Game on for God!

I'm Back

Sorry I have not blogged in ages.  The rest was good though.  It has been 3 months since my last blog and a lot has happened in that time!  Where will I start?

Children always a good starting point - #1 daughter is doing well at University and still talks about when she was 'in the States' argh! #2 daughter is doing well at school and has just finished her prelims. #'s 3 & 4 are great with #3 having her 8th birthday next week. The boy is well what can I say an absolute dream he is a boy and has wrecked just about anything and everything he can but he is so loving and servant hearted it is hard to get annoyed or angry with him.

The wife is doing very well, working hard and not relaxing enough but hopefully this year that will change and we will get to chill out with each other more often.

The Xcel conference this year was fantastic Andre Oliver was the guest speaker and wow!  He was fantastic - Paul Scanlon was also excellent and the whole conference was a touch of reality.  It was definately a very motivating experience.  Already booked up for 2011 so really looking forward to that.  The wife is off to Cherish in June and she is looking forward to that.

Life in ngeneral has been hard especially over the Christmas period when our heating broke just before and was condemned shortly afterwards but through all of this God has released numerous blessings on us including people who have/are supporting us through this time.  The Church has been fantastic and restored my belief in it as an institution but more so as a community of people helping, sharing and praying for one another.

Football and we have not had too much to celebrate so far this season but hopefully things will improve over the rest of the season.  We have not played for nearly 5 weeks now and have a game in Milton on Saturday against Erskine Bridge which because it is our first game back we are looking forward to it.  The last time we played them we lost 4 nil in a cup game. Hopefully the result will be more favourable this time around.

As a family we had a very good Christmas although quiet but that was what we wanted.  We were blessed and managed to get some rest as well. 

I am pleased to be back blogging and hopefully will be able to blog on a regular basis.

Update

Once again I have not blogged for a while - Life has just been soooo busy.  What have I been up to well that is a good question.

The family are well and growing the boy is up to his usual tricks and still a real handful.  #1 daughter has met all of her flatmates and is getting on really great having started Uni today.  #2 daughter still moans with regard to school but was on work experience last week and so she had something different to moan about. #'s 3 & 4 are doing brilliantly and are loving being back at school and nursery respectively.

Football team is going through some difficulties but growing and hopefully learning from them all the time.  Our discipline is not as good as it should be but we are aiming higher and adding more self control to our game and our behaviour.  Lost again at the weekend 5 v 2 against KCC I won't be saying too much about that other than we chucked it away in the second half.  We really do need to improve our own self belief.  They really are a great bunch of guys who are also terrrific  footballers I just pray that the day comes when they realise that!

As chairman of the league I was invited to Ruchill's presentation service for their football team not to do anything but just to be there and it was great to see a church where the football team is well loved and supported by the congregation.  Our next league meeting is on the 1st October which should be an interesting one as we have a number of things to deal with.  This position is really good but it does take a lot of work thank God I only work part time.

The wife has been really busy over the past 4 weeks and is doing very well both spiritually and physically.  She is helping to run St. Andrew's womens meeting once per month amongst all the other things she is involved in the first one being this Wednesday up in St. Andrew's I am really looking forward to what God will do through these meetings.

I have another busy week ahead with a couple of meetings plus catching up with some friends that I have not seen for ages.  Really looking forward to that.  This weekend the football team are playing Kings Park Baptist church in the Fraser Trophy prelimenary round at Toryglen which will hopefully be a good game.  I just l;ove playing at Toryglen.

Only 6 weeks or so before I go off to Bradford for the weekend and see Paul Scanlon at the Excel conference it is the highlight of my Christian calender.  I have a few more preaching engagements through October and November and now one on the 27th December in Girvan.

Blessings to all who read this.

Life, work and everything ...

I have finally got the chance to blog!  A lot has been happening.  Where will I start?  The good Friday service at Milton was great - had a good number of people at it including a number of friends of #1 daughter.  #2 & 3 daughters were involved in the service and did a great job.  The boy was at his nanna's because he would have heckled and shouted continuously and so he got barred.  The wife and  #1 , #3 & #4 daughters all helped with the art work which was great.  If they had not helped I probably would not have seen them until Saturday afternoon. 

Football - hopefully the tide has turned as we have actually drawn a game at last and started scoring some goals again also we have got a number of players back which is always good although we were meant to play a game against KCC on Wednesday and couldn't put a team together due to injuries and work.  This is the first time this has ever happened and hopefully the last.  Saturday we are playing Kings Park Baptist away.  We still have a few injuries but we don't have as many players working on Saturdays.  I am however having to organise at least 4 midweek games now as our season finishes in 2 weeks and we still have 7 games to play.  This has been a long hard season and I am glad it has nearly finished however, I am really looking forward to next season and having a great squad to work with.

