In yesterday's reading we read John 10v10 which says this... 'I (Jesus) have come that they (us) may have life, and have it to the full.'
I LOVE THIS VERSE! Let me explain why.
I guess my personal, life-long motto is 'to live life to the full'. For me that means to experience as much as possible, to feel the whole array of emotions that are on offer (including sadness, anger and annoyance), to see as much as I can, to go as many places as I can, to meet as many people as I can, to enjoy things as much as I can, to make a difference as much as I can, to bless and be blessed as much as I can, to be as passionate as I can about the things I am passionate about, to go out dancing, to eat the best food, to see my favourite bands when possible, to marvel at a 5am sunrise, to stare in wonder at the vast oceans and the way the water glistens in the dusk light, to use what little I have to bless many, and to have as intimate a relationship as I can with my Lord. For me, this is life to the full, and for me, (like the Bible says) Jesus came to give us this full, rich, abundant life through His death on the cross so we can access our loving Father without our stinking sin blocking the path to Him. So I am going to enjoy it to the max!
As my good friend Rob has kindly commented on a previous blog post, 'the awesome thing about God giving us free will is that we get to choose whether we follow Him or not'. We don't have to follow God. We have the decision not to believe. Yet with all choices, I believe there are consequences. I also believe that you can have a pretty awesome life without God. Not everyone feels they need a belief or to follow a scripture. Many people don't and still have a full life. Praise God for His mercies and love in blessing people who choose not to follow Him with a rich and full life. That's just how great He is.
Yet just imagine how much greater that already full life could be with with the acknowledgement of God - businesses could flourish even further, glints of loneliness may never be an issue again, there would be increased purpose, increased blessings, the secure knowledge of your final destiny, the knowledge that someone is looking out for you and is with you - walking every step of the way, extended inner peace and joy, someone to turn to if things did go wrong, the knowledge that you are loved unconditionally, and further freedom - particularly from sin (we all do it). If you are one of those people who is blessed to have everything you need, and no need for God, (jealous!), have you ever thought about the fact perhaps God loves you so much that He has just decided to bless you anyways? What if all of your success and fullness is from God anyways? I am no expert and I am not trying to convince you one way or another, these are just some ideas I'm playing around with.
So back to life to the full. Why is it that often Christians get it SOOOOOOO wrong, and actually make life with Christ seem more like a chore and a burden than life to the full? So maybe this is just me, but stick with me here (and I mean no offense). Guys, in Christ we have freedom from sin, an eternal destiny, a Friend, a Saviour, atonement with our Father, love lavished on us, a Comforter, a Healer, a Provider, a Lover, a Guide. We never have to fear because God has been there before us and levelled the mountains. He is the God of peace, mercy, love, joy, kindness, GRACE...! Our sins are forgiven! We are no longer condemned. We have direct access to the King of Kings, the Holy of Holies because through Jesus dying on the cross, the curtain to the throne room containing God was torn in two allowing us direct access to God (symbollic of our sins, which once prevented our access to God, being wiped away)! Nothing formed against us can prosper, God has good plans for us, He is for us and not against us! And please, God is not contsantly pointing the finger at us - He is loving, faithful, just, slow to anger, abounding in love!!!
Christians - why do we so often live in this mentality of unappreciation, self-loathing, 'I'm a sinner' type thinking? And why do we often make our lives so dull and boring! I know 'a night on the town' isn't everyone's thing, but last night for me, it was SO great to bump into two groups of Christians dancing the night away, having a fab time, being in the world, but not of it. My darling brother loves a good drink. But just because he is a Christian is doesn't mean he has given it all up and sits at home reading his Bible every day - no, he just limits his intake of alcohol to 3 drinks so that he is still in control, but is still enjoying a drink. As you all know, I LOVE rock music. Whilst there have been times in my life where I have had to cut up certain CD's having a negative influence on me, and limit the sorts of music I am listening to, I still listen to a lot of this genre of music in celebration of this God-given passion in me. I will not stifle who I am, and I refuse to live my life any less than full! For some of us, yes it is right to 'cut things out' if they are causing us to sin. But all too often we live our Christian lives like some sort of sacrificial, religious fast - cutting out anything and everything including our joy! No, no, no!
So, let's STOP living like being a Christian is like havng a death sentence hanging over us and let's start living this God given life TO THE FULL!!!!!
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
I DON'T WANT TO!!!
Hahaha. I have to laugh. After such a high this weekend, it is just typical that my journey should take a minor dip at some point. And it has. So today I'm frustrated and annoyed. I really really want to make certain decisions which I know aren't necessarily good for me. And I don't want to make righteous decisions and follow God's will today! It sometimes just doesn't seem fair! How can you refuse and resist something which you really want purely based on it not being right with God? How can you say no to something you've wanted for ages just because it isn't the right time or the right thing? Grrrrrrr! As the title suggests 'I don't want to!!!'.
At the end of the day I know God has good plans for me and plans to prosper me. He has the best for me. But I don't always see the bigger picture. My eyesight is limited to the now. And the now looks good and appealing and I don't want to say no! So do I go with what will make me happy now, risking disobedience? Or do I wait and risk the fact that there may not be another opportunity? Please tell me I'm not the only one who has ever experienced this!
In Joshua today we read in v 6-8 'Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses.... You are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.' Wise words. And I would even go as far as saying that God knew we would have times of trial and testing hence the minor addition of the word 'very' as in 'be very strong'! He knows!
So what do you do? How do you live this out? How do you carry on making righteous decisions in line with God's will, even when you don't want to!? Praise God that we are saved by grace not works!!!!!
At the end of the day I know God has good plans for me and plans to prosper me. He has the best for me. But I don't always see the bigger picture. My eyesight is limited to the now. And the now looks good and appealing and I don't want to say no! So do I go with what will make me happy now, risking disobedience? Or do I wait and risk the fact that there may not be another opportunity? Please tell me I'm not the only one who has ever experienced this!
In Joshua today we read in v 6-8 'Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses.... You are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.' Wise words. And I would even go as far as saying that God knew we would have times of trial and testing hence the minor addition of the word 'very' as in 'be very strong'! He knows!
So what do you do? How do you live this out? How do you carry on making righteous decisions in line with God's will, even when you don't want to!? Praise God that we are saved by grace not works!!!!!
Monday, 26 March 2012
The Presence of God!
Ooooo it's been a while since I wrote - I've been SO stupid busy this week! But I have lots to say!
First off - it's amazing - if you didn't hear David Dodwell's talk on Sunday go to the WCC website and listen (http://www.watfordcommunitychurch.org/). Basically he spoke about a lot of things that I have been thinking and was going to blog but havent had the time to do so.....
So, there seems to be a new grasping/understanding of God's presence affecting people and changing people. We can often spend so long trying to do these things ourselves that we fail to let God's presence ultimately enter in and do it's thing. I hate to use the word 'change' people because I believe that God created us to be us, and that He doesn't want to change us, he wants to 'love the bad stuff out'. If I have a splinter, I lovingly (and sometimes harshly) squeeze the intrudor out until my skin is clear. I don't change who I am because of it. Like God. He often loves the bad things out of us. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it is gentle. But we are still us, because that's who He created us to be. You get the idea.
So what's this about his presence? Linked in with my blog on 'Practical Pitching'; - what was contained in the tent that was set up outside the camp of the Israelites? Answer - God's presence. It is God's presence that alters, loves, comforts, gives hope, soothes, calms, restores, stirs up.... not another 'prayer meeting', not another 'outreach event' and not another 'church planning meeting'. Don't get me wrong, these are all needed and right, but how often do we pray for God's presence to guide these and to fall among these things?
1 Corinthians 3v6 says this:
'I (Paul I think) planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.' In as much as our prayer meetings are needed, they are not in themselves going to change things. In as much as outreach events are needed - they are not in themselves going to save people. It is the presence of God (enabled and encouraged and given space by these 'events') that is going to work in people's hearts and lives). Come on God - more of your presence!
It amazes me that in Joshua 6 we read how the Israelites conquered the centre of the promised land and won over Jericho because of the presence of the Lord. They marched around the city walls 7 times carrying the ark of the covenant i.e. the symbol of the manifest presence of God thus bringing God's presence to the city and thus conquering it. Awesome! It's about PRESENCE!!! Remember that song 'just one touch of the King changes everything' - SO TRUE! If you are searching for God and are yet to encounter Him - just ask for one touch from Him - it changes everything!
