My ain't she cheeky

 

Reading

Me reading my Christmas book before the bearded exodus 

My two oldest

 

Finished

I decided to get involved in a book my daughter gave me as a Christmas present. I started it yesterday and finished it today. I like that I can read and take great joy in a good story. It fills me with hope! I was getting increasingly low before the book even though I was trying to do all the right things.

I shaved most of my beard today but left a rather large and very bushy goatee. I'm sure most people will not like it but that doesn't bother me much. I am far more than what people see. I was thinking of having my hair cut too.

I have not accomplished nearly as many things this break as I would have hoped. I think our life ,like the tides or the seasons, comes in patterns that follow the moon and sun. This time of year for me seems often to be a time of not ending as I would have liked but still very hopeful for the new year. I would be very interested in what others were hoping to change in the new year.

Snowy day

I am not sure why I'm typing this. Really I'm not. It is Wednesday and Lyssa goes back to work for three days this week. In some ways I wish I was. I have plenty to do so it isn't that I am bored. Not that I have done much. I have done a few minor house repairs. and watch a couple of movies.
Yesterday it started to snow a bit and wonder of all wonders there is still snow this morning.

Maybe I'll say more later.

Oh yeah, too much food!

Melancholy Christmas?

Have you ever noticed that many of the standard Christmas songs are a bit melancholy? Chestnuts roasting over an open fire by Nat King Cole, White Christmas by Bing Crosby, Carol of the Bells, Waling in the air (the Snowman), The little drummer boy, silent night, God rest you Merry Gentleman, and so on seem to all be a mellow longing.

Maybe the darkness of the long winter nights makes us all a bit nostalgic and full of longing. Could it be that all this pent up expectation, desire and hope, is what makes us so melancholy at Christmas time.

A.) Do you agree that Christmas music can tend to be quite melancholy?

B.) How do you cope with the super charged emotional build-up that accompanies Christmas.

My growing grave yard of technology

I'm a bit sad.

I can usually resurrect most ailing hard ward, gadgets, PCs, and even some software situations. But recently I have had a two devices kick the bucket. This is a dead parrot!

My old Palm m500 won't reset, hard soft, nothing has worked it is DOA! I have tried a quite a few variations a number of times and I'm stumped. sometimes you just have to let them go. Our gadgets are not immoratal.

The other device to cease it's useful life of offering music to the masses is my Creative Muvo. although it was a very sinple usb music player which only had 64 mg of storage space it was good. Now it is not good!

Edmond the just!

Narnia!
I cried through the whole film.
Sometimes full of joy.
Many times shame.
I'm a treacherous trader to my King and family too.
Traders made just by the death of an innocent one is a theme I cling to.
Families reunited by forgiveness.
People lovingly accepting the evil doer who repents.

Most of the cinematography is ok. A few times Iwas disappointed.
the small plot changes are fine and make the movie still a cinema experience which doesn't just ape the book without a surprise.
Yet the main idea was clear.

Given a voice to use

It has been a interesting few days since going to the doctor on Thursday. As far as I know I have a paralyzed vocal cord which is not a real good thing. I don't really know how long I have had it. I do know that in July I had a quite severe case of horse-lost-voiceness. The state of non-primo-vocal communication persisted through August and into September and the overall weakness of my voice continues even to today. After the doctors visit and questions from him about surgeries of the thyroid?, I said no, injuries to the neck?, again nope, and a through and somewhat painful examination of the neck I was told to wait for a forth coming appointment for a CT scan and a repeat visit to Dr.-With-the-camera-up-the-nose Down-the-throat.

I went back to work and looked for information on vocal cord paralysis. I found questions about surgeries and all messing up nerves but also found concerns about cancer. Well that was a new thought for William Bode to apply to himself.
Next morning Fiona called and left a message saying viral infection causing nerve damage was more likely.
Still whatever the cause it may not work again. I have not gotten used to not singing in church or practically anywhere I feel like it and my daughters would like to be embarrassed.
My voice has been a constant part of my persona for my whole life. To see it beaten down along with the last vestiges of my SELF is a hard pill to swallow.
What else am I clinging to, worshiping and going to have to learn to say goodbye to?
Oh I didn't think really I was overly fixated with the vocal abilities I had but maybe I wasn't being honest with myself for fear of finding the idol under the rug in the tent of Achan.
Possibly it isn't the vocal quality or skill but rather the torrent of words that freely flowed which had to be stopped. James does say the tongue is a spark igniting a huge fire.
Still think of the good which too must come out of that well.
Could it be like Zechariah a lack of faith which leads to the loss of my voice?
Whatever the cause I need to not become proud of the ability to talk rings around all the two corded people with my weak solo artist and neither to fear the possible causes or outcomes.
Whatever the cause or the outcome my life and what words I have left should be, can be, will be used for Christ.
It is good to be reminded.