College - I have 2 essays to write plus my 10,000 word dissertation which is on mission and maintenance in the context of the Glasgow Methodist circuit.  It will all make sense when it is finished.  College is going well and I am especially enjoying the children's ministry module which is on children with additional support needs.Fantastic subject.  I had a great experience with regard to this at the 'walk of witness' in Milton last friday.  After all the ministers had done their bit, a girl with down's syndrome started singing 'How great Thou art' and for me it was the spiritual high point of the walk - it was just fantastic!  It was one of those special God moments when God puts what we call 'normal' right out the window and does something absolutely amazing.

Church is going well and I am preaching at various now which I really enjoy.  I'm leading a service at a C of S church this Sunday, so that should be fun and hpoefully I'll get asked back!?!  We are planning another Friday night praise service in roughly 3 weeks, which should be another good night with more opportunties to try new things.  I have also been asked to go to Edinburgh and attend a Fresh Expressions event in order to train to deliver a training course on a mission.  Once I have been I will blog about it in more detail. 

Lastly I have been listening to some of the Hillsborough stuff on the radio today and couldn't believe it was 20 years ago that it happened.  I remember it quite clearly.  A very sad day for Liverpool FC and football itself.  Throughout the 20 years the whole incident has not been a 'fine moment' and it is about time that there was justice for the '96' and then maybe some of the people I listened to today could move.  They will never forget the people they lost.  My prayers go out to the city of Liverpool and those involved. 

I feel Sick!!

I feel physically sick after reading this newspaper article.  It is with regard to a 17 month old baby who has been murdered by his mother, step father and a lodger.  What the child had to bear in 17 months is more pain than most of us will suffer in a lifetime (God willing).  A broken back, ears ripped and teeth punched out along with 8 broken ribs, and the list goes on.  No one did anything to rescue him from his abusers and yet all noticed it.  What a sickening world we live in.  If things like this are allowed to happen and be 'overlooked' what chance have our children got?  Why in this case are people still employed?  Where is the remorse?  Why is everyone blaming somebody else and not taking responsibility?  How many churches are in the area that this wee child lived in?  As Christians we can moan about what is on telly, we can talk about the rights and wrongs of this world and we can attend church on Sunday as this is our ticket in!  Where are we when action is needed?  When do we take the risk of being non PC?  Yes we like to have plenty in on a Sunday morning and in some cases a Sunday evening but what happens when Church finishes?  Where are we in the world?  Maybe if the church was more active in every community and not overly concerned with a Sunday then things like this would not happen?  

Jesus has much to say on the children front and God help those who treat children in this way as GOD WILL BE THE JUDGE of ALL OF US - not just the people who turn up on a Sunday but everyone.  So atheists, other religions, gay, straight etc. etc.  So lets be on our guard keep an eye out in the communities we live in, pray for those communities,  LIVE our Christian lives in these communities not just on Sundays.  We are Christians 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  Lets walk the walk as well as talk the talk. 

Win & Lose

Our second game of the season saw us lose 3 v 1 and although that sounds like a bad result it was only in the last 5 minutes that QP scored a fantastic result through one Mr Cockerill who has transferred from Anniesland.  QP have a great bunch of guys and some very good footballers.  It's not fun losing but at least we took the defeat graciously, althoug it is something that we don't want to get used to and hopefully (and prayerfully!) we won't!!  We had a good team talk yesterday and clarified a few things with the guys to which they responded well.  This Friday we have Mr. Cuthberts leaving do, which should be good fun with really great food and some good banter between the lads.

Our third game this season is against Kilbirnie (down at Kilbirnie - my second favourite holiday place in the world, not)!  Hopefully we will get a good result!

The family are all well and no.1 daughter has finally found a church she is keen to go to.  She's known of the church for a while, but it's only since her experience at the Cherish Conference in Bradford that she's been keen to find a church where what she has to offer will be valued, nurtured and developed.  A place where she can find fellowship and serve God in the ways she has been gifted.  Praise God she has found this place in the local area.

I start work tomorrow with the Methodist church in Milton, which I am really looking forward to.  It isn't going to be easy in actual fact it is going to be quite a challenge but I have the support of a good minister and a wonderful prayer team backing me up plus a wonderful family who support and encourage me.  I thank God for His abundant blessings.  Now to plan for the future and build something great, that's real, relevant and God centred.  Amen.

Back to football and the Rangers have hammered Celtic today 4 v 2.  Best signing has to be Pedro Mendez - what a player!  I have to admit though that it is the first Old Firm game that I have seen recently where there has actually been some good football played.  It should make for an interesting season, still too early to predict who may win the title but a good start for Rangers.

Power of Football ...

This has just came in from Children in Scotland's daily news round-up.
POWER OF FOOTBALL GIVES PUPILS ACADEMIC KICK
Alison Campsie
It is not that Peter Maxwell did not like school. But it just got a  whole lot better for the 12-year-old after football was put on his timetable for six hours a week.  The success of pupils like Peter, selected for Falkirk’s football academy, has seen the Scottish Government commit to setting up six Schools for Football across Scotland.  Check out the full article here!
http://www.theherald.co.uk/search/display.var.2039534.0.power_of_football_gives_pupils_academic_kick.php
Herald
13/2/08