Ok, so last night I went to see one of my favourite all time bands ever. It was flipping awesome! I felt like a 16 year old again! Yes I went to the see the crazy, heavy metal, shouting, screaming band KORN. I LOVE them. And it was one of the best gigs of my life. God has been doing amazing things in that band. Once riddled with drugs, women, promiscuity and the broken pieces of it's members lives, 2 members have fairly recently become Christians and completely transformed themselves for the better. They are still who God created them to be, just with an eternal inheritance and purpose and freedom. Praise God! The atmosphere was amazing. The gig was alive. I was jumping around like a crazy thing. But I loved it. And I loved it because I worshipped. I am made to worship, and in going to gigs with that style of music, I feel myself freed up to worship and jump around and go crazy. So I did. But in addition to this, through worshipping to this sort of music, the presence of God fell. It was so tangible. I prayed constantly for the band members to know God. I prayed for the Christian band member to know God more. I prayed for his ministry. I prayed for the atmosphere to be punctuated and overcome with the presence of God. I prayed for the fans in the venue to feel the presence of God. And boy did He show up. It was awesome.
Guys - we need more of God's presence. We need His presence in the clubs, the gigs, our workplaces, our homes, our public toilets, our shopping centres, our walks to work, our tube stations, our buses, our car parks, tescos..... not just our churches! I'm serious! Imagine your house or your car being so full of the presence of God because you have welcomed it that often that people only need to step inside to be transformed by our loving Lord!
Finally, I read this today - Joshua 10v29 - 43. The Israelites conquer the southern cities of the promised land. In this passage the verse 'they left no survivors' is repeated at least 5 times. The Israelites are so set on their promise from God - to be a great nation and to live in the promised land, that they leave no survivors in their conquest of this. Now just dream with me for a minute. Imagine this as a spiritual illustration, that the verse 'no survivors' is applied to the fact that everyone has died to sin. Imagine for a minute that in our worship and in our bringing the presence of God to earth through our prayers and intimacy with God, that no survivors are left in our circles of influence - no survivors of sin, of blindness, of brokeness, of eating disorders, of drug abuse, of alcoholism, of pain, of hurt, of broken relationships, of loneliness, of low self-esteem. All of them will have died to these things and been born again in Christ. How about that for advancing the Kingdom of God?
This is reality. Friends! YOU have been called to bind up thebroken hearted, to set the captives free, to bring freedom, to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom from darkness.... it's right there in Isaiah 61. LET'S DO THIS!
First off - it's amazing - if you didn't hear David Dodwell's talk on Sunday go to the WCC website and listen (http://www.watfordcommunitychurch.org/). Basically he spoke about a lot of things that I have been thinking and was going to blog but havent had the time to do so.....
So, there seems to be a new grasping/understanding of God's presence affecting people and changing people. We can often spend so long trying to do these things ourselves that we fail to let God's presence ultimately enter in and do it's thing. I hate to use the word 'change' people because I believe that God created us to be us, and that He doesn't want to change us, he wants to 'love the bad stuff out'. If I have a splinter, I lovingly (and sometimes harshly) squeeze the intrudor out until my skin is clear. I don't change who I am because of it. Like God. He often loves the bad things out of us. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it is gentle. But we are still us, because that's who He created us to be. You get the idea.
So what's this about his presence? Linked in with my blog on 'Practical Pitching'; - what was contained in the tent that was set up outside the camp of the Israelites? Answer - God's presence. It is God's presence that alters, loves, comforts, gives hope, soothes, calms, restores, stirs up.... not another 'prayer meeting', not another 'outreach event' and not another 'church planning meeting'. Don't get me wrong, these are all needed and right, but how often do we pray for God's presence to guide these and to fall among these things?
1 Corinthians 3v6 says this:
'I (Paul I think) planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.' In as much as our prayer meetings are needed, they are not in themselves going to change things. In as much as outreach events are needed - they are not in themselves going to save people. It is the presence of God (enabled and encouraged and given space by these 'events') that is going to work in people's hearts and lives). Come on God - more of your presence!
It amazes me that in Joshua 6 we read how the Israelites conquered the centre of the promised land and won over Jericho because of the presence of the Lord. They marched around the city walls 7 times carrying the ark of the covenant i.e. the symbol of the manifest presence of God thus bringing God's presence to the city and thus conquering it. Awesome! It's about PRESENCE!!! Remember that song 'just one touch of the King changes everything' - SO TRUE! If you are searching for God and are yet to encounter Him - just ask for one touch from Him - it changes everything!
Ok, so last night I went to see one of my favourite all time bands ever. It was flipping awesome! I felt like a 16 year old again! Yes I went to the see the crazy, heavy metal, shouting, screaming band KORN. I LOVE them. And it was one of the best gigs of my life. God has been doing amazing things in that band. Once riddled with drugs, women, promiscuity and the broken pieces of it's members lives, 2 members have fairly recently become Christians and completely transformed themselves for the better. They are still who God created them to be, just with an eternal inheritance and purpose and freedom. Praise God! The atmosphere was amazing. The gig was alive. I was jumping around like a crazy thing. But I loved it. And I loved it because I worshipped. I am made to worship, and in going to gigs with that style of music, I feel myself freed up to worship and jump around and go crazy. So I did. But in addition to this, through worshipping to this sort of music, the presence of God fell. It was so tangible. I prayed constantly for the band members to know God. I prayed for the Christian band member to know God more. I prayed for his ministry. I prayed for the atmosphere to be punctuated and overcome with the presence of God. I prayed for the fans in the venue to feel the presence of God. And boy did He show up. It was awesome.
Guys - we need more of God's presence. We need His presence in the clubs, the gigs, our workplaces, our homes, our public toilets, our shopping centres, our walks to work, our tube stations, our buses, our car parks, tescos..... not just our churches! I'm serious! Imagine your house or your car being so full of the presence of God because you have welcomed it that often that people only need to step inside to be transformed by our loving Lord!
Finally, I read this today - Joshua 10v29 - 43. The Israelites conquer the southern cities of the promised land. In this passage the verse 'they left no survivors' is repeated at least 5 times. The Israelites are so set on their promise from God - to be a great nation and to live in the promised land, that they leave no survivors in their conquest of this. Now just dream with me for a minute. Imagine this as a spiritual illustration, that the verse 'no survivors' is applied to the fact that everyone has died to sin. Imagine for a minute that in our worship and in our bringing the presence of God to earth through our prayers and intimacy with God, that no survivors are left in our circles of influence - no survivors of sin, of blindness, of brokeness, of eating disorders, of drug abuse, of alcoholism, of pain, of hurt, of broken relationships, of loneliness, of low self-esteem. All of them will have died to these things and been born again in Christ. How about that for advancing the Kingdom of God?
This is reality. Friends! YOU have been called to bind up thebroken hearted, to set the captives free, to bring freedom, to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom from darkness.... it's right there in Isaiah 61. LET'S DO THIS!
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Stop doing, start living!
Hello.
I was totally blown away yesterday... Keep reading, all will make sense hopefully!
As some of you may have picked up, I'm completely overloaded and stressed out at the moment. Infact I'm slightly worried because my heart has started doing this weird racing thing and beating really fast or irregularly due to the stress. I think I might see a doctor tomorrow. Not only this, but I have been so totally miserable and felt like I have had the weight of the world on my shoulders for the last few months really. It has been pretty horrible. Keep reading...
So yesterday I was at a wedding. It was fab. However, just before going into the main reception building, I had had a mini meltdown and a bit of a stress over life in general really. It went a little something like this: Why aren't I married? What's wrong with me? Why do things have to be this way? Why am I always so miserable? Why haven't you sent a bolt of lightening down on my non-christian friend and converted him yet? He'd be the perfect match! How come all of the other people at this wedding are happily married? Will I ever be? And wait, I don't even have time to be with anyone because my job is so busy. Why is my job so busy? Why am I so stressed out? Why can't I cope anymore? When am I going to get chance to mark my ALevel essay papers? What about changing jobs? What about moving up north? Should I move back yet? Did I remember to turn my hair straighteners off? Did I lock the car?.... dear goodness, Caroline SHUT UP! Isn't it funny that I have this sort of conversation with myself on an hourly basis pretty much. It's not healthy!
So then, upon entering the reception room at the wedding, the first person I spoke to completely sent me into a state of awe and amazement. I asked her how she had been doing and basically her response was that she's a lot better because she had recently had a revelation and overcome a huge amount of stress-related illnesses and stopped being so harsh on herself. She was a lot brighter and happier and had literally been able to remove the weight of the world from her shoulders. Her timing could not have been better! Praise God. The conversation that followed was exactly just what I needed to hear. We talked about freedom in Christ, about not getting stressed out, about His grace and rest, and so on. It was such a divine moment!
So today I'm left thinking. Why do we get so stressed if we believe God is so in control and has good plans for us? And I'm also, once again, left open-mouthed in amazement at the response from my thoughts.
