This morning Dik preached from I Pet 5 v6-9, which seemed very relevant in the light of a meeting I went to at church yesterday afternoon..particularly v8 - 9

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering"

We went to the meeting to discuss the possibility of starting a music group, a choir and a group of muscians..when we would meet & what we would be doing at these meetings ie: learning new songs etc..

We ended up discussing what changes some folks wanted to make in the church! So, someone suggested that this wasn't the time to talk about these things, and pointed out that we were here to discuss the music group etc, but this other person had to have his say..

some of us came away feeling a bit cross (me, ok I admit it) and fed up..

How quickly the devil gets in and so wants to divide God's people..there will naturally be changes in our church as we have a new pastor with different ideas, and so the devil is there, waiting to so discord amongst us! We need to be vigilent and pray that the devil would not use us(me) to cause trouble!

We heard not long ago how in the Philipian church two ladies who were once good workers together, had some disagreement, and were no longer even speaking to each other...

We are united in Christ, and the breaking of fellowship like this is almost blasphemous..it shouldn't be...but so often is..If only we would listen to what the word says, and do it!

This evening we were about 20 at the International church Bordeaux...two guys here to learn French, one of whom was Japenese, but had been born in Bordeaux, and so was here to see what it was like..the other here from Cardiff (he e mailed Alan sometime ago) and is here onnly for 3 weeks..another chap from Swizerland.. some folks who have been away having returned..and visitors from a French church in the mornings, came to us this eveninng.

Ben spoke from Ruth 3..Boaz being a type of Christ..a kinsman redeemer. How when Boaz covered Ruth with the hem of his garment, it is a picture found in Isaiah, of how God covers us with his garment because he loves us..

He put life into the story, cos it is a love story isn't it, and we're all on tenter hooks to find out how it ends, well of course we know..but it is a story of God's sovereignty, and about the ancestory of our Saviour..

Sometimes people think of God as a god of anger, who demands justice from man for all the wrong things they have done..and so they must try to do good things, so they can go to heaven..they hope! but the Bible tells us that God sent his son Jesus into the world as a 'propitiation', to turn away God's wrath/anger from us, onto Jesus, so that we might live.....(john 3 v 16) and throughout the old testament we are being shown God's love in what he has done and will do in the future (New testament...)

Tomorrow music school starts up, so guitar for Gwilym Monday, flute for Catrin Wed, solfege (music theory) for both on Thurs. They when Alan comes home he'll be joining the fray with trombone and orchestra..

I go tomorrow to find out about recommencing French.