Age is a Gift

View this clip to see a brilliant response by John Piper to the question of whether it is right for Christians to have cosmetic surgery - enjoy!

e-Sword

e-Sword is an excellent tool for bible study on your PC - and it's free! You can download bibles in several languages and versions as well as commentaries and other study tools.

e-Sword version 8.0 has just been released and it looks very good.

Click here if you'd like to download e-Sword.

Fidelity in Marriage

Here's a short article from Focus on the Family called Quick Facts About Infidelity that I thought was really helpful. Remember that this is an issue which faces every married person. Don't ever think that you are immune to it.

by David Sanford

• Nobody wakes up one day and suddenly decides to begin an extramarital affair.


• Infidelity begins in the heart and mind. By the time a person physically commits adultery, he or she has been indulging for quite some time in progressively more intense mental and emotional affairs.


• Pornography is one of the worst affairs of the mind. It can destroy years of marital fidelity within hours.


• Left unchecked, workplace friendships between men and women can easily evolve into emotional affairs.


• Marital fidelity begins long before marriage: (a) it begins as a promise we make to ourselves — to be a person of faithful character — before marriage ever enters the picture; (b) it is a promise we make to our future spouse when we get engaged; (c) it is a vow we make to our spouse when we get married.


• Marital fidelity is a daily commitment to seek the best for your spouse and family.


• Marital fidelity is strengthened when you affirm your spouse, listen to your spouse, and seek to meet his or her needs. It’s also strengthened when you set healthy boundaries for your media consumption and for your relationships outside of the home.


• Marital fidelity is weakened when you devalue your spouse, minimize the time you have with your spouse, and focus on meeting your own needs. It’s also weakened when you fantasize about someone other than your spouse (and God) meeting your deepest needs and desires.


• Marital fidelity produces lifelong rewards. In contrast, infidelity can cause years of untold anguish.


• "Silently and imperceptibly, as we work or sleep, we grow strong or we grow weak; and at last some crisis shows us what we have become" (B. F. Westcott). This is true in every area of life, including marital fidelity.

My Testimony

If you'd like to hear my testimony of how I became a Christians, go to the thirsty4God (T4G) website (http://www.thirsty4god.co.uk/). As far as testimonies is concerned, this is not the most exciting testimony you'll hear! But for me it's great to look back and see God's grace at work in my life. Any conversion is a miracle, a work of God's grace, and mine is no exception.

The T4G website is a very good website which is aimed at young Christians in particular. If you're not a registered user already, I recommend that you register and read the articles and the other material that is available on website.

Don't waste your life

"Only one life - 'twill soon be past
Only what's done for Christ will last"

View this clip of John Piper's sermon to hear a powerful message on this little text.

SCYC 2007

The Vang Gang spent 2 weeks in July at the Shetland Christian Youth Camp (SCYC) in Sumburgh, Shetland.

This year there were 3 children's camps running from Tuesday to Saturday and a youth weekend from Thursday to Sunday. The children's camps were fully subscribed with 80 campers each week. About 35 young people were at the youth weekend.

It was a great joy to be able to tell the children about God's plan of salvation at the meetings in the first 2 camps. In the 3rd camp, Graeme Paterson from Plains, Scotland, was responsible for the meetings and Paul Coxall from "our" assembly (Fernielea Gospel Hall) in Aberdeen spoke at the meetings at the youth weekend.

All four camps went well and we are thankful to God for His provisions and help for the camps. Our prayer is that many of the 275 or so young people who heard God's word will trust in the Lord Jesus for their salvation and live for Him.

This year was the 14th year that SCYC has had children's camps and, having been involved since the start, it's great to be able to look back and see how this work has grown and how God has blessed.

Two Prayers

I don't read a lot of poetry but I have an excellent compilation of Christian poems by James M. S. Tait called "Bells and Pomegranates". It was first published in 1946 and published again in 1985 with additional poems. JMS Tait was a well-known solicitor and preacher in Shetland. He was born in 1903 and died in 1980.

One of my favourite poems by JMS Tait is called "The Two Prayers" and is based on the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15.

The Two Prayers

Father, give me - Luke 15:12
Father...make me - Luke 15:19

'Give me' he prayed, the foolish, wilful boy,
He thought that but to have was to enjoy,
A broken, sobered man, robbed, hungry, bare,
'Make me' he prayed; and 'twas a wiser prayer.

Much wiser. My possessions may decay:
What I become can no one take away.
A man's true worth may be appraised the best
By what he was, not by what he possessed.