awesome*dandelion

Do you believe in what you believe in?

2007-11-07T09:48:00.001Z

I believe many things. Belief is what provokes all that I do. I think it's fait to say that someone who doesn't believe in anything will find it hard to do anything. For example, I believe that when I type on this keyboard, the letters I am typing will appear on the screen. I believe that when I turn on a tap, water will come out of it. That is why I bother typing on keyboards, and turning taps!

(Briefly, though, I must remember that not everyone has a tap to turn, and there are those who turn taps and the water is not safe to drink... What are we doing about that?)

I drink water because I believe that it is safe to drink it. I study because I believe my brain processes it, and I will see success in my degree as I do... These are examples of what I believe. But what do I believe in? In whom do I believe?

I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and because I believe in Him, and I believe in Him as God, I believe what He says about Himself.

Having been touched my His grace, His saving power, His mercy, His love, it is not difficult to believe what He says about Himself. I accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour of my life. But the most important thing about me is Jesus, who I believe. So actually, far more important than believing that someone has built pipes in order that I will see water come out of a tap, I believe that God is a powerful God, I believe that He is merciful, I believe all that He says about Himself in His word, which, incidentally, I also believe to be true!

I have been challenged recently as to how much time I invest in believing what I believe about God. Belief stirs faith. Faith stirs action. I know I have faith - the Word of God tells me so - and I've realised that as I spent time believing what God says about Himself, my faith is stirred, and God gives me more faith. Since the things I believe about taps, keyboards and books manifest themselves in my life (I am not thirsty, I write emails and blogposts, I remember what I study), how much more should what I believe in manifest itself in my life?

Initially my question may sound odd - do you believe in what you believe in? But I believe it is crucial. Whom we believe in is what defines us, and I believe that if we spend time believing in God whom we have believed, and still do believe, we will see the fruit of that belief increasingly manifest in our lives.

I am alive

2007-10-04T15:33:00.001+01:00

Just a quick post - I should be reading. At some point I may write about Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam and all that... but for now, suffice it to say I am alive.

Malaysia - tick.

2007-04-02T04:06:00.001+01:00

Went to Pulau Dayang (a tiny island) in Malaysia to do my Open Water Diving Course this weekend. It was outta-this-world.

Awesome sites, beautiful coral, luminous fish, a green turtle, a jellyfish, a school of thousands upon thousands of fish, good food, wonderful company, escape from Singapore.

NB: going diving made me feel like I was high.

Just a quick one.

2007-03-27T17:55:00.000+01:00

I must go to bed, so just a quick post to update y'all.

Am reading Acts at the moment, and it has been really really good! Read Acts 8 this morning, and it brought back so many things I'd learned from it before... It has reminded me that reading something again, not only brings fresh revelation, but can bring back past-but-still-very-relevant revelation :-)

I think the hardest three weeks of my time here ended last Friday. I have a new laptop now. She arrived today, and hasn't broken yet, so she is definitely doing better than the last one. I'm hoping that she will last a good 3 years at least!

I hope everyone in Manchester is doing well! I can't say I'm missing Manchester, but I definitely miss the people there!

Have a beautiful day! And I hope you remember some revelation of old today!

Long time no post...

2007-03-11T04:09:00.000Z

Sorry! I've been away, then my laptop broke, then I purchased a new one, then that one broke the next day... I'm still trying to get a new one but I have to wait on a refund for the old one... It's been wee bit crazy to say the least!

So... since the last post I've been to Laos, and through Thailand. I caught the travelling bug, so I postponed my flight home, and am going to see Cambodia and Vietnam at the end of term... (I'm going to have to work really hard through July and early August to be ready for my exams in August!) I've done three papers, had huge laptop issues, realised that I've changed, etc etc etc...

Hmm... what's changed?

I've learnt how to be in Christ, well, I'm still learning. Being here, and being in a huge church... not being prominent in it... not doing as much: it's been good to rest, but it was a struggle at first to see where I was in Christ. Although I didn't ever think these things outright, it has become clear to me that my being in Christ is not because I'm on the worship team, or because I'm a youth leader, or because I do all that I do, but rather because of Him, and because of His love and His grace. I am just as much in Christ here, when I'm not doing those things, as I was back home when I was. He doesn't look at me differently, nor does He love me less, nor do I deserve it more back home than I do here.

Ultimately, no matter what I do, I don't deserve His salvation, His love, His grace... I don't deserve to know Him. It's funny (well not really funny) how easily one can slip into finding one's identity in what one does as opposed to what one is.

