First Ice Cream and Russell's Orchard

Jess grew up with a milk protein allergy and has recently been given the all-clear to test it. Here she is trying her first real ice-cream from Friendlys restaurant. She chose a chocolate one, where she could add the toppings herself. Despite Jessie having a great attempt at finishing it, she couldn't quite manage it so I bravely stepped in and helped her polish it off.

Now that summer has arrived, Sunday afternoons after church are our new time for family outings. Last Sunday we visited Russell's Orchard which is an organic fruit farm where you get free tractor rides to fields, where you can 'pick your own'. They have different crops each month, and the strawberries will ready in 2 weeks, and you can eat all you want while picking them. Well that's how I interpret the rules anyway.

Seeing as none of the crops were quite ready yet, we stayed around the main buildings, where Jess got busy climbing, feeding and petting the animals.

Is this dangerous enough Mumma?

Jess feeding the sheep. She was keen on them at this point, however, she was less so later on when they started chasing her to take the bag of food out of her hand.

Talking to trees.

The Victory Fist

We had a lovely visit from our good friend Juergen mid-week ( we used to go to the same church in Cambridge ) who was on business in Boston. We really appreciated his effort to see us after work, and with the time difference I think it was equivalent to 4am for him when he left to catch the train. Ouch! We will visit him, and his lovely wife Catherine, and Nico, and the new baby Harter who will due in the not too distant future, when we're back in Cambridge around Christmas.

Sienna's new move, the Victory Fist.

The Murky World of Comment Spam

Dear friends,

I have disabled the comments for the last 7 postings, as I started getting 'comment spam' advertising online gambling. You will be able to comment on future posts, as I have changed the security settings for comment authorisation and moderation.

God bless you all,

Andy

What can separate us from the love of God?

NO THING.


Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No sin you have ever commited, are commiting, or will commit in either thought, word, or deed can separate you from God's love. Accept this and claim the new life you have been given. A life of freedom. Freedom from fear (of death, opinions of others and your own). And freedom from living in the messy consequences of sin. A life of sure hope for the future. A life saturated in love for God, self, and others.

What's stopping you? You will not be disappointed.

Why do we have to die?

While reading the Heidelberg Catechism today, I found this gem of a question and answer:

If Christ died for us, why do we also have to die?

Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins,1 but only a dying to sin and entering into eternal life.2

1. Romans 7.24; Psalm 49.7
2. 1 Thessalonians 5.9-10

In other words, seeing that God is just and holy he must punish all of mankind’s sins which he did sufficiently in Jesus dying on the Cross. Our dying is not part of this punishment, but rather the Final and Complete Healing. We die to our old sinful bodies in a very real physical sense, before we enter into eternal life with Jesus in the New Heaven and the New Earth, where our souls and physical bodies are re-united once more, but in a perfected expression, no longer tainted by sin, but in perfect union with God.

The Western phobia of death denies the very real beauty of death for the believer. The Bible shows that each day as we get older, we are one day closer to meeting the sovereign and most beautiful being in all creation, the Uncreated Creator, the being in whom all things have their start and end, and whom we shall ALL meet face to face. For someone who has put their trust in Jesus for their salvation rather than the own good works or character, this day is far from dreadful. It is a joyful and beautiful crossing over the ‘great divide’ where billions have gone before us, and where each one of us, too, will go.

Appleton Farms

Here are some photos from our family day trip after church on Sunday 18th May, to Appleton Farms in nearby Ipswich.

Jessie trying out the carriages in the barn.

Watching 'milking time' from a safe distance.

At the kind offer of a laborer, getting in on the action.

Shelley and Sienna. The two more calm and balanced members of the family.

Step 1: Choosing dandelions to feed the calves.

Step 2: Offer the dandelion through the gate.

Step 3. Bravely keep you hand there, as they all approach. (See her little hand to the right of the photo).

An idyllic shot.

Shouting at the calves in an effort to entice them back.

Catch me if you can.



Here cowie cowie.

The Cost of not following Jesus.

Before becoming a Christian, I had the false preconception that it is all about Do’s and Don’ts, and that it would therefore take all joy out of life. How wrong I was. This week, while reading the Book of Romans, I was struck afresh by the beauty of what Jesus achieved on this earth in his life and death. How we have been set free from sin and death, and that we are now fully spiritually alive in Jesus, and are now children of God.

Sometimes when people think about putting their faith and hope in Jesus for this life and the eternal one to come, they often are put off by the idea of what it will cost them to become a Christian, and so hold off until it’s too late. However, from reading the Bible I would suggest that it in fact costs too much not to follow Jesus. As Dallas Willard explains so aptly:

Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abudance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10.10). The cross-shaped yoke of Christ is after all an instrument of liberation and power to those who live in it with him and learn the meekness and lowliness of heart that brings rest to the soul…. The correct perspective is to see following Christ not only as the necessity it is, but as the fulfillment of the highest human possibilities and as life on the highest plane.

Salt water fishing

I went fishing today with my friend Winter from seminary. Winter supplied the tackle and worms and I provided the 'friend that needed to be shown what to do'.

