Photographs: Cave Hill

Cave Hill offers the best vantage point in Northern Ireland to view the great city of Belfast.

Writing: Giving place

So, a new game called Bioshock: Infinite has been announced for a 2012 release. This is the first game to excite me in a while. The original Bioshock was set in a creepy underwater utopia. It was an immerse world where you could disappear for hours; Although I enjoy games, lately I've not been as interested in them.

I find this scripture interesting, and certainly relevant in my life. Matthew 13:22:

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

In this verse, Jesus is explaining the meaning of the parable of the sower to his disciples. He basically explains how so often in life, our focus and attention can be upon the wrong things. Things like hobbies, work, and even every day things. These things can choke the word of God from producing fruit in our lives if we are not careful.

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matthew 13:23

Its certainly not wrong to play games, but I think for me they may be choking the word, or at least taking up valuable time I could be spending focused on the word. I want to give the word place in my life to produce fruit in my heart, thirty, sixty and one hundredfold.

Writing: To dispel a phrase

So I got my hair cut recently, and its quite different from how it was! This reminds me of the change that happens when we are born again.

There's a popular christian phrase which says: I'm a sinner saved by grace.

This is absolutely not true!! 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Like my hairstyle, we have changed. Our sinful nature has been nailed to the cross and no longer exists! All things have become new!

So what now? 2 Corinthians 5:21 gives us this answer: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This means we are no longer sinners, but we are now the very righteousness of God, saved by grace!

Writing: Something that does last

Someone once said: "life is like a box of chocolates," and in some ways he was right. You can't always choose what get in life, but you can choose what you make of it.

In my garden there are flowers all year round, even in winter! I'm not much into flowers, but they do make something pretty to look at. I have noticed though that they don't last very long, most only live about two weeks.

Recently this reminded me of our lives. It may seem a long time (or it does to me) but really in light of eternity, our lives are only very short. Like these flowers, I want to make the most of my time on this earth!

'But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.' Matthew 6:20

Video: Stop motion TV

A friend of mine recently got me into video making.
Here is my first attempt:

Photographs: Nature

Writing: Matthew 15:1-3

Recently I was reading the Bible and came across a few verses which I thought were great! In these verses Jesus completely out does the scribes and pharisees. Many times they tried to trick Jesus, but in every instance Jesus shows how awesome and wise he is! Here are the verses:

Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? Matthew 15:1-3

I bet they didn't have much to say after that!

Lets not be like the scribes and pharisees with vain traditions and religious practices. It is faith that pleases God. (Heb 11:6). Faith is just the same as trust. We should be professional trusters of God!

Photographs: Belfast