Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Albert Dock from the Costa Coffee Shop



Revelation 21
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed. I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:
Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity,
and He will live with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them
and be their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Death will no longer exist;
grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer,
because the previous things have passed away.
Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water as a gift to the thirsty from the spring of life. The victor will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
SHARE:

Friday, February 15, 2013

Read it for your self - How to become a Christian




Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison).
Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

(John 3 ESV)
SHARE:

Liverpool Town Hall - The Jewel in the Crown


I am always amazed at the variety of buildings that you come across in Liverpool. In recent years with the regeneration and renaissance of the city a number of well designed and attractive modern buildings have been constructed in the city centre. They are pleasant to look at and I assume eco friendly in their construction and use of energy.

However one thing that you cannot miss in the city is the classic buildings. I am told that after London, Liverpool has the most listed buildings of any city in the UK. The picture in today's blog is the Town Hall. Come inside and discover the elegance of a past generation - they really knew how to build (inside and out) in those days. Glorious days of style and craftsmanship. I find it very pleasing to the eye and senses.

The God of heaven is interested in things that are well made. After he had created the world he sat back and looked at everything that he had made and his final assessment was this - it is very good (Genesis ch 1). The world isn't in the condition that it was when first made. Sin, wrong and evil have distorted it in every sense - morally, physically, environmentally etc. Hebrews  ch 1 in the bible states that things are not as they were at the beginning. It goes on to say that 'we see Jesus made a little lower than the angels..... for the suffering of death". God became man to sort out the mess of our world. The ultimate sacrifice was made to rectify what had gone wrong in our world. Hebrews ch 1 goes on to say that he (Jesus) 'by the grace of God' would 'taste death for everyone'. 

Here is the amazing truth. We spend millions to restore buildings to their former glory. It is worth it to retain the glory and splendour of the craftsmanship. God does the same - he spared not His own Son but delivered him up for us all so that we might know the restoring and forgiving grace of God in our lives.

If you would like more info about Liverpool or the bible message in this blog please e-mail me at stepcar61@gmail.com or visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk 
SHARE:

Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Old and the New - View of St George's Hall from Lime Street Plaza


This photo was taken about a week ago. It was a lovely crisp and clear morning. I was on my way to lecture in a college in Birkenhead about professional ethics (lovely subject). I love the mix of old and new in this photo. St George's Hall in all it's ornate grandeur with the reflection of the mega TV screen on the windows of the glass lift shaft for disabled access to Lime Street Station. Quite a contrast.

Old and new things often mix but sometimes they are so different. Jesus taught that the old sometimes is better but it eventually gives way to the new. Listen to the words of an old preacher - 'if anyone be in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away behold all things have become new'. I wonder if you have walked this path yet? It's wonderful when you do. Let me know if you have any questions.

Stephen
SHARE:

Monday, February 11, 2013

How to win a debate?




There have been a number of interesting debates in the UK in recent years between theists and atheists. The following summary of the debates is not mine but it makes for interesting reading.

Walter Boyd writes "At the Cambridge Union Society in October 2011, William Lane Craig and Peter Williams took on a couple of atheists (Ahmed and Copson) on the motion "This House Believes that God is not a Delusion". The Christian side "won" the debate as far as votes cast. The debate is somewhat cerebral and philosophical but makes for interesting viewing all the same (if you have a lot of time on your hands!) http://www.reasonablefaith.org/media/craig-williams-vs-ahmed-copson-cambridge#ixzz2KVzVpf8M

In November 2012 a debate took place in the Oxford Union between three Christians and three atheists. John Lennox started with a 15 minute speech in which he set forth Jesus and the resurrection. Richard Dawkins can be seen in the audience but did not take part. I believe the most interesting contribution to the debate was a short speech from Peter Hitchens (former atheist, and brother of deceased atheist Christopher Hitchens). He takes into the 3 atheists before him and gives them what he calls a "Christian kicking"! His argument is that they don't want there to be a God on moral grounds, not intellectual ones. I believe this 8 minute speech is well worth a quick listen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnIH4gomOqc.

