fromemptytofull

Take my life...

2011-12-13T22:14:00.000Z

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Frances Havergal 1874

The Sovereignty of God

2011-11-15T10:21:00.003Z

Some musings from Jerry Bridges on the subject. I was going to write some thoughts but I'm not a writer and he says it so much better than me!

"Confidence in the sovereignty of God in all that affects us is crucial to our trusting Him. If there is a single event in all of the universe that can occur outside of God's sovereign control then we cannot trust Him."

"Nothing is so small or trivial as to escape the attention of God's sovereign control; nothing is so great as to be beyond His power to control it. The insignificant sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His will; the might Roman empire cannot crucify Jesus Christ unless that power is given to it by God (See Matthew 10:29; John 19:10-11). And what is true for the sparrow and for Jesus is true for you and me. No detail of your life is too insignificant for your heavenly Father's attention; no circumstance is so big that He cannot control it"

"...God does have a purpose and a plan for you, and God has the power to carry out that plan.

"God controls both the good and the bad. God has not looked the other way or been caught by surprise when adversity strikes us. He is in control of that adversity, directing it to His glory and our good."

"God has an over-arching purpose for all believers: to conform us to the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ (see Romans 8:29). He also has a specific purpose for each of us that is His unique, tailor-made plan for our individual life (see Ephesians 2:10). And God will fulfill that purpose...We can commit to Him not only the ultimate outcome of our lives, but also all the intermediate events and circumstances that will bring us to that outcome"

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges, NavPress 2008. Excerpts from Chapter 3: The sovereignty of God.

Making the gospel personal...

2011-05-28T18:18:00.002+01:00

Your task will take 2mins or less...

Turn to Isaiah 53.

Read it.

Now read it again and from verses 4-6 replace "our" and "us" with your own name.

Realise that Jesus did what He did for you.

Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up [Sinead's] pain
and bore [Sinead's] suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for [Sinead's] transgressions,
he was crushed for [Sinead's] iniquities;
the punishment that brought [Sinead] peace was on him,
and by his wounds [Sinead] is healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Commitment vs Surrender

2011-03-09T15:55:00.002Z

com·mit·ment [kuh-mit-muhnt]
–noun

1. the act of committing.
2.the state of being committed.
3.the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.
4.a pledge or promise; obligation: We have made a commitment to pay our bills on time.
5.engagement; involvement: They have a sincere commitment to religion.

sur·ren·der [suh-ren-der]
–verb (used with object)

1.to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand or under duress: to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to the police.
2.to give (oneself) up, as to the police.
3.to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc.: He surrendered himself to a life of hardship.
4.to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).
5.to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.

Are you committed to Christ? That one's easy. The question we need to ask is Are you surrendered to Christ. One act is done on your terms, the other entirely on His terms. Are you willing to go where He sends, to do the work He asks of you?

"I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you,
or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours."'

(Methodist Covenant Prayer)

The Kimyal church get their Bible

2011-02-14T19:07:00.002Z

God's word is precious. It is the well from which we drink, and the nourishment that we need to keep going.

Imagine all those who hear Gods word in their 2nd or 3rd language or even a language they cannot understand.

This video shows just how important and joyful a mother-tongue translation can be. Let's pray for the ongoing work of Bible Translation.

The Kimyal People Receive the New Testament from UFM Worldwide on Vimeo.

Adopt Rinah

2011-02-04T10:53:00.004Z

Stumbled across this - maybe think about giving just a little to help a couple live out God's love...

www.adoptrinah.com

Bits n' Bobs

2011-01-29T09:39:00.003Z

Gotta love the internet - here are a few things I have discovered over the last few days ranging from the absolute crazy to heartbreaking and soul-shaking...

The absolutely crazy GloZell and her critique of Bruno Mars....

Joel Osteen holds his ground on Piers Morgan. Another one here.

Amazing documentary photography by Darcy Padilla: The Julie Project

Why I am Pro-life...Abby Johnson on her conversion to pro-life and quitting the abortion industry.

The Evangelical Alliance does research on the shape of Evangelicals in the UK

And finally - learn to speak proper....ly!

The Last Battle quotes

2011-01-17T11:42:00.002Z

"What was the fruit like? Unfortunately no one can describe a taste. All I can say is that, compared with those fruits, the freshest grapefruit you've ever eaten was dull, and the juiciest orange was dry, and the most melting pear was hard and woody, and the sweetest wild strawberry was sour. And there were no seeds or stones, and no wasps. If you had once eaten that fruit, all the nicest things in this world would taste like medicines after it. But I can't describe it. You can't find out what it is like unless you can get to that country and taste if for yourself."

"It was the unicorn who summed up what everyone was feeling. He stamped his right fore-hoof on the ground and neighed, and then cried: "I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it will now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this."

"'The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.' And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventure in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

God & Depression

2011-01-11T20:53:00.001Z

Great short little burst of spiritual nourishment over at The Resurgence on the topic of God & Depression.

Short and sweet and oh so helpful for those who are struggling a bit!

Resurrection Faith

2010-12-14T12:06:00.004Z

In Romans 4, Paul delves into the history of Abraham, and argues that the faith of Abraham belongs to us also (Romans 4:23-4). It is not explicit but there is a underlying argument that one of the reasons we can compare Abraham and ourselves is the truth of his resurrection faith.

In Romans 4:5 God is the one who justifies the ungodly, in verse 17 He gives life and calls things into being that were not, and in verse 24 He is the one who raises Jesus from the dead. All of these things play on the theme of new life. Resurrection.

Throughout Pauline theology we see the importance of Jesus' resurrection. We have a resurrection faith, not just because we believe it happened! Jesus' vindication and acquittal is our vindication and acquittal on the basis of our union with Him. Paul always preached the cross & resurrection, preaching in Acts centres on the fact of Jesus being raised, it is fundamental to our justification, not just a bonus feature.

Do we preach resurrection faith enough? Does the truth of a God who brings life out of death sink into our hearts and actually affect our daily life?

