity Fair was excellent, although not by a Bronte sister :) I don't get along very well with Charles Dickens, he's too voluble and takes too long to get to the point (much like myself!), and i don't get "into" the story until i'm about half-way through it. But anyway haha that was quite random... If anybody has read any good books recently that they would recommend then let me know :D
I meant to blog yesterday, but we were really busy, which can only be a good thing! We had the estate agent coming round in the afternoon to take pictures and measurements for the leaflet for our house. So we got up early and spent the morning making the house look respectable enough to have it's photographs taken. There will be a virtual guide to it online soon, so i will blog the link, just because it's so cool! Haha, it's the only opportunity most people will get of seeing our house clutter-free :)
Well, i'm going to go, i'm blogging another entry quickly after this one, just so you can see what i have to deal with at work... And if i'm not too exhausted i will blog a few thoughts when i get home :D so God bless, and ciao for now! Blog to you later :)
Friday 2 March 2007
Thankfulness...
How often do we truly thank the Lord for everything He has done for us, and the mercies he bestows on us each day?
Just heading to bed, not a very long post but i'm just finishing one on why i read the AV and no other :D so for now, good night and God bless :) xXx
Just heading to bed, not a very long post but i'm just finishing one on why i read the AV and no other :D so for now, good night and God bless :) xXx
Strictly AV...
A much debated and controversial topic indeed... So i thought i would put my two-penneth in, and let my "readers" know my beliefs on it.
Now as you know, i'm not a "bear of very many brains" and the following thoughts are one i have gleaned from studying and praying over different pieces of literature about different versions... I will put my reasons for being AV first, and then i will list the differences in texts, or lack of them in the modern versions, or some of them at least, just to prove my point. I pray that you would approach this piece with an open mind, and don't take the version you use for granted, study it and find out for yourself why you read it and what your convictions are concerning it. I hope that this makes sense, i apologise for any grammatical or spelling mistakes that may occur :)
I have been brought up using the AV, my mum came out of a wildly charasmatic church, and several churches because of their ecumenical stances, and as she came out of them she studied in-depth the modern translations and the AV (she was previously NIV). Now as i have grown up, she has explained this to me, why she changed versions etc. and encouraged me to make my own choices and decide my own convictions, which are decided upon the AV. I think to some degree, the church you belong to decides what version you will use, especially if you have been attending it since you were very little, it's just the natural course of things. it doesn't mean you stick with using that once you get older, but in my case i did and do :) My church is AV, it was set up about 12 years ago and is now a constituted part of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, Calvanistic in doctrine etc. etc., there is a link to the website on my "Escape Routes".
Deuteronomy 4:2 - "Ye shall not add unto the word which i command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which i command you."
Galatians 1:6 & 9 - "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:... As we said before, so say i now again, If any man preach and other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
I begin, the reason i hold to the Authorised Version of the Scriptures is this: i believe that it is the closest translation to the original God-inspired, infallible manuscripts, the Textus Receptus and the Masoretic Text. We are SO blessed to have God's Word in our own language, and no, i do not believe that the AV is a perfect translation, i do not believe that it is inerrant or infallible. I believe that the original texts are, but not all of us have the blessing of being able to understand Greek and Hebrew, and praise the Lord, he has provided us with a good translation of the Scriptures in our own tongue.
Where did it all go wrong then? Why don't i believe that the "modern" versions of Scripture can be trusted? As i said, although i read the AV, i don't think it's perfect, so what are my problems with the new versions of Scripture? My problem is that they were translated, either wholly or partly, using a faulty and corrupted manuscript. The corruption can be traced back to 200 A.D. when there lived one of the world's most foremost theologians whose name was Origen. He was a textual critic and is supposed to have "corrected" various portions of the original manuscript. Evidence to the contary shows us that he actually changed them to suit his own human philosophy of mystical and allegorical ideas. They consistenly undermine the deity of our Lord and cut out important verses, e.g. Act.s 8:37 and Matthew 18:11. If you look in any modern version, these 2 verses are completely omitted. Altogether there are 650 variants in the modern versions, regularly changing "Christ" to "Jesus", missing "Jesus" out altogether, and often missing WHOLE VERSES out.
