Open Mic and Baptisms

According to blogger this is my one hundredth post. Yikes. And I thought this would be a flash in the pan thing.

Anyway, I went to an Agape open mic yesterday which was fun and chilled, and was an ideal opportunity for some great conversations with people, such as the ones in the photos above. Good evening overall. And a big, big thankyou to Ms Angie King for organising the whole event. Marvellous.

I also just went to Bridge Chapel for Ryan Hawkins' baptism which was also rather splendid. It was great to be able to be there to support Ryan (at least in terms of just being there) and its always good to be at Bridge Chapel. I have such an enormous debt to Bill and the friends that I made at that church for helping me in my walk as a Christian.

The pics are of the open mic. Enjoy.

Squirrels...

Today i went down to Sefton Park to clear my head a little and take in some winter air, which was great. Its such a fantastic blessing to be able to do that. However, on this particular day I had a more interesting walk than usual involving the park squirrels.

Now even in Sefton Park I have grown accustomed for a squirrel to always keep a good distance from you when you walk past. Like most small creatures they have a tendancy to run up the nearest tree when you get too close, probably because not too many years ago they would have made a decent meal for a hungry farmer or woodsman. ( I am not condoning the capturing and eating of squirrels here - i'm quite content with the more traditional staples of pig, sheep and cow).

Anyway... I was walking down a particularly wooded part of the park and came across a squirrel that seemed pretty friendly in that it didn't run off. So I stood and watched for a sec thinking it would bolt up a tree sooner rather than later. But it didn't... Instead it adopted a postion that I can only describe as 'expectant begging', as it sat on its haunches obviously waiting for some nuts to be thrown it its direction.

As I was watching my first little friend however, a second squirrel was bounding its way across the nearby woodland towards me. It got closer and closer until it was eventually sat at my feet and I thought, 'Wow. This is pretty close. Cool.', again expecting the squirrel to turn and bolt up a tree. But... It didn't. Instead my second little friend started to climb up my leg and then my arm until it was sat on my shoulder. Finding this somewhat surreal I just stood still and watched as it worked out that I was not a good source of potential food and scurried back down to continue its endless search for grub.

However, realising its error in sitting still, the first 'begging' squirrel started climbing up my leg too... At this point I decided that as fun as this was I really wanted to get home so I could sort out some tasks and just started walking away, with the squirrel still in mid ascent..

Huh... So very odd and yet also pretty cool.

The rest of my day couldn't live up to that but I've managed to finally sort out some admin stuff and I had a brief but good time in Uni. So yeah... Cool day peeps.

Oh and Evans still has soup.. Mmmm... soup.

Today...

Today has been a pretty good day.

It started with me hanging out with our new housemate Neil for an hour or so, which was cool..

Then I headed up towards Calderstone Park for a short, but nice, walk.

After that I grabbed some lunch from Greggs and then set about reading a book for my course, namely 'Religion, politics and violence in nineteenth-century Belfast'. Fun, fun, fun... Its actually been good to get some more work done even though it was a little slow. Hopefully I can keep this up until May and then be able to sit down and review my thesis.

I am actually trying to rekindle my excitement for Uni right now. Its all part of recognising that as much as I sometimes ache to be elsewhere I am at the University of Liverpool until September so I should really act and live as if I am.

Today has also been pretty cool in that I've allowed myself to let go of some major issues that have been affecting me. By letting go I don't necessarily mean forever forgetting about them. Rather, its more a case of trusting them to God and accepting the wonderful and amazing peace of mind that comes from that.

Oh and Evans made soup. Man I love Evan's soup. It is AMAZING and I've already eaten three bowls of the stuff tonight.

Anything else....? Erm... No. But a good day. Time to relax for a wee bit.

Hope all is well with you.

New Music..

I know i'm posting like a mad man at the mo but i'm feeling a little bored with my music collection. So... All you good people out there. What new music can you recommend to me? It doesen't have to be new per se - it could just be your favourite 'unknown' band. I am particularly seeking something Oh Brother Where Art Thou-esque, or Jack Johnson-y. Or indie... That would be good too. Cheers.

For those interested in some new music themselves i'll point you to The Arcade Fire - quality Canadian indie band.

Oh and thanks to Mike and Maggers for suggestions as to what that German phrase means. Todays is: Muttig bittet heute das Hanschen, die Annelie zum Weihnachts-tanzchen. Inspired stuff.

Giants Causeway...

My trusty old computer died this summer. It was a veritable workhorse of 4 years that saw me through my Undergraduate degree and around 15,000 words of my Masters. It also played host to various other things, not the least of which being my ever growing album of digital photos.


Fortunately I had managed to back up the vast majority of my photos and work apart from some I took at the start of the year in Northern Ireland, which was sad as I really liked em - we had a bit of a lads holiday staying at my old mate Alistair's in good ole Ballymena. Anyway, i thought i had seen the last of em.


But today of all days I was looking through some old photo cds and found them! Joy of joys... Anyway... This is probably boring to most. But hey... It allows me to post some of my pics. In particular they are pics from the Giants Causeway, the geological wonder on the north Antrim coast.

The Causeway itself is cool but is so easliy dwarfed by the great power and magnitude of the brooding sky and vast ocean. Awesome. Oh and also a good place to take album cover pics. Enjoy.

Oh and I have an advent calendar all the way from Germany which is great - its Milka so the chocolate is delicious - but when i open the doors it appears i will also get a useful and no doubt fun German phrase.

The first day says this:

Pit hat den falschen Schuh mitegbracht, drum wird er vom Volgein ausgelacht.

Any ideas about what this means? Funnier and wackier the better please folks.

I'm thinking, Please use the hat made out the bread to hit the drum to wake up Santa before Voldemort arrives.

Not very good but its a start.

What a difference a year makes...

What a difference a year makes eh? I was just glancing at some photos from the CU houseparty 2004 and found a few of me playing chess. And I look ridiculously young. I'm posting one taken this time round and maybe its just the extra hair and added scruffyness but I think I look so much older now. Redonculous. And cool too... Ha.

That said my over-the-top hair is prompting a number of yeti/muskateer comparrisons, and though the idea of being compared with a sixteenth century French soldier is kind of cool, its also rather worrying. My hair has recieved a trim but its time maybe for the beard to undergo the same thing. Anyway. Enjoy the pics.

Houseparty

So. I have just returned from the Christian Union's annual Houseparty. Essentially Houseparty is a weekend away in Wales with a lot people (120ish this year) designed to allow the CU body to grow in fellowship with each other and to allow us individually to develop our relationship with the Lord.

And its been a good few days. On the list of highs then it was great to spend some time working through the book of Haggai and all the lessons it teaches us, such as the importance of obeying the Lord, of not placing our desires above His, His complete sovereignty over all things, and the complete faith that we can place in His promises.

It was also a great time of fellowship, both with people I know and see frequently, and also with people I have not seen for a long time or haven't even met at all.

In addition by the time we reached Cefn Lea there was a thick covering of snow which meant that when we set out for the 'Annual Walk Up The Hill', we had some fantastic snow-balling action. Honestly, there is nothing like a snowball fight with people you don't know (because its pitch black and therefore can't see who you are about to pummel with compacted snow) to bring out your inner 5 year old. Marvellous.

Lows. Well I felt ill for a few days which added to the general tiredness that is Houseparty anyway, but it wasn't anything too bad. The discussion group I led was also challenging but I wouldn't want that to be considered a low point to be honest. Hard... but good.

So a cool weekend. Here are some pics...

Wintery Welsh arty pics...

Three intrepid (or is that mad?) people on top of a small Welsh hill...

Andy Moll narrowly avoids a snowball...

Angiepants...

Ah to blog

Ah the bloggers delight. What? I don't know... I just don't.

Anyway, hello there folks. I wish I could write a long blog now telling the wonderous tales of my life but I can't. For a start my housemate Damien is sat in my room and I don't want to be anti-social. Add to that I have a long list of things to be doing and a CU houseparty to be at in 2 hours and I don't have a lot of time.

But I want to say that there are people in this world that are wonderful, amazing people who put up with my stupidity, impatience and often just moodyness and I am thankful for them. You guys are quality.

I also want to remark on the rather wonderful Thanksgiving I attended yesterday as a guest of the Agape team. It was brilliant. Thankyou so much guys. Wonderful food, company and fellowship. So thankyou.

And also the Lord is good. We should always look and trust in Him at all times. No matter what our difficulties are, or how impossible the situation may seem, the Lord is faithful and sovereign. So lets be thankful for that too.

Ok.... Until Sunday night/Monday... Goodbye.

Without

This is a week 'without.' Without tea or coffee and MSN to be specific. And... I'm enjoying it so far.

I feel the urge to use MSN more often than not, and for a Lancastrian (or even an Englishman) there ain't nothing like a good brew/cup'a'cha/cup of tea to start or end the day. But... I am not missing things as much as I thought I would. Still, I have another few days of being 'without' so I shall let you know how things go when I get back from the CU houseparty which is this weekend..

Ah houseparty... Two and a bit days in the middle of Wales (aka the middle-of-no-where) in the freezing cold. Its... going to be... GREAT! Always is... so yeah. There you go.

Otherwise I'm enjoying things a lot more so now. I still need to meet with the Lord more often than I do, and I have a lot to learn. Things aren't perfect (they never will be - at least not yet), nor do I feel like I'm riding the crest of the wave. But I am happier and more relaxed. And for this I am thankful.

Tagging...

Right. So this tagging business has it that I need to write about five quirks. Now that all depends on what 'quirks' are - I'm going with things that are 'different' rather than being odd.

1. Hugging. Ah hugging. I have gained a reputation for someone who is adverse to hugging and bad at it at that. Most stories revert to 'limp arms' and terrified expressions on my face. And yes, there is some truth in my lack of enthusiasm for the hug. I am not keen on hugging people that I am unsure about, and therefore when people do hug me generally i go into a mode of 'oh dear. whats happening?'. But - and this is a big but - I love hugging when its someone special. In that bracket i'd put a handful of good, or old, friends who I haven't seen for a while or are leaving - but even then it'd be rare for a hug to be seen. If however I am hugging my girlfriend then I love hugging. It is something I like a great deal and its cool. So I am a girlfriend only hugger... Ha.

2. Baths. Simple one now. I really enjoy taking baths. I will of course use the shower but given the choice I will take a bath anytime. Don't know why really though I'd imagine it has a lot to do with growing up in house that for a long time didn't have a shower.

3. Food. I am a fussy eater. As in really fussy. I have real issues with a large number of foods such a fish, vegetables, and for a long time even things like brown (wholemeal) bread. As time goes by I am improving in my tastes and i'll try to be as polite as possible when given things i'm not so keen on... But I am still an increadibly fussy, and slow, eater.

4. Nocturnal. I am in many senses nocturnal. I function well at 2 am and feel incredibly rough before 9 am. Even if i'm in bed by 1 am I will seriously struggle to get myself up and be functional befroe 9 am. It feels like I have huge weights attached to each eye lid and my body is often really, really cold. Its frustrating but in my student life I've grown to work with it.

5. Americanisms. Ok so I am, and have been for a while, very much American in my outlook. I freqeuntly have the Star Spangled Banner running through my head, I own a Stars and Stripes mug, as well as a host of other US related clothes and things. I love bagels, Jelly Belly jelly beans, Nooma's and i'm also developing a taste for US history. All this amounts to much mick-taking, and a very real feeling that I want to live in the good ole US of A.


Ok so those who have been tagged (Moll, Brit, Treece, Van Geldy, KC) note your 5 quirks on your blog and tag 5 others. Don't forget to tell them by commenting on their blog and telling them to read your own. Oh and tell them what they need to do.

Yo, yo, yo...

Ok... So i know that I haven't replied to either tag (i feel blessed for being chosen guys - thanks). I will.... But it'll take a wee bit of time. I haven't really applied myself to just being sat in the house at all lately. So... Anyway. Just thought i'd post and say hi. Hi!

Yet another sky pic..

Life can be a pain sometimes. But God is good and just a simple look to the skies above will provide ample evidence of His amazing creation. What an amazing sky folks. Amazing. And kudos to Mr Danny T for spotting such an amazing picture. Cheers mate.



And a night sky picture too. Just walking back tonight I was again reminded of God's amazing creation. How cool is the ever changing canvas that is the sky? Be it night or day.

Disclaimer and a cool pic...

Hello. Just a wee disclaimer. I thought i'd be clever before and adjust my blog settings so that the time was set to GMT rather than LA time (which is the default I think), not realising that it would completley mess up the posting dates. Sooo... Rather than have people think that i've been posting at 3 am etc and to align posting with the correct dates etc, please ignore the time and move the day of posting back a day.

Anyway I hope you all are well and life is treating you well. Today I've tried to be a bit more disciplined and its been great because of that. And also some great friends who have been a tremendous support to me. Thankyou.

Slow Burner....

I am nuts about photography (in a very sane casual way) so I'll appreciate this may mean nothing to you but I love this photo. I took it up in the Lakes a few weeks back and it really is a a slow burner. I was just looking through some pics last night and decided its probably one of my favourtie pictures even though i hadn't even noticed it before. So... Enough waffling and enjoy the pic..

Actually one more bit of waffling... Although it isn't really waffling. Anyway... I've just had a really nice day. Church this morning, Kimos for dinner and then a long and winding walk home, taking in Smithdown Road cemetary (which is actually a very peaceful place - surprised me somewhat) and Urban Coffee. And all with some exceptionally good company. Marvellous.

Oh. And to add to what I wrote before, a very nice evening down around Sefton Park. We went to try and get a better look at the stars away from the main areas of the city. And it was great. If not a little cold.

Wisdom

Difficult to know what to post about today. In general its going to be heavy so if you want something light hearted and fun then please enjoy this picture of Danny looking ecstatic at how the beer mat is sticking to his pint. Priceless...

So. To begin an apology. An apology to the Agape team for not attending their Life Objectives conference. Because of some pretty awful sleeping patterns i've got myself into of late I ended up getting to sleep at 5 am. Hence by the time my alarm went off at 8:30 today I was as the Aussies say 'bushwacked' or 'shattered'. I feel awful for missing the day and for missing seminars which i said i'd help with (KC).

And that takes me on to, well, me. What is going on with me right now? Seriously - what is it!? I feel like i'm pressing the self-destruct button, and its happeing bit by bit. I have this military analogy in my head at the mo - that of rallying around the flag. I need to rally around the flag, the flag that is God's amazing grace and truth, and set about one of the most comprehensive rebuilding phases i've had a as Christian. And that scares me, but I have very little choice it seems.

What I need is wisdom. Wisdom from the Lord. In the book of James it says this 'If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.' (James, Ch.1, v. 5)

In the book of Proverbs the first four chapters are related to the importance of that wisdom. I particularly like chapter two:

'My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
'For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth came knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those who are blameless, for he gurads the coruse of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
'Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.'

Tis cool. Ok guys. Catch you later.

Dad's Birthday and St Rich

These people are my parents ladies and gents...

I went home for my dad's birthday today. And it was cool. A very relaxed time with my family and yeah, it was fun. Rather shockingly he is now 60 years old - at least in a physical sense. Mentally i'd say he's very much still in his 20s, albeit with significantly more wisdom. So a good day.

I'm tired though. Like really tired. My body and my mind are at breaking point so i'm really looking forward to having a slower day tomorrow. Maybe a walk to the park, a trip to Tesco's for some fruit, wash some clothes, read some history books... That kind of thing. Ahhh... Yes, yes...


Oh and this is rather cool pic i took of myself tonight. I like it because i appear to have a halo. So ladies and gents say hello to St. Rich.

Hallville Sunset

For the last few days, nay weeks, i've been feeling really tired. I'm not sure what it is - stressful decisions or indecisions in my life, that constant feeling of having work to do, or just Autumn blues well and trully setting in - but whatever it is, things are beginning to drag. I'm starting to long for some energy. Maybe something to incorporate into my prayer life.

Otherwise things are good. I'm starting to realise that this year may be one of those years of learning - a year of growth - which seem to come along every now and then. We do of course grow each year, infact every day, but sometimes we get presented with a time in which we have to grow in our dependence, grow in our trust in the Lord more so. Testing times if you will.

However I did say that things are good and they are. I am still remarkably lucky to be in my position as a full-time student and am trully blessed by those around me. I am fortunate to have remarkalby caring, generous and sympathetic friends, family etc. Thanks guys...

Nooma and Mum's Birthday

Over the last few days i've been introduced to a series of DVDs that go by the name Nooma. They are American and if you want more info then go here www.nooma.com. From what i've seen I like them. They are in essence 10 minute sermons....

Anyway, one of the nooma's i've seen talks about crying out to the Lord in times of need or distress and how we can take comfort in the fact that He is listening to us. References are made in particular to the book of Psalms.

And that is how i feel right now. I want to let out this cry of frustration. I am struggling right now. Those of you who see me on a regular basis will know this, those of you who don't then hey its true... I'm finding things difficult. I have a trust that things will be fine in the long run. That the Lord is my shepherd, my rock, my guiding light. But in the meantime I feel like a giant wrecking ball/demolition ball crashing my way through each and every day. Bad analogy in some ways but also close to the truth.

However today has been a good day. Great time of fellowship with my Dad and my Mum, as well as my Uncle Bob and my cousin Andrew. I went home for my mum's birthday which was cool and she seemed to have a good time, even though she will be working for most of the evening and she's only been getting on average 3 hours sleep for the last week or so. Crazy. Reason number one for not going into teaching, and also the key reason as to why teachers need so much more respect than they recieve.

One Birthday and An Amazing Day in the Park

Today was the birthday of one Daniel Temlett. I won't say how old he is but he is now officially one year older. So there you go...

As an external observer it seemed like he had a very good day, a lot of which is down to the smashing people that are Ms Stephanie Gillette and Ms KC Clark. You guys are awesome.

Here you will find a picture of Mr Temlett enjoying his breakfast, lovingly prepared by Ms Gillette and Ms Clark.

Aside from Danny's Birthday today has been a great time of fellowship both at the pub and earlier in the day.

Its also been great in terms of me getting up before 8 am. Very rare but also very good. It was nice to be accomplishing things before mid-day.

And accomplishing things included walking down to the park which was amazing. The colours, the crisp cool air. Fantastic. Sadly my camera battery died pretty quickly but i did get some cool pics.