I think that I've just begun to realise that being in Him, and in relationship with Him doesn't mean just serving Him because I love Him, but that it means loving Him... and that the serving is just something that comes with loving Him. I knew in my head before, but I think I've just begun to experience knowing it.

Honestly? It hasn't been what I expected. I'm sure the rest of my time here will surprise me too. Sorry if I don't post for a while... but no laptop... lots of work... lots of travelling... it means no internet!

Otherwise... I'm really interested and curious to know what has been happening at the midweek meetings at Kings'!!!

That's all for now.

Just be!

2007-02-03T13:53:00.000Z

Just being in God, in His presence, trusting in Him, loving Him. It's so sweet!

Just give me Love

2007-01-22T01:02:00.000Z

Take away the comfort of familiarity, tear down structures that give security, strip away reputation, place me away from friends and family, but just give me Love! For Love is my ultimate familiarity, the utmost security, the only reputation I desire, and will love me more than any person ever could. All I need is Love. All I desire is Love. Show me Love, give me Love, for all else is worthless without Him. Let Love love me, for His love is greater than any other love one could ever know. Love saves, Love transforms, Love is "the most excellent way". This Love, He is perfect. "Perfect Love drives out fear". Love does not change. He is patient, kind. He does not envy, He does not boast. He is not proud, nor is He rude or self-seeking. He is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrong. He does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. He never fails. Who is He?

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him".

So take away the comfort of familiarity, tear down structures that give security, strip away my reputation, place me away from friends and family. Shake my world if it will show me all that Love is. Without Love, I would not be, cannot be. Let all else go, in order that Love may prevail, and Love may reign. May I be consumed by Love. May I live in Love, may all I do come out of living in that Love. I can only love because I experienced the love of Christ, who is love.
Bring me back to Love, than I may go on with Him. My desire is not His blessings. It is not His plans.
I know that Love will take me wherever I need to be, and provide for me whatever I need.

So just give me Love!

At home

2007-01-09T01:42:00.000Z

Many posts ago, I think I quoted Keri Jones saying "Your home is in God's will." It's pretty simple and easy to say that when you're in familiar surroundings with familiar people around you. Uproot from that and you can become 'homesick'. The best place that we can possibly be is in God's will, because that is home for us. Sometimes I used to wonder whether Manchester had become my home, or if Aberdeen was still home. Now, in Singapore, after a busy day I still come back to my room and feel like I'm home. Prima facie I don't affiliate the concept of 'home' with a place. It appears just to be wherever my bed is! But 'home' brings to mind comfort, peace, rest, joy, love. We can be at home wherever we are, whatever we're doing, just as long as both those things are in God's will, at His timing. This is the only reason I can think of for my (already) being so at home here, in spite of being half way around the world. Of course, everything is new - everything is different. But feeling at home here has helped me to embrace the new and the different and accept it.

I expected to have culture shock, to miss the comfort of roast vegetables which had so become my staple diet in Manchester, to miss the comfort of my now ex-sofa, my housemates too. But everything here has felt so natural, so normal, even though in my head I know and perceive that it is indeed different.

God is so good. I believe that I am just beginning to what having absolute trust and security in Him means for my life. The last term in Manchester was a difficult one for me - just beginning to learn to trust and obey God absolutely. But learning to trust Him, and learning to trust Him afresh everyday as I believe I need to, has meant that He has become the only thing that I view as completely secure and trustworthy. And so it has led me to tentatively conclude that this is why I feel so settled and at peace here in Singapore - because the only thing I put my trust in has not changed. God has not changed. In Him, all that is around me may change, but I am home.

Hello from Singapore!

2007-01-06T03:01:00.000Z

Well! In Singapore I am. And I am in Singapore! hehe.

I'm here until May 6th, and so I thought I'd blog a bit while I'm here. I say a bit because I can't promise regular updates. It has already gotten so busy!

Thankfully I had a safe trip over here, Emirates was lovely :-). Singapore has been great so far. What I really love is that it reminds me of Korea, but it's really multi-cultural here. So much more so than in Korea. Love it!

I have registered etc... the only eventful happening was that I went to register at the Law School (which has it's own gym!!! And showers!) and they gave me my mailbox key. In my mailbox was more reading that I have ever seen in my life. Some to do for Monday. I'm sure my face was a sight!