The passage which struck me most was that in Luke 4:4 (concerning Christ's temptation in the wilderness), in my AV Bible it reads as follows:
"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." [emphasis mine]
In the NIV it reads as follows:
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.' "
Where is the most important part of the quote? But by every word of God. And it's completely missing. That was one of the verses that convinced me, another was this, John 5:6 (concerning the man with the infirmity by the pool of Bethesda), in my AV Bible it reads as follows:
"And Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?" [emphasis mine]
In the NIV it reads as follows:
"When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" [emphasis mine]
As we can see, the NIV clearly undermines the deity of Christ, undermines the fact that He is the all-knowing, all-powerful Son of God, becuase he had to LEARN that the man had been infirm for a long time.
Compare the following verses from the four Gospels with an AV and an NIV and make your own conclusion:
Matthew - 1.25, 4.18, 5.44, 8.29, 16.20, 17.21, 18.11, 19.9, 23.14
Mark - 2.17, 6.11, 7.16, 9.44, 9.46, 11.26, 15.28, 16.9-20
Luke - 2.33, 4.4 & 8, 7.22, 11.2,4 & 11, 12.31, 17.36, 22.44, 22.57, 23.17, 24.40
John - 1.18, 3.2, 5.4, 6.69, 7.53-8.11, 9.35, 16.16, 19.39
Now i am no great theologian, i'm not particularly clever, i rely on God's grace alone to help me understand His precious Word, but this is my conviction and i will stick with it until God shows me otherwise. I have shared with you my views as best as i can. I will leave you with this verse: "These [the Bereans] were more noble that those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Search the Scriptures, don't take my Word for it, i'm only human.
Now as you know, i'm not a "bear of very many brains" and the following thoughts are one i have gleaned from studying and praying over different pieces of literature about different versions... I will put my reasons for being AV first, and then i will list the differences in texts, or lack of them in the modern versions, or some of them at least, just to prove my point. I pray that you would approach this piece with an open mind, and don't take the version you use for granted, study it and find out for yourself why you read it and what your convictions are concerning it. I hope that this makes sense, i apologise for any grammatical or spelling mistakes that may occur :)
I have been brought up using the AV, my mum came out of a wildly charasmatic church, and several churches because of their ecumenical stances, and as she came out of them she studied in-depth the modern translations and the AV (she was previously NIV). Now as i have grown up, she has explained this to me, why she changed versions etc. and encouraged me to make my own choices and decide my own convictions, which are decided upon the AV. I think to some degree, the church you belong to decides what version you will use, especially if you have been attending it since you were very little, it's just the natural course of things. it doesn't mean you stick with using that once you get older, but in my case i did and do :) My church is AV, it was set up about 12 years ago and is now a constituted part of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, Calvanistic in doctrine etc. etc., there is a link to the website on my "Escape Routes".
Deuteronomy 4:2 - "Ye shall not add unto the word which i command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which i command you."
Galatians 1:6 & 9 - "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:... As we said before, so say i now again, If any man preach and other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
I begin, the reason i hold to the Authorised Version of the Scriptures is this: i believe that it is the closest translation to the original God-inspired, infallible manuscripts, the Textus Receptus and the Masoretic Text. We are SO blessed to have God's Word in our own language, and no, i do not believe that the AV is a perfect translation, i do not believe that it is inerrant or infallible. I believe that the original texts are, but not all of us have the blessing of being able to understand Greek and Hebrew, and praise the Lord, he has provided us with a good translation of the Scriptures in our own tongue.
Where did it all go wrong then? Why don't i believe that the "modern" versions of Scripture can be trusted? As i said, although i read the AV, i don't think it's perfect, so what are my problems with the new versions of Scripture? My problem is that they were translated, either wholly or partly, using a faulty and corrupted manuscript. The corruption can be traced back to 200 A.D. when there lived one of the world's most foremost theologians whose name was Origen. He was a textual critic and is supposed to have "corrected" various portions of the original manuscript. Evidence to the contary shows us that he actually changed them to suit his own human philosophy of mystical and allegorical ideas. They consistenly undermine the deity of our Lord and cut out important verses, e.g. Act.s 8:37 and Matthew 18:11. If you look in any modern version, these 2 verses are completely omitted. Altogether there are 650 variants in the modern versions, regularly changing "Christ" to "Jesus", missing "Jesus" out altogether, and often missing WHOLE VERSES out.
