Church in the ER Haemorrhaging

Is your church losing people?  Is there a steady flow of people out of the "back door"? Does it have a a haemorrhaging problem? 

 Click here to read the whole report

Flower pot people

Is he going to ask her out?

Kindness Lion

"Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows"

Robert Ingersoll

Parasites in the church

Have you ever experienced parasites in your church? How can you tell? How do you deal with them?

Have a look at The Church in the ER blog

Lunch Time at Khok Sam Rong

Every Sunday most churches in Thailand will have lunch together.  At Khok Sam Rong Church, Kin Kaew and Big are usually responsible for making the food.  On this particular Sunday back in September, Big was making her famous Som Tam (Papaya Salad) and Kin Kaew was chopping up the fried chicken.  

Notice:  the size of the knife she's using, the pots and pans hanging on the wall behind her, and her bare feet.

Sculpture in Bangkok

An interesting sculpture by mr Bettino Francini.  I didn't understand either the English or the Thai explanation but it was something about taking motion pictures......

Approaching Bangkok on the plane

Don't you love the view from a plane?

Mystery Snack

Anyone know what this is called?  It's about 6 cm long and 3 - 4 cm wide.  You eat it.  It is boiled and tastes slightly like cold boiled potatoes.

I'm a bit busy right now.....

I'm a bit busy right now so using 3 screens really helps to keep track of everything.

Mushroom of some sort

Found these growing at the side of my house - don't know what they are, and didn't attempt to eat them, but very interested that they came up from nowhere.   Does anyone know what they are called?

Some butterflies

Some buterflies that managed to stay still long enough to be photographed!

Worship group at Saweng Haa

Worship group at Saweng Haa, Ang Thong, Central Thailand

Free ebook for church planters

 Are you planting a church, or thinking about it?  Get this free ebook from Exponential (for ipad, iphone, kindle or.....)

click this link to get your free ebook

News from the South of Thailand

link to "The Nation" newspaper

Please pray for the situation in the south of Thailand.  over 5,000 people have been killed since the troubles began.  Yesterday yet another bomb at an ATM this time, no one was killed but the day before there were 7 attacks, bombs or shooting happen daily.

Licorice Choc Logs

If you love licorice and chocolate, you will surely love these.  A friend sent them from New Zealand - a rare treat!

Almond Caramel Praline mmmm..... Oh no! What about the calories?

Leaving Singapore

Fallen Palm branch

 Came home the other day to find that this fallen Palm branch was hanging from my internet wire, which runs into the car port.  It hung there for several days whilst I thought about what to do. (Never a man around when you need one!)  I couldn't lift it off - they are soooooo heavy.  I didn't know how to cut it - secateurs make no impact, nor do sheers, if I hacked away with my machete type knife I would probably break the internet connection.  Finally some men came to clean the air con machines and I asked them to get it down so at least it is now on the ground. I will have to drag it to the end of the road, together with an even bigger branch that has just fallen and throw it on the waste ground where everyone puts their garden waste.

Heading for Singapore

Bangkok Traffic

In a traffic jam on the expressway recently.  Just stopped cars as far as the eye could see.  Eventually got out of the jam.  Would it have been quicker to use a normal road instead of the expressway?

One benefit though, I had time to look around at the rapidly changing Bangkok skyline.

This is obviously one random shot of the Bangkok skyline, it would have been great to have a 360 degree view.

Winter melon crop

The Pastor's wife standing next to some of her crop of Winter Melons!

Bang Orn's retirement dinner

My teacher friend, Bang Orn just retired, see how the Thai children show their respect and thanks to their teachers.Video of Thai children showing respect to their teacher

Bang Orn's retirement dinner

Bang Orn retires this month so the school held a retirement "do".  Several of my  friends came along too

Part of the celebration is to pour water over the hands of the person retiring, and to bless them.

Music group at Taa Chang, Singburi, Thailand

Sunday Morning

 Today I was speaking at Taa Chang, Singburi Thailand on Psalm 15

OMF Prayer meeting, Suphanburi, Thailand

Our monthly OMF prayer meeting, this time held in Suphanburi.

Of course we finish with lunch.  This month is was sticky rice, chicken and papaya salad.

The worship Team at Khok Sam Rong last Sunday

Dad and Daughter

Teaching at Khok Sam Rong on Sunday, several students played hookey. Maybe that was because we've just started studying Job, and they all said it was very hard.

Church in the ER - Problem No 6

can a church suffer from constipation and/or deverticulitis? Yes? No? Read the post and see if you've seen this problem in your church.

I was speaking in the morning at Lopburi Church on Sunday 21st September, and then in the afternoon, some of the folk stayed on for the lay leadership Training, on "Building up one another".

last week about 30 of us went to Bangkok for a ladies' retreat and Fri afternoon a small group of us went to a park in the centre of Bangkok, and hired bikes. The path around was about two and a half km, we went round 3 times.  I'd never been to this park before, there is always something new to see in Bangkok.

Are you struggling right now?

First Coffee in Khlong Waan, Prajuab, Thailand, if you are ever visiting this is a Must.

Added bonus, it has the cleanest "loo" you've ever seen in Thailand! 

OMF Missions day - Bath UK

Even if you can't make it, can you pass the news on to anyone who may be interested, thanks.

Barbequed Fish

Another vendor at the market, barbequing fish, 

they could hardly keep up with the buyers

Fast Food - Bugs

I was at the market last week, this is the first time I've seen live bugs which people choose from, have them fried in front of them, and then buy them to eat.

Parking Balloons

Balloons for Parking spaces

Press on the underlined title to watch this really good video - an innovative and cheap idea to help find those empty parking spaces when the car park/parking lot looks full. The video is about the system in South Korea.  Our governments should watch it and act on it - it saves MONEY, TIME and PETROL (Gas if you're not British) Why doesn't every country do this!

The cooks for the EFT CAMP

 

Last week - Thursday to Saturday there was a camp at Hang Nam, Chainat, Central Thailand, for the ladies of EFT (Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand).   Altogether there were about 200 ladies, and a few men who stayed on after bringing their wives along.  The Cooks Left to right - Kin kaew, Big and Ewl, three of my students from Khok Sam Rong.  

(I like it when they cook at these camps because I know they'll look after me if something is too spicy hot for me, they will make an alternative dish for me)

Speaking at Taa Chang on Sunday on Jeremiah 36

Lovely hotel design.

Bad news if you are on the top floor and the lift is not working!