Nahum 1:7 & Joshua 1:9

So much for me keeping my blog up to date😄, but I do realise that the Lord guides me in what to write about and it is not something I should just do for the sake of it. After all the whole idea of this blog was really a spiritual journal for myself. Please also not the August main picture above (Romans 12:16) is not the KJV version and just a summary of the verse, however I could not resist the picture.

Today's verse of the day on the phone was this one from Nahum. When Lance read it  out to me it struck me as such a comforting verse, that no matter what our situation is, even in the moment of death that the Lord knows those who trust in him.

The verse of the day on my watch is Joshua 1:9 and perfectly compliments the other verse in only a way that God can do. The Lord is so amazing to us and gives us so many promises throughout the whole bible that even in times of absolute distress or discomfort he is with us and our great comforter.

It is no coincidence that these 2 verses came up at the same time today and as a result they both make great verses of the week for my blog. These are two good verses to have at a Christians funeral as they cement how we do not need to fear or be afraid as our hope is set on the Lord, however "the fear of the Lord is the beginnig of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10)

It was a real encouragement to us last week when our brother and sister in Christ (Simon & Ruth) paid an importu visit to us. Whilst it was under sad circumstances it was wonderful to share in fellowship with them and then we were discussing how the Lord is always with us and comforts us in times of distress or when we are feeling really down. He also provides friends to help during these times as well and Christians can be there for one another.

I am so thankful that the Lord chose me and that is not to sound arrogant but just very truly grateful.

  

Jeremiah 13:4 & Mark 1:6

For some reason I keep thinking I will have more time to add to my blog, then time seems to just fly by. This morning I was reading from Jeremiah and came across a verse that captured my interest. I then went on to read the first chapter of Mark to find what appears to me to bear significance to what I read in Jeremiah. God is truly amazing on how he expounds his word to us. Therefore as it is has been a while I am having 2 verses of the week this week.

I am no biblical scholar and even my KJV bible did not have Jeremiah in the footnote of Mark or vice-versa, however interestingly in Mark 1's footnote it quotes Zechariah 13:4 which is around prophecy, but I do wonder if it should have been Jeremiah 13:4.

Even though I have read both verses on many occasions I had never made the link before, but when reading them straight after each other it is so clear how the Old & New Testaments work so well together forming the whole word of God, with clear links. This is not a link that I had previously connected but when you read further in to Jeremiah 13, God speaks very clearly to how the girdle represents his people cleaving to him.

I do consider this description in Mark 1:6 also demonstrates how John The Baptist cleaved to the Lord and was chosen by him to pave the way for our Lord and Saviour.

Unfortunately the house of Israel and Judah did not listen to the Lord, hence the whole example of Jeremiah burying the girdle and finding it to be marred.

The lesson I get from this is that we should cleave to the Lord in all ways, giving him all the honour, glory and praise, listening to him and hearing what he says to prevent us from straying from the path and to remain faithful and a "holy people". As sinners this is not easy, but I am so thankful that God sent his son to save me from sin so that I can be a new creation and hope to cleave to the Lord as instructed in both Jeremiah 13 and Mark 1.

It does not matter how many times we read the bible the Lord can still open our eyes to something we may not remember or considered before, he is truly amazing in how he works. 

Even though the summer is going quicker than I had realised I hope to add more to my blog over the next few weeks so look out for future articles.
 

Beautiful Batch The Bun

Beautiful Batch - July 2011 - June 2019

This is a special post for a special bunny called Batch. Batch was one of our rabbits at college and was a keen favourite with both students and staff. He was a bit of a mixed variety but had very soft long fur which was great for grooming.

Batch was the happy outcome of two rabbits we had at college called Peanut (mum) and Benjy (dad). Somehow Peanut and Benjy (who lived in separate enclosures) were accidentally left out together by some students and Batch was the product of this. Batch was born in our mammal room in the summer of 2011. It was really nice that Batch was born at college and had the genes of two well loved college buns. He was quite quiet and placid and never really minded being handled.

Peanut and Me 2014

 
Originally Batch was housed with Peanut and another beautiful bun called Snowball, but then he was on his own for a while until about 2 years ago when his new wife bun Jemima arrived. Jemima is very funny and extremely protective over Batch and despite the fact he was about 5-6 years older than her he did not mind being fussed over. I do not have any pictures of Batch and Jemima together but below is a fairly poor picture of Jemima but the only one I have without students in it. 

Jemima arrived at college 2017

Sadly due to his age Batch's health had detioriated in the last few months so I was mindful to check in on him every now and again. Last Wed. I happened to be near the mammal room so thought I would go and see how he was. He was sitting up in his hay bowl and seemed relaxed and okay. Two of the senior students fed him some greens which he wholeheartedly ate. I later found out that around about 2 hours after this one of the technicians went in to the room and found he had passed away.

I am very sad he has now gone but pleased that he went peacefully, in the enclosure next to the one he was born in.Jemima was there with him and it was nice and quiet. We are hoping to bond her with a new male over the summer if we can find somebun suitable.

As mentioned in previous posts I truly believe that God promises there will be creatures on the new earth and there is no reason why this is not the ones that we have had relationships with here on this earth.

We have the hope that we will see our pets in heaven. This is not sentimental but supported in various books of the bible - two key ones being Isaiah and Revelation. Isaiah in chapter 65:25 mentions the wolf and the lamb feeding together.

Isaiah 65:17-19

God is so good to us and gives us so many wonderful promises of what is to come and will be so overwhelmed by his love that eternity is more than we can begin to imagine. There is only joy in heaven and on the new earth so it makes sense we would be reunited with our animals and I hope this includes the ones I have loved over the years from the college collection as well as my own dearly departed ones. 

A-Z of Amazing Animals - Deer

Hart in Old English is "Heorot" meaning male Deer in their mature state -but this is a picture of fawn (young deer).

 

 

Whilst this well known verse of the bible refers to Hart in the KJV, more modern versions refer to deer. Deer as a whole and how they link to the bible will be my focus for this edition of A-Z of Amazing animals.

Deer are a ruminant animal (meaning they have a 4 chambered stomach), like camels, sheep etc. Deer chew the cud and also have cloven hooves making them in biblical terms a clean animal to eat as referred to in Deuteronomy Chapter 14, which specifically mentions deer in verse 5.

On the reverse of that in the same chapter it refers to unclean animals, those that we should not eat as they are not good for us and it  delights me to read that Conies (rabbits) are unclean. They chew the cud but do not have a cloven hoof. I  don't eat meat anyway not because of religious reasons but because of the animal welfare and health aspect, but even when I did eat meat I never ate venison (deer meat) or rabbit😊 .   

Deer can be found all over Europe, parts of Asia and the Americas, but not generally in Africa where Antelope are more prevalent. Deer differ to Antelope as they are from the Cervidae family rather than Bovidae which antelope & gazelles are part of. With deer the male antlers fall off and regrow unlike antelopes & gazelles who have theirs for life. Whilst you may consider deer to be gentle, scared creatures they are quite hardy and able to live in a variety of  temperatures and terrains and are a prey animal so need to be tough.

Deer are a group living species living in herds, usually you will find females (Does) and fawns in one herd and males (Bucks) in another. Males do separate during mating season in order to find a female. The size and strength of a Male's antlers will affect where it falls on the hierarchical scale and how they fair in their "Battle of the Antlers".


The only two native species of deer in the UK are roe and red deer, but the fallow deer has also been in the UK since its introduction in the 11th century. Other species of deer have been introduced in to the UK in the last 150 years but the roe, red and fallow are the ones you will most likely see in our countryside and parklands. The average life span for a roe deer is around 10 years but life span varies alot between each species of deer. The original Disney's Bambi was based on roe deer but later changed to a mule deer as they are  more common to the USA than the roe.  

Bambi and of course Thumper too.