The passage which struck me most was that in Luke 4:4 (concerning Christ's temptation in the wilderness), in my AV Bible it reads as follows:
"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." [emphasis mine]
In the NIV it reads as follows:
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.' "
Where is the most important part of the quote? But by every word of God. And it's completely missing. That was one of the verses that convinced me, another was this, John 5:6 (concerning the man with the infirmity by the pool of Bethesda), in my AV Bible it reads as follows:
"And Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?" [emphasis mine]
In the NIV it reads as follows:
"When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" [emphasis mine]
As we can see, the NIV clearly undermines the deity of Christ, undermines the fact that He is the all-knowing, all-powerful Son of God, becuase he had to LEARN that the man had been infirm for a long time.
Compare the following verses from the four Gospels with an AV and an NIV and make your own conclusion:
Matthew - 1.25, 4.18, 5.44, 8.29, 16.20, 17.21, 18.11, 19.9, 23.14
Mark - 2.17, 6.11, 7.16, 9.44, 9.46, 11.26, 15.28, 16.9-20
Luke - 2.33, 4.4 & 8, 7.22, 11.2,4 & 11, 12.31, 17.36, 22.44, 22.57, 23.17, 24.40
John - 1.18, 3.2, 5.4, 6.69, 7.53-8.11, 9.35, 16.16, 19.39
Now i am no great theologian, i'm not particularly clever, i rely on God's grace alone to help me understand His precious Word, but this is my conviction and i will stick with it until God shows me otherwise. I have shared with you my views as best as i can. I will leave you with this verse: "These [the Bereans] were more noble that those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Search the Scriptures, don't take my Word for it, i'm only human.
Thursday 1 March 2007
A Few Thoughts Before Bed...
I'm getting an early night tonight, due to stil not being able to talk properly and feeling generally achey and full of cold. I'm not sure how many thoughts are going to be in this blog... The sound of Charlie destroying a plastic bottle is distracting me and my head feels like it's in the clouds haha.
I was reading a little booklet earlier, it was about reading the Bible, and the most effective way to do it. Now i have heard people say that you shouldn't read huge amounts in one go because it can be "confusing" and you should meditate on one piece of Scripture at a time, and i have heard people say you should read lots and lots regularly to familiarise yourself with the different passages etc. This booklet basically said to do both, read as much as you can whilst taking it in, so as to familiarise yourself with it and then to meditate on maybe one or two verses a day. I thought that sounded like a logical idea... I'm aiming to read the Bible through at least twice this year, using two different plans and seeing which is the most effective.
I accepted Christ as my Saviour when i was nearly 8 years old, but i was backslidden from about the age of 9 to 15. So i'm a relatively young Christian... I have a general knowledge about the Bible, but i want to know more, and i can't read and comprehend enough to satisfy my want, so i decided i needed to find a logical plan to follow and pray that God will open His Word to me as i follow that reading plan and see how it goes. I'm not very clever, i rely on the grace of God to reveal things to me, and in secualr matters i am probably what you would describe as "blonde". I do enjoy a good debate though. But i have the Bible, it's enough for me, even if i don't understand all the complicated doctrinal terms haha i'll get there in the end.
This morning i came across John 15:13 in my daily reading, and it kind of struck me, this is what it says: "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."
Christ died on the cross for us, he suffered and died, and shed his precious Blood, all to save us from an eternity in Hell... Talk about unsurpassable love... And we have to love each other as Christ loved us, even our enemies. But if we have no love in our hearts, we can have no relationship with Christ, because we will never be able to comprehend just how great a sacrifice He made for us or why He did it. We must love those who are lost, in order to want to witness to them and win them to Christ... And love those who frustrate and possibly annoy us so that we are not un-Christian... Someone once said to me "In everything you do, be a Christian" and it's so true, we need to apply it to every dimension of our lives!
But those are the few thoughts that have been occupying my small brain today... I wonder how many people got to the bottom of this without falling asleep haha. But i will blog to you later, as now i am going to read and get some sleep! Good night and God bless to you all!
I was reading a little booklet earlier, it was about reading the Bible, and the most effective way to do it. Now i have heard people say that you shouldn't read huge amounts in one go because it can be "confusing" and you should meditate on one piece of Scripture at a time, and i have heard people say you should read lots and lots regularly to familiarise yourself with the different passages etc. This booklet basically said to do both, read as much as you can whilst taking it in, so as to familiarise yourself with it and then to meditate on maybe one or two verses a day. I thought that sounded like a logical idea... I'm aiming to read the Bible through at least twice this year, using two different plans and seeing which is the most effective.
I accepted Christ as my Saviour when i was nearly 8 years old, but i was backslidden from about the age of 9 to 15. So i'm a relatively young Christian... I have a general knowledge about the Bible, but i want to know more, and i can't read and comprehend enough to satisfy my want, so i decided i needed to find a logical plan to follow and pray that God will open His Word to me as i follow that reading plan and see how it goes. I'm not very clever, i rely on the grace of God to reveal things to me, and in secualr matters i am probably what you would describe as "blonde". I do enjoy a good debate though. But i have the Bible, it's enough for me, even if i don't understand all the complicated doctrinal terms haha i'll get there in the end.
This morning i came across John 15:13 in my daily reading, and it kind of struck me, this is what it says: "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."
Christ died on the cross for us, he suffered and died, and shed his precious Blood, all to save us from an eternity in Hell... Talk about unsurpassable love... And we have to love each other as Christ loved us, even our enemies. But if we have no love in our hearts, we can have no relationship with Christ, because we will never be able to comprehend just how great a sacrifice He made for us or why He did it. We must love those who are lost, in order to want to witness to them and win them to Christ... And love those who frustrate and possibly annoy us so that we are not un-Christian... Someone once said to me "In everything you do, be a Christian" and it's so true, we need to apply it to every dimension of our lives!
But those are the few thoughts that have been occupying my small brain today... I wonder how many people got to the bottom of this without falling asleep haha. But i will blog to you later, as now i am going to read and get some sleep! Good night and God bless to you all!
A Post of Random Little Thoughts...
I blog FAR too much. You'd know, you're reading it haha. The entries will become significantly less regular when i've finished painting my room etc. but i have so much to talk about at the minute, so much i want to share with everyone, that i'm enjoying blogging "too much". I really do have better things to be getting on with, but like i said, it won't be for very much longer.
My posts are way too long, but i can't help typing fast... I think if my typing were slower, my "readers" would be spared alot of boredom. And i think more people would get to the bottom of my entries.
I discovered today that when i get over-excited, my nose bleeds. I had thought this for a while but was waiting for my next bout of hyper-activity to test out my theory. I was right. I get giddy alot, i tend to be a very exciteable individual, but just now and then one little episode occurs and then... Well my nose bleeds apparently.
I console myself with the fact that i am sensible when i need to be, and if everybody were sensible all the time, the world would be a very boring place. Like it or lump it :D
My posts are way too long, but i can't help typing fast... I think if my typing were slower, my "readers" would be spared alot of boredom. And i think more people would get to the bottom of my entries.
I discovered today that when i get over-excited, my nose bleeds. I had thought this for a while but was waiting for my next bout of hyper-activity to test out my theory. I was right. I get giddy alot, i tend to be a very exciteable individual, but just now and then one little episode occurs and then... Well my nose bleeds apparently.
I console myself with the fact that i am sensible when i need to be, and if everybody were sensible all the time, the world would be a very boring place. Like it or lump it :D
Leaving this...
I was walking the dog this morning, and i had to take a couple of pictures... I had some in my phone anyway, from when i've been walking and it's just been too beautiful to miss the photo opportunity, so i thought i would put them up here so you can see how awesome it is :D every time i go out and see how phenomenal the sunset/sunrise is, or look out at the stars in the evening, it puts me in complete awe of God's creation... I will miss it for sure! And it looks like we might be moving to a city... I will have to find someplace else to admire creation and how marvellous my God is :D
Wednesday 28 February 2007
Scared...
Well, my last blog was short and sweet... I finished kind of abruptly but my mum was telling me to go to bed :)
To explain the title of this post... We have just had an estate agent round, and it looks like we're selling up and moving, who knows where. it's been on the cards for a few weeks, but the reality of it hadn't really hit me, i mean, my dad has talked about moving before and it's never happened. But this time we've had the estate agent round, we've got a good price for the house (35,000 more than my dad said he would sell for, i believe it's a "sign" from God to my mum and i that it's His will for us to go this time... If that makes sense, but we shall see!), and my dad is selling the shop on the Word-Of-Mouth market... The one that foreigners who own kebab shops use! Lol...
So, i'm not particularly bothered that we're moving, i'm scared about where and what it's going to be like packing up our thousands of books... But i am just trusting God. I need to get my head round it, it's just quite a big thing.
I have no idea if any of this is making sense, so i'm going to change the subject to something else!
