smell

There has been a terrible smell in the living room all day today.

To be honest it's been a while since I cleaned the fish tank, so today I cleaned the fish tank.

However the smell was still as bad as ever.

The smell wasn't following me around the house so I knew it wasn't me, but what was it?

After some searching and moving of furniture I discovered the cause of the smell.

A dead mouse under the sofa.

The cat is in the dog house!

time

With only six weeks to go before the wedding it seems time is moving very quickly.

It's a shame life isn't a bit more like American Football where you can call a timeout and stop the clock.

Jesus knew the importance of taking timeout; often going off on his own to pray.

I think that is a discipline I need to be more disciplined about.

Schleiermacher

No he is not a German racing driver.

Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher was a German theologian and he is often referred to as the 'Father of Modern Protestant Theology'.

He died this day in 1834.

fear

According to the QI: FACT OF THE DAY on the BBC website, human beings are born with only two inbuilt fears: the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling. All other fears are abnormal and have to be learned.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7

g 'n' t

Truth without grace equals condemnation.

Grace without truth equals compromise.

Grace and truth equals Christ.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (NIV)

snow

When one flake of snow falls on your face you brush it away and it melts.

When one flake of snow, or a few flakes of snow, fall on the ground you brush them away and they're gone.

But when thousands and millions of snow flakes fall they stop traffic, they grind cities to a halt.

Me doing my little bit, what difference does it make?

You doing your little bit, what difference does it make?

But us working together - well - lots of snowflakes stop traffic.

We can change this land and introduce them, reintroduce them, to Jesus who died on the cross for us.

(Steve Chalke, November 1994)

on this day

1953

A decade of wartime sweet rationing ends in Britain, sparking a scramble for toffee apples and nougat.

My dad is still buying nougat 56 years on.

buddy