The deer in some form or other is mentioned more than 25 times in various books of the"Old Testament", but does not seem to appear anywhere in the "New Testament". The references to deer/gazelles etc. is quite diverse so I thought I would put a table together to show how God's word refers to these beautiful creatures in so many different ways. When I consider the deer I always think of Psalm 42, however it may surprise you to know that the Psalms only refer to deer twice, whereas Song of Solomon has over 7 different references.    

Book	Reference to deer etc.
Genesis 49	Naphtali is compared to a hind with leaping beauty.
Deuteronomy – four different chapters	Clean food that was acceptable to eat.
2 Samuel 2 2 Samuel 22	3 sons of Zeruiah referred to as gazelles. Feet like “hind’s” feet set on high places.
1 Kings 4	Part of Solomon’s provisions.
Job 39	Observation of calving deer.
Psalm 18 Psalm 42	Feet like “hind’s” feet set on high places. Panting for water that is compared to David’s  soul panting for the Lord.
Proverbs 5	Loving and graceful doe being compared to a wife and her love etc.
Song of Solomon – 7 different references chapters 2-4,  7 & 8	Compares the 2 characters to both male and female deer’s in various forms to portray the love between them.
Isaiah 3 references	Compared to hunted antelope/gazelles. Chapter 35: Lame leaping like a deer.
Jeremiah 14	Doe abandoning her young.
Lamentations 1	Princes becoming like deer.
Habbukuk 3	Feet like “hind’s” feet set on high places.

  
In conclusion God's word often likens deer to grace and beauty and our love for the Lord, despite the fact they are okay to eat.

 

Exodus 20:8

This post follows on from my thoughts post 2 days ago. In that post I spoke about the result of the MEP elections etc. This got me thinking about something that I heard that was encouraging and refreshing about 2 areas of our country and reminded me of the 4th commandment (Exodus 20:8) which I have chosen as my verse of the week.

Both Northern Ireland and the West of Scotland refused to count votes on the Lord's day which is testament to the fact they still have respect for the "Lord's Day" and what is set down in this verse. It is really encouraging that quite large areas of the country still feel this way, despite England being swayed by modern pressures and seem to totally discount this "Holy Day". West Scotland has a strong "Reformed Presbyterian" presence and I assume this is why they stood by their beliefs in not counting the votes until the Monday.

In my last post I compared Nigel Farage to Oliver Cromwell; it was timely as our friend Simon pointed us to a blog by Bishop Cranmer (on my links)  where he compared Nigel to Martin Luther and the whole reformation situation. This really does feel like a time of major politically change in our nation as it was in Oliver Cromwell's day and the reformation period.

Whilst considering key characters of Brexit, Nigel seems to be the front man and a strong personality  but there is also Arlene Foster from the DUP. I do not know much about her but what I have seen and heard I do believe that she is someone who sticks to the truth and does not waiver on what she feels is the best for Northern Ireland and will not compromise.  I am aware she is a member of the Church of Ireland so hope that she does stand for the Christian faith. She is a pro-life campaigner as well so it is such a shame we cannot vote for the DUP in England as this parties policies appear to be based on biblical values.                

Going back to Exodus 20:8, in the early 90s the UK government passed the Sunday trading law to allow all shops to trade on the "Lord's day" and since that time we have seen a decline in Church attendance and any general respect for this day. Lance even had to change his job in the 90s due to extra pressure to work on that day. Thankfully he stood by his belief's and was rewarded with another job.  Many Christians in retail suffer immense pressure to conform to what their employer wants and it can be very difficult for them.

    
It is important that we do set this day aside and remain faithful. It is something we should want to do as a holy people rather than something we HAVE to do. Lance and I over the years have come to appreciate more and more how important setting all wordly activities to one side is  and to keep our focus on the Lord. However, this is not an excuse to behave differently the rest of the week and we should always strive to be a "Holy people." So when you hear news like we did over the MEP count it reminded me of what an important witness keeping the sabbath holy as per the 4th commandment is.   

