Stranger than fiction

Will Ferrell is an IRS agent who one day starts hearing someone narrating his life, and becomes alarmed when they state that he is soon to die. From this moment, he desperately seeks out whoever it is that is writing his story, to beg them not to kill him off. Maggie Gillenhal plays his love interest, and Dustin Hoffman is hilarioust as a professor of literature theory, who helps Ferrell deduce who the narrator is.

This is a very clever and entertaining film, but also really, really tragic. Because it's based on the premise that this life is all there is. So the most important thing for Ferrell's character is to find the narrator, and stop her writing his death. There are some really touching scenes as Ferrell comes to terms with the inevitability and immediacy of his own death - for the person without God there is nothing but terror when faced with death. There's no hope. Death must be avoided at all costs, because with it comes the end of all happiness.

How very different from the hope we have in Jesus Christ - that death is not to be feared, because Christ has the keys of death and hell! He has conquered death, and so all it holds for us is life eternal, in the presence of God, and the absence of sin and suffering.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1v3-5 :)

Through Gates of Splendour

Just finished reading a biography of five missionaries and their wives who served in Ecuador, and God gave them a burden for the Aucas, a tribe who had been mistreated by white men for generations. The five missionaries tried to befriend them, and earn their trust in order to share the gospel with them. Here's what one of the men, Nate Saint said, two weeks before all five were killed by members of the tribe.

"As we have a high old Christmas, may we who know Christ hear the cry of the damned as they hurtle headlong into the Christless night without ever a chance. May we be moved with compassion as our Lord was. May we shed tears of repentance for those we have failed to bring out of darkness. Beyond the smiling scenes of Bethlehem may we see the crushing agony of Golgotha. May God give us a new vision of His will concerning the lost and our responsibility.

Would that we could comprehend the lot of these stone-age people who live in mortal fear of ambush on the jungle trail... those to whom the bark of a gun means sudden, mysterious death... those who think all men in all the world are killers like themselves. If God would grant us the vision, the word sacrifice would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would hate the things that now seem dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short, we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ.

May God help us to judge ourselves by the eternities that separate the Aucas from a comprehension of Christmas and Him, who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor so that we might, through His poverty, be made rich.

Lord God, speak to my own heart and give me to know Thy Holy will and the joy of walking in it. Amen."

Adoniram Judson and Wives

I've just finished reading "Storming the Golden Kingdom", a biography of Adoniram Judson and his wives Ann, Sarah and Emily. Adonirum went as a missionary to Burma, a Buddhist country with his new wife Ann. Over the next thirty or so years he would learn the language, translate the Bible into Burmese, see many come to Christ and face the concequences of their profession in a country which vehemently opposed it. He discipled Burmese Christians to lead the church there and spread the gospel amongst their own people. He would know the joys of having children, and the distress of losing many of them. He lost Ann, then remarried, then lost Sarah, then remarried, and then Emily had to see her husband die.

His testimony is such a challenge, to live all out for Christ, to know the joy of sharing in His sufferings, to see His kingdom extended. I recommend reading anything you can about hiM!

Self harm: new page on my website

My little sister is doing Relay this year, and for her elective she's been studying self harm. This is a massive area, and a huge problem amongst those who suffer from mental illness. It's important that, when caring for such people, we respond with sensitivity, but also with some understanding of the issue. There isn't much literature on this from a Christian perspective, so it's really exciting to have this:

http://www.freewebs.com/christianstudentsmentalhealth/selfharm.htm

The wedding...

So Pete and I got married five and a bit weeks ago, sorry for the delay in posting! We were away in Ireland for two weeks, then I got the flu, and then I had to catch up on work, settle into my new home, etc...

Anyway, the wedding was great :) We really felt that it brought glory to God, and it was just thrilling to have all our friends and family with us for our special day.

As it was our wedding we got to pick some of our favourite hymns! We had 'Object of my first desire, Jesus crucified for me', 'Immortal invisible God only wise', 'The Lord's my Shepherd I'll not want', 'How deep the Father's love for us', 'We rest on Thee our Shield and our Defender', and 'Jesus Jesus all sufficient'.

The readings were both from 1 Peter, firstly 1v13-21, then 3v1-7. Allan preached clearly on the need for Christ to be at the centre of our marriage if it's going to have any chance of lasting, that He is the one who will help me to be submissive, and Pete to be considerate (1Peter3), and that Christ is the only hope for all of us - we need to be saved!

After the service we had coffee & cakes at the Community Centre opposite the church (just as well we didn't have to go far, as it was raining all day!), where we got to chat to lots of people, which was lovely.

The reception was back at the church, our ushers and friends from church did a lovely job of transforming the hall for the evening, and then transforming it back for the service the next day! Everyone enjoyed the day, it was nicely informal!

We praise God for a day which we feel honoured Him, and seek Him for the rest of our marriage, that He would use it to bring Him glory, however He sees fit to do so!

Saturday

On Saturday I become Mrs. Campbell!

This site will have piccies (hopefully) soon after the event :)