Helen, (the girl who inspired me yesterday) spoke to me a lot about perfectionism and about the negative impact it has on us. Let me expand. I am a huge perfectionist. Everything has to be just right - from the positioning of my tea-cups in my room, to the planning of a lesson for school, to my eyeliner... everything. This mentality also affects my relationship with God massively! I try so hard to get everything right, to not sin, to not make the same mistakes again, to put the Word into action all of the time, to do something for fourth - week outreach in community groups, to read my Bible and journal every day by 8:00am... These are good things to do, but not if I am doing them out of a striving, self-seeking, self destructive form of perfectionism. NO. That is wrong! I should do these things to worship and honour God, not because I will feel bad if I'm not perfect! Jesus already made my relationship with God perfect when He died on the cross and took my sin away. HE is the author and 'perfecter' of my faith (Hebrews 12v2), NOT ME!
I can almost hear the sighs of relief when I say that we are not the perfecters of our faith. Jesus, however, is. How awesome.
Secondly as Christians, we should totally stop being so harsh on ourselves and trust God a little bit more. You know I worry so much about everything. I get into patterns of not being able to get things right and can't seem to find a way out. Then I beat myself up. I make mistakes. I get things wrong. Sometimes I get things wrong ten, twenty, even one hundred times before I get even close to getting them right! Yet, whilst I'm not excusing sin, God knows what it's like. He knows we are human. he knows things take time. If I were to have a 2 month old baby, I would not expect it to walk straight away. Neither would I get angry when it tried to stand up ten, twenty even thirty times and fell down again. I remember learning to ride my bike without stabilisers for the first time. My Dad used to take me out and run along with me holding my handlebars to steer whilst I got used to the shift in balance. He did this with me time and time and time again; night after night after his busy day at work, until I got the hang of it. He never once shouted at me for wobbling. He never once took his hands off the handlebars until he knew I'd be ok. Infact I even remember him still running alongside me once I had got the hang of it and managed to ride solo just incase I fell or needed him.
This is just like God! God is not sat up on his Godly throne watching for us to fall. NO! He is running alongside us each step of the way, ready to pick us up and set us on our feet again if and when we do get it wrong. He knows we are going to get things wrong, but loves us anyway. Awesome! We are all at different stages in the journey, all dealing with different things. Some of these things take time and a process to overcome or to happen. God doesn't get angry with the process though! He is walking each step of the way with us, helping us, assisting us, loving us! He is part of the process! The Bible mentions in Malachi 3v2 about God being like a 'refiner's fire' refining and purifying us. This takes time! It is a process. We need to be less harsh on ourselves and accept that no, we are not perfect, but God is and He has made and is constantly making us perfect! So, in sum, perfectionism - you lose!
Finally, and what a better passage to tie in with today than today's reading; Joshua 3v5 'Joshua told the people (who he was leading to the promised land) "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you"'.
All of the running around, trying to sort this out, trying to do that, trying to fix things, trying to make things happen..... what's it all for? I spend ages trying to orchestrate divine opportunities, God inspired moments, conversations, and so on. I almost try to take on the role of God and then stress myself out when things don't work out! Well duh! Pressure is off Caroline because it is GOD who does amazing things among us. All we need to do is consecrate ourselves, let God use us, live ready.
Awesome!
May God bless you as you get ready for what GOD is going to do tomorrow!
I was totally blown away yesterday... Keep reading, all will make sense hopefully!
As some of you may have picked up, I'm completely overloaded and stressed out at the moment. Infact I'm slightly worried because my heart has started doing this weird racing thing and beating really fast or irregularly due to the stress. I think I might see a doctor tomorrow. Not only this, but I have been so totally miserable and felt like I have had the weight of the world on my shoulders for the last few months really. It has been pretty horrible. Keep reading...
So yesterday I was at a wedding. It was fab. However, just before going into the main reception building, I had had a mini meltdown and a bit of a stress over life in general really. It went a little something like this: Why aren't I married? What's wrong with me? Why do things have to be this way? Why am I always so miserable? Why haven't you sent a bolt of lightening down on my non-christian friend and converted him yet? He'd be the perfect match! How come all of the other people at this wedding are happily married? Will I ever be? And wait, I don't even have time to be with anyone because my job is so busy. Why is my job so busy? Why am I so stressed out? Why can't I cope anymore? When am I going to get chance to mark my ALevel essay papers? What about changing jobs? What about moving up north? Should I move back yet? Did I remember to turn my hair straighteners off? Did I lock the car?.... dear goodness, Caroline SHUT UP! Isn't it funny that I have this sort of conversation with myself on an hourly basis pretty much. It's not healthy!
So then, upon entering the reception room at the wedding, the first person I spoke to completely sent me into a state of awe and amazement. I asked her how she had been doing and basically her response was that she's a lot better because she had recently had a revelation and overcome a huge amount of stress-related illnesses and stopped being so harsh on herself. She was a lot brighter and happier and had literally been able to remove the weight of the world from her shoulders. Her timing could not have been better! Praise God. The conversation that followed was exactly just what I needed to hear. We talked about freedom in Christ, about not getting stressed out, about His grace and rest, and so on. It was such a divine moment!
So today I'm left thinking. Why do we get so stressed if we believe God is so in control and has good plans for us? And I'm also, once again, left open-mouthed in amazement at the response from my thoughts.
Helen, (the girl who inspired me yesterday) spoke to me a lot about perfectionism and about the negative impact it has on us. Let me expand. I am a huge perfectionist. Everything has to be just right - from the positioning of my tea-cups in my room, to the planning of a lesson for school, to my eyeliner... everything. This mentality also affects my relationship with God massively! I try so hard to get everything right, to not sin, to not make the same mistakes again, to put the Word into action all of the time, to do something for fourth - week outreach in community groups, to read my Bible and journal every day by 8:00am... These are good things to do, but not if I am doing them out of a striving, self-seeking, self destructive form of perfectionism. NO. That is wrong! I should do these things to worship and honour God, not because I will feel bad if I'm not perfect! Jesus already made my relationship with God perfect when He died on the cross and took my sin away. HE is the author and 'perfecter' of my faith (Hebrews 12v2), NOT ME!
I can almost hear the sighs of relief when I say that we are not the perfecters of our faith. Jesus, however, is. How awesome.
Secondly as Christians, we should totally stop being so harsh on ourselves and trust God a little bit more. You know I worry so much about everything. I get into patterns of not being able to get things right and can't seem to find a way out. Then I beat myself up. I make mistakes. I get things wrong. Sometimes I get things wrong ten, twenty, even one hundred times before I get even close to getting them right! Yet, whilst I'm not excusing sin, God knows what it's like. He knows we are human. he knows things take time. If I were to have a 2 month old baby, I would not expect it to walk straight away. Neither would I get angry when it tried to stand up ten, twenty even thirty times and fell down again. I remember learning to ride my bike without stabilisers for the first time. My Dad used to take me out and run along with me holding my handlebars to steer whilst I got used to the shift in balance. He did this with me time and time and time again; night after night after his busy day at work, until I got the hang of it. He never once shouted at me for wobbling. He never once took his hands off the handlebars until he knew I'd be ok. Infact I even remember him still running alongside me once I had got the hang of it and managed to ride solo just incase I fell or needed him.
This is just like God! God is not sat up on his Godly throne watching for us to fall. NO! He is running alongside us each step of the way, ready to pick us up and set us on our feet again if and when we do get it wrong. He knows we are going to get things wrong, but loves us anyway. Awesome! We are all at different stages in the journey, all dealing with different things. Some of these things take time and a process to overcome or to happen. God doesn't get angry with the process though! He is walking each step of the way with us, helping us, assisting us, loving us! He is part of the process! The Bible mentions in Malachi 3v2 about God being like a 'refiner's fire' refining and purifying us. This takes time! It is a process. We need to be less harsh on ourselves and accept that no, we are not perfect, but God is and He has made and is constantly making us perfect! So, in sum, perfectionism - you lose!
Finally, and what a better passage to tie in with today than today's reading; Joshua 3v5 'Joshua told the people (who he was leading to the promised land) "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you"'.
All of the running around, trying to sort this out, trying to do that, trying to fix things, trying to make things happen..... what's it all for? I spend ages trying to orchestrate divine opportunities, God inspired moments, conversations, and so on. I almost try to take on the role of God and then stress myself out when things don't work out! Well duh! Pressure is off Caroline because it is GOD who does amazing things among us. All we need to do is consecrate ourselves, let God use us, live ready.
Awesome!
May God bless you as you get ready for what GOD is going to do tomorrow!
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Practical Pitching
WOW. I had the biggest revelation this morning, ever! Read on - it's exciting!
Ok, so today's reading from Exodus 33 says this:
v7 'Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the 'tent of meeting'. Anyone enquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp'.
BOOM.
Well, firstly let me say that perhaps I'm reading too much into this and taking it out of context, but stay with me here... Why did Moses pitch the tent where people could meet with God OUTSIDE of the Israelites' camp?
Is it not obvious? (In theory) everyone in the camp knew and worshipped the Lord. People outside the camp didn't. Isn't it the same with our church? The majority of people inside our churches know God. It's the people outside who don't. So why build so many tents for people to 'enquire' of God INSIDE the church? Another meeting, another night of blah blah, another strategy, another gathering, another inward focussed discussion/meeting/reunion/conference/day/event....... all whilst there is a dying world out there!