I'm asking God to teach me how to study whilst I'm here. I can't wait for all that He has for me here. I have realised that I'm very much outside the safe 'bubble' in which I lived whilst in Manchester. Whilst embracing that, it leaves me feeling a little apprehensive. I know there is much for me to learn here. I hope I learn it all.

B-e-a-utiful

2006-08-19T23:08:00.000+01:00

Today was ace! (This is besides the point, but isn't 'ace' such a 90's word?!)

I met up with my very beautiful and amazing sister Han-Na in Birmingham where we went shopping, ate a Krispy Kreme Doughnut (and now, I can never eat another doughnut again under the pretence that it is a doughnut... it was totally AMAZING! I feel like I'd never tasted doughnuts before!), went shopping again (for about 3 hours) and then went to the sushi bar in Selfridges and ate sushi, drank miso soup, and were generally happy.

It has been so long since I saw Han-Na, it was really great seeing her again. I thank God that our relationship is such that we can pick up where we left off (I guess that you get to know each other pretty well when you share a room for over ten years) but today reminded me of how much better our relationship is when we invest time in each other. As I write, I feel challenged as to the friendships that I almost take forgranted because they have become so 'easy'. I'm going to invest more time into those friendships - I already know that these friends are worth it :-).

A truly b-e-a-utiful friendship is surely one where you know eachother so well that you don't need to invest so much time anymore, but do so because you both want to.

Today was b-e-a-utiful. I love my sister so much!

Five Years on...

2006-08-13T22:16:00.000+01:00

Five years ago... on August 11th, I believed in my heart, and confessed with my mouth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He is Lord.

Five years ago, I was an utterly different girl, absolutely miserable, and totally desperate - I turned to Jesus as a last resort. My life today is the opposite to what it was then... Jesus has transformed me, placed me in a wonderful church, surrounded me with amazing people, and I know that He has an incredible plan for my life as part of His purpose for His glory to cover the earth, for His Kingdom to come.

Five years on, I have never regretted the decision I made that day. God has always been faithful - He has never let me down. He has provided for me in abundance. He has been my loving Father, my almighty King, my sovereign Lord, my awesome God. The more I know Him, the more I love Him, and during this next year I want to know Him more, and therefore love Him more. Everyday, I want to be more in love with Him than I the day before. I want God to have His way in my life, I want to fulfil His will for me, knowing that I'm never at home when I'm outside of His will.

If you don't know Jesus, I want you to know that giving my heart to Jesus was and is the best decision I have ever made in my life, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's the best decision I will have ever made, or could ever make. Should you make that decision, if you choose life, then it will be the best decision you ever make, and it will lead to the best life you could ever have.

Living a Life of Seeing Above and Beyond

2006-07-28T09:54:00.000+01:00

I actually started to write a really long post... but I decided just to declare this:

Having returned from an incredible week in Staffordshire, having seen above and beyond, having had half of a beautiful kebab with my ex-housemate Becky (who has now returned from Canada and y'all have no idea how happy that makes me) and having slept in a bed, inside (although, I loved camping)...

I am ready to live the life that God planned for me, seeing above and beyond what the natural eye sees, doing above and beyond what I could do in my own strength, and living a life in which I I continually see and live above and beyond what the world expects of me, and in doing so live the life that God purposed for me...

... and guess what? I can't wait! So... quite simply, I won't.

My Faithful God

2006-06-21T21:08:00.000+01:00

The past two weeks have been a bit crazy, emotional... waaah is the best word I have to describe them. I guess 'waaah' because they've been good, hard, mad, breaking, softening, building... yeah... 'waaah' pretty much does it for me I think! Phew! I've been looking for a job. And hadn't found one... was almost out of money... and then!

Surprise! Surprise! (NOT - that is, in retrospect) God has shown Himself to be faithful and to be my Provider once again. Praise God! I got a job :-)! I start on Monday, at CIS (where I have heard that they at least used to give employees free lunch... hmm... maybe I'll start confessing that too!) with the exact shift I wanted, full time, until September, with Bible Week off! Yay!

I got a call today from a temping agency telling me I could have the job they put me forward for on Monday (which was my birthday, it was a good present!). They said on Monday they'd let me know Thursday or Friday. I've been confessing that it's my job since Monday... Today I was claiming it on a rather more regular basis (every 5 minutes?!) inbetween which I asked God to let them call me earlier (meaning Thursday but not actually saying it specifically) rather than having to wait 'til Friday to hear. So He more than answered my prayers (again, in retrospect, it shouldnt have been a surprise) and the call came today! Yay!

Praise be to my faithful God!

A 2nd attempt... on Seeking God.