Half a voice

I finally got to see the specialist consultant concerning my voice today. I was told I have a paralisys of the right vocal cord.

If you wan to see what it looked similar to check out the information and videos at this site:

entusa.com

Getting dark in the day time

Around 4 in the afternoon it gets dark!
Out the window it looks like night.
While I'm still at work the sun has set.

A living piece of art

A living piece of art

As I walked to work this morning
I noticed a rough looking woman
head down, hair pulled back, deeply inhaling a drag off her half smoked cigarette, swerving to avoid a pigeon , careful not to slip on the incline , exiting the under-pass at the St. Mary's roundabout.
In the middle of the roundabout, window to the sky, sunken and surrounded by swirling traffic racing out of the long queues only to re-enter longer queues snaking along all the frost covered streets of Sheffield, I see a two young woman stopped and speaking. The one on the right is tall with shoulder length straight brown hair. She is taller than me dressed in dark drown cotton jacket and jeans with a bright pastel colourful stripped long scarf, the other young woman (most likely they are students, being 1 out of six of the population) is shorter than me and blond, but maybe bleached, with military faded green cotton coat and jeans and a polyester "woolly" winter hat in some dark color. The sun is shining there is no wind, the frost is in patterns on the pavement and you can see everyone's breath.
Coming towards me is another younger girl most likely in sixth form about 16 years of age. She is smiling a very big somewhat silly smile. She is wearing a black beret and a white cotton jacket not nearly large enough showing her rather plump belly and low-riding on the waist jeans that are to long and drag on the floor. Her red cheeks and blotchie complexion do noting to diminish her carefree vibrant bounce of a walk and she passes.
Once I leave the under-pass I pass four or more construction sites. Builders up early with many machines. There must be six or seven of them with various sizes of excavators. I saw more than three at the new Arnold Lavers new headquarters on Brammell Lane across from the SUFC grounds. And then there is one at the football grounds where they are rebuilding the visiting team entrance. An excavator is being used to knock down the building behind Decathlon. And I see more on the building site across from the closed Office World and before I enter The Stoddart building of Hallam where I work and look out the window and still see one occasionally on the building sites across Arundle Gate.

Life is full of art and that is how today I saw it.

The found body made me wonder

Are they sitting in a car,
wondering why they are not moving?
Would they even care,
they found a body on the carriage way today?
Are they caught in a tangle of traffic,
while the police unravel why did the person jump from the bridge near barnsley,
high above the M1 motorway?
I wonder what deals may fall through,
what employees may be fired,
how many missed appointments now waited for, for so long,
all because a person died and left their body on the carraigeway.

This morning is so cold and frosty but the sun is the most brillent of the stars.
Yet a young man has fallen to his death and been struck by several cars,
Was he pushed and will the police find the culprit and put him behind bars?
Or will we all forget he lived among us and his life was linked with ours?
Do the many drivers sitting stranded in their cars,
hear the cry of this young man and wonder what was its cause.


Times Online December 07, 2005

M1 closed after man's body found on road
By Times Online and PA News



The M1 motorway was closed today following the discovery of a body on the carriageway.
Police said both sides of the road were closed in the Barnsley area, between junctions 36 and 37, after the discovery at about 4am.
A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said investigations were underway and it was not possible to say how long the motorway would be shut for.
He added: "We believe a male has possibly fallen from a bridge over the motorway.
"It would appear he has been struck by a number of vehicles.
"It is too early to say much more than this at this time."
The closure, on one of the busiest commuter stretches of the motorway, between Sheffield and Leeds, caused major traffic problems this morning.

moving mushrooms

Many moving mushrooms dot the pavement path
Aiding aglie amblers avoiding the peresisitant precipitation
Colourful congregating clusters circumvent the blissful bath
Saving sorry soaking striders the harrowing hydration

More views from the Fourth Floor

Here is where a bit of the action takes place, for the Sheffield Hallam University's Learning Language Support Technician. My desk is the one in the upper left with something on the computer screen and a small open box on the desk.

View from the Fourth Floor

This is where I spend my days. 

Turned Back

You turned back
He turned his back
I turn my back on all that made me turn my back on him.
His Father turned his back on him.
So easliy I turn back to the sty.
In the garden he wanted to turn his back on the Father's plan to die.
On the cross His Father turned his back on the His son.
When it was his turn, on his back he bore our sin he could say it is done.
Lord help me turn my back on selfish pride.
Help remmeber each day how you turned your back on yourself and died.
(needs work!, could you offer any suggestions?)