I was walking my dog this morning (Charlie, my "brain-dead bag of bones", that says it all), listening to my iPod. It was a sermon entitled "Wanted: Women who are Modest, Gentle and Quiet" and it was a study on the first 6 verses of 1 Peter 3. It made me think... About myself and my relationship with God, and my attitudes etc. and how important it is to be focused on Him and on keeping your heart in order, rather than worrying about what people think of your dress sense. As a Christian i believe we need to be neat and tidy, modest obviously, and dressed not trendily but not like we are living in the early 1900's. If we dress dowdily, it atomatically puts up a barrier between us and any people we try to share the Gospel with, yet we still need to differentiate ourselves from the world in the way we dress as it tends to be the first thing people notice about you... If that makes sense... I'm VERY aware that i ramble on so much sometimes that my rambling loses any logic it may have once contained.
I'm also praying and striving towards speaking more gently and quietly, i can be very loud, due to having an extensive Turkish family who are *very* loud, and an English family who aren't much quieter. But i am trying to use "volume control", and also praying that God will help me be gentler towards people when i'm talking and not quite as harsh as i know i can be.
Anyway.... I'm going to go and finish moving my room round, cleaning under stuff, and painting. My mum says she doesn't know what happened to me as i actually enjoy doing housework haha, good job for someone who would eventually like to have 12 kids :D getting far too in front of myself but there you go :)
I'm going, so i will blog to you later, take care and God bless to my reader group, which so far consists of my dear mother :)
Ciao ciao!!
To explain the title of this post... We have just had an estate agent round, and it looks like we're selling up and moving, who knows where. it's been on the cards for a few weeks, but the reality of it hadn't really hit me, i mean, my dad has talked about moving before and it's never happened. But this time we've had the estate agent round, we've got a good price for the house (35,000 more than my dad said he would sell for, i believe it's a "sign" from God to my mum and i that it's His will for us to go this time... If that makes sense, but we shall see!), and my dad is selling the shop on the Word-Of-Mouth market... The one that foreigners who own kebab shops use! Lol...
So, i'm not particularly bothered that we're moving, i'm scared about where and what it's going to be like packing up our thousands of books... But i am just trusting God. I need to get my head round it, it's just quite a big thing.
I have no idea if any of this is making sense, so i'm going to change the subject to something else!
I was walking my dog this morning (Charlie, my "brain-dead bag of bones", that says it all), listening to my iPod. It was a sermon entitled "Wanted: Women who are Modest, Gentle and Quiet" and it was a study on the first 6 verses of 1 Peter 3. It made me think... About myself and my relationship with God, and my attitudes etc. and how important it is to be focused on Him and on keeping your heart in order, rather than worrying about what people think of your dress sense. As a Christian i believe we need to be neat and tidy, modest obviously, and dressed not trendily but not like we are living in the early 1900's. If we dress dowdily, it atomatically puts up a barrier between us and any people we try to share the Gospel with, yet we still need to differentiate ourselves from the world in the way we dress as it tends to be the first thing people notice about you... If that makes sense... I'm VERY aware that i ramble on so much sometimes that my rambling loses any logic it may have once contained.
I'm also praying and striving towards speaking more gently and quietly, i can be very loud, due to having an extensive Turkish family who are *very* loud, and an English family who aren't much quieter. But i am trying to use "volume control", and also praying that God will help me be gentler towards people when i'm talking and not quite as harsh as i know i can be.
Anyway.... I'm going to go and finish moving my room round, cleaning under stuff, and painting. My mum says she doesn't know what happened to me as i actually enjoy doing housework haha, good job for someone who would eventually like to have 12 kids :D getting far too in front of myself but there you go :)
I'm going, so i will blog to you later, take care and God bless to my reader group, which so far consists of my dear mother :)
Ciao ciao!!
Tuesday 27 February 2007
A Reality Check...
Ok, i'm home! It made me realise that i do live in the real world after all, and that unfortunately all the home-edders can't live on a little island in the middle of nowhere, with no contact with the outside world... So i'll just have to dream haha. But seriously, it's important that we are "in" the world but not "of" the world, otherwise how can we be a witness and share the Gospel with the unsaved. And we can just content ourselves with the thought that we will enjoy the fellowship that we do get throughout the year alot more, because we are without it for the rest of the year...
Anyway, just a little thought, will write again soon but i must go to bed, still recovering from a cold and throat infection! So blog to you later! Good night and God bless xoxox
Anyway, just a little thought, will write again soon but i must go to bed, still recovering from a cold and throat infection! So blog to you later! Good night and God bless xoxox
Monday 26 February 2007
Rededicated to the Lord...
