Sunday

Sunday Scripture - Psalm 34 v 1


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at Psalm 34 v 1






This verse happens to be one of my favourite verses but I am not focusing on it today for that reason.

Today I have chosen this verse because it chose me; I woke up with this verse on my lips this morning and so I want to share it with you all.






I have mentioned this Psalm briefly in a previous Sunday Scripture Post in July this year but it was not the main focus of my post that time however if any of my church friends are reading this it may be of interest to them to read it as well.


I also wrote a Pondering the Psalms Post on this Psalm 3 years ago but in that case it was an overview of the whole Psalm but you may like to read it as well.


Today this verse kept repeating over and over in my head as I lay in bed and it impressed on me that no matter where I am this can be true for me.  Oh I have thought that at times before but normally I am thinking about the necessity of praising the Lord continually.


Today I'm on this other train of thought


Wherever we are this can be true for us, 

                whatever situation we are in this can be true for us, 

                              whatever frame of mind we are in this can STILL be true for us.



Of course no matter where or when or in whatever frame of mind we are we must always keep any verse in it's context so let's consider the first 10 verses.


Psalm 34 v 1-10
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.


As I was lying in bed thinking on this first verse two other verses joined my thoughts





which is of course the third verse of the Psalm.

As good as it is to Bless the Lord on our own as our personal act of worship it is also good to do so with others who love and trust Him too.  As we exhibit the right behavour of speaking verse 1 and then acting on what we have said and keeping our word others will be heartened and encouraged and there will be that bond between us as well as our bond with God.

And then

the 8th verse





Here we go that step further and make a plea to others to step out in faith and trust God, test His Word and find that it is True and He will Bless us as He has already promised in His Word.


In this Psalm we see how we go through from making a commitment to Bless the Lord ourselves, to encouraging others to do the same and then being an example and witness to others that they can trust Him too and all of us see the


Blessing and Goodness of God.













Sunday Scripture - Philippians 1 v 21


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at Philippians 1 v 21






Often we would hear the phrase

                           "The Best of Both Worlds"

and I believe today's verse for Sunday Scripture is one of the best examples we can have of that phrase.






While we live on earth in fellowship with Jesus we are in the best relationship there is for us.  

We have the joy of our sins forgiven and peace with God.

We know His steadfast Love and His new mercies each day.

We experience His guidance and wisdom every step of the way.

We live with no fear of death because Christ has overcome it.

We are truly Blessed.


Because as Paul says in verse 6 of this same chapter

Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ


When we die we will still be in fellowship with Jesus but have the joy to see Him face to face.

We will live forever with The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

We will know perfection in all things.

We will live a new life that cannot be described now because no-one can fully understand it now.

We are truly blessed to have such a future.


Can we have the best of both worlds?


Sometimes people talk only of looking to what is to come, that perfect life in Heaven.

But I think this verse wants to draw our attention to both lives so that we do not dwell on only what is to come but also on how we live with Jesus today.


We have Christ now today so let's "make the best of both Lives" and make today count for Jesus as Paul says in verse 27

that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel






Although Paul longed for Heaven in verses 24-25 we see he recognized that he had a role to play on earth to help others 

Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith

and we also have a role to play on earth to help others.


Let's think on this as we read and even memorize today's verse.









Monday

What Makes Us Truly Happy? - Coffee & Conversation





So often these days I read or hear about people blogging or writing or just sharing on Facebook or Twitter about how we need to concentrate on what makes US happy.
The focus is on the person themselves, they must always be the most important person in their own lives, they must always come first.





This is not what I have experienced as I have gone through life and I am not young so I have had many years of getting to know what makes me happy and it is not putting all the emphasis on myself.

Indeed I believe that if we only think of ourselves then we will never be truly happy.



Of course I am very happy that I have friends and a husband who make me laugh and smile.  
BUT
I am also very happy when I can be instrumental in helping others to laugh and smile.  
Thinking about this I thought I could make just a few suggestions of extremely easy ways in which any of us can help to put a smile on someone else's face, to bring them a little happiness.


Some ideas that came to mind were:
  • Invite them for coffee or a meal.
  • Bake a cake or cookies or buns to share with them.
  • Send them a card.
  • Write them a letter or email them.
  • Visit them.
  • Take time to talk to them or listen to them.
  • Send them a picture (just for them) by email or text.
  • Phone them 
  • Make them feel welcome when they are around you
  • Simply say hello and smile at them.