In Christ

2010-12-09T15:53:00.003Z

Ephesians 1:3-4
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1 Thessalonians 4:10
For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him

1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Romans 8:17
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

We are chosen in Him, live in Him, die in Him, are raised with Him and reign in glory with Him.

"We thus see that union with Christ has its source in the election of God the Father before the foundation of the world and it has its fruition in the glorification of the sons of God. The perspective of God's people is not narrow; it is broad and it is long. It is not confined to space and time; it has the expanse of eternity." John Murray.

Jeremy Paxman interviews Russell Brand

2010-11-28T12:08:00.002Z

If you are wondering why I would blog such a thing you simply must watch this 15min interview with Russell Brand. Fascinating.

One quote from Russell: "I wanted to be a celebrity and now I am...what does it mean? Ashes in my mouth."

Well worth a watch.

Chris Tomlin - I will Follow

2010-11-17T14:32:00.001Z

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...

All your ways are good
All your ways are sure
I will trust in you alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in you alone

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you
Who you love, I'll love
How you serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you

Light unto the world
Light unto my life
I will live for you alone
You're the one I seek
Knowing I will find
All I need in you alone, in you alone

In you there's life everlasting
In you there's freedom for my soul
In you there joy, unending joy
and I will follow...

Listening

2010-11-09T12:26:00.002Z

Great post on getting the most out of a sermon from The Resurgence.

My Mum yesterday was complaining about the sermon in church on Sunday (as a non-believer she still goes once a month because she helps with the church accounts!).

How I long for sermons to be engaging and life changing in all God's churches....

How many people sit in church Sunday after Sunday not really being impacted by God's word?

Babel and Blessing

2010-10-19T12:55:00.002+01:00

"Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:1-9

Why don't we pray? Because we don't believe God is generous and wants the best for us. We feel like praying is wasting time when you could be getting on and sorting it out. The truth is we desire control. So much that we think we need to snatch and grab things out of God's closed fist.

God's hand is open.

All He asks us to do is receive what He is freely giving us. Read on from Genesis 11 where people want to "make a name for themselves" and you get to Genesis 12:1-3:

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
"I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

The people at Babel thought they had to make a name for themselves...something God freely offers in the following chapter.

Why don't we pray? Because we think we need to do things ourselves...not the case. God's hand is open.

Good news dominates!

2010-10-14T23:29:00.003+01:00

Loving the good news dominating the headlines from Chile this week. The word 'miracle' is being used a lot - but lets not forget to give credit to all those men who have worked tirelessly to free them!

Favourite moment was when Mario Gomez, the oldest of the miners at 63, hugs his wife and then before any other celebrations can happen drops to his knees to praise and thank God for His faithfulness!

Also found out that most of them were wearing t-shirts donated by Campus Crusade for Christ - get in! See more here

2 Random thoughts

2010-10-12T20:22:00.005+01:00

1) "Do we want our churches to be a hospital for sinners or a museum of saints?!"
This was the question thrown into a Pastoral Care lecture that got my brain working. So often church is the place where we see the "saintly people" who we aspire to be like one day, rather than the family we run to when things fall apart. My prayer is for congregations to be vulnerable with one-another and allow the gospel to do its transforming work in our lives! Lets actually be a family people want to join.

2)Pauls Christology in the New Testament points to Jesus Christ being the revelation of the One True God, the Covenant-keeping YHWH of the Old Testament. So you need to understand Jesus to understand God. And what is God like?

"Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed."

This is our God.

Amy Carmichael Quotes

2010-10-07T16:31:00.004+01:00

“You who can resist the half-articulate pleading of many and many a heart today, can you resist this? From millions of voiceless souls, it is rising now– does it not touch you at all? The missionary magazines try to echo the silent sob. You read them? Yes; and you skim them for good stories, nice pictures, bits of excitement- the more the better. Then they drop into the wastepaper basket, or swell some dusty pile in the corner. For perhaps ‘there isn’t much in them’. Very likely not; ‘there isn’t much’ in the silence any more than in the darkness, at least not very much reducible to print; but to God there is something in it for all that. Oh! you- you, I mean, who are weary of hearing the reiteration of the great unrepealed commission, you who think you care, but who certainly don’t, past costing point, is there nothing will touch you?”

"Missionary work is a grain of sand, the work untouched is a pyramid....Face it. Look and listen, alone with God. Then go, let go, help go. But never, never, never think that anything short of this is being 'interested in missions.' Never, until this point is reached and passed, delude yourself into believing that you care at all."

"To any whom the Hand Divine is beckoning: count the cost, for He tells us to, but take your slate to the foot of the Cross and add up the figures there"

I like quotes...

2010-09-05T15:44:00.001+01:00

"Orthodoxy, meaning right belief, and orthopraxis, meaning right practice” must always go together. And to often we have only seen Christianity as a set of doctrines or beliefs. So congregations end up with a “statement of faith” but without a “statement of practices”. We must have both or else we get sloppy with our theology or we get sloppy with how we live and lose the distinctiveness of what it means to live the way of the Gospel. Just as it is important not to compromise core doctrines of our faith like the bodily resurrection of Jesus, it is also important not to compromise the core practices of our faith like non-violence and enemy love.

from "Frequently asked Questions" at The Simple Way . If you haven't heard of Shane Claibourne - go and find out what he has gotten up to. Inspiring stuff.

another quote...

2010-08-15T12:21:00.002+01:00

"I have a fear that the church in the West will disqualify itself from being a missionary-sending region by portraying to its membership a Christianity that is a nice religion but that lacks a radical edge. In my visits to the West, the most common response I hear to sermons I have preached is something to the effect: "I enjoyed that sermon." Sermons should disturb, convict, and motivate to radical and costly obedience. I have wondered whether people's desired result from sermons is to enjoy themselves rather than to be changed into radical disciples who will turn the world upside down. If this is so, the church has assimilated the postmodern mood that considers inner feelings more important than commitment to principles. A minor feature of worship - bringing enjoyment - has become a primary feature. Such a church may grow numerically, but it would not be able to produce the type of missionaries that the worlds needs - men and women who will pay the price of identification with the people they serve and endure the frustrations that involves"

from Jesus Driven Ministry by Ajith Fernando

He needs me, calls me, loves me: Let me go!