Thoughts - Give Thanks To The Lord

I have not had much time for writing posts recently and realise it has been well over a month since my last post. I hope now to have some more time to get back on track, espescially as it is half term. Look out for more upcoming posts on animals and bible verses.

I thought now was a good time for an update on the last "thoughts" post where I mentioned a planning proposal on the land behind us. It is still not official yet but it is looking promising that the said proposal has been refused.

This whole situation has made me realise that we must give thanks to God in all things, even when it does not go our way. We will face many challenges through life but must remain faithful to the Lord. It can often feel that the big companies and those with money behind them will often win but as a Christian I know that God has the victory overall. I also thank the Lord for helping me through another year as it is my birthday week. 

Today it was announced that the Brexit party has gained the most MEP votes for the UK, which I am very pleased about; it is good to see that finally there may be a big shake up of our government and who people are voting for. I have said recently how Nigel Farage kind of reminds me of a non-puritan version of Oliver Cromwell. He seems to be for the people rather than a politican who is so out of touch with what the general public think.

I do believe it is biblical to vote as it important that we encourage those who are trying to keep our country on track morally and consider sovereignity and democracy. Being part of the EU I have seen how our nation has become more liberal and secularised and fallen in line with EU law that is quite in opposition to God's law. With this whole situation our country now has an opportunity to return to withdraw from the EU and get our laws more back in line with biblical standards.  As in paragraph 3 it is starting to feel that the "little people" (not talking about my height😄) are finally getting noticed.

I know whatever happens that the Lord guides us in everything, and as one of my favourite chapters of the bible states:

Chinchillas

As mentioned in an earlier post Lance and I's first pet together was a Chinchilla called Squingey. You may be thinking this is a very odd name, but it was the 2 names of Lance's childhood Guinea Pigs Squiggles and Gingey which then formed Squingey.

Back in 1991 Lance came across Squingey when he went to a pet shop with a colleague and was immediately taken with him. He took me along to see him and straight away we knew he was meant to be with us. At the time not much was known about Chinchillas as pets and Lance and I had never come across one before. Knowing what I know now I would have done things very differently but I have to trust that the Lord meant it to be how it was at the time.

Squingey - with us 1991-1997

 Chinchillas are native to South America, mainly around the mountainous regions of the Andes and part of the rodent family. They are rock dwellers and generally live in large groups. Unfortunately at the time we only had Squingey not really realising they were a group living species. If I was to have anymore I would ensure we had at least 2 together. They are known to live up to 20 years of age but I have only ever known one to reach this age.


Chinchillas were commonly bred and sadly killed for their fur to be made in to coats in the 1920s, but as the fur trade died out Chinchillas started to be taken in as pets. The reason they were so heavily sought after for their fur is due to the fact that they have the densest (softest fur) out of all land animals, the only one who has even more hair follicles per square inch is the Sea Otter.  Soft seems to be my theme of the week. If you have ever had the pleasure of handling a Chin then you will know how truly soft they are and it feels like they are all fur and nothing else🐭 They are an entertaining animal and one who whilst nervous in nature can also be loving and affectionate and certainly not timid. They are clever animals and good escape artists!       

The  Lord is truly amazing how he made so many wonderful creatures and when he says and "it was good" you get a sense of how wonderful he considered these creatures he had created.

Genesis 1:31

 It's only after we had Squingey that we became aware that our neighbour also had one called Chester and since had two others Sherbert and Monty. When I started working at the college there were a couple there then. We have had a number of Chins at the college since and currently house 3, Max, Frankie and Tufty. The most common colour is grey but you can also find them in white, beige, dark brown and black. Max is the only non grey chin that I have met, he is white with flecks of grey and quite grumpy. 

 I am often reminded when I am around beautiful creatures like Chinchillas that they are only here by the grace of God and the fact that he wanted to create them in the first place. How thankful I am to him for this fact and how wonderful it was to have Squingey with us for over six years. The Lord uses his wonderful creatures to help support us during difficult times.