Pretty Amazing Grace

Pretty amazing grace is what You showed me
pretty amazing grace is who You are
I was an empty vessel
You filled me up inside
and with amazing grace restored my pride

Pretty amazing grace is how You saved me
and with amazing grace reclaimed my heart
love in the midst of chaos
calm in the heat of war
showed with amazing grace what love was for

You forgave my insensitivity
and my attempt to then mislead You
You stood beside a wretch like me
Your pretty amazing grace was all I needed.

Stumbled inside the doorway of Your chapel
humbled in God by everything I found
beauty and love surround me
freed me from what I fear
ask for amazing grace and You appear

You overcame my loss of hope and faith
gave me a truth I could believe in
You led me to a higher place
showed Your amazing grace
when grace was what I needed

look in a mirror I see Your reflection
open a book You live on every page
I fall and You're there to lift me
share every road I climb
and with amazing grace You ease my mind

Came to You with empty pockets first
when I returned I was rich man
didn't believe love could quench my thirst
but with amazing grace You showed me that it can

In Your amazing grace I had a vision
from that amazing place I came to be
into the night I wandered
wandering aimlessly
found Your amazing grace to comfort me.

Pretty amazing ....

You overcame my loss of hope and faith,
gave me a truth I could believe in.
You led me to that higher place
showed me that love and truth and hope and grace were all I needed.

- Neil Diamond

Trust in the amazing power of the Living God!

This and that

Much has been going on over the last few weeks. A couple of people close to us have been diagnosed with cancer, strangely, both called Paula. One is Chris' mum, the other is a friend in Grantham. They are both due for treatment and I would like to ask you to pray for them as they go through these trying times.

We paid a short visit to see Joanna, Sammy, Danny and my new little niece in Newcastle, on their brief visit. It was a busy weekend with hundreds of miles travel via Milton Keynes and Newcastle. While there we celebrated Danny's birthday.


With my gorgeous niece, Maria


Sammy, Asha, Danny and baby Maria

Chris and I have been on BBC Radio Lincolnshire along with the Rev Ian Brown, being interviewed about Street Pastoring in Lincoln. Catch the Morning Show on Listen Again here. We were on with Judy Theobald and James Wickham. Asha sat quietly in the studio and watched. She does get around some interesting places.... she has even sat through a two hour Lincolnshire County Council Executive Meeting. Hmmmm...

Chris has been busy shaping up for his Street Pastor fund-raiser, playing through hours of Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, on 26th May Bank Holiday Monday at St Mary Magdalen's Church on the Bailgate in Lincoln.

Asha and I have had a couple of recent home edder outings in the last week. We have been to Belton House and Rushmoor Country Park. Both great, great places during term time. No queues or crowds.


Asha and her friend at Belton House


At Rushmoor Country Park, near Louth, feeding one of the residents

Following Asha's finger injury, she now has an appointment at the Pulvertaft Hand Centre in Derby to have a specialist look at her finger, though we do have to wait until June for that.

We are blessed and grateful for everything.

Vegetarian Week 2008

Korma and rice recipe

Starts today :-) May 19th to 25th. Loads on here in Lincolnshire, the Boardwalk Cafe at Whisby has a display and nice veggie food all week to try out. BBC Radio Lincolnshire has a chef on who will be cooking veggie food all week. Plus

Find out why it is green to go veggie.

And then there are all the lifestyle illnesses caused by a diet rich in saturated fats - the sources are, yes, meat! Animal, meat and flesh foods are major contributors to:

cancer
heart conditions
strokes
diabetes......

Read some of the scientific stuff from Dr Hans Diehl, who runs a veggie lifestyle programme that is changing lives. With some yummy recipes.

Change your life through NEWSTART

Have a really healthy, bug-free week :-)

ADRA Myanmar Appeal

Please give if you can. ADRA-UK has launched an urgent appeal to help the people of Myanmar (Burma).

ADRA-UK
Myanmar Appeal Update

Bless you as you give. For, freely you have received, freely give.

What ADRA does:

ADRA-UK is an independent Christian humanitarian agency established for the specific purpose of individual and community development and disaster relief.

ADRA works in more than 125 countries. Our relief and development programmes have the following focus: Disaster Relief, Maternal/Child Health, Community Farming, Water Resources, Education and Training, Food Aid, Community and Institutional Development, Women in Development and Civil Society Development

Asha's finger

On the day of the injury


The severed tendon is probably where the dotted line lies. An otherwise well healed pair of fingers.

Took Asha to see the doctor today. After a detailed explanation to Asha he felt that a referral for surgery was necessary. The tendons on the top of her middle finger, above the first knuckle are damaged, possibly severed in the car door episode. He suggested the best place was Derby, where there is a specialist hand clinic. Turns out the doctor was a home edder too. His daughter is now at university!

Day of Strike Action

Public sector revolt

Who cares anyway?

A few days away

Tim and Pauline on their wedding day in 1958


Asha with her Nannie and Grandad

A wonderful time was had by all who attended the Golden Wedding Anniversary celebrations. I was ill and laid up in bed, so could not be there. Asha and Chris played for all the guests. It was held at Ripley Arts Centre, where Tim has been Treasurer for some years. Sounds like the food, fun and fellowship was great. I got to see the pictures :-), taste the cake and Chris ate all my food! Well, I was not eating anything for several days, so that was fine by me. We are so glad that both Pauline and Tim were in good enough health to really enjoy the event (especially after Pauline's recent hospital stay). We hope that with the lifestyle changes that can make a significant improvement to health, that both Tim and Pauline will be revitalised.

We are now back home, the weather is warming up, and it looks like spring might have landed. Asha and I had our lunch outside (first time this year), which is always fun. We have a wooden seat which is our special place beside the wisteria, which incidentally, has begun flowering. This is where we eat together and talk about life, as is our joy as mother and daughter. After lunch we played a game of tennis, well, the one where the ball is attached to a string on a pole, and we can give it a good thrashing.

Mal, the old dog, has come back from kennels unwell. She has been sick all day, so will need looking after. Got to watch her as she is getting on a bit, and is a very robust old lady.

I forgot to post on my third anniversary of blogging, having started out on April 6th 2005. So, here's a little reminder of how fast children grow, marriages mellow and life moves forward. Happy days, happy memories, with many more to come....


Asha in 2005, at my cousin Latha's daughter's wedding (Nithya and Nick)

Happy Birthday and Anniversary

Ranjitchayen and Thangamkochamma

I did not forget your birthday Ranjitchayen, or your wedding anniversary, but I did neglect to email you as I normally try to. Very very sorry :-( So, here is a blog greeting. Have a wonderful year ahead, hope you are having a good time. Missing you and thought I'd post a picture from our lovely family gathering in the US of A. Roll on the next one. Be in touch soon, God bless you very much. With love from all of us.