2010-07-14T13:55:00.001+01:00

"Why wilt thou cast the roses from thine hair?
Nay be thou all a rose - wreath, lips and cheek.
Nay not this house - that banquet house we seek;
See how they kiss and enter - come thou there.
This delicate day of love we two will share
Till at our ear love's whispering night shall speak.
What, sweet one, - holdst thou still the foolish freak?
Nay, when I kiss thy feet they'll leave the stair."

"Oh loose me! Seest thou not my Bridegroom's face
That draws me to Him, for His feet my kiss,
My hair, my tears he craves today: - and oh!
What words can tell what other day and place
Shall see me clasp those blood-stained feet of his?
He needs me, calls me, loves me: Let me go!"

Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1858

Black & White

2010-05-29T11:09:00.003+01:00

Great video taken first from Gospel Coalitions Thabiti Anyabwile and discovered via my good friend Layo!

The great Jonathan Edwards...

2010-05-21T12:34:00.001+01:00

"God has given to mankind affections, for the same purpose which he has given all the faculties and principles of the human soul for, viz., that they might be subservient to man's chief end, and the great business for which God has created him, that is, the business of religion. And yet how common is it among mankind, that their affections are much more exercised and engaged in other matters, than in religion! In things which concern men's worldly interest, their outward delights, their honor and reputation, and their natural relations, they have their desires eager, their appetites vehement, their love warm and affectionate, their zeal ardent; in these things their hearts are tender and sensible, easily moved, deeply impressed, much concerned, very sensibly affected, and greatly engaged; much depressed with grief at worldly losses, and highly raised with joy at worldly successes and prosperity. But how insensible and unmoved are most men, about the great things of another world! How dull are their affections! How heavy and hard their hearts in these matters! Here their love is cold, their desires languid, their zeal low, and their gratitude small. How they can sit and hear of the infinite height, and depth, and length, and breadth of the love of God in Christ Jesus, of his giving his infinitely dear Son, to be offered up a sacrifice for the sins of men, and of the unparalleled love of the innocent, and holy, and tender Lamb of God, manifested in his dying agonies, his bloody sweat, his loud and bitter cries, and bleeding heart, and all this for enemies, to redeem them from deserved, eternal burnings, and to bring to unspeakable and everlasting joy and glory; and yet be cold, and heavy, insensible, and regardless!

Train the Called

2010-05-20T17:53:00.003+01:00

Thanks to SaintBeagle for pointing me to a great article by Mark Driscoll on calling and training.

This is why I am at theological college to get trained for mission: I cannot ignore the call of the worlds lost and unsaved. I 'have' to do something....

I am not forsaken because Jesus was.

2010-04-20T08:59:00.003+01:00

Thus? oh, not thus! no type of earth can image that awaking,
Wherein he scarcely heard the chant of seraphs, round him breaking,
Or felt the new immortal throb of soul from body parted,
But felt those eyes alone, and knew—“My Saviour! not deserted!”

Deserted! Who hath dreamt that when the cross in darkness rested,
Upon the Victim's hidden face no love was manifested?
What frantic hands outstretched have e'er the atoning drops averted?
What tears have washed them from the soul, that one should be deserted?

Deserted! God could separate from His own essence rather;
And Adam's sins have swept between the righteous Son and Father:
Yea, once, Immanuel's orphaned cry His universe hath shaken—
It went up single, echoless, “My God, I am forsaken!”

It went up from the Holy's lips amid His lost creation,
That, of the lost, no son should use those words of desolation!
That earth's worst phrenzies, marring hope, should mar not hope's fruition,
And I, on Cowper's grave, should see his rapture in a vision.

from Cowpers Grave by Elizabeth Bennett Browning

Adoniram Judson

2010-04-12T10:24:00.002+01:00

Great post on desiringgod.org here

Adoniram Judson was a foreign missionary who was the seed of many churches in Burma - it was the final phrase that caught my attention.

"The question, brothers, is not whether we will die, but whether we will die in a way that bears much fruit."

Don't buy it...

2010-03-14T21:42:00.001Z

Psalm 143

2010-03-07T12:32:00.001Z

A psalm of David.

O LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.

The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.

I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.

I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah

Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD,
for I hide myself in you.

Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.

Haiti

2010-02-13T12:13:00.002Z

Knowledge of God

2010-02-03T10:13:00.003Z

"For, since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy, any empty semblance of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself. And since nothing appears within us or around us that is not tainted with very great impurity, so long as we keep our mind within the confines of human pollution, anything which is in some small degree less defiled delights us as if it were most pure just as an eye, to which nothing but black had been previously presented, deems an object of a whitish, or even of a brownish hue, to be perfectly white.

Thus too, it happens in estimating our spiritual qualities. So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods. But should we once begin to raise our 39thoughts to God, and reflect what kind of Being he is, and how absolute the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue, to which, as a standard, we are bound to be conformed, what formerly delighted us by its false show of righteousness will become polluted with the greatest iniquity; what strangely imposed upon us under the name of wisdom will disgust by its extreme folly; and what presented the appearance of virtuous energy will be condemned as the most miserable impotence."
- Calvins Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 1

Reminds me of the C.S Lewis quote:

Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
–C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

So what you gonna promise me this time?

2010-01-15T19:05:00.004Z

"Being successful is important."

"You need a good house and a car, and everything in it to feel secure and happy."

"A romantic relationship will show you are really loved."

"Wearing the latest fashions will ensure you fit in at school, at work, down the pub, in the gym."

"And make sure you go to the gym because unless you are skinny and conform to the medias ideal of beauty you aren't beautiful."

"Life is all about enjoying yourself, getting as much as you can from everyone around you. The most important person is you. Keep yourself happy and satisfied and anything that involves personal sacrifice probably isn't worth it. Worry about your own problems first and foremost."

"See to it that no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy. For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority"

Colossians 2:8-9

It's easy to be swept along by the tide. It's easy to want to fit it, to conform to what our world and society says we need to conform to.

But as Christians we need to guard against being taken captive by those philosophies which promise so much and give so little.

Being rich and successful is not going to make a difference to discovering who you really are, and what greater purpose there is for your existence.

Because the truth is that we have a Great King, who will one day return in glory. All the vain things of this world will pass away, and everything will be overshadowed by the magnificence of the lamb upon the throne! The lamb who bore our transgressions and now has supremacy over all things. We have been given Christ, and in Him we find our happiness, our satisfaction, our purpose and meaning. All the vain things of this world won't fulfill us, for we have our fullness in Christ.

Winter musings

2010-01-08T20:41:00.003Z

For your enjoyment here is the view from my desk at about 4pm this afternoon....

I am in the midst of planning a blog on prayer but for today: I have been thinking about Colossians 1:17 recently....The idea that if you want to see what God is like, all we need to do is look at Jesus. I have been manically revising church history this week. That involves knowing all about the debates about the incarnation in the early church....Jesus as human and divine nature in the one person. Mind boggling, and we may never fully understand or comprehend it.

But this is the great truth. God, transcendant, uncreated, immutable, impassible, creator, Holy, YHWH, made his dwelling amongst man.

Unfathomable.

To my brothers & sisters in Christ

2010-01-05T22:02:00.001Z

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.

Colossians 1:3-6

This is what the baby born in a manger is King of......

2009-12-24T23:28:00.002Z

Self Deprecation

2009-12-16T14:10:00.001Z

O LORD,
My every sense, member, faculty, affection, is a snare to me,
I can scarce open my eyes but I envy those above me, or despise those below me.
I covet honour and riches of the mighty, and am proud and unmerciful to the rags of others;
If I behold beauty it is a bait to lust, or see deformity, it stirs up loathing and disdain;
How soon do slanders, vain jests, and wanton speeches creep into my heart!

Am I comely? what fuel for pride!
Am I deformed? what an occasion for repining!
Am I gifted? I lust after applause!
Am I unlearned? how I despise what I have not!
Am in authority? how prone to abuse my trust, make will my law, exclude others' enjoyments, serve my own interests and policy!
Am I inferior? how much I grudge others' pre-eminence!
Am I rich? how exalted I become!

Thou knowest that all these are snares by my corruptions, and that my greatest snare is myself.
I bewail that my apprehensions are dull,
my thoughts mean,
my affections stupid,
my expressions low,
my life unbeseeming;

Yet what canst thou expect of dust but levity, of corruption but defilement?

Keep me ever mindful of my natural state, but let me not forget my heavenly title, or the grace that can deal with every sin.

Provoked by chapel and Larry.....

2009-12-15T13:53:00.004Z

"On the side of God's infinity, there is a complete chasm between God on one side and man, the animal, the flower, and the machine on the other. On the side of God's infinity, He stands alone. He is the absolute other. He is, in His infinity, contrary to all else. He is differentiated from all else because only He is infinite. He is the Creator; all else was created. He is infinite; all else is finite. All else is brought forth by creation; so all else is dependent and only He is independent. This is absolute on the side of His infinity. Therefore, concerning God's infinity, man is as separated from God as is the atom or any other machine-portion of the universe."
Francis Schaeffer in He is there and He is not silent

Isaiah 55:7-8
" "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. "

And yet - Imago Dei
And yet - John 17
And yet - Romans 8

This God, who is SO separate from us. His thoughts are nothing like ours, His ways are nothing like ours. He is completely Other. Through the gospel joins us to Himself in loving kindness. This is Grace.

'Tis Mystery All, The Immortal Dies

2009-11-18T17:41:00.002Z

Had a good 70mins on Christology today.

Just when you think you have grasped some truth about the nature of the incarnation. It just feels too big for my tiny brain and it explodes out into incomprehension once more. Debates left right and centre in the early church about nature and being and appearance.

The truth is, God took on the likeness of man, became the form of a servant (Phil 2:7), the Almighty Creator of the Universe knew hunger, thirst, felt the sand between his toes, he knew pain, he felt the warm rays of the sun He created. He knows the pain and suffering of a cruel, torturous death on a cross. And yet is God.

He is the living one and yet He died (Rev 1:18), He is the first and yet last, He succumbs to death and yet defeats death and raises the dead, He can heal and yet bled, He can calm storms but still be tempted.

What a great mystery. God who took on human likness to experience all that we experience. Who are we that God is mindful of us?(Psalm 8:4) Why would this magnificent, marvellous, almighty, holy, creator, sustainer of the universe wish to become man?

'Tis mystery all, the immortal dies.

Go and tell Jesus

2009-11-18T08:03:00.000Z

from www.firstimportance.org

“There is nothing that you may not in the confidence of love, and in the simplicity of faith, tell Jesus—no temporal need—no spiritual sorrow. “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” “You people, pour out your heart before Him!” Tell Him your desolateness as a widow—your friendlessness as an orphan—your sadness and solitude as one whose heart is overwhelmed within you. Go, and lose yourself in the love of Jesus—hide in the wounds of Jesus—wash in the blood of Jesus—replenish from the fullness of Jesus, and recline upon the bosom of Jesus.

Think not this a weak, sentimental Christianity to which we are urging you. We know no other than this—no other which so appeals to the intellect, as to the most sacred feelings and affections of the heart. This telling Jesus everything in our individual history—this recognition of His government in all our ways, and this reliance upon His power and love in all our circumstances—is the legitimate employment of a faith at once the most sublime exercise of the mind as it is the loveliest and holiest impulse of the heart.”

- Octavius Winslow, Go and Tell Jesus

Some Martin Luther Gems....

2009-11-09T20:55:00.004Z

"Christ, that rich and pious husband, takes as a wide a needy and impious harlot, redeeming her from all her evils, and supplying her with all his god things. It is impossible now that her sins should destroy her, since they have been laid upon Christ and swallowed up in Him, and since she has in her husband Christ a righteousness which she may claim as her own, and which she can set up with confidence against all her sins, against death and hell, saying:

'If I have sinned, my Christ, in whom I believe, has not sinned; all mine is His, and all His is mine'"

(from Freedom of a Christian)

""When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: “I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is, there I shall be also."

What's in it for Jesus?

2009-10-19T15:30:00.002+01:00

The Nations are His inheritance!

See a great blog here

The Abramic Covenant

2009-10-12T21:16:00.002+01:00

Genesis 15:17-21
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

A suzerian-vassal treaty usually occurred between two parties of different statuses. In this case, Yahweh is obviously the higher party with Abraham being the Vassal.

What is noteworthy is that in this covenant, animals were severed in half, one half placed on each side of the room, creating a pathway which the lower party would walk through the carcasses as a sign of ratifying the covenant. It is a warning to the Vassal, that should he break the covenant, this is what will happen to him.

In this chapter of Genesis, Yahweh makes a covenant with Abraham. Yet it is the blazing torch which passes down the centre of the pieces. God Himself, does what the lower party should do in a complete reversal of the norm.

He is saying "You are not strong enough to keep this covenant, you will break it and I (Yahweh) will bear the punishment for you"

This blessed me...

2009-10-07T22:17:00.003+01:00

I hope it blesses you!

http://fotidzo.blogspot.com/2009/10/o-love-of-god.html

There are still no words.....

2009-09-29T14:31:00.001+01:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/8280070.stm

Please keep praying for the Riddalls.

The call of the church

2009-09-25T07:29:00.000+01:00

O CHURCH ARISE and put your armour on
Hear the call of Christ our Captain
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given
With shield of faith and belt of truth
We'll stand against the devil's lies
An army bold whose battle-cry is Love
Reaching out to those in darkness

Our call to war to love the captive soul
But to rage against the captor
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole
We will fight with faith and valour
When faced with trials on every side
We know the outcome is secure
And Christ will have the prize for which He died
An inheritance of nations

Come see the cross where love and mercy meet
As the Son of God is stricken
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet
For the Conqueror has risen
And as the stone is rolled away
And Christ emerges from the grave
This victory march continues till the day
Every eye and heart shall see Him

So Spirit come put strength in every stride
Give grace for every hurdle
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful
As saints of old still line the way
Retelling triumphs of His grace
We hear their calls and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in glory

Stuart Townend & Keith Getty
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

Extract from The Martyrdom of Polycarp

2009-09-16T14:42:00.003+01:00

Written 22 Feb 156

"And who could fail to admire their nobility and endurance and love for their Master? Some were so torn by the scourges that the structure of their flesh to the inner veins and arteries was exposed to view; but they endured it, so that even the bystanders were moved to pity and lamentation.

Some reached such a pitch of noble endurance that not one of them let cry or groan escape him, showing to us all that in the hours of their torture Christ's martyrs were absent from the flesh, or rather that standing by their side their Lord conversed with them. So, giving heed to the grace of Christ, they despised the torments of the world, by a single hour purchasing eternal life. Cold to them was the fire of their cruel tormentors; for they kept before their eyes their escape from the fire that is everlasting and is never quenched, while with the eyes of the heart they looked up at the good things reserved for them that have endured, which neither ear hath heard nor eye seen, neither have entered into the heart of man (1 cor2v9) but were being shown by the Lord to those who were now already no longer men but angels."

The Martyrdom of Polycarp. Text in Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers, II.iii, pp. 363-401: Lake, Apostolic Fathers (Loeb Library), II,pp.312-45

23 years

2009-09-12T09:26:00.002+01:00

Psalm 34:

"1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.

2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing."

Psalm 66:

5 Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man's behalf! ...

...16 Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me. ....

19 ... God has surely listened
and heard my voice in prayer.

20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!"

What are we doing?!

2009-09-10T17:14:00.002+01:00

There are approximately 6,600 unreached people groups of the world. That's nearly 3 billion people without any realistic hope of making a decision about Jesus Christ.

For every 1 Unreached people group, there are 700 evangelical churches.

700 churches.

What are we doing?

I pray I would always remember these words

2009-09-01T19:34:00.001+01:00

“Facing a Task Unfinished”
By Frank Houghton, 1930

Facing a task unfinished,
That drives us to our knees,
A need that undiminished,
Rebukes our slothful ease,
We, who rejoice to know Thee,
Renew before Thy throne,
The solemn pledge we owe Thee,
To go and make Thee known.

Where other lords beside Thee
Hold their unhindered sway,
Where forces that defied Thee,
Defy Thee still today,
With none to heed their crying
For life, and love, and light,
Unnumbered souls are dying,
And pass into the night.

We bear the torch that flaming
Fell from the hands of those,
Who gave their lives proclaiming
That Jesus died and rose.
Ours is the same commission,
The same glad message ours,
Fired by the same ambition,
To Thee we yield our powers.

O Father Who sustained them,
O Spirit Who inspired,
Saviour, Whose love constrained them,
To toil with zeal untired,
From cowardice defend us,
From lethargy awake!
Forth on Thine errands send us
To labour for Thy sake.

(c) Overseas Missionary Fellowship

Doubt

2009-09-01T01:19:00.002+01:00

This blog comes as a result of many thoughts and conversations over the last week.

I believe in God. It's a simple phrase but what does that actually mean for us as Christians. For me, it expands out into "I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross as an all sufficient atoning sacrifice for my sins, that he rose again defeating death and reigns on high. I believe God is the all-powerful creator, sustainer and ruler of the universe. I believe one day Jesus will return, there will be judgement for sins and He will take His church into Glory - His people whose trespasses have been washed white as snow by His blood" Thats rather a lot to be believing wholeheartedly every day!

The Christian life is tough. Not only because we strive to be "living sacrifices" (Rom 12v1) but mostly because all of us, at one stage or another, will doubt.

"Does God really exist?"
"Is that God talking to me or just the voice in my head"
"There is probably some reasonable explanation, or its just a coincidence"

Sometimes I look at my own life and think "What ARE you doing? You could be out living whatever kind of life you want. You could do what you want and when you want, you wouldn't be spending ridiculous amounts of money on going to bible college, you could marry whomever you choose without any worries, you could have your life back!"

I genuinely have had these thoughts! But there is a simple solution to doubt. And that is not to look inwards at ourselves, our feelings. But to look OUT to Christ. Every time I doubt I go through a simple process. I just say to myself:

"Did the man Jesus exist?" Yes
"Did He die on a cross?" Yes, but thats only because it says in the gospels, are they even accurate?
"You have done the reading on this and you know the historical evidence there is. You also know all the arguments for and against the resurrection....which do you believe?" alright alright, I know I that this is a reasonable faith, i know the historical evidence!
"Have you, or have you not seen God at work in yours and others lives?" yes, yes, yes

And then, almost everytime, I end up back on my knees praising God, I can't deny the work I have seen Him do. I can't understand why He should care the slightest bit about me. That Jesus should choose to die on a cross for me, that He should care enough to want to change me, help me grow and help me through my life here.

Matthew 14v22-32 is a great passage when thinking about doubt. Peter does walk on water, by the power of Jesus. But what happens when he gets distracted by the wind and waves? What happens when we get distracted by what life throws at us? we take our eyes off Jesus. And that is when we sink. But Jesus reaches out and grabs Peter and exclaims "why would you doubt?". Why o why do we doubt Gods love and care for us when it is so clearly displayed in the cross!

Isaiah 53
"4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth. "

"I asked Jesus How much do you love me?' "This much" he answered and he stretched out his arms and died"

Its all rather simple. You cling to the cross.

You did not choose me, but I chose you.

2009-06-18T21:40:00.003+01:00

I knew I should have started this blog last night when it was fresh in my head. As it is, I can't quite remember the flow I had!

Its official...I am a dirty rotten sinner. Every day I get up, get showered and dressed, faff enormous amounts, I eat, I read books, I watch TV, I hang out in the sunshine, I travel round places and tend to really enjoy myself. If I were to add up the hours of the day I spend for myself and compare them to the hours I devote to God I think I would just weep with sorrow. I mess up constantly, daily and turn my back on the God who saved me.

Incidentally, yesterday marked the 7th year since I lost my Father. 7 years of grief and lonliness, 2555 days without my Dad who I loved so very very much! But thats 2555 days, 61320 hours that God has proved Himself faithful and true and loving. Every day I don't fall into a heap and cry is an achievement! Every year I get to this day and instead of being sad I consider it a celebration that me and my family have made it this far! Every year that passes is another year we survived!

And then I got thinking about John 15:16. I never chose God, but He reached into this world and chose me....Me?! The rotten sinner who never needed God. He chose me. He. Chose. Me.

Some days I believe it and am thankful, other days I feel like running in the opposite direction, kicking and screaming and fighting to get away and live my life for me again. But I never could.

He has been faithful.
He has been good.
He has been true.
He has been gracious.
He has been my Redeemer, my Saviour.
He has never let Go.
He has appointed me to "go and bear fruit".

And in light of what He has done for me....its no small thing to keep running the race and persevere. And every year, Jun 17th will mark another year without my wondeful Dad, but another year in which my heavenly Father kept me close to Him, only by His grace.

Ephesians

2009-04-27T22:39:00.002+01:00

What overwhelming and glorious truths the Word blesses us with!

I sat down this evening to study Ephesians, which I have read twice recently to get familiar with it. I sat down thinking I would get to grips with the first chunk of chapter one. But I couldn't go further than verse 5!

"For he chose us in him before the creation for the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In Love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will"

Mind-boggling. The Almighty, Holy, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Creator God chose, before He even said "let there be light", to sanctify and present His people before Him, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. 1 Peter 1v20 says something similar - Jesus being chosen before creation to be that sacrifice. The youth minister at my church has also blogged about it here...what amazing love of God!

The other thing that strikes me is the words..."in accordance with His pleasure and Will". It was Gods pleasure to predestine us. It was His pleasure to redeem us. It was His pleasure to send His one and only Son to the cross in order that we may reign with Him on high on that Day...

Just some thoughts to ponder as I go to sleep about my amazing God who loves us so! Like I said...mind-boggling!

World Hunger and a bad word

2009-03-03T18:06:00.005Z

"The United Nations reports that over ten thousand people starve to death each day, and most of you don't give a sh--. However what is more tragic is that most of you are more concerned about the fact that I just said a bad word than you are about the fact that ten thousand people are going to die today" Tony Campolo

Philip Yancey then goes on to write "The responses proved his point: in nearly every case Tony got a letter from the chaplain or president of the college protesting his foul language. The letters never mentioned world hunger"

Controversy

2009-02-23T16:36:00.003Z

For some reason recently I have been giving a lot of thoughttime to some controversial issues....Namely abortion, women leadership/preaching and after a chapter in Yancey's 'Whats so amazing about Grace'...homosexuality.

It frustrates and angers me the attitudes and behaviour of some Christians when it comes to issues such as these - There are precious few verses in the Bible about homosexuality and women in leadership yet they often seem to be top of the agenda. Yet count up verses about Gods love, Grace and sovereign power and you are totally outnumbered!Lets talk about that more please!

This is what Rev. Mel White says about one particular passage which struck a chord with me and, I guess is what I am trying to say in this blog

"After quoting from the Jewish law, Paul reminds the Christians in Corinth that they are under a new law: the law of Jesus, a law of love that requires us to do more than just avoid murder, adultery, lying, cheating, and stealing. Paul tells them what God wants is not strict adherence to a list of laws, but a pure heart, a good conscience, and a faith that isn't phony.

That's the lesson we all need to learn from these texts. God doesn't want us squabbling over who is "in" and who is "out." God wants us to love one another. It's God's task to judge us. It is NOT our task to judge one another."

Why do Christians (especially in the states!) give so much time and energy to telling people where they are messing up hellfire and brimstone style instead of telling the Good News? That God has reconciled man to Himself, that Grace has been rained down abundantly....THAT is what should occupy our thoughts and our conversations and our actions....not condemnation.

By the way - you should ALL read 'What's so amazing about Grace', its a great book!

"How long will it take you to spot 17 books of the Bible?"

2009-02-20T17:03:00.002Z

"How long will it take you to spot 17 books of the Bible?

I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible - it was by fluke, really, that it got people looking so hard. Some were in a real jam, (especially since the names of the books were not capitalized) while answers came to others almost as a revelation. But now the truth finally struck home to large numbers of readers. This really was no small job. Yes, there will be some particularly difficult ones to spot, I’ll quickly admit. It usually requires serious mental effort. One lady says she brews a cup of tea so she can concentrate better. Then there was the frustration that Joe learned the hard way: he found sixteen books in twenty minutes… and then took three weeks to find the seventeenth. In fact, some even give up and resort to getting help from competition judges. Then, inevitably, when the answers are revealed, huge lamentations are the order of the day. See how well you can compete. Relax now, for there really are seventeen names of the Bible hidden in this paragraph. We hope that you will have a most fascinating few moments."

Have fun!

Weather Report

2009-02-06T07:43:00.004Z

Monday: Snow...school closed as expected! It snowed all day long and I met my girls for coffee and we made a snowman called Gerald before watching pride & prejudice with goodies in the warmth

Tuesday: Snow....school closed again - mega excitement at 2 snow days in a week!! Oh how naive i was...

Wednesday: Sunny! Snow begins to melt through. Schools open but its my day off anyway. Taught a lesson on The Cross at 8.50, then had lunch with frank and made decorations for the youth's Lurrrve evening on friday night, then youth groups before home and bed. Seems like reality is returning but snow forecast overnight....who knows..

Thursday: Snow. School called and say no work...3rd snow day this week. Lazy morning writing talk, met girls in pub for 3hrs...we had cocktails!

Friday: Sleet which has now turned to snow. Checked school website at 6.50...it said it was open. I got annoyed at the prospect of walking there in the snow. Colleague texted to ask what was happening so I double check website....

"Due to the fact that Park Hill is inaccessible, School is Closed"

OH WHAT A SHAME! I have had a whole week off work!!

Seriously....4 snow days in a week! I think the school really wanted to open today because its been shut so many days but the snow is just as bad as the beginning of the week! In years they will be calling it "The big snow" or "The big school shutdown of 09"

Mental.

Lessons learned....

2009-01-18T22:11:00.002Z

I was chatting to some of the Yr13's in our church this evening about life, university etc....and it got me thinking. Especially as I spent a while looking through my photos from Uni earlier today. What did I learn from those 3 years?

1) The utmost importance of the gospel
This lesson was hammered home in my first year. I threw myself into all the evangelistic events the CU put on. I never before realised just how important is the command of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 28v18-20. A conference in that year changed my life. The words of CT Studd sum up nicely the conclusion I made ( a lot more eloquently than I could - "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him". Nuff Said. The spread of the amazing gospel of Grace should be the daily priority of every Christian whether its surveys with a Christian group or chatting to your coursemate in the Chemistry lab.

2) A glimpse of the true family of God.
I am ever astounded and amazed that God would bless me with such amazing friendships. Accountable, trustworthy, loving, caring, trusted friendships that always encourage me to grow closer to God. These friends truly are my brothers & sisters and I can never thank God enough for bringing them into my life, or thank them enough for every day they are there for me, support me, rebuke me and love me. This is the body of Christ in action.

3) God is always present, always providing.
I had some really tough times at uni. I mean real low points. I always remember my lowest point when I couldn't even bring myself to pray. I thank God for letting me experience that because I know I never want to be that far from God ever, ever again. Even through the rubbish times, I knew He was there. He always provides. Whether thats the friend to give you a hug when your boyfriend dumps you, the random encouragement from someone you don't know that well. That sudden random desire to not get the bus home but spend an hour in the arts centre reading the Psalms. To see Him provide the finances for Mission week. To see Him utterly transform the lives of those around you. The many many answered prayers.....the list is endless.

I think those 3 sum it up. It seems weird that I can sum it up like that - but what is mentioned above spans across 3 years, countless conversations over coffee, conferences, CU meetings, random chats late at night....What an incredible 3 years. I am so lucky to have experienced and learnt so much!

Grace

2009-01-06T22:10:00.003Z

I am reading Romans again. This is what one pastor has written about Romans 1:17

"The divine righteousness here is closely related to the desire of the Almighty to impart his righteousness to fallen creatures."

Isn't that ridiculous!!!?? We are fallen creatures. Sinners. Unworthy of even a morsel or scrap from the table of our Lord. We should never be granted entrance into His Holy presence. We are completely and utterly and totally unworthy. And yet God gives us righteousness! The gospel is outrageous. It doesn't make sense.

Thats grace for you.

Cross reference art.....

2009-01-06T21:43:00.004Z

Just in case you thought the bible was a load of unrelated stories...

Check this out

Christmas Joys

2008-12-23T19:49:00.002Z

This is the first proper internet time I have had since Thursday because I have had an uber busy but fantastically fun weekend!!

It began with mexican food on thursday night with 2 best mates and muchos fun! Then school finished on the friday and I was home at half 12. Then I drove to Reading and had laughs and coffee and dinner with another best mate who I hadn't seen in forever and was really good to see him. Then spent the night at my Aunts house before heading to Newport, Wales for my Grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. This involved seeing the entirety of my mums side of the family and a flipping amazing 3 course meal!! Then I drove to South London for a surprise welcome home party for a dear friend. The look on her face was priceless. And I LOVED doing something nice and worthwhile for a friend! Happy times spent with my favourite people! Then home again on sunday after church (I love visiting my friends churches!) and then sunday lunch at my vicars house with his son and all my friends who are back from uni. Then a carol service and dvd back at my friends house. Monday I got up and went to Coventry and spent the afternoon with another 2 dear friends shopping in gorgeous stratford, including cream tea in a quaint tea shoppe and fun with mistletoe!

I finally made it to Mums new place in West Kirby today and made the house look all tidy and xmassy! Bring on hours of reading, red wine, good food and xmas tv!

But most of all - bring on that great celebration of when God became man. Destined to live and die and rise again to demonstrate Gods love and grace for us sinners! Oh what a joyful day! And my prayer is you would know that joy this year...wherever you are!

God Bless and Merry Xmas!

Gospel Graffiti

2008-12-12T12:20:00.006Z

http://www.gospelgraffiti.com/

I like this. Mostly because I like the gospel but also just think these guys have skills!

And it seems I probably have a chest infection...doctors this afternoon and hopefully he will make me all better!!!

Guilt

2008-12-11T16:46:00.004Z

I hate being ill. I really really do. I didn't go to work Monday or Tuesday. Missed youthwork on wednesday because I didn't want to pass my germs on to all the kids but generally felt a bit better! So, thinks me, I WILL return to work tomorrow, things are looking up. But then throw in a sleepless night because of the silly tickly cough and work wasn't an option today. And having been at home today my throat is KILLING me, actually feels like i have tonsillitis it hurts so much! :( And so now I am having to face the idea of not going into work again tomorrow which presents allsorts of faff regarding sick notes etc because I have been off more than 3 days!! Gah! This is the sort of thing you don't want to have to deal with when you feel rubbish!And I just feel so guilty for not being at work and doing nothing. Always feel like I ought to feel better than I do.

In other news, I had a wonderful time at the weekend visiting friends in Southampton. Much needed time of chilling, laughter and prayer. Yay for friendship. But by sunday morning I was so lacking in energy I couldn't really stand up to sing in church! :(

So basically I can sum up my life over the last week with ILL ILL ILL!! :(

God Bless

Timewarp

2008-12-02T19:15:00.001Z

HOW did we get to December already?!!?!?

Like looking in a Mirror

2008-12-01T20:58:00.003Z

So, I am sat listening to worship music, thinking and praying about a decision and thinking about what I want and then thinking, "Is what I want important? Am I just being selfish?" And then the song I am listening to helpfully sings the words "Take my will, conform it to Yours". How nice and helpful!

And then that led me to read 2 Corinthians 3:18. Oh what a blessed truth that we are being transformed into His likeness. I think I would rather become more like Jesus than remain the same selfish, lazy, weak, sinner I am. But how do we become transformed? The verse says it comes "from the Lord", John Piper expands on this saying it comes from reflecting Himself. If you are taught by someone or spend time with someone for years you pick up their mannerisms and habits. In the same way, growing closer to God, spending time with Him, absorbing His word. We will become more like Him and reflect His Glory!! How amazing it would be to be a person who fulfilled that purpose - to reflect His Glory!

And its not immediate - perhaps the most frustrating thing. "From one degree of glory to another"....When all around frustrates me, including myself, I (we all) need to remember to look at this verse and remember Gods good purposes for us. Remember there is NO condemnation (Rom 8:1), remember we are made in His image(Gen 1:27), and that we are being transformed.

THEREFORE....read chapter 4!!!!

It is not good for man to be alone...

2008-11-29T22:19:00.004Z

The first thing God says isn't good in the bible is when He says "It is not good for man to be alone" Genesis 2:18. God meant for us to be in community, with Him, with eachother and with the Creation He gave us. The fall had serious consequences on all these relationships; severing our connection with God, ruining the way man and woman relate and treat eachother. We see the consequences all around us. Broken hearts, women with ridiculously low self esteem, murder, envy.....

And yet in the darkness shines a light - not only the gospel that reverses the effects of sin and reconciles us to God. But those blessed blessed glimpses of true Christian Community in the church today. Friendships that aren't false or fake. Brothers and Sisters in Christ together. Friendships that aren't dependant on saying or doing the right thing, aren't about getting wasted and partying our lives away. No, these friendships are deep and true. Accountable and trustworthy. We see eachother broken, we see eachother soaring. We encourage, rebuke, support, laugh together, cry together, talk about Jesus together, pray together, work together, serve together. Live together.

If only everyone could experience the family that I have experienced. True friendship in the way God intended. How I love my friends to the ends of the earth and every single time I have to say goodbye it makes me thank my God even more for bringing them into my life!

God is faithful.

2008-11-28T10:44:00.000Z

So, its Friday morning and I have a day off school!! Yippeeee. I think the staff look forward to these as much as, if not more than, the kids!

I do love and hate my job. As far as part time work goes, being a Learning Support Assistant is pretty good, but some days you do just want to stay in bed. You need a lot of patience with some kids and a steady temper with others to prevent you killing them! Although yesterday one of my worst Yr9 classes had cover and I thought it was going to be a nightmare. But one of the kids who is usually the biggest culprit for noise and refusal to work got on like a little angel! It was like a miracle!!

Today I am brunching with my darling best friend Gilly and then a phone date with another best friend, and then coffee with the Youth Minister at our church (a.k.a Boss Steve) and then an after school kids club and then the 6th form girls in the youth are having a girly night where I shall be playing the role of "responsible adult!"

Maybe next time I shall have something more interesting to say rather than ramblings on my plans for the day!!

God Bless

A new beginning!

2008-11-27T22:12:00.000Z

How exciting!! My first EVER blog!!

Extremely important shout out to Larry who has finally persuaded me to get one of these things and now I can bore the world with my ramblings!!! Well done you!

Ill post again when I have something better to say!