Why not go out and simply say hello and smile, it wont hurt you and it might put a smile on someone else's face.

Then when it puts a smile on their face it will put a smile on yours as well.

Why do I say this?
BECAUSE
I am very happy that I have friends and a husband who make me laugh and smile. 









If we only think of ourselves we will never be truly happy.


And let's not forget the people we may be meeting for the first time



And because I believe that the instructions we have in the Bible are for our good and the good of others.




DON'T FORGET!

Why not go out and simply say hello and smile, it wont hurt us and it might put a smile on someone else's face.







Sunday

Sunday Scripture - 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16-18


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16-18





For years now I have heard lots of talk about

 "What is God's Purpose in Your Life?"

or

 "What is God's Purpose for you?"



Often I think that this is directed more at women than at men because of the fact that

 we might be "stay at home mums"!

or

 we might be "housewives"!

or

 we might be sitting in our church wondering "what our role is"!




I think that we need to remember two things 
when we are tempted to start listening to or reading 
what someone else has to say 
about our role or our purpose in life.



FIRSTLY

THE WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM

No. 1.

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.



SECONDLY

The verses we are looking at today 




When we focus on God and what he has instructed for all of us,

when we are rejoicing in our Salvation,

when we are in constant communion with Him,

when we can see our way to be thankful to Him for all He does for us each day; 

other things will fall into place. 


What should we be doing?

Then we will know

when something is right for us to do 

or

when we should say yes to the 
specific, unique things
 God has for us.









So we are left with two questions: 
  

What should You & I be Doing?

&


Are we willing to go back to His instructions and focus on Him first?








Sunday Scripture - Psalm 16 v 8


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at Psalm 16 v 8





This week I had a number of different things that had to be done.

We are getting a new kitchen so the old one was being removed this week and the tiles taken up from the floor which meant a lot of packig things up and moving things to use in other rooms.

But some things I had to do were simply because I just was too easily distracted by other things during the previous week and so didn't get round to these things.

Oh how easily distracted we can be!

Our attention flitters from 

      one thing to another, 

            one person to another, 

                  one blog post to another, 

                        one TV programme to another, 

                              one song to another,

                                    one thought to another......



Who do we flitter to instead of looking to God?



We need to have a determined attitude to keep our focus on God.

We need to be able to say






Is this not a great declaration to set in the face of the devil!



Oh yes things will still surround us and we will have to think of other things and other people but if we can truly say the first part of this verse 


I have set the Lord always before me:

then we will be able to hold on to the second part.  



because He is at my right hand I shall not be removed.


We will still be looking to Him,

have His guidance at all times 

and 
have His presence 

so we will not be enticed away by the other gods of this world.



Oh how easily distracted we can be.


What a wonderful position to be in because then we can also say 


Psalm 16 v 11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. 





                                                      


Are you determined to set God always before you?






Thursday

N is for Newcastle - A to Z of Places I have Visited


I am writing about some places I have visited in alphabetical order.






Today I am writing about a place I have visited quite a few times and although I was brought up on the other side of the country from it I now live just 30 mins away by car.  I live in County Down Northern Ireland and this lovely seaside town is also in beautiful County Down.



County Down UK location map



I first remember going to Newcastle, County Down in Northern Ireland when I was a teenager and it holds fond memories for me of getting lost on the way up the mountain with a few others including the future Mr Black.

I'm the girl in between the two Freds and one of them is still beside me today.






Then many many years later after having lived abroad twice Fred and I moved back to Northern Ireland from Belgium and instead of returning to County Londonderry we chose to live on the eastern side of the country in Banbridge, County Down.






Banbridge is about 40 mins by car from Belfast in the North East and approximately 30 mins from Newcastle on the South East coast.

We have never lived as close to a Seaside Resort before but even so we have not been to Newcastle very often.


Newcastle is famous for the fact that it sits at the bottom of Slieve Donard "where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea".  This is taken from a line of a well-known Northern Ireland song written by Percy French and there is a restaurant on the northern part of the town beside the Famous Slieve Donnard Hotel named after this composer.

As you can see below the Mournes and the town of Newcastle are lovely on a bright clear day.


Newcastle Donard


This is the view along part of the main street of Newcastle looking towards Slieve Donard and the Mourne Mountains.  Yes that highest peak is the one that we were supposed to be climbing all those years previously but sadly did not get near the top.



