Heaven cheers you on!

Why does it seem that very often when we are going through a circumstance we have a crowd watching up? Sometimes we'd rather the crowd wasn't there as often we take to heart what they might think when we mess up. We fear the rejection of men.

But this is just the away team...the home team is also watching you, and they're cheering you on.

Jesus talks about a great crowd of angels that rejoiced when you were saved (Luke 15:7)

We are also encouraged by the writer of Hebrews thus:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1)

In all circumstances, know that the legions of heaven are chanting your name, exhorting you to keep going. A round of applause for you dear reader. Hold fast: God and heaven sing over you!

Is God watching us from a distance?

A few weeks ago we were visiting my Mum & Dad in Carlisle. During one of our excursions my Mum had a CD playing in the car by Bette Midler. A lyric in one of the songs was "God is watching us, from a distance". As we heard this my wife looked at me and smiled as if saying, "how sweet". Granted, it could be said that the song was indeed sweet.

However, I didn't like the message the song was giving about God and so I wanted to set this straight.

The Bible - the living word of God, God breathed and inspired - is God speaking to us about who He is. In one such verse in John's gospel, Jesus states:

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." John 14:23

So, God is not watching us from a distance, but indeed if you love the Lord and follow him, He will make His home in your heart. What an awesome thing! Almighty God who put the stars into space will live in your heart by His Holy Spirit if you give your life to Him.

Now as you read this, I want you to do something for me. Yes, it may be silly but when you say something out loud there is a certain power in your words. Ready? Place your hand on your heart and say to God:

"Lord, you have made your home in my heart because I love you and I have made you Lord of my life. Thank you Father, thank you Jesus that you live in me"

Now, let me know how you felt when you said that. Leave a comment, and God bless you.

Disclaimer: by leaving a comment you agree to let me publish this on my blog.

My Grandma vs. the Charities

I had a real laugh doing a favour for my Grandma the other week. She's a wonderful lady who has blessed me greatly throughout my life. However she surprised me with this favour: Son, please can you use your computer to make me a sign for my door saying. "Please do not put any charity bags through my door. Thank you."

I produced a sign as requested, but also a second one which I have shared here, should the first one not deliver the required message.

Please note: I am not against charity bags coming through my door.

Site updates

The following areas of MNharkness Webpages have been recently updated.

For the latest on William and Harry's adventures:
http://mnharkness.googlepages.com/theprinces

Gallery of Star Trek miniatures:
http://mnharkness.googlepages.com/gallery

Please check them out and leave comments here!

Is there more to life than this?

While perusing a church website I found this interesting animation: it really just speaks for itself.

Twenty Cans of Success

When I was in the car with my wife the other day, she produced from her handbag a postcard which I have kept close at hand since. Of course since I was driving I had to watch the road but as I did this she read out to me the "Twenty Cans of Success". These are some critical truths from the Bible which really touched my heart; real heavenly wisdom which I am meditating on. They can be found here but I thought I'd paste them into my blog as well. In an age where people are tossed to and fro by every wind of strange teaching that is going about, it's good to stand on solid ground: the Word of God. Read these and enjoy!

1. Why should I say I can't when the Bible says I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)?


2. Why should I lack when I know that God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)?


3. Why should I fear when the Bible says God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)?
   
4. Why should I lack faith to fulfill my calling knowing that God as allotted to me a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)?


5. Why should I be weak when the Bible says that the Lord is the strength of my life and that I will display strength and take action because I know God (Psalm 27:1; Daniel 11:32)?


6. Why should I allow Satan supremacy over my life when He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)?


7. Why should I accept defeat when the Bible says that God always leads me in triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14)?


8. Why should I lack wisdom when Christ became wisdom to me from God and God gives wisdom to me generously when I ask Him for it (1 Corinthians 1:30; James 1:5)?


9. Why should I be depressed when I can recall to mind God's lovingkindness, compassion, and faithfulness and have hope (Lamentations 3:21-23)?


10. Why should I worry and fret when I can cast all my anxiety on Christ who cares for me (1 Peter 5:7)?


11. Why should I ever be in bondage knowing that there is liberty where the Spirit of the Lord is (2 Corinthians 3:17)?


12. Why should I feel condemned when the Bible says I am not condemned because I am in Christ (Romans 8:1)?


13. Why should I feel alone when Jesus said He is with me always and He will never leave me nor forsake me (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5)?


14. Why should I feel accursed or that I am the victim of bad luck when the Bible says that Christ redeemed me from the curse of the law that I might receive His Spirit (Galatians 3:13-14)?


15. Why should I be discontented when I, like Paul, can learn to be content in all my circumstances (Philippians 4:11)?


16. Why should I feel worthless when Christ became sin on my behalf that I might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)?