The following refers to my recent weekend away with 23 other home-educated Christians in their Teens and Twenties.
What did i get out of the weekend? How has it affected my life, my feelings, and my walk with God?
I felt that the series of talks we heard this weekend were benficial for me personally on many levels. Specifically, a talk on how the Lord Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and favour with both God and man. It encourages me a great deal, as after an awful year last year (for a number of reasons i won't bore you with), i was feeling quite helpless and hopeless in my walk with God. The weekend helped me to realise what mistakes i have been making, in that i was trying to become more Godly in my own strength rather than relying on God and His grace to help me.
I also came away from the weekend with a deeper understanding of what it means to trust God wholly and completely, rather than worrying about what the future holds. Mr. Harding said something that struck me, God has already written the end of our story, and it has a happy ending. Whatever things we think may affect our future happiness, God has them all under control and things will work out for the best. We may not know what our "happy ending" is yet, but we must wait carefully and cautiously for God to reveal His will to us through studying Scripture and fervent prayer, and in the meantime, get on with what God has for us now, in the situation we are in, whatever it may be, and take our lot without complaining but glorifying our Lord in everything we do
I also realised (although i knew this to some level anyway!) that i cannot in any way, shape or form, trust any of my feelings. I need to lean on God completely.
I have given my body as a living sacrifice to the Almighty God, to use in whichever way pleases Him, to use in whichever way i will be most useful to Him. I am a shapeless lump of clay, ready to be molded and shaped by the Potter's hands. I am a sheep, ready to follow my Shepherd where ever he will lead me until he calls me Home.
I pray daily that i will be useful to God and that He will help me to develope the qualities i need to fill the role that He has for me. I pray that He will help me to deny myself, take up His cross and follow Him with my whole heart.
There are other people out there in the same situation as me, i am not alone. I have so many blessings in my life, i may be isolated but there are people who are more isolated, and it's for a divine reason that i may or may not come to find out in years to come.
I have struggled, i feel more on fire for God than i have ever done and i am striving towards a prize worth far more than anything here on earth. I will write more later... I am at my auntie's and i have alot to talk about... I'm overflowing with joy and zeal after the weekend and i want to share it with everyone!
What did i get out of the weekend? How has it affected my life, my feelings, and my walk with God?
I felt that the series of talks we heard this weekend were benficial for me personally on many levels. Specifically, a talk on how the Lord Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and favour with both God and man. It encourages me a great deal, as after an awful year last year (for a number of reasons i won't bore you with), i was feeling quite helpless and hopeless in my walk with God. The weekend helped me to realise what mistakes i have been making, in that i was trying to become more Godly in my own strength rather than relying on God and His grace to help me.
I also came away from the weekend with a deeper understanding of what it means to trust God wholly and completely, rather than worrying about what the future holds. Mr. Harding said something that struck me, God has already written the end of our story, and it has a happy ending. Whatever things we think may affect our future happiness, God has them all under control and things will work out for the best. We may not know what our "happy ending" is yet, but we must wait carefully and cautiously for God to reveal His will to us through studying Scripture and fervent prayer, and in the meantime, get on with what God has for us now, in the situation we are in, whatever it may be, and take our lot without complaining but glorifying our Lord in everything we do
I also realised (although i knew this to some level anyway!) that i cannot in any way, shape or form, trust any of my feelings. I need to lean on God completely.
I have given my body as a living sacrifice to the Almighty God, to use in whichever way pleases Him, to use in whichever way i will be most useful to Him. I am a shapeless lump of clay, ready to be molded and shaped by the Potter's hands. I am a sheep, ready to follow my Shepherd where ever he will lead me until he calls me Home.
I pray daily that i will be useful to God and that He will help me to develope the qualities i need to fill the role that He has for me. I pray that He will help me to deny myself, take up His cross and follow Him with my whole heart.
There are other people out there in the same situation as me, i am not alone. I have so many blessings in my life, i may be isolated but there are people who are more isolated, and it's for a divine reason that i may or may not come to find out in years to come.
I have struggled, i feel more on fire for God than i have ever done and i am striving towards a prize worth far more than anything here on earth. I will write more later... I am at my auntie's and i have alot to talk about... I'm overflowing with joy and zeal after the weekend and i want to share it with everyone!
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