2006-06-17T08:50:00.001+01:00

Seeking God...
This is my calling. This is my life. I live to seek God. God created me that I would worship Him. I seek Him in order that I may worship Him.

My greatest desire is to know God. To know God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. My heart longs after God above all else, but that is not enough. It will not suffice for God Almighty. It is less than what God wants of me. It undermines His deity and sovereignty. God demands everything from me - not just to be the thing I want most.

It does not suffice to love God most, to want God most, to treasure God most, to worship God most, to seek God the most.

It suffices to love - only God, to want - only God, to treasure - only God, to worship - only God, to seek - only God.

It means that I must seek God with all that I am - everything else means nothing, is nothing, is of no importance. When applied to my life, it means that for every decision - no matter how small or big - I must seek God for it, because as I seek God with all that I am, for all that I am, He reveals Himself to me, His plans for me, all that He has for me. Why seek after other things when God has it all for me anyway? As I seek Him, I get to know Him more. I get to comprehend more of God. Why would I want to know or comprehend anything of this world at all if as I seek God, I can know and comprehend Him: God that created the universe, God that created me, God that rules and reigns over the universe, God that is omnipotent, God that is omniscient. Only God is all-knowing, we never will know-it-all. But as we seek God, we seek after Him that knows all, is all.

My God is God, He is not a god, but God Himself, because He is the only God. It is illogical that there could be more than one God because God is by definition omnipotent. And this God of mine is Love. He died that I might be saved. He demands to be worshipped. And so, I do. I have been seeking God my whole life. We all are in our own way. Almost five years ago, I chose to worship Him with my life, my heart. Seeking God did not stop there. To seek God, is to want to know God, to find Him. The more I know of God, the greater my passion for Him becomes. He chose me that I might seek Him and worship Him, and so I do.

It is as simple as that.

Seeking God

2006-06-15T15:06:00.000+01:00

...I have returned...

I wasn't here on Sunday, so I didn't hear Tony's preach until this morning (as Becky brought me breakfast in bed... yum.) but upon hearing it, I thought I'd write a piece on seeking God, because God has been speaking to me about it for about a fortnight... So, here we are.

... but do you know what? I'm listening to DAVID CROWDER BAND and I just can't concentrate. So here are some lyrics:

you are more beautiful

than anyone ever

everyday you're the same

you never change, no never

and how could i ever deny

the love of my saviour

you are to me everything

all i need forever

how could you be so good?

there is no one like you

there has never ever been anyone like you

everywhere you are there

earth or air surrounding

i'm not alone, the heavens sing along

my god you're so astounding

how could you be so good to me

eternally i believe

you, you, you, you, you, you

how could you be so good to me

how could you be so good to me?

we're not alone, to sing along

we're not alone, to sing along, sing along, sing along

there is no one like you

there has never been anyone like you

there is no one like you

there has never been anyone like you

there is no one like our God, yeah

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Back Home...

2006-04-22T13:33:00.000+01:00

Keri Jones said, "Your Home is in God's will".

It's true. It is nice to go away from time to time, to visit family, to see people that you're not used to seeing... but inevitably you miss where your life is.

If we love Jesus and He is Lord of our lives, our lives must be where He wants them to be.

In the knowledge that God has called me to be in Manchester, to study Law, to be part of King's Church... this is where my Home is. This is where life happens to its fullest extent that it can do. It's wonderful. Fabulous. Fantastic. Great... and... wait for it... AMAZING!

It was awesome to be back in Aberdeen and see my awesome mum and just as awesome sister... Nonetheless it's nice to be back Home... and imagine my excitement at finding Manchester exactly as I remembered it?! That is... grey and drizzling... B-e-a-utiful.

Forgiveness

2006-04-13T14:20:00.000+01:00

I listened to Women's Hour (10-11am on BBC Radio 4) yesterday. It was about God, and womens' relationships with God and so on and so forth. I think (although I haven't checked so don't take my word for it) that you can listen to previous programmes online from their website. So if you would like to listen to it, feel free.

There was some interesting discussion on forgiveness, which I, for the most part, didn't agree with, but it was interesting all the same.

This is my response.

What does it mean to forgive?

To excuse for a fault or an offense; pardon.
To renounce anger or resentment against. To absolve from payment of (a debt, for example).

Such is the dictionary definition. But what does it mean to excuse?

