80, 000 Hits!! (and other stuff) ...

Well every now and then I try to do a post just noting some of the things which are going on around the blogging world (as there is generally quite a bit!). Some call it "blog-spotting", I guess others call it being plain nosy! I am absolutely amazed to have just hit "80, 000" hits. Thank you all for coming and visiting and reading and coming back again. I appreciate you all - especially those of you who take the time to leave comments! But here's a bit of what's going on;

Glory and Grace Conference, Sydney 2008

In Hong Kong last October Rob Rufus promised that if another conference was planned we would have a bit more warning than last years - I think it was about 5 months to plan. Alas it seems that the Holy Spirit moved a bit faster than he did - the next "Glory and Grace Conference" is going to happen at the end of March -next month! It is being held in Sydney at Fini and Isi de Gersigny's church - Jubilee International Church. I wrote here that sadly it's a bit too soon for me to be able to go - finding money for air fares, hotels and getting time off work. But this will be a year to look forward to with the CD's!

Ryan Rufus is Publishing!

I've mentioned it before and it is available on the links but I really want to emphase this. My dear friend Julie Morris wrote to Ryan Rufus to ask for some comments and help on "Grace Empowered Sanctification". He did more than write back with comments - he sent the first draft chapter of a book he is writing on "Sanctification by Grace". It's available here - do go and read! Here's my favourite quote:

"Our eternal position cannot be influenced by our current condition. But our current condition can be influenced by our eternal position! That's what this whole book is about!!!".

And Finally ... I've Got It!

It was 2006 when I first mentioned the "Jonathan Edwards Blank Bible" released by Yale University Press. There was always some dispute over the price whether it was worth paying around £125 for one volume! (It turns out it was actually two - Old Testament and New Testament). But my appetite was whetted by visiting the Evangelical Library in London and reading some of the glorious insights into Scripture that Jonathan Edwards had. Well thanks to some money for Christmas from family and friends, my copy finally arrived at Wesley Owen in Birmingham today! (I don't think they had ever heard of the book or seen anything so expensive!).

Why is it such a treasure worth having? Well this Yale University videoblog gives an insight;

I have already flicked through the "Blank Bible" and there are some glorious quotes. On Galatians 5:21, Edwards wrote;

"Against such there is no law" - "Therefore if ye are led by the Spirit you don't need the law for the Spirit produces the fruit that the law obliges to, without being under the exaction of the law. The Spirit of love fulfills the law".

On Ephesians 2:6, he wrote;

"And made us to sit together in heavenly places" - "In places of heavenly honour and dignity, places above any place of earthly honour and trust. Believers sit in the place of priests unto God, and in the place of kings. They are in places of heavenly dominion and divine dignity. But it is in Christ by virtue of their union with Him, they are partakers of His honour and dominion".

We are partakers of the Risen Christ's honour and dominon! Truly He has given us authority to go and do the works which He did and greater works! It sounds very Rob Rufus-esque doesn't it?! More quotes to come I am sure as I read it. But I am really hoping this book will serve as a insight into a man of God who hungered after knowing more of Him in true encounter.