We went fishing off a pier in Gloucester, America's oldest sea-port. To our amazement, if you put to fishing rods up, New Englanders suddenly become very friendly, introduce themselves, and ask embarrassing questions like 'what have you caught'?
My highlight of the many pieces of useful advice the locals gave us today was "Don't touch the lobster crates, or you're likely to be shot." Which was nice.

I tried to thread a sea-worm on my hook, but felt too scared as they have nasty black pincers which come out the side of their mouths when you try and hook them. I tried twice, each time for about 4 seconds, before bravely claiming incompetence and asking Winter to do it for me. I then became official photographer. Although I have no photographic evidence I can assure you I was there.

I didn't catch anything, but managed to lovingly feed two worms to the fish.
Winter appropriately caught a 'Winter Flounder' which we took home, and he cooked up and brought us some pieces round for dinner. It is a really light fish, and being so fresh tasted delicious. Jess even ate some, and she normally turns her nose up at fish.

I definitely hope to go again sometime as it was very relaxing, and due to the weather-invigorating. It was also good to get off campus for a change.


Sea worms. Aren't they lovely?





Winter threading sea worms. They make your fingers taste all salty.

Winter with his rod. Mine was the unlucky one on the right.

The Winter Flounder

The one that snapped my rod.

Jessica Jet Skiing

I took Jess jet skiing today, and she had a great time. I was a very proud father.

Just cos' you've got a big nose...,

...it doesn't mean you're funny. However, according to a 9 week old, it does (the best discerners of humour I've always found).

Take 1:Trying and failing horribly to soak Ben with a 'baby's medicene syringe'-full of water after he had soaked me earlier in the evening. Had I not been so intent on filming my hilarity, I might actually have been able to aim in his general direction.

Take 2: Trying to soak Ben with a 'cunningly-taped up kitchen sink spray hose' (say that quickly after a couple of glasses of wine). Only glancing him, I again failed miserabely.

What the summer holds

Now that the Spring Semester has finished, here are our plans for the summer. Next week I am starting a course called Educational Ministry of the Church, which I am really excited about as it seems a very interesting and pertinent topic for my future pastoral work. It is about the call to 'go and make disciples' within the Great Commission and so looks at the continuing role of education and discipling in the church, and how to teach people and get all members of the church involved in hands-on ministry work. This will be examined by a Final Exam 50% and a Research Paper 50%, and I have to complete the course by 9th July, which should be ample time. I had originally planned to study an elective called 'Intermediate Greek' but have since decided against it, as it would have meant starting and finishing 2 classes in 8 weeks, which would have been too demanding given how busy Shelley and I are at this season of life, with a young Sienna, and before Jess starts school (she is due to start on 18th September this year and will go Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8-12).
We are then going on a road trip on the 14th July to visit some friends. We are traveling to Michigan to stay with Mark and Sharie in their log cabin for a week, and are going via the Victoria Falls in Canada for a couple of nights. On the way back we will visit Toronto, before staying with our friends Heather and Kyle in New York State for 5 days. The whole trip will be 17 days in total with around 30 hours driving. We will be stopping overnight at various points on the way there and back. It might seem a little ambitious to our British friends, but Sienna is remarkably easy to look after, and we can set up the DVD player in our mini-van to keep Jess quiet, and we know that it is a now or never opportunity.
We will return in the beginning of August, by which time I will start translating the book of Matthew from the original Greek text to refresh my language skills and to get a head-start on some of the assigments in my exegesis class in the Fall, and I hope to also read some books for my preaching class, also in the Fall.
I do not plan to do any ministry experience in the summer, other than to continue to offer healing prayer for those that need it, and whom the Lord puts in my path, and to read books around this subject. I am also doing a small amount at our church, namely arranging for people to read the sermon passages each week. I am trusting that when the time is right the Lord will increase my ministry responsibilities, but know for now I just have to be obedient in the small things.

We are going to return to Britain for 3 weeks in the Christmas holidays, from around 18th December through to the 2nd week of January, and will do the same the following year. We will not be visiting over the summer for the next two years, as I would like to graduate in the summer of 2010, and will need to take two classes in the summer of 2009 and 2010. Shelley and I feel very much affirmed that our call to serve will be back in England, as enjoyable as our life in America is, and still feel that this will be in a pastoral position for me.

We have yet to ask God about details including denominations and will start to be prayerful about this after the summer onwards. We know we are in the right place at the moment, and this is a great feeling to have. As things stand I would feel happy serving in a pentecostal/ charismatic church, and to help bring strong Bible teaching into this environment. I would find it very difficult to serve in a 'cessationist' denomination due to our views on the ongoing nature of the spiritual gifts described in 1 Cor 12 and 14. I would love to help a church hold the highest view of BOTH the Holy Spirit and Scripture. However, we'll leave it in God's capable hands.

We hope all of you have a very blessed summer and look forward to hearing from you in due course.

