Game on for God!

What a night!

Last night saw the kick off of 'Esteem for women' at St. Andrew's and what a night it was God brought a number of women to the meeting and met them where they were at.  It was awesome.  How do I know so much about it because my wife kicked it off and she said it was fantastic how God met with them.  Deborah Boyle was the speaker and there were another 18 women there and for the first one I was pleased.  The idea of these meetings is that women get together and drink coffee, eat and chat together in a warm, secure and godly environment.  Last night we achieved that.  The next one is on October 28th and I have another friend coming to speak at it Rachel Lee and again she has a fantastic story to tell.  My wife led the whole thing very well and we got a good mix of people both non churched and churched.  Overall a fantastic success.

Today I booked another ticket for Xcel 09 and now we have around 7 weeks before we go I thought it was 6 last week but that was just over exuberance on my part.  Going to Bradford and especially xcel is the highlight of my year for Christian conferences.  This year I am even more excited and really looking forward to having a weekend away with a few guys from the football team spending time with God and having a beer or 2 and food with the guys.  I am also excited by the journey down mainly because we will be travelling in an Audi RS4 and if I can remember how to put a picture on my blog I will put one on of the car.

Blessings to all who read this.

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.

The not so beautiful game & Preaching

Football today and an absolute disaster we played Houston who we have not played for 3 years and they absolutely thumped us.  Outplayed us in every area albeit we had 7 players missing.  We need some new players as well to make the squad more competetive and there is strength in depth.  It is probably the worst game I have been involved in with teh team since we started on this great big adventure.  Everyone is hurting and so hopefully we will turn it around next weekend when we play Erskine Bridge (I think).  Could be wrong though so will need to check.  Already looking forward to it and ease some of the pain from todays result.

Preaching tomorrow at St. Andrew's Methodist Church East Kilbride.  This will be the first time I have preached since the middle of August the passage is James 2: 1 - 17 so hopefully it will be good for the congregation.  I am also preaching in my own church on Friday night but not sure what that will be on.  Looking forward to next week when I have a couple of important meetings especially the football ones on Monday night.

Family are all well and my wife organised a fantastic Fischy concert at St. Silas today which had over one hundred people at it.  It was for children but I am sure the majority of adults got into it and at times more than the kids.  It was great.   #1 daughter has moved out but I am sure the wife and I have seen her more since she moved than when she actually lived here?!

Blessings to all who read this blog

Once again I have not blogged for ages.  It is really difficult to keep up with blogging and everything else that is happening so here goes -

#1 daughter is back from America and moved into her new flat.  She has also got accepted for Glasgow Cali and starts in 2 weeks.  It was great to have her home for a week although due to being busy I have not had a proper chance to catch up with her.  I will make a point of doing that early next week maybe take her for a coffee and lunch now she is a rent paying poor student.  #2 daughter has taken over her room and #'s 3 & 4 are sharing with their wee brother at the moment (Our house is far too small) #1 Son is fun, a nightmare and cute all in the space of seconds he absolutely adores motorbikes and football as well as golf clubs and floor brushes??  The wife is fantastic and has been really busy with church stuff and family stuff i.e. moving #1 daughter out and sorting out the house for the rest of us.  I cannot compliment her enough she is fantstic and I love her more than I can ever say.

Football the team got off to a great start on Saturday with a 3 v 1 win over Burnside for the most part the game was played very well although there were a couple of instances that were somewhat distasteful but they were dealt with there and then.  This Saturday we are playing Houston and some old rivalry can be resumed.  Houston were the team we won the league out right against when we won Div 3 as St. Silas.  They are a nice bunch of guys and we have had some really good games against them.

Football league is fantastic really enjoying the challenge of being chairman and all the issues that go with that.  It has been a tough start but hopefully through prayer and discernment we can overcome these challenges.  Thursday night was my first league meeting as chairman and i thoroughly enjoyed it.  Friday night we had the league dedication service which was held at St. Silas with the minister speaking at it Gadget vicar alias Rev. David McCarthy and he did a fantastic talk and prayer.  The SAFA prsident and secretary were also there and they did a 10/20/30 minute question and answer session which went down very well.  Hopefully this will be the first of many such nights and a big thankyou to all those that attended approx 150 - 200 men in one episcopal church!  Great night oh! plus 3 women #1 daughter , the fantastic wife and our friend Jennifer.  Thank you to all 3 for all the help they gave to me and the band.

This week there is a Fischy concert on at St. Silas for all children it will be great fun so come along to St. Silas and bring the children they will have a ball (Tickets are available on the door).  Next Friday St. Andrew's has a praise night on and all are welcome I will be speaking at it and this Sunday I am preaching in St. Andrew's methodist church in East Kilbride I need to get the hymn list to the church in order for them to be able to sing them.  I also need to prepare the sermon for it as well.  A very busy and exciting week ahead.  All in the challenges of church & life.

Updated again and hopefully this time I will keep it updated so all those that read this can see what is happening.

Blessings to everyone who reads this.

What's new?

Once again I haven't blogged for ages and so what is new?  Not much.  #1 daughter still in America and arrives back a week tomorrow.  The wife and I had an amazing time speaking to her on MSN and using the webcam it was the first time we had seen her in 11 weeks and she looks well.  She is however looking forward to coming home.  #2 & #3 daughters have returned to school today and enjoyed their first day back although #2 daughter did give the usual 15 year old reaction of 'it was boring'!!  #4 daughter does not go back to nursery until next week and #1 son has driven me daft today whilst trying to do a report for church and some posters for a couple of monthly services at the church I am organising  he has wanted food and juice like nothing else and then destroyed 1/2lb of cheese because I was not quick enough for his liking?!

Met with a pastor friend tonight to seek some wise council on the way forward he is always full of wise advice and good counsel and once again he did not fail me very sound advice thank you.

Football team has had another succesful pre season friendly winning 4 v 1.  This time our 2 centre forwards scored all 4 goals still a few issues to iron out but on Friday evening we are playing against one of the guys works team so hopefully the frustrations can be dealt with before we play a league game otherwise we could have a few issues to deal with early in the season.  This season I am league chairman and the referees have been instructed to clamp down heavily on bad language I agree with this to a certain extent but the world we live in makes it difficult to have a big influence on them or rather as much of an influence as I would like us to have.  One thing to remember is as players we need to respect one another and the people who may be watching us play and scrutinising our behaviour as we are a church league and as such a certain standard needs to be reached.  Some things to talk about at our first league meeting on the 27th August should be fun.  Our league dedication service is at St. Silas on the 28th August which I am really looking forward to.

The wife is working hard and also working on some really exciting stuff.  She is an amazing women and I have to say keeps me right especially with decisions that I have to make she is remarkable and I love her more and more.  She is a very wise woman and also very gracious to everyone even people that I certainly wouldn't have time for.  when people are so gracious or respectful to her it drives me a bit crazy but she deals with it in her own way.  It is probably the one thing we differ on I want to go nuts on them but she deals with them wisely!  A very wonderful woman.

A busy couple of weeks have just passed and tomorrow night the wife is going to see U2 which I had a ticket for but I have a church management meeting to attend and so I can't go she is taking our friend Margaret with her I am so jealous but I hope she has an absolutely fabulous time at Hampden.  Then we can get busy again apparently she is off to Fort William on Saturday and I am taking the kids to a barbecue (note to self how did I get dragged into that one?).  I havea meeting Wednesday afternoon and football training Wednesday night I am looking forward to both.

Blessings to evryone who reads this blog.

It has been 4 weeks since my last blog and I have to say it has been a busy 4 weeks.  The last time I attended St. Andrew's Milton was the 12th July to preach since then I have been preaching in several C of S Churches which include High Carntyne, Cranhill x 2 and this morning at Mearns Kirk.  I have met some fantastic people and shared what God has put on my heart from Ephesians.  I have enjoyed it immensely.  One of the main things I have enjoyed is the fact that my wife has been with me for the past 3 weeks.  She is my greatest critic and even more important my source of encouragement and strength.  Next weekend we are both back at respective churches until the next time we get a holiday and can spend time at either the same church or one of us is preaching.  I am looking forward to hearing her preach on the 14th August at St. Silas which I will go to before heading off to Milton.

#1 daughter is still having a ball in America and she is getting on really well but is definately looking forward to coming home although home is changing for her as she is moving into student accomodation a week after arriving back in Scotland.  All the family are looking forward to seeing her as they are all missing her.  #2 daughter now has her room and I must say she keeps it tidier than #1 daughter.  #'s 3, 4 & 5 are sharing a much bigger room and they to are keeping it relatively tidy.  The family are all well and the wife and I have just enjoyed 2 weeks holiday in which we did very little except some work on the house which included clearing out our loft in order to get it insulated why is it that we put all the junk in the most difficult room to get to and the furthest away from the bin?  Really need to rethink that one.

Football starts back again next Saturday with 3 pre season friendlies and then our fist league game on the 29th against Burnside.  I am looking forward to getting back to football but dread the early mornings.  I am looking forward to a very exciting season combined with a succesful one.  We have new strips arriving this week which will have St. Andrew's on them as opposed to old St. Silas ones.  Our home park has moved to a 3g park in Milton which again should mean we can play all of our home games on time without them being effected by the weather. 

Bradford is looming with our annual attendance at the Xcel conference I am really looking forward to it.  Only 4 months to go which seems a long time but hopefully it will go by quickly.

It is good to be back blogging again and a special hello to my friend Brian who is somewhere in Asia or somewhere on the other side of the world.  I hope he is safe and I look forward to speaking to him and meeting him for a coffee in the not too distant future.

Catch up

I have not blogged for the past 3 weeks at least.  Apart from being busy I have not had that much to blog about.  What has happened in the past 3 weeks?  where do I start?

Family - The family are all well #1 daughter is having a ball in America and has moved camps from the initial camp as it was working with special needs children which turned out to be adults and she is not trained to deal with that.  America may be a super power but it is awful for caring for people and its citizens with health issues.  Obama will have to reform somewhere and prioritise what America should stand for apart from being able to blow other countries up by the flick of a switch!!  #2 daughter is doing very well and enjoying the summer break and also her big sisters room.  # 3 & 4 are having a ball it is #4 daughters 4th birthday today and she loves it having her sister and brother at home with her playing.  Only son has totally destroyed everything that he can he is great fun and loves motor bikes and the fact that he now has a seat attached to my push bike so that we can go cycling.  It is great having him and he is just so much more sturdy and sure of himself than I ever remember the girls being.  My wife is doing well she is getting to preach a few times over the summer which she is really looking forward to.  I am preaching over the next few weeks and so will find out what it is like to prepare a sermon/service at least 4 weeks on the bounce.

Football - All is quiet on that front at the moment although we have started training on a Wednesday night now and had our first pre season friendly on Sunday which we lost 6 v 1 in but although the result sounds bad we learnt a lot from it and to be fare although they were a lot older than us on average they were a very good team.  I am in the process of ordering new strips for the team along with other equipment needed for the season.  Sadly we have said goodbye to a few players including Alisdair Morrow and Davey Stewart Ali has gone to play for someone else and Davey at 28 has retired???  The rest of the guys are still with us and I hope looking forward to another very exciting season in the football league.

Church & Faith - Still working for the methodist church in Milton and enjoying numerous opportunities to preach mainly in the C of S which is great fun.  Currently looking at setting up a womens meeting on a monthly basis Wednesday night which my wife will run and setting up a cafe type of adventure for the local community to come in and use along with the gym equipment that we have installed in the church.  God is good he has blessed us immensely and I am looking forward to what he has in store for us in the coming year or 2 what an adventure this journey is.  I am already starting to look forward to November and going down to Bradford to ALC and listen to what God is doing and is going to do with His Church.

Blessings to all who read this blog.

Long time no blog!

It has been a while and a load of stuff has happened since the last time I blogged.  Most recently I have written my dissertation 10,000 words and handed in.  All I have left to do is 1 exam 4/6 and an essay to be in 09/06 oh!  Presentation 02/06 @9.15am and finallt a reflective paper to be in by the 12th June.  The next 2 weeks are going to be very busy.

Football team and we have been doing very well over the last 2 weeks and have 1 final game left and if we win we can finish as high as 3rd depending on results.  We have lost 1 player for next season Davey S has decided to call time on the team for various reasons.  He will be a sad loss.  As a team we have secured a home pitch in Milton plus we can use it as a training ground as well.  It is a new 3g astro pitch which hopefully we will be able to benefit from being able to always have a park to play on.

Man Utd. were rubbish last night but 3 out of 5 ain't bad maybe next season?  Ronaldo is once again undecided on if he is going to stay!  I hope he makes up his mind soon.

Church is going well and once I have finished college I will be able to concentrate all of my efforts on work or more of my time on organising stuff in order to move forward.  I have had my trial service and so hopefully I will move on to 'trial' at the next local preachers meeting which is on Wednesday.  I have the leagues AGM on Thursday and our last game is on Tuesday.  Although not taking services in the Methodist Church at the moment I am doing some in the C of S which is great and I am really enjoying the time spent preaching and leading the services and also the preperation.

I am looking forward to having a break soon as it is/has been a busy time.  The family are all great #1 daughter should be going to America soon, #2 daughter is doing well and being a great help this weekend looking after #3 & # 4 daughter plus the boy who has just fallen asleep on my arm.  The wife and I have celebrated 20 years of marriage this week wow! it went quick and is still as good as day 1.  The wife & # 1 daughter are in Bradford at the Cherish conference this weekend I hope they have a great time as I am sure they will.  So far this week the wifes computer has broken and when they arrived in Bradford the engine on the car is not very well and it sounds like it could be terminal which is not good news as money is non existent at the moment.  I am praying that it is going to be ok but have to be realistic and expect a miracle.

I am now going to try and blog more regularly (Have I heard that or said that before?) especially as my work load is going to be less I hope! 

Catch up....

It has been a while since my last blog and a lot has happened.

Football firstly St. Andrew's need another 3 wins out of 3 to remain in the division they are in.  This is due to league restructuring!  We have a game tomorrow night against EK Claremont at Toryglen which I have to say is one if not the best facility we have played at for a while.  Recent results have been a 4 v 3 win against KCC and also a 4 v 1 win against KCC (we hadn't played them at all this season so this was the rearranged fixtures).  We still have Trinity Possil and Mure Memorial to play over the next 2 weeks.  No game Saturday as our opponents are in the cup semi final and I am at a friends daughters wedding.

Family are all well #1 daughter has her visa for America and leaves in 3 weeks.  #2 daughter is very excited as she gets her room while she is away.  #3 & #4 don't care and the boy well that is another story and one that will take a seperate blog.  The sun is out and trying to keep the son in is a nightmare and so far this week he has wrecked the barbecue and the wall in the garden, destroyed 2 plants and climbed the fence at least 5 times and that is in 2 days.  There is a lot to be said about rain.  The wife is doing well and has been asked to write some material  for the expositary times.  I am really proud of her she is awesome and a real b lessing to me and our children.

Work is going ok.  I am preaching on Sunday which I am looking forward to and then 2 weeks after that I am preaching again.  Exciting times are coming.  Anyway that is probably all I need to say just now?  Oh!  My dissertation is due in in 15 days time argh!!!  Better get on with it again.  St. Andrew's had another Praise night which went well and I am looking forward to the next one already.  Oh and I drove an Audi RS 4 amazing! fast,  awesome what else can I say 4.2 ltr engine 0 -60 in 5 secs.

St. Andrew's, Man Utd & Church stuff

St. Andrew's drew 2 each today with goals from Jason & Colin plus a sending off for Del which was a harsh decision but he did deny a goalscoring opportunity!  A good game against Hope Hall all the same.  Boycey saved another penalty which was great.  Our games against Hope Hall are always tough ones and this one was no exception a draw was probably the right result.  The season has 5 games left and then a couple of months off before we start again  and for the next season we will be better prepared.  Training will start mid July and then 4 or 5 games pre season and then off and running for a challenge for whatever division we are in.

Man Utd come back from 2 nil down  to beat Tottenham 5 v 2.  Could have been a dodgy penalty but it was given can't change it now.  There was a stupid comment on the radio from a Liverpool fan suggesting that the officials that come to OT are bribed in some way.  Must be in the same frame of mind as Rafa??  Anyway it was a great result for us and hopefully this will be a kick start to finally winning the premiership.  On another front MU have lined up Kaka to replace Ronaldo and RM have lined up both Kaka & Ronaldo maybe to replace Pepe for 3 crazy acts on Tuesday which have cost him a 10 game ban should have been more try and find it on YouTube it is very interesting watching.

Todd Bentley has remarried, so rumour has it.  Oh! How the mighty have fallen.  Obviously reconciliation to his wife was out of the window.  It is sad how the great revival was brought to a sudden halt.  I wonder if it was meant to be or if God chose to bring it to such an abrupt endt?