Last month, on Jan 31st 2013, the former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams joined up with a Muslim scholar and an atheist, to oppose the motion of Richard Dawkins and two other atheists that "Religion has no place in the 21st Century" (the motion was defeated). http://www.richarddawkins.net/news_articles/2013/2/1/three-articles-about-richard-s-31-jan-debate-with-rowan-williams It is not a particularly interesting debate, except for the fact that Richard Dawkins, rather than properly addressing the motion, went off into a rant against Christianity. Here are two Dawkins's quotes from the debate that expose his bitter opposition to both the doctrine of sin and the inspiration of scripture.

Said Dawkins, the God of the Christians is " ...obsessed with sin. Sin, sin, sin, sin, sin. The obsession of the Christian God. Interested in nothing but the sins, including private acts which do nobody else any harm; of the members of one in particular species of old world primate on one small planet, orbiting one rather small star, amid a hundred billion stars, somewhere in the outer suburbs of one ordinary galaxy among a hundred billion galaxies...the God of the Christians is supposed to have cared so much about the sins of this one species of old world African ape that He sent His own Son...down to earth as a blood sacrifice; a divine scapegoat in order to be tortured and killed for the sins of the world - or even the sins of one particular man, Adam who, as we now know, never existed - a somewhat empty gesture to die for the sins of somebody who never existed...[Theologians say] we are suffused with sin, we are born in sin, we are sinful unless we plead forgiveness. That is not a very humane, not a very pleasant, not a very moral doctrine, and I think that the idea of a blood sacrifice is perhaps even worse." 

Later in the debate Dawkins said, "The very idea that because there are mysterious things that we don't understand in science, somehow means that we're going to find wisdom in a collection of bronze age books, is palpably absurd."

Winning the debate is not going to convince the majority to take Christianity seriously but the truth is that the truth of scripture stacks up and often those who oppose Christianity resort to silly arguments out of frustration and anger. What do you believe? Do you know? You'd better find out as time is running out. 

To be blunt the ultimate advice you will ever hear is this "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 16.31).

For more info visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk.



SHARE:

Friday, February 08, 2013

Liverpool - View from Lime Street Station


Liverpool City Centre from Lime Street. It's the first view you get as you come out of the station. The advertising hoardings around the massive television screen have been taken down this week - I am not sure what will replace it. The Radio City Tower dominates the sky line, quite impressive but not beautiful. Watch this space for great pictures of St George's Hall and many other iconic Liverpool sights.

First impressions! I wonder what your first impression of the Bible is? You may think it is a waste of space, an irrelevancy or even good literature but a bit of a relic. The Bible claims that it contacts the gospel which is 'the power of God unto salvation' (Romans ch 1). It directly states that the Bible are 'sacred writing' which are inspired by God and able 'to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus' (2 Tim 3.15). 

What do you think? About my photos and about my comments about the Bible. Let me know I'd love to hear from you. 
SHARE:

Monday, February 04, 2013

Liverpool - SkinniMalinx - Diet friendly Food


A great place to eat if you are on a diet! Location, Castle Street, Liverpool. It tells you what you can eat and link the menus to the various diet plans that are out there (i.e. Slimming World, Weightwatchers). 

That's food for your body sorted. For your soul, the bible says "O taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the person that trusts in Him" (Psalm 34.8).
SHARE:

Friday, February 01, 2013

The Albert Dock and the Ferris Wheel - Liverpool

It's good to take a break

I don't know about you but I love taking a break. One of my favourite places in Liverpool is the Waterfront. For some reason I find it so relaxing to get away from my desk and work to chill down by the Mersey and the Docks. There is a lot to see as usually there are a variety of things going on.

We all need to take a break and have a rest. Jesus taught in the Bible that people should 'come apart and rest a while'. It's a good principle. Ultimately we all are looking for fulfilment in life but we struggle with the many things that life throws at us. I love the verse in the Bible where Jesus says 'come unto me all you who labour and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest'. I've tried it and it works. He really does bring rest to troubled hearts.

This blog is a simple attempt to share some of the sights of Liverpool as well as sharing some of my experiences in life at the same time. Hope you enjoy it.

Stephen
SHARE:

It's snow unusual!




