have you noticed how many 'forty days and nights' are in the Bible? Wow - Moses on the Mount receiving the tablets of law - Noah at sea in The Ark - Jesus in the wilderness. 

Found this info http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/40.html

Interesting. Any thoughts?

Happy Christmas and New year everyone. Hope yours is a good one.

God bless

dave

I went to a Christian men's breakfast the other day. At the end, the Minister gave us a subject to discuss. It was regarding the apparent changes to way the Christmas is perceived in this country. I thought I'd share it with you to see what others thought.

Has Christmas been overtaken by 'spend spend spend'?

What do we think about some Town Councils 'cancelling' Christmas to launch a Mid Winter/Winter  Festival instead? This is to make people of other faiths feel easier/happier by not making them feel 'awkward

What do we think about some offices and places not allowing Christmas decorations, so that they don't insult other religions?

What do we think of the news that Easter public holidays may be cancelled to balance other public holidays that are 'in the pipeline'?

it's a funny world isn't it? Back in 1960's southend council decide to replace a roundabout at victoria circus with a roundabout nearer the station. they also blocked up the high st and the old roundabout, paved it in and dug an underpass below a new shopping mall to get traffic to flow better across the town.

they are now digging up lots of road and demilishing the roundabout to put in a T-junction with traffic lights (I think). They are also blocking off the underpass that goes under the (now) refurbished shopping mall.

er....how is that an improvement????

It's been proved that (in general) roundabouts keep traffic flowing much more evenly than T- junctions (unless you put traffic lights on them on them of course - silly billys)

Poor old Southend. For those of you who don't remember the Town before 1964...what a pity. It was lovely !!! 

I was at aChurch the other day (same as 'Are we far Apart' blog).

The speaker was relating something that had been said to them by another minister.

Apparently the other minister visits prisons as well as facilitates a congregation in a church in Southend.

Apparently the minister had said 'I wish I could speak to my congregation like I speak to the prisoners about God' (sic)

I wonder what message the prisoners are receiving ? How would 'the word' be different? 

I was at a Church the other day and listened to very charismatic speaker. It was good.

In part of the talk, they said that they had joined a group in Southend. This group had Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and Baptists in it.

The speaker said that even though they were worlds apart, they all got on well (sic)

Are we so far apart? WORLDS apart? 

I found the statement rather sad really. 

Surely if we are all Christians, we are not WORLDS apart?

How far away are the Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, etc? Universes apart?

was at church service the other day and speaking to someone at tea afterwards. she was saying that she thought it was a shame that all Christians couldn't worship together. After listing the differences between, the many faces of Anglicanism, Baptist, Methodist, Catholicism etc etc, she said that she understood the problem and how it would perhaps be difficult to surmount. I must say that I agree, but it is a shame isn't it?

I was looking through my new Bible the other day. I have been putting bookmarks in, to get straight to my favourites. Among many marks I made, I marked the book of Daniel. most of this I remember from when I was a kid (Sunday school stuff? RI/RE?) I haven't heard a reading or talk on Daniel for years and it's full of great tales of this man, full of acts of commitment and faith. Does 'fashion' dictate readings through the years?

I heard a talk the other day. the speaker said 'we are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  we are spiritual beings having a human experience'. I thought that was rather good!

I love having that litle phrase 'what would Jesus do?@ in my head. it helps a lot. I still have trouble sometimes though, because I find myself thinking, 'well, hang on a minute; wasn't he God?? so how can i do everything that Jesus did? That's just crazy!' 

I heard a talk (sermon) the other day (which was very good). In it the speaker was making a point that we should be like Jesus and said 'Jesus didn't question (sic) the sense (sic) that it all made, he had everything sorted within him and new the way. I thought, well, he would wouldn't he? He was God in human form. Of course he knew and had it sorted. I think sometimes Jesus is not the best example in some cases. Perhaps Paul or Peter etc?

What do you think?