17. Why should I have a persecution complex knowing that nobody can be against me when God is for me (Romans 8:31)?


18. Why should I be confused when God is the author of peace and He gives me knowledge through His indwelling Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:33; 2:12)?


19. Why should I feel like a failure when I am a conqueror in all things through Christ (Romans 8:37)?


20. Why should I let the pressures of life bother me when I can take courage knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and its tribulations (John 16:33)?

By Neil Anderson

Now the wonderful thing about the Bible is that if it gives you a promise from God, put it into practise and you'll find that it is proven true. Go on, try it!

Game report complete

Follow this link to see the complete example play as outlined in the previous post. Please have a read and make any comments on this post. I'd greatly appreciated any feedback.

Star Trek game: example play

Please have a look at a report outlining what typical play of my game will be like. Find it here. I'm still in the process of transferring the information to the webpage, whenever I have some spare time. A BIG thanks to Si for helping me understand html code so I could get this up and running. Pay him gratitude by reading his blog here.

The fool says in his heart "there is no Higg's Boson"

A physics teacher and another teacher had a conversation this week in my hearing: it was regarding the upcoming experiments at CERN and it went something like this...

Non-physicist: So tell me again, why are they doing these experiments at CERN?
Physicist: They're trying to find Higg's Boson.
Non-physicist: What if the experiments fail and they don't find it? Does that mean that Higg's Boson doesn't exist.
Physicist: It doesn't mean Higg's Boson, doesn't exist. It means they haven't found it yet. It's possible that Higg's Boson does exist elsewhere in the universe. Just because we haven't seen it, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, it just means that we heaven't found it.

Let me emphasise that line again, "Just because we haven't seen it, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist,"

That's amazing! How can we be so arrogant to decide that something (or someone, say God) doesn't exist because we haven't seen it? Physicists, I love you!

Klingons, Cardassians, Jem'hadar

Here are three more images of the models I have been producing. As you can probably tell my game will have to potential to re-create battles from Star Trek ranging from one ship per side to large fleet battles.

The top picture is a Klingon fleet, below that are some Cardassian ships and finally at the bottom are some Jem'hadar. Again, any comments would be appreciated

Starfleet

Here are my very own hand-made Star Trek models from the Federation Starfleet, playing pieces in this board game I'm making. On the left is a Sovereign class like the Enterprise-E from the last three films, next is an Intrepid-class like Voyager. Just above that is a Miranda-class and an Excelsior-class (there is another one of each of these on the picture. Right in the middle is a Defiant-class. To give you an idea of size, the square on the board are one inch across; this is a section of the game board as well. Let me know what you think.

William and Harry

Here are my kittens. Harry is on the left and William on the right. They were born around the end of May 2008 and have recently been allowed to play outside following their injections. They're not brothers, but they think they are. There is much I could say on them since we love them and they make our house a home. Suffice it to say I like things to be succint so here are some keywords to describe them to you.

William: cute; cuddly; good appetite; social; playful; big brother to Harry; likes eating insects.

Harry: fluffy; squeaky; little terror; pseudo-feral; intellectually lacking; like biting William.

A new Star Trek inspired board game

So being a trekker (or trekkie - whatever) I decided I wanted a turn-based Star Trek Miniatures game and the only one I could find is Star Fleet Battles.

Two issues:

1. I wanted TNG era, it's TOS era.

2. The rules are so massively complicated that should the entire set ever be compiled into a single volume, they would spontaneously undergo gravitational collapse and become a black hole (credit to Douglas Adams).

Therefore, about last January I decided to invent my own. The problem is that no useful miniatures exist. Sure, Galoob Micro Machines are ok but I wanted a sensible scale. Answer: I make my own from Fimo. The result so far: these pictures in the next few posts. If you like them, please feel free the post your comments.

To all the Matthews in the world...

In the Bible, Matthew is mentioned in the gospel he wrote of the same name and Mark's gospel. He describes himself as a tax-collector that left his vocation to follow Jesus (Matthew 9:9). What's interesting to note is that the same account in Mark's gospel initially names Matthew as Levi (Mark 2:14), but later refers to him as Matthew in the list of the twelve apostles (Mark 3:18).

There's something deep here.

We know from elsewhere in scripture that a change in name can accompany a conversion or a change in character, for instance when Abram (meaning exalted father) is renamed Abraham (meaning father or many nations) in Genesis 17:5. Therefore we can say that upon Levi's conversion, Jesus renamed him Matthew.

Now Matthew means Previously Matthew was a tax collector, the most despicable of vocations since he would collaborate with the Roman oppressors and line his own pockets in the process. Once he was a taker but now he is a giver since Matthew means Gift of God.

And that is what I want to be.