Last weekend I was speaking to a young Trinidadian medical student here in Northampton and asked her if it was the first time that she had seen snow. Her eyes widened and filled with excitement she began relating how it felt to touch the snow. The same day I sent a Radio programme to Randy Cornelius at the Harbour Light of the Windwards in Carriacou and in the email informed him of the snowfall and sub-zero temperatures here in the UK. He replied with an email saying that it had been cold in Carriacou, 72 degrees at night and 80 in the daytime, adding a smiley face. Why did I feel envious?

We had about three inches of snow and the country became chaotic! Five thousand schools were closed, which in itself was ludicrous. 1947 was one of the most severe winters in Europe causing major problems in fuel and food supply. I was twelve years old and I cannot remember our school being closed for one day, and none of the schools in the town closed. The stoical spirit of walking to school or to work through the snow kept things on the move and attendances high. With all the modern progress and technical aids we seem to be going backwards when it comes to dealing with snow related problems.

In the USA, the most snow during a winter was recorded at Rainier Ranger Station, Washington 1971 - 1972 where they recorded a total of 1122 inches. In the UK the deepest was near BWLCHGWYN, North Wales. 1.65M.
‘Impressive as the depths recorded in North America might seem, the deepest snow on earth accumulates in the Japanese Alps of Honshu Island around the 2,000-6,000’ level. The average annual snowfall is estimated to be in the 1200-1500” range In fact, these amazing snow depths are a singular tourist attraction since a highway that transects the mountains is kept open all winter. It is known as the Yuki-no-Otani Snow Canyon.’ (wonderground.com)

The weight of snow on trees sometimes causes branches to break off and even the tree falling down, however it is not all bad news, a covering of snow over cultivated fields can insulate seed and crops from freezing and rotting. 
Some mountain ranges are subject to avalanches when tons of snow cascade down the slopes engulfing buildings and people who are caught in its destructive path. Other snow-covered mountains are much sort after by skiers and snow-boarders who take pleasure descending the slopes. Children love the snow and delight to throw snowballs at unsuspecting folk, or build a snowman with a carrot for a nose and two pieces of coal for eyes, a hat and a scarf placed on ‘Snowy the Snowman’ are the finishing touches to their work of art.

One obvious thing that I have not mentioned so far is the colour of snow. Its whiteness is the main characteristic of this phenomena, another is this, there are not two snowflakes that are the same in design. There are not two blades of grass the same; there are not two fingerprints the same. These facts illustrate the wonder and greatness of God’s creation; its variety, beauty, and majesty are evidence of the wisdom and glory of our great God and Saviour.

In Job 38 God asked Job many questions, such as those in verses 22 and 23, “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?”  The great storehouses of snow have been used against Napoleon and Hitler when attacking Russia, thwarting their murderous intents. Biblical theologian Matthew Henry comments,’ In the clouds the snow and hail are generated, and thence they come in such abundance that one would think there were treasures of them laid up in store there, whereas indeed they are produced extempore--suddenly, as I may say, and pro re nata--for the occasion. Sometimes they come so opportunely, to serve the purposes of Providence, in God's fighting for his people and against his and their enemies, that one would think they were laid up as magazines, or stores of arms, ammunition, and provisions, against the time of trouble, the day of battle and war, when God will either contend with the world in general (as in the deluge, when the windows of heaven were opened, and the waters fetched out of these treasures to drown a wicked world, that waged war with Heaven) or with some particular persons or parties, as when God out of these treasures fetched great hail-stones wherewith to fight against the Canaanites, #Jos 10:11.  See what folly it is to strive against God, who is thus prepared for battle and war, and how much it is our interest to make our peace with him and to keep ourselves in his love.  God can fight as effectually with snow and hail, if he please, as with thunder and lightning or the sword of an angel!’

Most Bible references say, “As white as snow”, I do like the one in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Through the precious red blood of Christ shed on the cross, God can cleanse the dark stains of sin from anyone’s life, and make them pure as the driven snow. It’s great to be saved! To know that all the offensiveness and guilt of one’s sin has been removed, never to spoil the white robe that is given to all believers (Revelation 6:11).

On the Mount of Transfiguration Christ was seen, Mark 9:2 reads, “And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.” His purity seen there is imputed to all who will be glorified with Him. Will you be whiter than snow in that day?  God bless.

Written by Stan Burdit for Stephen Baker

Read, listen and watch through www.seekthetruth.org.uk
SHARE:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig