John Piper - Don't Waste Your Life @ Christian Audio

What do walking the dog; jogging; cycling; driving and swimming all have in common? You can listen to an ipod while doing them! (Well perhaps you better forget about the swimming). Christian Audio are offering a free download of John Piper's classic "Don't Waste Your Life". You can access it here. This is a really challenging read (listen) which will help you to orientate your life around God and His Glory.

Octavius Winslow On Prayer

I have recently started using daily devotions written by Octavius Winslow and I have to say they have done my spirit the world of good.  For those not familiar with who he is, I have included a small bio at the end of this post.
I just want to share one of his devotionals I read the other day on prayer, very encouraging.

“But the end of all things is at hand: be you therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” 1 Peter 4:7

WATCH unto prayer, with all diligence and perseverance. Expect an answer to your prayer, a promise to your request, a compliance with your suit. Be as much assured that God will answer, as that you have asked, or that He has promised. Ask in faith; only believe; watch daily at the posts and at the gates of the return; look for it at any moment, and through any providence; expect it not in your own way, but in the Lord’s; do not be astonished if He should answer your prayer in the very opposite way to that you had anticipated, and it may be dictated. With this view, watch every providence, even the smallest. You know not when the answer my come—at what hour, or in what way. Therefore watch. The Lord may answer in a great and strong wind, in an earthquake, in a fire, or in a still small voice; therefore watch every providence, to know which will be the voice of God to you. Do not pray as if you asked for or expected a refusal. God delights in your holy fervency, your humble boldness, and your persevering importunity. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Pray submissively, expect hopefully, watch vigilantly, and wait patiently.

Behold then the throne of grace! Was ever resting-place so sacred and so sweet? Could God himself invest it with richer, with greater attraction? There are dispensed all the blessings of sovereign grace—pardon, justification, adoption, sanctification, and all that connects the present state of the believer with eternal glory. There is dispensed grace itself—grace to guide, to support, to comfort, and to help in time of need. There sits the God of grace, proclaiming Himself “the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keep mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.” There is extended the scepter of grace, bidding welcome the sons of daughters of want, the weary and the heavy laden, the guilty, the broken in heart, the poor, the friendless, the bereaved. There stands Jesus the High Priest and Mediator, full of grace and truth, waving to and fro His golden censer, from which pours forth the fragrant incense of His atoning merits, wreathing in one offering, as it ascends, the name, the needs, and the prayer of the lowly worshiper. And there, too, is the Spirit of grace, breathing in the soul, discovering the want, inciting the petition, and making intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Behold, then, the throne of grace, and draw near! You are welcome. Come with your cross, come with your infirmity, come with your guilt, come with your want, come with your wounded spirit, come with your broken heart, come and welcome to the throne of grace! Come without price, come without worthiness, come without preparation, come without fitness, come with your hard heart, come and welcome to the throne of grace! God, your Father, bids you welcome. Jesus, your Advocate, bids you welcome. The Spirit, the Author of prayer, bids you welcome. All the happy and the blessed who cluster around it, bid you welcome. The spirits of just men made perfect in glory, bid you welcome. The ministering spirits, “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation,” bid you welcome. All the holy below, and all the glorified above, all, all bid you, poor trembling soul, welcome, thrice welcome, to the throne of grace!

Here is the small Bio:

Octavius Winslow descended fromEdward Winslow, a Pilgrim leader who braved the Atlantic to come to the New World on the Mayflower in 1620. Winslow was ordained as a pastor in 1833 in New York and later moved to England where he became one of the most valued nonconformist ministers of the nineteenth century, largely due to the earnestness of his preaching and the excellence of his prolificexperimental calvinistic writings. He held pastorates in New York City,Leamington Spa, Bath, and Brighton. He was also a popular speaker for special occasions, such as the opening of C. H. Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1861. After a short illness, he died on March 5, 1878, and was buried inAbbey Cemetery, Bath.
For a more detailed biography on Winslow, please see our biography page.

You can find out more about the man and the devotions here.

Frenzy Report - Newworldson

Ok, I know it has been a while since the frenzy music festival, however I still thought it worthwhile to share what was undoubtedly the band of the festival. NEWWORLDSON.

This Canadian group just about stole the show! With their unusual reggae feel and excellent lyrics and presence, they were fantastic.

I have included a you tube video below to give you a taster:

Food for Thought from Luther

"Let the world, rather than God, be offended with me." - Martin Luther

An Open Letter to the Airdrie & Shotts Candidates

It has been a great pleasure to meet with you in the course of this election campaign. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to spend some time talking through your values and policies with me. I have enjoyed it greatly and it has helped me to think through how I will cast my vote on Thursday.

In a few short days one of you will be elected to represent the people of Airdrie & Shotts in the House of Commons as our Member of Parliament. It is my prayer that whoever is elected, you will recognise that not only are you accountable to the people of Airdrie & Shotts, but you are also accountable to the God of the universe for the decisions you make in governing our country. My prayer is that you will govern well and that you will seek the guidance of the Lord as you govern, putting him first in all your decisions. I’d like to share a prayer with you. It is a prayer that was prayed at the opening of the new session of the Kansas Senate by Rev. Joe Wright. Yes, it’s from an American context but please don’t switch off, if we have ears to listen we may hear some insightful truths for our own situation.

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem..
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbour's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honoured values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!”

Politics in the UK is at its lowest ebb, but the successful candidate from Airdrie and Shotts will have an opportunity to make a difference and regain the confidence of the people. Can I ask you to reflect on this prayer above? Can I ask you to honour the God of the universe in your legislative activity? Can I ask you to defend the sanctity of life; to defend the sanctity of marriage and the family; and to defend religious liberty in this land?

My prayer is that guided by the Lord himself you will make this your agenda. Please be assured of my prayers for all of you, in whatever capacity you serve in our community and may the Lord’s will be done on Thursday both locally and nationally. Every Blessing, Alan

To the Blog Readers

This will probably be the last of the General Election blogs, so I won’t be emailing and facebooking quite so assiduously to let you know when a new blog is up. However, both Jim Coyle (one of the elders at Plains) and I will be continuing to blog here on a reasonably regular basis. If you would like to be kept up to date with blog updates then please subscribe to the blog by inserting your email address in the panel on the top left hand side of the blog. This way you will be automatically updated on any future blog activity. Friends use your vote wisely and prayerfully.