1 Peter 2:24

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

man and the beast

 

Bode's plus brothers

Daniel, Samuel, Alasdair, Bill, Don, Bunny 

In Michigan with the guys

Bill, Daniel, Alasdair, and Samuel 

Sun shine

Breaking through like a champion the sun shone brightly for 20 mins.
Yeah SUN!
Now back to the night of living at the 53 parallel in Britian in the winter.
It is as if the sun never rode forth before triumphantly out of the clouds.
Back to the gloom of a overcast skys.
I won't let the joy of this short moment fade from my mind.

autumn

lights down
standing in the evening dim
lights off
standing naked in darkness of longest night
lights on the ground
standing with lights scattered on the floor in morning sun

A grey day which I didn't see coming

view from the 4th floor's expansive window
08:59
look out the window
it is grey
no sky
no cloud
buildings set against grey
dirty streets
people mostly dressed in black
workers in High Visibility Yellow Vests of Polyester Extra Large like ants on an ant hill
dirty busses flow along the like debris in a mudslide slowly ozzing through the city centre

The Bodes

This merry band is my family! I'm the one with the beard. I don't know how long I'll keep it. Never can tell with me. The beard I mean not my family. They are all keepers! 

Confusion, sickness, and stupidity? Nov 11 2005

Dear Church Friends and Family,

As you may know I have been down for the count so to speak for the past few days. I have missed two days of work and haven't moved far from bed. I'm doing a bit better.

Now as to the confusion, I don't know what happened.I was happily reading along in Mark and next thing I know I'm reading for a couple of days in Isaiah. Maybe this is an indicator as to my state of mind induced by a busy schedule.

Oh well, Steve, I'm back in Mark!

The following two portions of Mark 4 always cause me concern.

but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for nice things, so no crop is produced. 20 But the good soil represents those who hear and accept God's message and produce a huge harvest – thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted."


25 To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them."

In the end is will always come back to how we respond to God's word. Do we trust God's word; do we obey God's word?


Interesting how the bit that I was wondering about is a quote from Isaiah 6 which is what we are looking at in church this week.

so long ago 

a bit vain 

nearly a year ago 

what a boy, becoming a man. 

a text I got before noon made a little tune

Traffic is backed up everywhere
and
I just missed my tram

should be OK

Call Notre Dame

love


Can you write me a little poem and leave it as a comment but pretend it was a text to my mobile phone?

Tuna in the dark a result of sequences

I've come home rather late tonight. As I went in to the kitchen I noticed a bit of what I thought was a spillage of orange juice. I figure this was the residue of a child who wasn't kind enough to look after their own messes. You see earlier this evening but not yet quite dark the light in the kitchen burned out. We did not have a replacement in stock here. And since we had to be off to meet up with some friends and we were running behind a bit the light was left. No it is quite dark and one can not really see well in the kitchen which it on the back of the house. The end terrace we live in is next to a very large sand stone edifice built for worship by Methodists rather some time ago. Opposite that and further behind us is a another also large structure of about the same scale built by Anglicans. Directly behind us and adjacent to the Methodist edifice is a large and sprawling building either Methodist or Anglican vicars and other assorted holy people lived and worked in. All this random yellow sandstone is piled high blocking the rare sunlight, moonlight, starlight, or street light that might grace our kitchen. And then the small space of raised pavement surrounded by an over growth of hearty and un cared for vegetation blocks the remaining light that could pass from the surrounding buildings into our windows. The orange juice turned out to be tuna. Bummer! Tuna stinks. I should not have used a tea towel. Now it stinks real bad. And so does my hand lots of hot water and soap may resolve the bulk of the offense but the smell still lingers. Thus the lack of light has foiled two people in the kitchen tonight the spiller of tuna and the cleaner of tuna.

I will walk through the valley,if you want me to.

I have been back at the gym recently thanks to the return to town of a good friend Mike Darkin. I have been busy looking for a job and I hate the process! It is so hard when you such a non standard person to "sell" yourself to the bureaucrats. I just don't fit the mold and so I'm unqualified to work. Oh well I'm trying to get past the emotional baggage I have about the institutional processes. I know it is the anarchist that has struggled againt the machine of institution all my life! but I need to learn to conform and play the game. I have visited many employment agnecies and there isn't much they think a nearly 40 year old former bpatist minster can do. I don't have an education that fits their boxes. I do't have work experience or trainig that they can relate to.
Beyond the work saga I have been inidated with problems and requests from friends. I feel for them. I know they suffer and hurt and have needs and want comfort and communication. I feel this even more maybe than it is really there and yet the many and varied situations that surround me are overwhelming.
My kids! I have four chldren. I love them. I think they are great. and yet? I want them to pull their load here. I want them to apprecaite all that we are trying to do and how much.

Things were quite apart from today? 

The Princess Bride

Once again I enjoyed one of my favorite films of all time last night with a close group of friends! Lyssa is now going through the same germ infestation I am coming down from so we thought lets have a slower night this monday with the freinds and guests. Well it wasn;t slower but the comic enjoyment afforded by the film the Princess Bride was enought o nearly get me through the night. Stop it I mean it!; Anyone want a peanut!
Oh well in the insanity of the evening I bought my tickets to the States to travel with Samuel, and a guy named Dan Holt, (now there seems to be an interesting story unfolding and I have no idea where it will end up). Alistair could be sure he could get the time off work yet so he could et the ticket with us yet.
Did I tell you that the Princess Bride was fillmed in locations alaround where I live! Cool huh?
If you come and visit me, we can watch it and then go on a tour of the sites.

Missed it completely!

Today is April the 2nd and I guess that means nothing to most of the folks I know here. Back in the States I would be recovering from some stupid April fools joke. But people seem to be a bit more serious or something. I will admit I am on day four of being sick! This head cold has got a grip and it is not letting go. I am trying to get rest and drink plenty of liquids. But still I'm sick! I HATE being sick. When I'm sick I'm pitiful, I can't do anything, I'm grumpy. For four days my important list of things to get done has been on hold. That does not mean people have not kept coming and asking me for this or that or talking to me or calling or visiting. It just means I've been pitiful. I don't do sick well. In fact if I were Job I'd not make it. Oh Lord please be merciful to this wimp. What I missed was anything about April fools day. Were you a fool or fooled on the first of April? Tell me about it.

cheesy grin cheesier posting it 

May 2004 me in my mess 

CHOCOLATE QUIZ made by Lyssa

1.	Who were the first people known to have used cacao?
2.	In what part of the world was cacao first grown?
3.	How were cacao seeds first used?
4.	Europeans from which country first shipped cacao from its place of origin back to Europe?
5.	In what century?
6.	What did they add to the drink which changed forever the way it was used?
7.	In what country did chocolate become a state monopoly that could only be consumed by the royal court?
8.	What happened in the 1800s which made chocolate cheaper and therefore available for the masses?
9.	In what decade was the first solid chocolate bar developed for snacking?
10.	Which botanist gave chocolate its scientific name?
11.	And what was that name? What is its literal translation into English?
12.	T/F Chocolate was used to treat haemorrhoids (piles).
13.	T/F Chocolate was used to ease childbirth pains.
14.	What shape are the pods containing the cacao seeds?
15.	How many seeds are in an average pod?
16.	How many milk chocolate candy bars does that make?
17.	How many cacao harvests are there per year?
18.	T/F Cacao is related to the coconut tree.
19.	T/F Cacao is related to the coca plant (cocaine source).
20.	Which country produces roughly 40% of the world’s supply of cacao?
21.	Which country imports & grinds the most cacao?
22.	Which country consumes the most chocolate per person (10 kg per person per year)?
23.	What is the world’s best selling chocolate candy bar?
24.	What is the best selling chocolate bar in Britain?
25.	Cacao beans are fermented for how long after harvesting?
26.	What irritating little creature, also found in Britain, pollinates cacao flowers?
27.	Which environmental conditions are best for growing cacao plants?
28.	How many varieties of cacao plant are there?
29.	What is your favourite chocolate candy?
30.	Which country in the world makes the best chocolates?
	TOTAL:

Keeping up

Hello land of lines of text and the occasional picture!

Today is Thursday and on Thursday we have awaken to the grey skies of a typical English spring. Yesterday while walking around the countryside of the Rivlen valley with Bethany School on walk "C" I thought I had been transported to some other warm sunny beautiful place. It was the euphoria of a sunny day out that made us think about holidays (vacations to you yanks). The Bode's have never been annual holiday takers. We just have not been able to afford it. And we have always combined "ministry" with time way. Most of all our children rarely get a proper holiday. The kind where you go somewhere to relax and don't do anything and don't have a schedule to keep to. A place in the sun. When they were quite young one time we went camping. I thought it was a holiday but Lyssa did not think so. One time we went to stay in Chicago, but to try and save money we stayed at a cockroach infested apartment where the kids were sleeping on the floor covered in roaches. Yuck!!!!!
One time we had our best holiday ever, but sadly not with the kids. My folks took us to Mexico, to an island called Cozemel. Wow, that was great!!!!
So yesterday Emily was begging to have us as a family go to Corfu an Island off Greece. She was looking at pictures. And she was looking for flights and hotels.
We have and do lots of things. Things, many people will never get to do, try, see, hear, experience. Maybe if we can get ourselves more financial footed or find a real steal of a deal the Bode's can have a week or two in the sun just relaxing.

Time Zones

I live in GMT! Greenwich Mean Time.
I have friends that live in other time zones. Do you know what that is like? I suppose you do if you are reading this you may be my friend and live in another time zone.
Right now it is
06:00 in EST Michigan and the East coast of America
12:00 in Belgium
05:00 in CST Chicago Illinois and the Midwest
21:02 is the time for my friend in Australia


http://www.timeanddate.com/

Here is a link to a clock that covers people I know.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?cities=234,64,77,136,48,240

Keswick

I'm with guys from our church in Keswick, Cumbria. This is a beautiful area refered to as the Lake District, the place prefered by Wordsworth. I am here learning about the Puratins. Specifically we are reading John Owens on the Holy Spirit. Please pray for up 8 guys.

Dietary supplements?

Jean is my grandmother on my mothers side.

For as long as I can remember Jean has taken a

gargantuan

cocktail of vitamins. Although this is not strictly true. I think I vaguely remember Grandma Jean crediting her

elixir

of longevity to our octogenarian German immigrant retired agricultural working neighbors, Bernie and Hertha. They took vitamins too.

Sometime in my fathers life before he was my current age he started taking vitamins each day.

And now each day so do I.

My dad is happy, I suppose my g-ma would be too.

One of the large capsules I down each day is cod liver oil. My older English friend remembers having to take that each day. I recently with in the past week saw an article suggesting because the English diet now contain so little fish that the population was becoming quite deficient in omega-3 fatty thing-a-ma-bobs. Sounds heinous.

Among the concoctian I administer myself is a couple of herbs Echinatia.

So the big question of the moment is, "Do you take dietary supplements?" Do you think they are any good for you?

Sorted or sordid?

Sorted or sordid?
According to the Compact Oxford English Dictionary;

sorted• adjective Brit.organized; arranged. 2 emotionally well balanced.
sordid • adjective involving ignoble actions and motives. 2 dirty or squalid. —
DERIVATIVES sordidly adverb sordidness noun—
ORIGIN Latin sordidus from sordere ‘be dirty’

To my ear not only do these two words sound similar but they seem to me to be related. You may even see them as opposites. At the very least you can infer that a person who is sordid will not be very sorted at the truest level of what it means to be well balanced.
Often we see tidiness akin to cleanliness, and I can understand why.

If nothing else we ought to try and pronounce the words we are using so that the confusion won't exist.
You could say, My friend is sordid. Or speaking about a future engagement that has terribly gone wrong because the person you were booking the entertainment and venue through turns out to be a child molester. So a friend asks( not knowing of the sordid affair) how the plans are going and you reply, "It's sordid", But your friend hears, "It's sorted" and figures you have all the details worked out.

The problem arises from a situation where a bunch of scum bags are meticulously planning some vile event and then they would have to say, "the sordid affair is sorted."

Two very dear friends! Maybe they will come to visit again. 

York Minster, York taken by Matt Falzon 16/02/2005 

a couple of things

I'm not sure what you know about the Salem witch trials but this may be of interest to you.


http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/salem/

Have you even heard about the King James Debate? Well this is an interesting bit of information for those who have.

http://www.locksley.com/6696/kjv1611.htm


Earlier today I nearly beat all the levels of this Disney Princess game, even after Bethany left me here all alone.
The US and UK sites are different!
Oh go to fun and games, Princess Challenge is the game.
http://www.disney.co.uk/DisneyOnline/princess/


Last time I was in London I saw this:

http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/goto?id=OBJ67

Pretty cool.

And this is a great site!!!!!

http://www.wikipedia.org/

House church

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

House church is an informal term for a group of Christians gathering regularly or spontaneously in a home instead of a building dedicated to the purpose. Another term with the same meaning is "home church".

Some groups meet like this because they lack a conventional church building; but these are not normally regarded as house churches. Others meet in homes because they prefer to meet informally, or because they believe meeting in a home is the true pattern set in the first century and intended by Christ. Some, perhaps, meet in homes for several of these reasons.

[edit]

Structure and organisation

House churches should not be confused with "cell churches". A house church is not normally part of a larger, overseeing organization, although the group may associate informally with other Christians and house churches in networks reflecting equality rather than hierarchy. Those who meet in house churches regard themselves as belonging to the worldwide Church, but are self-governing and independent.

Some house churches have a conventional leadership structure, others have none. A commonly held belief in the modern day house church "movement" is that the Protestant Reformation did not go far enough to demonstrate a New Testament belief in the "priesthood of all believers" and that Jesus Christ alone is the Head of the Church which is the body of Christ. This movement has been gaining momentum worldwide in both industrialized countries such as Australia, Germany, the UK and the USA, and in third world countries.

The absence of hierarchical leadership structures in many house churches, while often viewed by the Protestant church at large as a sign of anarchy or rebelliousness to authority, is actually viewed by many in the house church movement to be the most viable way to come under true spiritual authority of love, relationships, and the visible dominion of Jesus Christ as Head of His own bride. Some within the house church "movement" therefore consider the term house church to be a misnomer, because the main issue within people who practice their faith in this manner is not the house but more the type of meeting that takes place; other titles which are sometimes used to describe this movement more functionally are "simple church", "relational church", "primitive church", "bodylife", "organic church" and similar terms.

The house church movement also owes much of its networking and exchange of information to the use of the internet; HC is generally used as an abbreviation for 'House Church' and IC is used to designate "Institutional Church" which is the generalized term for more traditional church structures, including a church building and/or sermon-centered church services led by a pastor or minister.

As a rule, house church gatherings are free, informal, and sometimes include a shared meal. It is hoped that everyone present will feel free to contribute to the gathering as and when they sense the leading of the Holy Spirit to do so. Leadership structures range from no official leaders, to a plurality of appointed elders; however, there is a deliberate attempt within most house churches to minimize the leadership of any one person, and so having one pastor or leading elder is generally frowned upon, in favor of a more plural responsibility of leadership diffused over several people or the members as a whole.

[edit]

Origins and history

The origins of this movement are varied. Some consider it a new variety of the Plymouth Brethren movement, others recognise a relationship to the Quakers or see it as resulting from the writings of Gene Edwards ( http://www.seedsowers.com ). There is also an argument that the house church movement is a re-emergence of the move of the Holy Spirit during the Jesus Movement of the 70's in the USA ( http://www.one-way.org ) or the worldwide Charismatic Renewal of the late 60's and 70's. Most see it as simply New Testament church Restorationism ( http://www.ntrf.org ), urging Christians to return from hierarchy and rank to practices described in the Bible ( http://www.century-one.co.uk ). The house church movement may in some ways be considered a cousin of the Emerging Church movement.

Probably there is no single factor, but all the threads noted above have contributed to the growth of house churches.

Two of these guys are someone elses sons! 

Me doing what I do best (talking nonsense), Matt Falzon doing what he does best! EATING!!!!

I just called Matt on his cell=(USA), mobile=(UK), gsm=(Belgium) and you can't guess what he was doing!? Well I'll say this, he wasn't working out at the gym!

Backwards and Black Pudding!

Backwards and Black Pudding!

A full English breakfast often consists of the largest portion of grease you could ever consume in a meal in the UK. And in among the ham and tomatoes will be two dark discs. Here in England they go by the name of black pudding but where I'm from we called a spade a spade, and so we call them blood sausage.  There are a lot of nutrients in blood. And we can be glad of that. But somehow the idea of making it into a sausage isn't very appealing. This morning in Manchester airport my mum bought her and I the famed Full English Breakfast, complete with tomatoes and black pudding. The grease sunk to the pit of my sensitive stomach like a depth charge sinking below the cold waters of the North Sea down toward a German U boat. So with an over full feeling I boarded the train. Now I should mention at this point I can get motion sickness lying in bed, let alone all the times it has plagued me on boats, airplanes, coaches and cars. So when on a train I try to ride facing forward. It seems to help me not get sick. Well following the gut wrenching saying goodbye and the intense  Full English Breakfast the train I was scheduled to take was canceled and twice as many people crammed on the train to Manchester Piccadilly. I was left with a backward facing seat. I thank God for the, "All change for Sheffield!" called out to me from the tannoy. So was the welcomed brisk air as I stepped out on the platform and like a dog riding in a pick-up truck with his face to the wind I was once again invigorated and less queasy. So I found the platform I needed and waited for the Train to Sheffield. A loud group of woman apparently coming back from some holiday some where warm looked like they had wrestled with far too many Full English Breakfasts and won triumphantly like Sumo wrestler pinning a African famine survivor. I was actually getting a bit cold so I waited for a few minutes while trying to type this out on my phone in a warm shelter and nearly missed the arrival of my train. Also while waiting I noticed a woman walk up to where I have been sitting and smoke like a chimney presumably her last cigarette before the train came right in the spot I had been sitting. I was glad I wasn't there any more. I had , had enough cigarette smoke and pipe smoke during the Full English Breakfast. My father always seems to find a seat in the worst location. And there were all these smokers nervous about flying trying to get as much smoking in before boarding the plan. She was also talking loud on a mobile phone, which was all the more reason to be glad I was in the warming shelter. When the train arrived I walked to what I thought would be the quiet and less populated front of the train. So I got on and looked for a seat. I wanted some space and I wanted to finish typing out this blog. So I chose a forward facing seat in a foursome with a table and I chose the aisle seat. It wasn't too crowded when I first got on. Some people were coming from the rear cars of the train looking  for a seat. And Mrs. Gravel voice chimney asked if she could sit down across from me. I could smell her smoky breath and the smoke that clung to her clothes. I said sure that would be fine I was traveling alone. I was quite tired and decided to finish with the blog. I stretched out my legs because she took the window seat facing backward spread out her things on the table and I leaned back and closed my eyes. "Next Stop Sheffield!" Wow I must have slept for the whole hour and a half! I realized the train was nearly in the station in Sheffield and I was heading for Norwich and parts unknown if I didn't rise from my slumber get myself together and get off the train. I stood up; I cleared my head; I said sorry for the snoring to Miss Chimney and stepped off the train back in Sheffield just in the nick of time with nearly none of the normal standing waiting anticipation. Watch Out for being backwards on a train after the Black Pudding!

Joy?!

It has been a month (maybe a life time) of short nights followed by early mornings. This morning's reason for a short night is the departure of my parents. Last night at our church meeting we had a really especially great time of singing, prayer and studying the Bible. At the end of the meeting Tim gave each home a "Minute Bible" and said we could all read a page each day and this way we could all talk about the things we have been reading. Today's reading was about joy. I should be full of joy, and in fact I am. So much good has happen over the past few months. I am a new man in Christ and in these past few months my wonderful church family has helped me discover that a fresh. We have our settlement visa and I can work. I have enjoyed the best visit with my folks ever here in England. And yet I am typing out this entry on my phone while sitting here next to my mum in the airport. I'm waiting to say goodbye. Being separated from my folks isn't easy especially for my kids. We have a close family and we all love the Lord. My Parents are great examples of faith. And we are divided by the Atlantic. So I must have joy even in saying goodbye. And this we do for the sake of the kingdom, being confident of our burden and calling to help plant churches in Belgium.

Growing love!

We've been sold a lie. Somehow we have been made to think that love is an exclusive emotion we direct towards one person and more importantly that special person directs towards us. But love, true love, is not simply a good feeling nor is it all that dependent on the object of its attention. We can quite amazingly love the unlovely regardless of thier response. And actually you can feel the genuine warmth of love when you love not for what you can get but when you begin to see people from God's point of view. Selflessly caring about people as we see them amazingly uniquely reflecting thier creator and having needs which we too have. I knew this love for the world but had lost it for a long time because my eyes were on me and on how I thought others viewed me. I failed to see God. I could only see others in a very limited selfish way. Seeing God as he is and myself as he does frees me to know real love for others.

Bird song at half four

Lying in bed with the window open, I hear some beautiful and enthusiastic birds singing. So after a quick trip to the loo and a check of the email I take my trusty Nokia 6230 and click out a thought or two. (Lyssa just rolls over and asks what I'm doing and she is more sweet than the birds.) Although I get to live in England's 4th largest city {in a country with a population density of more than 600 people per sq mile} it sounds more like a small village. Truly the birds rule the pre-dawn soundscape outside my bedroom window. [unfortunately my computer cooling fan sometimes rules the sounds of my interior, surely they can make them quieter, not to mention the horrible sound using a mobile to key out an email makes]. Ain't no bird gonna sing in my place all my life I'm gonna sing His holy praise, gonna sing his holy praise all my life I'm gonna sing God's holy praise.

Granted visas

We are so excited we have our visa. And further more I have permission to work!

The often illusive William Bode sporting his robe with more clothe!  

The big blue robe with more clothe

About a year ago I saw bath robes for sale at my then favorite retail outlet for Sporting Goods. In fact I could have been a Decathlon addict. Not that I spent much in there really. But I loved to "do the walk through" on my way home from when I worked at the Drum. Decathlon has a number of store brands you won't find anywhere else. For the water sports aficionado the Tribord brand makes great clothing and equipment. On the aforementioned "walk thorough" I noted that the Tribord big blue hooded beach bath robes were on less than half price. My black bath robe which I had been given as a gift a few years before was plagued with a huge unraveling hole. My beloved bath robe was becoming less and less and it was nearly embarrassing. So the sight of a really nice Tribord robe with a hood was more than I could take. But then, what size? Now I'm not really a very large person at all. Maybe I need to think more about slimming but when I look in the mirror I see a rather slight figure with less than a copious amount of flesh piled on the rack of bones. Maybe I am a bit of a chunk but my guess is I'm right and most people would say Bill is thin. Now the truth is I can get a bit of a gut but that doesn't translate to thicker legs, or more muscle on the shoulders and arms. Still it remains what size robe. I like big robes. I thought I'll get an extra large. I don't need it except I do have rather long arms compared to the rest of me. Now since I can wear a medium an extra large is already two sizes too big. But then I had this thought! I can get more clothe for the same price! So I got a XXXL! Yes that is right I got a triple Xtra Large. "Why?, "you may ask. So let me tell you. More clothe for the same money. Now usually Decathlon has good quality brands that wear well but now almost a year on mine is looking quite tatty. I'm thinking they were not meant to live in. Or they were not meant to sleep in. But mine is better than an extra blanket on a cold night. And now you know why I have a big blue tatty robe that is hooded and triple x!

Me Off Springer

My eldest daughter, Emily and I. Isn't she wonderful!

Walking to Forge Dam

Today we walked to forge dam from our home. Lyssa, Daniel, Emily, Wendy, Bethany, my Father, and I set out from 13 Holland Place to meet up with my mum, Niels, Sylvia and her mother and aunt. We meet at the far end of Endcliffe Park near the end of Rustlings road. While we walked along on a sunny day when the wind wasn't too strong and the temperature was just slightly brisk for me. Although I only wore a fleece over my short sleeve breathable wicking novadry sport shirt. I always try and wear a base layer like that and then a fleece and after in my bag if I need it a Gore-tex outer shell. Along the way we stopped at the Shepherds wheel a 16th century mill for crafting knives and cutlery. There were lots of them along the Porter Valley from Hunters Bar to Forge Dam. Niels and Sylvia and obviously Sylvia's mother and Aunt are all from Belgium. And the mum and Aunt don't speak much English and we don't speak much Flemish. So it was an interesting trip with Niels translating all the local history along the walk. I wish we could have went further past Forge Dam unto the Peaks and Ringinglow. I love the water fall on the path. I like the end of the walk just before you come out on the edge of the Moors. Oh well another time.
Oh and as Iwas looking for links for you to see about my walk Sus came on and chatted with me a bit. She sent me the following link http://www.bobsmiley.com/

Please could I be turning into my Dad?!

At some point I walk down stairs and sort through the many supplement bottles to find "my cocktail" of vitamins, cod liver oil, and herbal supplements. Having downed these next internet radio from Belgium's Radio 1 (no online station is quite as good) is browsed on over to on the dining room family computer while I lay out the Dutch Bible (given to me by Willy Maesen), the English (New American Standard Bible) and the Dutch to English dictionary. Ready now to prepare some porridge oats with water from the kettle and some fruit (such as a banana), so I can think about what God has to say to me today. I'd like to say I do all this and then head out to the gym every day but with guests and other things the regular morning trip to the gym has taken a back seat. I'm sure I can get back in the habit there too. So add in showers or bathroom time, along with checking email and other online tasks and you have at least an hour of my life each day. Or so I hope around an hour to a half an hour of each day is filled with the aforementioned routine. I know my father's routine has been established now for more than 30 years. and I know some of the elements of the routine differ significantly. But there is enough similar I have hope I am becomeing like my Father!

Now if I could only become more like my Father in Heaven!

Are your thoughts broken?

My mind needs fixing! I think too negatively, too selfishly and too dishonestly. I'm glad God gives the remedy in Jesus. I couldn't even begin to turn my own mind around if it were not for Jesus. Why not read this bit of the bible in context.

Philippians 4 or if you prefer in dutch Filippenzen 4

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter.
Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

A person who has stayed in my home and who I have recently been chatting with online.
Many of you who know me may know this is my friend from the Land Down Under, Brooke Gorman. House guest and house sitter of the Bode family. She is a partner in crime participating among the family called the Sharrow Crowded House. We miss her. But we are glad for her adventures around the globe because we get to travel by proxy. Come back soon!

These two people have recently been talking to me.
If you chat with Matt or CC then you know who they are.
Seems they are done with "lessons" for a while and have some time. Actually I am done with a few lessons too so I guess we all sort of graduated about the same time. Glad we can reconnect.