I was going to do five favourite zoo animals, but by number four I was pushing it, so I’ve gone for my five favourite animals 🙂 I couldn’t get them in any particular order, they’re all so lovely!
Giraffe
Parrot
Duck
I have a bit of a thing for ducks, I think they’re really beautiful 🙂 Oh, and my grandma used to call me duck 🙂
Golden Retriever
These dogs are incredible, they are loving, clever, and beautiful!
Cat
And this is Kea, my friend Emily’s cat who I used to look after when they went on holiday – she still loves it when I come over because she thinks I’m going to feed her 🙂 she’s wonderful!
“They talk so fast by they talk so true” as J.D. would say!
I’m currently working my way through the box set of Gilmore Girls and loving it! Coming towards the end of season 4 this evening there was an episode where a guy was listening to a love advice tape – the sort of thing that sounds like Oprah etc and most people would totally ignore, but there was this one quote that was actually pretty lovely:
Whose phone calls or visits are never unwanted or too long? Do you see her face?
Who would you most like to have in your life to ward off moments of loneliness? Do you see her face?
When you travel, who would make your travels more enjoyable? Do you see her face?
When you’re in pain, who would you most like to comfort you? Do you see her face?
When something wonderful happens in your life, a promotion at work, a successful refinancing, who do you want to share the news with? Do you see her face?
Whose face appears to you, my friend? Whose face?
I’ve just written this as a potential for the Compassion UK blog, but thought I’d share it here too 🙂
In church recently we’ve been going through the book of Ephesians and it’s been a great series. One thing our pastor has encouraged us to try a couple of times is to take Paul’s prayers, and pray them for people we know. He said if we’re struggling to find where to start our prayers, then who’s a better pray-er than Paul to take inspiration from? And if we can’t beat him we should join him!
The idea is essentially to take a prayer from his letters, and where it says “you”, replace it with the name of who you’re praying for! Just look for the “I pray” bits!
So with that in mind, here’s some of the bit’s we’ve looked at in recent weeks which I’ve dug out to try. Where below I’ve put “my sponsored child”, do try inserting the names of your sponsored kids!
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give [my sponsored child] the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that [he/she] may know him better. I pray that the eyes of [my sponsored child’s] heart may be enlightened in order that [he/she] may know the hope to which he has called [him/her], the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” – Ephesians 1vv17-19a.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen [my sponsored child] with power through his Spirit in [his/her] inner being, so that Christ may dwell in [his/her] heart through faith. And I pray that [he/she], being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that [my sponsored child] may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” – Ephesians 3vv16-19
I am not a fan of exercise. Anyone who knows me will know that. I did a run a month or two ago and it was horrible, I didn’t enjoy a minute of it, and just felt so ill when it was over.
However, tonight I went swimming for the first time in 3 years and I actually really enjoyed it! It’s looking like it should become a regular thing with my friend Anna 🙂 So with that in mind, and the football on tele, exercise seemed a good theme for this weeks Friday five favourite!
Swimming
Love this because there’s no impact to cause that sort of pain, and you never feel sweaty from it!!
Walking
I used to do quite a bit of walking as part of my commute, it totalled around 2 hours a day, so that was a nice, convenient, free way to stay in shape! It’s also a good time to multi-task with reading or listening to something! I’m also quite a fan of a nice country walk if the company is good 🙂
Ballroom dancing
never done it, but it looks like fun
Skipping
with a rope or just round a room, great fun 🙂
Cycling
I really didn’t enjoy my cycling to work – battling to stay alive between the cars is not enjoyable, but I think on a smoothly tarmacked traffic free route, it can be pretty freeing to go for a ride!
Hmm, I think that was a bit of an effort to find five wasn’t it! What’s your favourite form of exercise?
This week I’ve been watching some of season 8 of Scrubs, including the episode that guest stars some of the cast of Sesame Street 🙂 So I thought, as today is my birthday, why not delve back into my childhood and choose my five favourite characters from that wonderful show 🙂
I had the best start to the extra long bank holiday weekend 🙂 I went to the Big Church Day Out at Wiston House in West Sussex. This is the third year I’ve been now, but the first year as a paying guest rather than working for Compassion at it. So that, combined with the fact that my two favourite bands, Phatfish, and Rend Collective Experiment were playing meant I was pretty excited!
I was a bit sad to be driving down on my own. Initially I’d tried to get a whole load of people to go for the weekend and camp, but none of them were interested. I’m now glad I didn’t put it as a birthday thing as then people may have come who didn’t want to, and I didn’t want anyone to feel obliged to. But the drive was much easier than last year as I looked into the route options more thoroughly and so went a much more sensible way! And it was ok, because I met a friend from church, and a friend from work and her group once I got there, including a couple more people I vaguely knew, and amongst the thousands of people there, you’re always going to bump into some others you know!
The music was great! Just to give you a bit of a taster, especially as I’ve just called some of them my favourite bands, here’s a bit of what you missed (obviously not live versions as the quality would be pants!)
To God be the Glory – Lou Fellingham & Phatfish
Second Chance – Rend Collective Experiment
Cannons – Phil Wickham
He Reigns – Newsboys
Mighty to Save – Israel Houghton (and make sure you listen to the chorus!)
Dance – Tim Hughes
By the time Tim Hughes was on at the end, we’d gone through the one hour of the day where we’d managed to get more sunburnt than we realised (I’m still lobster faced!) and reached the evening. It was cold, it was raining, we were soaked through! We’d seriously talked during Israel Houghton about going home. We’d said we’d probably leave early anyway to avoid crazy traffic, but with the cold and wet we were thinking about missing an act or two. But we held out for a bit, and saw a bit of Tim Hughes & Worship Central, and it turned out to be exactly what we needed. We sang “Dance dance, everybody dance”, and we did!! No better way for the crowd to warm up in the cold, and in the wet, and in the dark, then to jump and dance around in worship!!
I still ended up leaving early because of the cold and the wet, but also because of how early I’d got up and how I had a long drive back on my own. And I’m glad I did! The rain got heavier and heavier. It got so bad that on a 70mph road I did 40mph for most of the time, and even 30mph for a while, because that was the only speed that felt safe, and everyone was doing it! And even then, I had my windscreen wipers on double speed, and that wasn’t enough for me to be able to see properly. Easily the scariest driving I’ve done so far!
Felt very strange not having the Compassion focus, but still went to have a chat on the stand and had a good look around the market place. Normally I go to these things thinking, “rubbish! I didn’t bring any money with me and there’s so much here!” so this year I allowed myself a small budget, went to the tesco cashpoint in the morning, and so bought myself a couple of bits and pieces, and a present for a friend from the lovely Heaven’s Attic. I also had time to visit the petting zoo! What a great idea!
All in all, a fab day, and as long as the line up is even half as good next year then I’ll be going back – the sense of community of a few thousand Christians sat on a hill is amazing!