PS. I am praying for an extra special blessing for our friends the Smith's who are having their first baby, and also for my friend Doddsy, whose in the same position, both of whom will have bigger families come August.

Lots and lots of love

Andy

Forest got Promoted. Wahey!

Well, who'd have thought it? After a woeful run in the middle of the season, Forest ended strong and sealed automatic promotion from the third to the second tier of English football. Such dizzy heights.

For those American friends who have never heard of the football team I support, (in fact this is everyone who has asked me who I follow) here's a little lesson:

Founded in 1865 Forest have always been considered a small club by English league standards until the mid 1970s, when Brian Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor took the helm at the club. Clough was the most successful manager in the history of Nottingham Forest football club. He had won the league title with Forest's neighbours Derby County in 1972, and came to Nottingham Forest on January 6th 1975, after a 0-2 home defeat by Notts County, on Boxing day, prompted the committee (Forest had no board of directors then) to sack the previous manager Allan Brown. They won promotion to the top division at the end of the 1976-77season after finishing third in the Second Division, but no-one could h ave predicted how successful Clough's team would be over the next three seasons.
Nottingham Forest became one of the few teams (and the most recent team to date) to win the English First Division Championship a year after winning promotion from the English Second Division (1977-78 season). In 1978-79, Forest went on to win the European Cup by beating Malmö FF[1-0] in Munich's Olympic Stadium and retained the trophy in 1979-80, beating Hamburger SV [1-0] .



Forest reached their lowest point 3 seasons ago when they were relegated to the 3rd tier of English football. However, due to Forest's strong end of season run, this season ended magnificently with an away win to ensure Forest leap-frogged 2 other teams on the last day of the season to finish 2nd in the division, and get automatic promotion to the Championship. Hallejuiah.

The logo, the City Ground at night, the legendary Brian Clough, lifting the European Cup in 1980 for the second consecutive season (the pinnacle of European football), and the young, locally-born team that earnt promotion this season.


Forest's honours: (Note the sheer sparseness of success since I started following them in 1985.)

European Cup winners 1979 *, 1980 *
European Super Cup winners, 1979 *
European Super Cup runners up, 1980 *
Intercontinental Cup runners up, 1980 *
Football League champions, 1978 *
Football League runners up, 1967, 1979 *
Football League First Division champions, 1998
Football League Second Division winners, 1907, 1922
Football League Second Division runners up, 1957
Football League One runners up, 2008 (promotion to the Championship)
Football League Third Division South champions, 1951
FA Cup winners, 1898, 1959
FA Cup runners up, 1991
Football League Cup winners, 1978 *, 1979 *, 1989 *, 1990 *
Football League Cup runners up, 1980, 1992
Football League Centenary Tournament, 1988*
FA Charity Shield winners, 1919, 1978 *
FA Charity Shield runners up, 1959
Anglo-Scottish Cup winners, 1977 *
Football Alliance champions, 1892
Nuremberg Tournament winners, 1982 *
Trofeo Colombino Cup winners 1982 *, 1983 *
Full Members Cup winners, 1989 *, 1992 *
(*) Cups won by Brian Clough

Latest family photos

A bonny baby:
A bonnier baby:
Jess' new Dora bed. This last week she has been out of the crib, which means she is going to bed much later, as she gets out of bed and reads books, plays on the trampoline or tries to spy on us in the lounge once her lights are out.
Jess on the Demolition Derby at Chuck E Cheese:

Recent photos of Jessica

Jess with her friends over for tea. Note the athletic father in the background ready for Soccer. And yes I did have the football up my top.


A very rare sighting indeed: Jess asleep. If you have noticed the large number of 'band aids' that Jess seems to be sporting in all her photos, do not be alarmed. Due the pictures of Dora or Hello Kitty which they often carry, they are her latest fashion accessory, and she likes to wear them for fun. Unfortunately for us, her favourite place to put them is right in the middle of her forehead.

Last week, when our friend Kyle returned to graduate, Jess' BEST FRIEND Emily (his daughter), came to visit whom Jess had not seen since January. It was lovely to see them play so nicely together, and to hear Jess being so polite with her at her tea party.
Daddy breaks wind in the kitchen, as Shelley tries to take a nice picture. And yes, if you sit and look at Sienna, you can actually watch her grow.

The perfect hairstyle

Jessica hates having hair clips and bands in at the moment, and likes to go for the shaggy dog look. Fortunately, Shelley is very good at doing hair, and has come up with the perfect solution:
braided plaits. Jess forgets she has them in, meaning less daily battles and we can see our daughters cute face.

A natural poser. Sensitive yet serious.



She couldn't be serious for long:

Sienna's Little Helper

A 6 week old Sienna finds Jessica's dummie/pacifier teasing hilarious:

3 weeks later, Jessica's comedic value shows no sign of waning:

The mutual appreciation society's 2 founding members:

2 weeks ago, Sienna was diagnosed with a milk sensitivity (not as bad as an allergy) and so has since been given special formula milk. She is lovely and chubby now.

Jessica's first attempt at bottle-feeding a 6 week old Sienna.: