At 8:00am on the 8th October, 2012, Samuel James Britton was born. We are thankful to God for this healthy little boy, our third child. In the old testament we are first introduced to a the future prophet Samuel when he is born to Hannah, a desperate, childless woman. She is described as praying and weeping "in bitterness of soul" that God would grant her a son. She vows that if her prayer is answered, "... then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life..." Of course, God is faithful and little Samuel is born (I am told that in Hebrew this name is is a homophone for the word meaning "Heard of God"). Hannah is also faithful and gives Samuel, even as a young child, to the service of the Lord and he goes to live with the priest, Eli. One night God calls out to Samuel. This is remarkable in the text since, "In those days the word of the Lord was rare." Samuel hears the Lord on three occasions before it is clear to him who in fact is calling. On each occasion Samuel responds, "Here I am". With Eli's coaching he also responds on the third occasion with a profoundly important and life shaping phrase, "Speak, for your servant is listening." It is our prayer that little Samuel's life will be given over to the Lord. We hope that he will listen to God, be open to His leading and be dedicated in His service.

Lady wisdom

At 9:13am on the 30th of May, 2009, Sophie Olive Britton was born.

Sophie is the french form of the name Sophia which is the Greek word meaning wisdom.

In the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament, wisdom in personified as a woman.
Proverbs 4:5-9;

"Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown."

Then in Proverbs 31, there is an extensive description of a wise and virtuous women. The description climaxes in verse 30;

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

It is our prayer that little Sophie Britton will become a woman who so prizes wisdom, and so displays wisdom that the Glory and Grace of the Lord will shine forth for all to see.

The Lord, He is God

At 00:15 hrs on the 10th of August, 2007, Joel Philip Britton was born.

Joel is an old hebrew name which really is a combination of two of the words used to speak about God in the old testament - Jehovah - the exclusively Jewish name for God based upon the revelation to Moses at the burning bush - and El - a more general term for God.

The prophet Joel is most likely to have prophesied to the southern Jewsish kingdom of Judah before the babylonian exile. His prophecy consists of the declaration of God's certain judgement upon Judah, and a call for repentance in the light of this. After this mighty judgement there will be a restoration.
Chapter 2:28-32 contains a prophecy of God pouring out His Spirit on His people, one of the passages Peter declares to be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. Verse 32, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," is also used by the apostle Paul in Romans 10 to explain the Gospel's universal call.

The writings of the prophet Joel contain (in 3 short chapters) the clear biblical message that all people will face God's judgement. It is in this context that the call to repentance makes sense, because in the face of the terrifying, powerful holiness and wrath of God, there is nowhere to hide. Only God himself can provide any protection, so we must seek it by turning to him. The magnificent truth is that God promises to respond to repentance with unmerited favour.

It is our prayer that young Joel Britton might hear the Word of the Lord, turn to Him, be saved, and receive the Holy Spirit.