In 2013 our second son got married and he and his bride had their wedding reception in Newcastle.

They had pictures taken in Belfast and then also when they reached Newcastle where it was mostly the family photos.  Imagine in a day at the end of October when it is well into autumn (known in Northern Ireland for the rain) and you are having wedding pictures taken in the late afternoon on the sea front in the wind and rain.






Yes you can well imagine how our hair got blown about and we felt a little chilly.


Later in the same year we were back in Newcastle. On one of our oldest sons visits back to us from England we decided to drive there on a dull December day.

Now Newcastle (as all the other seaside resorts in Northern Ireland) is well-known for its windy weather but this day it was exceptional.  We left Banbridge with clouds in the sky but at least it was dry.

30 mins later we were sitting in a car park along the sea front in Newcastle watching the wind, rain and crashing waves which were roaring along in a storm.  Needless to say on this visit to the seaside only one of us got out of the car.  Our son Jonathan dived out to take a picture and an extremely short video of the storm.  I took a picture and a video from inside the car (I had more sense just to lean out the window for minute).




The beautiful Mourne Mountains that my husband often admires are partly hidden in the mist.


We had some friends visit a few years later for just a few days at the end of March and we decided to go for a walk along the promenade in Newcastle.  This time it was so calm and warm we had to take off our coats and we all decided to have ice-cream.  Unfortunately no photo was taken this time as it was the early evening time and already dark.


If we had been there during the day we would have seen the calmness and brightness like in this picture below which shows the southern end towards the harbour.

© Eric Jones and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

No visit to Newcastle is complete without a walk alone the promenade which in recent years was picturesquely extended and includes a lovely bridge.  Each time we walk along it I say how nice it would be to live in one of the apartments alongside it which are overlooking the sea and Fred reminds me that yes I would enjoy it in the summertime.




Kent Amusements, Newcastle, County Down, September 2011


It is such a pity that Northern Ireland does not have warm sunny weather for a longer period of time in the year so that the town of Newcastle could be enjoyed more.

However there are many shops and some amusements to entertain visitors when the weather is not so dry.







If you missed any of the previous places in this series just click on the Titles below:

A for Alicante
B for Bratislava
C for Calpe
D for Durbuy
E for Ennis
F for Florida
G for Gran Canaria
H for HongKong
I for Islandmagee
J for Jersey
K for Killyleagh
L for Leeds
M for Monschau




Tuesday

Murder in the Mews - Book Review


I am reading through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and writing a review on each one.








Murder in the Mews



1937


Description


Murder, stolen plans, a mysterious death and a menage a trois – four intriguing novellas featuring Hercule Poirot…
How did a woman holding a pistol in her right hand manage to shoot herself in the left temple? What was the link between a ghost sighting and the disappearance of top secert military plans? How did the bullet that killed Sir Gervase shatter a mirror in another part of the room? And who destroyed the ‘eternal triangle’ of love involving renowned beauty, Valentine Chantry?
Hercule Poirot is faced with four mystifying cases – Murder in the Mews, The Incredible Theft, Dead Man’s Mirror and Triangle at Rhodes – each a miniature classic of characterisation, incident and suspense.






My Thoughts


This is the 30th book by Agatha Christie and the 17th Poirot Mystery

One of the Poirot short stories books but they are not too short as there are only 4 in this grouping.  



Murder in the Mews
A few good suspects but it looks like suicide or does it, nice twists along the way and an obvious clue to anyone who watches or reads a lot of murder mystery now because I have seen that idea (no spoilers here!) used more and more but perhaps when I first read it many years ago I would not have been familiar with that type of clue.

The Incredible Theft

Well you know what happens with thefts in her novels - there is always much more than a slight of hand involved and again who is that foreigner?  And I'm not talking about Poirot here.

Dead Man's Mirror
Are people always who or what they claim to be?  (Slight clue there!)

Miss Christie throws in one of her outside/inside episodes here which she can easily do when the setting is a large house with various patio type windows.

Triangle at Rhodes
Very similar in a way but then also very different to a certain of her other well-known and full length stories so watch out for the twist here too.


A good read, in fact 4 good reads where you will change your mind on the guilty parties more than once or twice or even three times.



If you would like to know more about this book then click on the title or picture above.


 Here is a link to a list of her novels on Amazon
Books by Agatha Christie


If thinking of reading this book in the future why not pin this pic to go back to later.