Wow harsh words there Caroline. Yup. How can I remain quiet when God has put the 'lost' on my heart so bad? I refuse to remain silent. I WILL NOT let the rocks cry out!
Please don't get me wrong, PLEASE. I FULLY and WHOLE -HEARTEDLY AGREE with the need to refresh and gain teaching, wisdom, insight, strength, encouragement, prayer and so on within the confines of a church building. Alpha is an AMAZING church based outreach! As are so many other things. I am not knocking them! But at the same time, why do we set up so many 'outreach' events, inside the church!?
NO, NO, NO!!!!!
Shouldn't we need to pitch out tents OUTSIDE the camp, where the people who need to and who want to 'enquire of the Lord' are? Why should we expect them to come to us? Why should we hand out a WCC flyer and expect them to turn up on a Sunday? YES, this stuff works, YES it is needed, NO I am not condemning it - I am merely questioning, portraying a different perspective, revealing my revelation. I am an evangelist at heart. I have to say this.
So how can this be? How can we 'enlarge the place of (our) tent' (Isaiah54v2 - a word that has been so prophetically spoken over us at WCC)? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the work of Street Angels. I love and fully support the vision to take a third/parallel service to another location. I love the work WCC does outside of its four walls. And there is MORE!
Why not offer to give a lift to someone you invite to WCC? Why not visit someone and take them a cake to show you care? Why not do someone's shopping for them? Why not wash someone's car for them? Why not offer to pray for someone? Why not prayer walk Sainsburys or Tesco when out shopping? Let's pitch our tent outside the camp, let's take the love of God to the people, rather than expect the people to come to us! And let's dream big dreams because God promises to do more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3v20)!
You know what? Contrary to popular advice, I live in a house in which I am probably the only active believer. Rather than live in a house of Christians, (which I have done and am not opposed to in any way) I have chosen to live in a grotty house with a bunch of amazing people because I want to live as a witness, take the 'tent of meeting' to these people and share the love of God. It's not always easy. I mess up. But do you know, I have seen miracles. I have prayed against certain things and they have gone. I have been able to share the Bible and the gospel with my housemates. I have taken one housemate to church. I have seen another grow in her faith and share her answered prayers. I worship until the presence of God falls in my house, inside these four walls. I have seen healing, restoration, peace, arguments break up, blessings being poured out, emotional wounds being healed, relationships grow and be restored... It's amazing! And housemates, if you read this - I love you SO much!
Guys. This is for now. This is for us. This is 'for such a time as this' (Esther 4v14). So COME ON!!!!! Let's take the presence of God with us! Let's enlarge the place of out tent! Let's not just sing about it in church, let's do it outside of church! Let's take God to the people instead of expecting them to come to Him themselves! And let's do some 'practical pitching'. Not to make converts. Not to add to statistics. Not to provide people for a third service. But because GOD IS GOOD and because these people are worth it!
Ok, so today's reading from Exodus 33 says this:
v7 'Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the 'tent of meeting'. Anyone enquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp'.
BOOM.
Well, firstly let me say that perhaps I'm reading too much into this and taking it out of context, but stay with me here... Why did Moses pitch the tent where people could meet with God OUTSIDE of the Israelites' camp?
Is it not obvious? (In theory) everyone in the camp knew and worshipped the Lord. People outside the camp didn't. Isn't it the same with our church? The majority of people inside our churches know God. It's the people outside who don't. So why build so many tents for people to 'enquire' of God INSIDE the church? Another meeting, another night of blah blah, another strategy, another gathering, another inward focussed discussion/meeting/reunion/conference/day/event....... all whilst there is a dying world out there!
Wow harsh words there Caroline. Yup. How can I remain quiet when God has put the 'lost' on my heart so bad? I refuse to remain silent. I WILL NOT let the rocks cry out!
Please don't get me wrong, PLEASE. I FULLY and WHOLE -HEARTEDLY AGREE with the need to refresh and gain teaching, wisdom, insight, strength, encouragement, prayer and so on within the confines of a church building. Alpha is an AMAZING church based outreach! As are so many other things. I am not knocking them! But at the same time, why do we set up so many 'outreach' events, inside the church!?
NO, NO, NO!!!!!
Shouldn't we need to pitch out tents OUTSIDE the camp, where the people who need to and who want to 'enquire of the Lord' are? Why should we expect them to come to us? Why should we hand out a WCC flyer and expect them to turn up on a Sunday? YES, this stuff works, YES it is needed, NO I am not condemning it - I am merely questioning, portraying a different perspective, revealing my revelation. I am an evangelist at heart. I have to say this.
So how can this be? How can we 'enlarge the place of (our) tent' (Isaiah54v2 - a word that has been so prophetically spoken over us at WCC)? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the work of Street Angels. I love and fully support the vision to take a third/parallel service to another location. I love the work WCC does outside of its four walls. And there is MORE!
Why not offer to give a lift to someone you invite to WCC? Why not visit someone and take them a cake to show you care? Why not do someone's shopping for them? Why not wash someone's car for them? Why not offer to pray for someone? Why not prayer walk Sainsburys or Tesco when out shopping? Let's pitch our tent outside the camp, let's take the love of God to the people, rather than expect the people to come to us! And let's dream big dreams because God promises to do more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3v20)!
You know what? Contrary to popular advice, I live in a house in which I am probably the only active believer. Rather than live in a house of Christians, (which I have done and am not opposed to in any way) I have chosen to live in a grotty house with a bunch of amazing people because I want to live as a witness, take the 'tent of meeting' to these people and share the love of God. It's not always easy. I mess up. But do you know, I have seen miracles. I have prayed against certain things and they have gone. I have been able to share the Bible and the gospel with my housemates. I have taken one housemate to church. I have seen another grow in her faith and share her answered prayers. I worship until the presence of God falls in my house, inside these four walls. I have seen healing, restoration, peace, arguments break up, blessings being poured out, emotional wounds being healed, relationships grow and be restored... It's amazing! And housemates, if you read this - I love you SO much!
Guys. This is for now. This is for us. This is 'for such a time as this' (Esther 4v14). So COME ON!!!!! Let's take the presence of God with us! Let's enlarge the place of out tent! Let's not just sing about it in church, let's do it outside of church! Let's take God to the people instead of expecting them to come to Him themselves! And let's do some 'practical pitching'. Not to make converts. Not to add to statistics. Not to provide people for a third service. But because GOD IS GOOD and because these people are worth it!
Sunday, 11 March 2012
The (God-given) X Factor
I love today's reading in Exodus 31 where it says in v2-4 'see I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftship'.
WOW! Massive. Put your hands up if you think that if you do not have some sort of role within the church that you are not living out God's calling or living as a 'proper Christian'. Ok, keep your hands up. Now anyone who has ever become so busy doing 'church stuff' instead of living out and using the abilities and talents God has given you also put your hands up. Wow, I think there are quite a few of you.
Firstly, church needs volunteers. We all need to work together as the body of Christ to offer our services, love, attention and care to ensure that our church is well resourced and has everything in place so it can function. I do not doubt that. But...
Secondly, sometimes we get SO busy 'doing church' that we forget to 'be church'. We turn up so stressed on a Sunday morning that we don't have time to love one another or take the time to greet oneanother. We are ineffective as Christians and go home exhausted. So much for a 'sabbath day' which interestingly is also mentioned in this chapter. So Monday morning comes when we are to go and live out love in our secular work places and so on, and we are too exhausted to do so. NO no no. What kind of witness is this?
A few weeks ago I realised that on top of my full time job, I had 15 hours of service doing church stuff. So on top of my 40 hour working week, I then had 15 hours of meetings, service in church, and so on. 55 hours is too much. I was exhausted. My adorable housemates - the poor things, the people I need to witness to and love more than anything received the brunt of my exhaustion. It had to STOP!
So back to my point from Exodus. God gives us amazing talents and abilities and skills to use for His glory. Some of these, in fact many of them, include service within the church. Awesome. God is an excellent provider. However sometimes we overlook our God-given talents and do not use them because we are so busy doing 'stuff' which to be honest, sometimes really isn't that important.
God has made me an amazing teacher. It is a huge calling on my life and I am good at it, because I work at it as if unto the Lord. I really do. I don't always get it right, but often I do. If I am so busy at church, doing church stuff, it means that my teaching gets affected, the kids are affected and I am exhausted and moody. No. I need to live out this calling!
Have a think today about what talents and abilities God has given you. Are you using them? Are you living them out? Or are you either 'guilty for not doing church stuff' or 'stifling' your talents because you are doing church stuff instead? We need to get a good balance.
So if you are amazingly talented at skate-boarding - skateboard for the Lord with all of your might! If it is baking cupcakes - bake cupcakes as if unto the Lord with all of your might. If it's knitting, sewing, listening to people, gardening, making cups of tea, talking to people, painting, singing, clubbing (oooo controversial), hiking, making music.... do all of these things as if unto the Lord and BE THE BLESSING. How many people looked on Bezalel's work with awe and wonder, and how useful and amazing were his talents when used to make the Tabernacle?
Ps Tim R don't dislike me for saying this!
WOW! Massive. Put your hands up if you think that if you do not have some sort of role within the church that you are not living out God's calling or living as a 'proper Christian'. Ok, keep your hands up. Now anyone who has ever become so busy doing 'church stuff' instead of living out and using the abilities and talents God has given you also put your hands up. Wow, I think there are quite a few of you.
Firstly, church needs volunteers. We all need to work together as the body of Christ to offer our services, love, attention and care to ensure that our church is well resourced and has everything in place so it can function. I do not doubt that. But...
Secondly, sometimes we get SO busy 'doing church' that we forget to 'be church'. We turn up so stressed on a Sunday morning that we don't have time to love one another or take the time to greet oneanother. We are ineffective as Christians and go home exhausted. So much for a 'sabbath day' which interestingly is also mentioned in this chapter. So Monday morning comes when we are to go and live out love in our secular work places and so on, and we are too exhausted to do so. NO no no. What kind of witness is this?
A few weeks ago I realised that on top of my full time job, I had 15 hours of service doing church stuff. So on top of my 40 hour working week, I then had 15 hours of meetings, service in church, and so on. 55 hours is too much. I was exhausted. My adorable housemates - the poor things, the people I need to witness to and love more than anything received the brunt of my exhaustion. It had to STOP!
So back to my point from Exodus. God gives us amazing talents and abilities and skills to use for His glory. Some of these, in fact many of them, include service within the church. Awesome. God is an excellent provider. However sometimes we overlook our God-given talents and do not use them because we are so busy doing 'stuff' which to be honest, sometimes really isn't that important.
God has made me an amazing teacher. It is a huge calling on my life and I am good at it, because I work at it as if unto the Lord. I really do. I don't always get it right, but often I do. If I am so busy at church, doing church stuff, it means that my teaching gets affected, the kids are affected and I am exhausted and moody. No. I need to live out this calling!
Have a think today about what talents and abilities God has given you. Are you using them? Are you living them out? Or are you either 'guilty for not doing church stuff' or 'stifling' your talents because you are doing church stuff instead? We need to get a good balance.
So if you are amazingly talented at skate-boarding - skateboard for the Lord with all of your might! If it is baking cupcakes - bake cupcakes as if unto the Lord with all of your might. If it's knitting, sewing, listening to people, gardening, making cups of tea, talking to people, painting, singing, clubbing (oooo controversial), hiking, making music.... do all of these things as if unto the Lord and BE THE BLESSING. How many people looked on Bezalel's work with awe and wonder, and how useful and amazing were his talents when used to make the Tabernacle?
Ps Tim R don't dislike me for saying this!
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Blank Canvas
I've been thinking recently about blank canvasses. Infact God has been speaking to me a bit about them lately. Being a bit of an artist I just LOVE the way a blank sheet of paper can turn into something so beautiful and intricate. I also remember once at a Bible study I was part of being asked to 'draw God'. I couldn't. So I just left the page blank, because in many ways I think God (or at least His grace) can be defined as a blank canvas - we mess up, He wipes us clean. We give our 'blank canvas' lives to Him, He fills us to the full.
Anyways at the moment as you probably know the journey for me is a bit hard. Some of it is unavoidable, some of it is my fault. So I need to reevaluate a few things. And it was in this that God started talking to me about blank canvassess once again.
Without wanting to complain because I am very grateful to God for what I have, but to illustrate my point - my job is a huge stress, I have an awful lot on my plate with work. I miss home. I have several mid-week activities going on, I have friends to see, places to go, extra things that I take on, people to train, and on top of all this I have just been signed up to do a Master's degree in work! Not only this but I am looking at my future and where I want to be and if I should move on, etc. And then there is God to fit in. So as you can see it's pretty crazy! Definitely not a blank canvas.
So why the heck has God being talking to me about blank canvasses? Well that's just it! I need to start each day with a blank canvas and let Him fill it! I need to start with God because really He is the biggest thing to fit on there. And if He is on my blank canvas everything else will fit around. There's no point fitting everything else into my life, and then trying to squeeze God in on top - He won't fit because He's too big! Ever tried squeezing a large suitcase into a car-boot filled with junk? It doesn't work. So basically God is challenging me to start with Him, to seek first His Kingdom, to surrender to Him, to sort out the junk, to let Him fill my canvas. He has good plans for me - not plans to stress me out and overwhelm me! He has plans to prosper me, not kill me through busyness!
What about you - if you had to relate your journey to a blank canvas - what would it look like? Perhaps your canvas, a bit like mine, is cluttered with junk so much so that you just can't seem to fit everything in. Stop. Start with God and let everything else fall in to place. Draw up a priority list of essential things and non essential things. List everything you do, then categorise it 1 - 20. Anything higher than number 12, cut out (if possible).
Perhaps you've been sat with a blank canvas for far too long and just haven't been motivated or had the 'umph' to get started. Well why not pray and ask God to help you begin to place the pieces. If life is a jigsaw - we have to start somewhere - and once we start quite often the pieces automatically slot in. In fact when I do a jigsaw I start with the easy straight bits and work my way into the middle. Why not start doing something easy and see what becomes of that?
Perhaps it's time to take on something else, or drop something. How is God painting your canvas? Do you need to talk to someone to make this happen, or pray and seek God on what He would have you do? What about asking someone for advice on the next bit to slot in?
Perhaps you are more of a 'paint by numbers' type person - you have the general outline of things, but need God's advice on how to fill in the middle bits. Ask Him. Start to colour. Ask for a bit more detail.
Let's make our canvasses shine with beauty and wonder because of the amazing things God is filling them with. Let's not be so stressed out that they look like a load of cluttered junk. Let's not leave them bare and boring. And let's ultimately praise God that if we make a mistake, He will let us start afresh.
Xxx
Anyways at the moment as you probably know the journey for me is a bit hard. Some of it is unavoidable, some of it is my fault. So I need to reevaluate a few things. And it was in this that God started talking to me about blank canvassess once again.
Without wanting to complain because I am very grateful to God for what I have, but to illustrate my point - my job is a huge stress, I have an awful lot on my plate with work. I miss home. I have several mid-week activities going on, I have friends to see, places to go, extra things that I take on, people to train, and on top of all this I have just been signed up to do a Master's degree in work! Not only this but I am looking at my future and where I want to be and if I should move on, etc. And then there is God to fit in. So as you can see it's pretty crazy! Definitely not a blank canvas.
So why the heck has God being talking to me about blank canvasses? Well that's just it! I need to start each day with a blank canvas and let Him fill it! I need to start with God because really He is the biggest thing to fit on there. And if He is on my blank canvas everything else will fit around. There's no point fitting everything else into my life, and then trying to squeeze God in on top - He won't fit because He's too big! Ever tried squeezing a large suitcase into a car-boot filled with junk? It doesn't work. So basically God is challenging me to start with Him, to seek first His Kingdom, to surrender to Him, to sort out the junk, to let Him fill my canvas. He has good plans for me - not plans to stress me out and overwhelm me! He has plans to prosper me, not kill me through busyness!
What about you - if you had to relate your journey to a blank canvas - what would it look like? Perhaps your canvas, a bit like mine, is cluttered with junk so much so that you just can't seem to fit everything in. Stop. Start with God and let everything else fall in to place. Draw up a priority list of essential things and non essential things. List everything you do, then categorise it 1 - 20. Anything higher than number 12, cut out (if possible).
Perhaps you've been sat with a blank canvas for far too long and just haven't been motivated or had the 'umph' to get started. Well why not pray and ask God to help you begin to place the pieces. If life is a jigsaw - we have to start somewhere - and once we start quite often the pieces automatically slot in. In fact when I do a jigsaw I start with the easy straight bits and work my way into the middle. Why not start doing something easy and see what becomes of that?
Perhaps it's time to take on something else, or drop something. How is God painting your canvas? Do you need to talk to someone to make this happen, or pray and seek God on what He would have you do? What about asking someone for advice on the next bit to slot in?
Perhaps you are more of a 'paint by numbers' type person - you have the general outline of things, but need God's advice on how to fill in the middle bits. Ask Him. Start to colour. Ask for a bit more detail.
Let's make our canvasses shine with beauty and wonder because of the amazing things God is filling them with. Let's not be so stressed out that they look like a load of cluttered junk. Let's not leave them bare and boring. And let's ultimately praise God that if we make a mistake, He will let us start afresh.
Xxx
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
For goodness sake, LOVE!
So today's reading is all about the ten commandments. In actual fact I have a lot of respect for the 10 commandments because, contrary to the view that 'Christianity is all about do's and don'ts - actually the ten commandments are just a guide for healthy living. God definitely had people's best interests at heart when He gave them. They make sense.
Upon reading these in Exodus 20, I was thinking about how, if God were to give 10 commandments in our day and age, what would they be? I can remember writing lists of 'modern', 'updated' commandments in Sunday School when I was a kid. But then I remembered that the Bible already 'updates' and offers a 'modern' version of the 10 commandments in John13v34-15 in which Jesus says:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Where are the do's and don't in that? Where are the tedious laws, rules, and regulations that are so off-putting? I LOVE this verse. Infact it is probably one of my favourite verse in the whole Bible. And it is so crucial to our world. I was thinking about this though, and it's all very well saying 'love one another' as of course we generally do love our friends, our family, our neighbours and those we are close to. But there are no specifics here. It just says 'love one another' and if we do that then hopefully 'everyone will know' that we are Christ's disciples. But how often do we only love people we like or people we know? As a church we can so often exclude people and rule people out of this all embracing, all involving love, so much so that actually we can cause more harm than good.
One of my favourite and most inspiring quotes is by a guy called Brennan Manning who says this:
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
I personally couldn't agree more. Now I do not want to put anyone down or accuse anyone or say we are not doing enough. I know there are plenty of Christians and people in church who I can only dream of being like due to the love which oozes out of their every pore. However I definitely still felt challenged by this today. What can we do to 'love'? How can we really 'love one another'? It's all very well doing the 'obvious' i.e. loving your kids, respecting your parents, being polite to your boss, but what about our other automatic responses which we don't think about because they have become so normal, that we forget to love.
Here are some unassuming yet impacting things which I came up with. Some of them are controversial. Some of them I'm sure you may shake your head at. Others carry some truth....
1. Pushing through the tube barriers in the underground! I hate this! And I am guilty. If I'm in a rush, I push! Just like everyone else. How is that 'loving'?
2. Dividing and labelling 'non-christians' from 'christians'. How judgemental and divisive is that? Doesn't that just cause more judgement and separation? It is not about 'us' and 'them' or about some kind of 'statistical map' of how many converts we can make. NO!!!! It' about loving, walking with people, sharing the journey, providing for and helping people with their needs. What's the use in giving someone a Bible if really what they need is to be taught how to read?
3. Writing-off a person who does not believe in God as 'not worth it' or 'not good enough' without even having taken the time or made the effort to get to know them. Unbelievable. We are ALL precious to God and dearly loved. Even when we were sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5v8) including those who don't even know it yet!
4. Being afraid/scared/judgemental/reactional/rude about someone you work with or someone you know who may be homosexual, a drug user, a single mother, a striptease at weekends and so on. A friend of mine recently revealed her 'same sex preferences' and was outcasted by 98% of her 'christian' friends and had to leave her church. WHAT??? What is this? This made me MAD! What kind of demonstration of 'love' was this??? A loving, supportive family was all she needed; people to walk with her, to love her and to guide her. But all she got was ignorance and judgement. Her non-believing friends fully supported her decision and were the people she ended up confiding in most. We don't have to agree, but isn't the person FAR greater than the thing we don't agree with?
5. Ok I've said this before and I will say it again, (without meaning to cause offense or any disrespect towards anyone)... Married couples, please don't become so introverted and 'coupley' that you forget about/ignore/fail to acknowledge the fact that some of your single friends find it really difficult being single and get quite down and lonely about it at times. Please, I am not meaning to accuse or tell people not to be 'coupley' but let me illustrate an example. Recently I was at an occasion with a lot of friends from places I have lived in in the past. Being single, I was sat with other single people (who, were all non-believers). They were made-up to see me as it had been a while since we had had contact. My christian friends (all married couples - and when I say all, I mean ALL - I am the last one left...) were all sat together on tables with their partners. It took 6 and a half hours of being in the same room, (and a few angry messages) for a single one of my married 'christian' friends to acknowlege my presence there that day. They were all far too busy discussing wedding dresses, colour schemes, mortgages and so on. I cried for a L-O-N-G time that night. 3-4 of my current housemates (non of whom attend church/practise a faith) have also recently got engaged/bought houses. They knock on my door every day to check if I am ok and not miserable or sad or feeling lonely or left out. Now once again, PLEASE hear my heart. I am not saying this to accuse, belittle or vent my anger. I am just illustrating my point.
6. Let's love the weird, gum-chewing, tattooed, pierced, pink-haired, crazy 'freaks' we sometimes see in town, the young people in Watford, the elderly, the disabled... Did you know I was once refused communion because I have tattoos and piercings?
7. This is my biggest downfall. TIME. Friends, nothing is more valuable than the giving of time to demonstrate how much you love someone. Just this week I have been too busy to return a call to someone who actually ended up being hurt due to my lack of love and care. It was wrong of me. And I'm sorry. Let's really listen to people instead of nodding and smiling through glazed eyes and a mind that is elsewhere. Let's take the time to text someone we've not heard from in a while. Let's not just give up our sunday mornings to stand in a room, let's give of our time throughout the week.
I'm sure there are many more examples and ways in which we can 'love one another'. I have definitely said enough for today and perhaps even offended some people in the process, which definitely was not my intention. But seriously, let's not put people off through judgement and ignorance. Let's 'love our neighbour' and 'love one another'. It's not long, it's not tedious, it's definitely not boring and it's worth SO much. If Jesus did, how much more should we?
Upon reading these in Exodus 20, I was thinking about how, if God were to give 10 commandments in our day and age, what would they be? I can remember writing lists of 'modern', 'updated' commandments in Sunday School when I was a kid. But then I remembered that the Bible already 'updates' and offers a 'modern' version of the 10 commandments in John13v34-15 in which Jesus says:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Where are the do's and don't in that? Where are the tedious laws, rules, and regulations that are so off-putting? I LOVE this verse. Infact it is probably one of my favourite verse in the whole Bible. And it is so crucial to our world. I was thinking about this though, and it's all very well saying 'love one another' as of course we generally do love our friends, our family, our neighbours and those we are close to. But there are no specifics here. It just says 'love one another' and if we do that then hopefully 'everyone will know' that we are Christ's disciples. But how often do we only love people we like or people we know? As a church we can so often exclude people and rule people out of this all embracing, all involving love, so much so that actually we can cause more harm than good.
One of my favourite and most inspiring quotes is by a guy called Brennan Manning who says this:
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
I personally couldn't agree more. Now I do not want to put anyone down or accuse anyone or say we are not doing enough. I know there are plenty of Christians and people in church who I can only dream of being like due to the love which oozes out of their every pore. However I definitely still felt challenged by this today. What can we do to 'love'? How can we really 'love one another'? It's all very well doing the 'obvious' i.e. loving your kids, respecting your parents, being polite to your boss, but what about our other automatic responses which we don't think about because they have become so normal, that we forget to love.
Here are some unassuming yet impacting things which I came up with. Some of them are controversial. Some of them I'm sure you may shake your head at. Others carry some truth....
1. Pushing through the tube barriers in the underground! I hate this! And I am guilty. If I'm in a rush, I push! Just like everyone else. How is that 'loving'?
2. Dividing and labelling 'non-christians' from 'christians'. How judgemental and divisive is that? Doesn't that just cause more judgement and separation? It is not about 'us' and 'them' or about some kind of 'statistical map' of how many converts we can make. NO!!!! It' about loving, walking with people, sharing the journey, providing for and helping people with their needs. What's the use in giving someone a Bible if really what they need is to be taught how to read?
3. Writing-off a person who does not believe in God as 'not worth it' or 'not good enough' without even having taken the time or made the effort to get to know them. Unbelievable. We are ALL precious to God and dearly loved. Even when we were sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5v8) including those who don't even know it yet!
4. Being afraid/scared/judgemental/reactional/rude about someone you work with or someone you know who may be homosexual, a drug user, a single mother, a striptease at weekends and so on. A friend of mine recently revealed her 'same sex preferences' and was outcasted by 98% of her 'christian' friends and had to leave her church. WHAT??? What is this? This made me MAD! What kind of demonstration of 'love' was this??? A loving, supportive family was all she needed; people to walk with her, to love her and to guide her. But all she got was ignorance and judgement. Her non-believing friends fully supported her decision and were the people she ended up confiding in most. We don't have to agree, but isn't the person FAR greater than the thing we don't agree with?
5. Ok I've said this before and I will say it again, (without meaning to cause offense or any disrespect towards anyone)... Married couples, please don't become so introverted and 'coupley' that you forget about/ignore/fail to acknowledge the fact that some of your single friends find it really difficult being single and get quite down and lonely about it at times. Please, I am not meaning to accuse or tell people not to be 'coupley' but let me illustrate an example. Recently I was at an occasion with a lot of friends from places I have lived in in the past. Being single, I was sat with other single people (who, were all non-believers). They were made-up to see me as it had been a while since we had had contact. My christian friends (all married couples - and when I say all, I mean ALL - I am the last one left...) were all sat together on tables with their partners. It took 6 and a half hours of being in the same room, (and a few angry messages) for a single one of my married 'christian' friends to acknowlege my presence there that day. They were all far too busy discussing wedding dresses, colour schemes, mortgages and so on. I cried for a L-O-N-G time that night. 3-4 of my current housemates (non of whom attend church/practise a faith) have also recently got engaged/bought houses. They knock on my door every day to check if I am ok and not miserable or sad or feeling lonely or left out. Now once again, PLEASE hear my heart. I am not saying this to accuse, belittle or vent my anger. I am just illustrating my point.
6. Let's love the weird, gum-chewing, tattooed, pierced, pink-haired, crazy 'freaks' we sometimes see in town, the young people in Watford, the elderly, the disabled... Did you know I was once refused communion because I have tattoos and piercings?
7. This is my biggest downfall. TIME. Friends, nothing is more valuable than the giving of time to demonstrate how much you love someone. Just this week I have been too busy to return a call to someone who actually ended up being hurt due to my lack of love and care. It was wrong of me. And I'm sorry. Let's really listen to people instead of nodding and smiling through glazed eyes and a mind that is elsewhere. Let's take the time to text someone we've not heard from in a while. Let's not just give up our sunday mornings to stand in a room, let's give of our time throughout the week.
I'm sure there are many more examples and ways in which we can 'love one another'. I have definitely said enough for today and perhaps even offended some people in the process, which definitely was not my intention. But seriously, let's not put people off through judgement and ignorance. Let's 'love our neighbour' and 'love one another'. It's not long, it's not tedious, it's definitely not boring and it's worth SO much. If Jesus did, how much more should we?
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Tell all your friends!
So, I had something completely different in mind to write about today however God said no and so I'm writing this!
I just read Exodus 18 about Moses telling his Father-in-law about all of the exciting things God had done in his life from the journey in the desert to the Israelites and about being freed from slavery in Egypt. Quite a tale! Exodus tells us that Jethro (Moses' father-in-law) was 'delighted to hear about the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians' (v9). He went on to say this in v11:
'Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods'.
It strikes me that perhaps this Jethro guy was not a believer in one God, if at all a believer in our God - the Lord. Yet through Moses' witness and testimony, Jethro was able to see just how good the Lord is. Perhaps if we were to tell others, including non-believers about the wonderful God we serve, they might too see how awesome He actually is, and believe themselves! Now this is not an attempt to 'convert' anyone. Like I mentioned in my previous blog - we all have the freewill to choose. But if my stories assist your own personal journey, then praise God!
So for all of you lovely, amazing people who read my blog, let me tell you a snippet about the wonderful things God has done in my life. Yes I will be open and honest, but if God can use it to bless other people, then why not.
1 - So for years and years as you may have read, I MASSIVELY struggled with who I was, to the point of self injury, eating disorders, hiding behind my baggy clothes, covering my mirrors with towels, and not being able to go out in public without my face caked in make-up and a hood up! It affected everything - my social skills, my social life, my confidence, my opinion of myself.... it was pretty bad. And, although it took persistence and perseverence, praise God that through years of prayer and believing in what God says about me in the Bible (i.e. that I'm precious and honoured, fearfully and wonderfully made, chosen, God's child, etc) I am now free from all of this. I have not self injured in almost 3 years, am so much freer in myself, and actually would go as far as saying that I love myself and what and who I am!
2 - In 2003 I did a gap year in Manchester and had to fund all of my living costs and bills myself. Due to the gap-year being unpaid there came a point where I was completely and utterly screwed for money. So I prayed and asked God to help me. The very next day a cheque for £100 came through the post for me!
3 - In 2009 I lost my job. A verbal contract which I had verbally agreed to got withdrawn and I was left jobless. I prayed, and within 4 weeks I had a new job, in a top school, on a higher wage and with more responsibility. I'm still there now.
4 - Today I ran out of petrol and my petrol light was flashing at me, so I asked God to help me get to the petrol station before running out of fuel, and I did!
5 - My amazing brother was really struggling with stuff as a teenager. He was becoming increasingly involved with Buddhism and was not in a good place. So I prayed my heart out and asked that God would lead him and direct him. He now has a degree, a job, a lovely flatshare and is thriving as a Christian after his committment to the Lord only 12 months after I started praying for him. He too has been freed from a panic disorder, and low-self esteem and is now able to help others experiencing similar in his role in his job.
6 - I love singing, but I couldn't ever, EVER do it in public. This was the result of a horrific incident which occured as a teenager, in pubic. When asked to join the worship team at WCC in 2009, I was like 'God, you're gonna have to do something here if you want me to sing'. So He did and unlocked my voice that had been chained up for so long. I'm not perfect but I've been singing in church for over 2 years now, and even managed to sing in French and Spanish on my own this morning!
7 - At the moment as you may be aware, things are fairly difficult in my journey - I'm homesick, stressed to the max in my job, struggling with being single, unsure of the future and so on. But in all of this I know and have hope that God is working all things out for His glory and also in my best interests. It's so exciting to know that no matter how low I get, it's never going to be so low that God can't reach me and pull me up again. He loves to work things out with His children.
8 - God has radically and amazingly altered my mindset. Instead of getting angry at everything I am not, which used to be a daily battle, I praise God for everything that I am. He can do the same for you.
9 - A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine got rushed to hospital with a viral infection on his heart. He collapsed and was in hospital for a short while. A group of us prayed together, and praise God that he has made an almost full recovery, and increased his faith in the process! Who knows what could have happened if it weren't for our loving Father being concerned for him and hearing our prayers.
10 - ..............
To be honest, the list is endless. I could go on and on. There are a 1000001 ways in which God has blessed me, helped me, been with me, listened to me, comforted me, directed me, given me wisdom, melted the hardness of my heart, rescued me, brought me out from my dark pit, provided for me.... So I'm not going to write a number 10. This one's for you. Perhaps you are a believer and are reading this - well why not add to the list and share why you think God is good. Perhaps you don't yet believe, in which case why don't you talk to God, invite Him to assist you in your journey, and then you can write up your own reason why God is good in a few days.
'Taste and see that the Lord is good' (Psalm 34v8). If you've never tasted Ben n Jerry's Phish Food ice cream how do you know whether it's good or not? If you have never given God a try, how do you know whether He is good or not. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
I just read Exodus 18 about Moses telling his Father-in-law about all of the exciting things God had done in his life from the journey in the desert to the Israelites and about being freed from slavery in Egypt. Quite a tale! Exodus tells us that Jethro (Moses' father-in-law) was 'delighted to hear about the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians' (v9). He went on to say this in v11:
'Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods'.
It strikes me that perhaps this Jethro guy was not a believer in one God, if at all a believer in our God - the Lord. Yet through Moses' witness and testimony, Jethro was able to see just how good the Lord is. Perhaps if we were to tell others, including non-believers about the wonderful God we serve, they might too see how awesome He actually is, and believe themselves! Now this is not an attempt to 'convert' anyone. Like I mentioned in my previous blog - we all have the freewill to choose. But if my stories assist your own personal journey, then praise God!
So for all of you lovely, amazing people who read my blog, let me tell you a snippet about the wonderful things God has done in my life. Yes I will be open and honest, but if God can use it to bless other people, then why not.
1 - So for years and years as you may have read, I MASSIVELY struggled with who I was, to the point of self injury, eating disorders, hiding behind my baggy clothes, covering my mirrors with towels, and not being able to go out in public without my face caked in make-up and a hood up! It affected everything - my social skills, my social life, my confidence, my opinion of myself.... it was pretty bad. And, although it took persistence and perseverence, praise God that through years of prayer and believing in what God says about me in the Bible (i.e. that I'm precious and honoured, fearfully and wonderfully made, chosen, God's child, etc) I am now free from all of this. I have not self injured in almost 3 years, am so much freer in myself, and actually would go as far as saying that I love myself and what and who I am!
2 - In 2003 I did a gap year in Manchester and had to fund all of my living costs and bills myself. Due to the gap-year being unpaid there came a point where I was completely and utterly screwed for money. So I prayed and asked God to help me. The very next day a cheque for £100 came through the post for me!
3 - In 2009 I lost my job. A verbal contract which I had verbally agreed to got withdrawn and I was left jobless. I prayed, and within 4 weeks I had a new job, in a top school, on a higher wage and with more responsibility. I'm still there now.
4 - Today I ran out of petrol and my petrol light was flashing at me, so I asked God to help me get to the petrol station before running out of fuel, and I did!
5 - My amazing brother was really struggling with stuff as a teenager. He was becoming increasingly involved with Buddhism and was not in a good place. So I prayed my heart out and asked that God would lead him and direct him. He now has a degree, a job, a lovely flatshare and is thriving as a Christian after his committment to the Lord only 12 months after I started praying for him. He too has been freed from a panic disorder, and low-self esteem and is now able to help others experiencing similar in his role in his job.
6 - I love singing, but I couldn't ever, EVER do it in public. This was the result of a horrific incident which occured as a teenager, in pubic. When asked to join the worship team at WCC in 2009, I was like 'God, you're gonna have to do something here if you want me to sing'. So He did and unlocked my voice that had been chained up for so long. I'm not perfect but I've been singing in church for over 2 years now, and even managed to sing in French and Spanish on my own this morning!
7 - At the moment as you may be aware, things are fairly difficult in my journey - I'm homesick, stressed to the max in my job, struggling with being single, unsure of the future and so on. But in all of this I know and have hope that God is working all things out for His glory and also in my best interests. It's so exciting to know that no matter how low I get, it's never going to be so low that God can't reach me and pull me up again. He loves to work things out with His children.
8 - God has radically and amazingly altered my mindset. Instead of getting angry at everything I am not, which used to be a daily battle, I praise God for everything that I am. He can do the same for you.
9 - A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine got rushed to hospital with a viral infection on his heart. He collapsed and was in hospital for a short while. A group of us prayed together, and praise God that he has made an almost full recovery, and increased his faith in the process! Who knows what could have happened if it weren't for our loving Father being concerned for him and hearing our prayers.
10 - ..............
To be honest, the list is endless. I could go on and on. There are a 1000001 ways in which God has blessed me, helped me, been with me, listened to me, comforted me, directed me, given me wisdom, melted the hardness of my heart, rescued me, brought me out from my dark pit, provided for me.... So I'm not going to write a number 10. This one's for you. Perhaps you are a believer and are reading this - well why not add to the list and share why you think God is good. Perhaps you don't yet believe, in which case why don't you talk to God, invite Him to assist you in your journey, and then you can write up your own reason why God is good in a few days.
'Taste and see that the Lord is good' (Psalm 34v8). If you've never tasted Ben n Jerry's Phish Food ice cream how do you know whether it's good or not? If you have never given God a try, how do you know whether He is good or not. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
God's wave
I love the concept of riding God's wave. It means that wherever I am or go or whatever I do, I can rest assured that God's got me. I can trust that He will take me to the places that He wants me to be in, that He will provide the life that is best for me, and that He will teach me everything I need to know. Now that's not to say that I will always enjoy the wave, infact more often than not I'm faced with opposition and hardships. Neither does it mean that it's the easiest way. But it is the path that is the best for me and that will make me a better version of me, not to mention stronger, wiser, more mature, more faithful, more knowledgeable, more firm in my faith and more grounded in Him and as a person.
I could also choose my own way. I often do. And, the beauty of God is that He gives us the choice and the free will to make that choice. No one forces me to take God's way. I want to. I find it the most exciting, the most daring, the most exhillarating, the most comforting, the most difficult, the most cliff-hanging, the most challenging, the most hopeful, the most sustaining, the most awe filled... but ultimately the path that brings me freedom. See, if I was to go my way I wouldn't be the person you see today. I'd be totally different. To be honest, if I'd have carried on my way I could still be battling with horrific low self-esteem, but I'm not. I'm free. I could be stuck in an unhappy marriage being miserable most of the time and feeling unfulfilled. But I'm not. I'm free. I could be in some dead-end job working 9-5 with no excitement, no thrills no motivation and no way out. But I'm not. I'm free. I could still be battling with things I overcame years ago. But I'm not. I'm free. I could be a real nasty person if I'd have chosen my way. But I'm not. I'm free. None of these things weigh me down anymore. Neither am I tied to them with a ball and chain like I once was or could have been. Neither do I need to get my kicks out of the unstable things the world has to offer such as one-night stands, alcohol, drugs, gambling.... No I have a healthy, loving, faithful and constant Father who provides everything I need and gives me HOPE.
I'm not saying I'm perfect or that I don't struggle. And neither am I judging the path anyone else has taken. Like I said, we have the freedom to choose. Praise God. To be honest, this week and for the majority of this year I have been miserable. My job is extremely stressful and a real hardship most of the time. There are issues I face on a daily basis which at times are really difficult. I don't know where I'm necessarily headed or what's round the corner. I am mentally exhausted. But I know that in all of these things that 'God is working for my good' (Romans 8v28). I have hope that His wave is going to carry me to where He wants me to be, and not only that but to the place that is best for me. I would rather endure these temporary things and be firmly anchored and held up by my loving Father, than potentially deal with these things and more and have nothing. I know this sounds a bit extreme, but you get the picture.
It's a bit like the Israelites in Exodus 14. They have been freed from slavery in Egypt, and are on their way to the land promised to them by God. Yet Exodus 14v17 we learn that 'when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them through the Philistine country, though that was shorter'. God had better plans for them, plans to protect them, to save them from harm, to teach them more about Himself and His love, plans to spend time with them, plans to show them His wonders, plans for personal growth and maturity.
Often the same happens to many of us. We find ourselves in a church or a town or a job that we had no plans of being in. To take the easy route would often be to quit, or to miss out, (although praise God that He works for our good in ALL things - not just when we choose the right thing!). Today perhaps you are on an unexpected and perhaps difficult path. Surrender it to our Father and let Him carry you. Perhaps He has something to teach you, a gift to nurture in you, a mountain He wants you to avoid, a difficult situation He wants you to overcome and get to the bottom of, or perhaps He just wants to walk the path with you and spend time with you. Often it's not about the place we are going to but the path we are taking. Let's choose God's path, because really, the pressure is off us. Let Him decide, let Him be your strength, let Him be your hope, let Him be your guide, let His wave be the one you ride.
PS here's a really good song I love about this by Sonicflood - proper oldskool!
I could also choose my own way. I often do. And, the beauty of God is that He gives us the choice and the free will to make that choice. No one forces me to take God's way. I want to. I find it the most exciting, the most daring, the most exhillarating, the most comforting, the most difficult, the most cliff-hanging, the most challenging, the most hopeful, the most sustaining, the most awe filled... but ultimately the path that brings me freedom. See, if I was to go my way I wouldn't be the person you see today. I'd be totally different. To be honest, if I'd have carried on my way I could still be battling with horrific low self-esteem, but I'm not. I'm free. I could be stuck in an unhappy marriage being miserable most of the time and feeling unfulfilled. But I'm not. I'm free. I could be in some dead-end job working 9-5 with no excitement, no thrills no motivation and no way out. But I'm not. I'm free. I could still be battling with things I overcame years ago. But I'm not. I'm free. I could be a real nasty person if I'd have chosen my way. But I'm not. I'm free. None of these things weigh me down anymore. Neither am I tied to them with a ball and chain like I once was or could have been. Neither do I need to get my kicks out of the unstable things the world has to offer such as one-night stands, alcohol, drugs, gambling.... No I have a healthy, loving, faithful and constant Father who provides everything I need and gives me HOPE.
I'm not saying I'm perfect or that I don't struggle. And neither am I judging the path anyone else has taken. Like I said, we have the freedom to choose. Praise God. To be honest, this week and for the majority of this year I have been miserable. My job is extremely stressful and a real hardship most of the time. There are issues I face on a daily basis which at times are really difficult. I don't know where I'm necessarily headed or what's round the corner. I am mentally exhausted. But I know that in all of these things that 'God is working for my good' (Romans 8v28). I have hope that His wave is going to carry me to where He wants me to be, and not only that but to the place that is best for me. I would rather endure these temporary things and be firmly anchored and held up by my loving Father, than potentially deal with these things and more and have nothing. I know this sounds a bit extreme, but you get the picture.
It's a bit like the Israelites in Exodus 14. They have been freed from slavery in Egypt, and are on their way to the land promised to them by God. Yet Exodus 14v17 we learn that 'when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them through the Philistine country, though that was shorter'. God had better plans for them, plans to protect them, to save them from harm, to teach them more about Himself and His love, plans to spend time with them, plans to show them His wonders, plans for personal growth and maturity.
Often the same happens to many of us. We find ourselves in a church or a town or a job that we had no plans of being in. To take the easy route would often be to quit, or to miss out, (although praise God that He works for our good in ALL things - not just when we choose the right thing!). Today perhaps you are on an unexpected and perhaps difficult path. Surrender it to our Father and let Him carry you. Perhaps He has something to teach you, a gift to nurture in you, a mountain He wants you to avoid, a difficult situation He wants you to overcome and get to the bottom of, or perhaps He just wants to walk the path with you and spend time with you. Often it's not about the place we are going to but the path we are taking. Let's choose God's path, because really, the pressure is off us. Let Him decide, let Him be your strength, let Him be your hope, let Him be your guide, let His wave be the one you ride.
PS here's a really good song I love about this by Sonicflood - proper oldskool!
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