To serve as justification for
To free, as from an obligation or duty

So, to forgive means to serve as justification for a fault or an offense. It also means to free, as from an obligation or duty regarding a fault or an offense. Therefore it means that when forgiven, that person is justified in one's heart and mind. Not only that, but they are freed from any obligation or duty related to that fault or offense. Forgiveness is thus not an easy word to define. It is more that just a word given for description. To forgive is a verb. As I was taught in primary school, a 'doing' word. The word necessitates an action. One cannot truthfully say "I forgive you" without actually having forgiven, or forgiving that person in their hearts (and what that means has been outlined above).

What are the limits of forgiveness? The questions of how many times? How repeatedly? For what kind of faults or offenses? These questions will be addressed. Jesus said to forgive your brother seventy times seven times (meaning to go on forgiving them, and forgiving them, and forgiving them, and not stopping there). However much we forgive another person, Jesus has always forgiven us more times, more repeatedly, and more graciously. He is our Lord. When Jesus is Lord, He requires our obedience in being like Him. In the knowledge that He forgives over and over and over again, we must follow in His footsteps. We also know, all from personal experience, that Jesus forgives us even when we repeat a sin. Over and over and over again. Thus it is not only a question of "I have forgiven this sin, and this other one, and yet another one", but also "I forgive this sin now, and again, and again, and this other one now, and again, and again, and yet another one - now, again, again". Are there sins that we cannot forgive? The only one mentioned in the Bible is in Matthew 12v31-32, Mark 3v29 and Luke 12v10. That is God's business. As regards faults against us, wrongs against us, it is not an optional extra to forgive someone. It is a command. The Word does not say forgive up until grievous bodily harm but no further. We are called to forgive, commanded to forgive. He forgave us even though our sin nailed Him to the Cross. Sometimes, I believe, we are powerless to forgive. But because Jesus is Lord, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, by His power, and His strength, we can forgive: we can be free.

So I meet another contention. What do I mean free? What is the connection between forgiveness and freedom? (Confession - I looked at a Greek dictionary thing and the words appeared to stem from the same thing but lack of logic meant I couldn't get my head around exactly how it worked, and how to get the root word. Under the words for Liberation, however, came a word also meaning Forgiveness.) Before forgiveness, there is a sense that one has been wronged. Depending on the wrong, one may feel different levels of bitterness. This is not, in my opinion (which clashes with that of the lady on the programme) a positive feeling in particular circumstances. In fact, it is never a positive feeling. Bitterness can feed other emotions in negative ways (i.e. anger, sadness, hurt). Bitterness destroys. Jesus doesn't want us to keep a hold of bitterness. It really is that simple (not use of language: simple, not necessarily easy). In forgiveness, bitterness is let go of, and Jesus deals with it. Forgiveness will not only free the wrongdoer from obligation or duty (which, by the way, if they have sought forgiveness of God and of you, whether you forgive them or not, God has done, so they are free anyway) but will also free you of bitterness, because you let go of it.

1 Peter 3v9 says 'Do not repay evil with evil, or insult with insult.' Vengeance does not belong to us. But it does not stop there. It goes on to say to repay these things with blessings. To do that genuinely, one must have forgiven.

Forgiveness is at the core of what God has done for us. How one can say that they cannot forgive, it would be wrong to forgive in this sense, I do not know. It may not be the easy choice short term, but it frees us from the destruction wrought by bitterness.

A long blog entry I know, but I could not sit idly by and write about something else when many heard that Radio programme. I disagree with what was said. The only thing I agreed with was that the contributor seemed to understand, on the surface at least, what forgiveness meant per se. What forgiveness means from a Biblical viewpoint, I do not think was understood. That is what I have attempted to convey here.

Worthy

2006-04-05T14:01:00.000+01:00

To be worthy according to the dictionary is to have sufficient worth, to be deserving, to be honourable or admirable, to have merit, or value.

To have sufficient worth... I like that. When we say that Jesus is worthy of our praise, we are saying that Jesus is of sufficient worth for us to praise Him. It's true. He is of sufficient worth. But is that it? Jesus is deserving of our praise: absolutely right. He is also honourable and admirable (not either one, but both). He has merit and value. Although it is true that He has merit and value, indeed he has both, it does not seem enough - it does not satisfy my heart's desire to praise Him. He is of sufficient worth - His grace is sufficient, (Amen!) but is that it? It doesn't seem to be enough!

Jesus has more merit than anything in the universe. He is far more valuable than anything that we can attain for ourselves in life. He is more than merely sufficient. He is abundant. The gift that He offers us, that is, faith, enables us to believe that He is Lord and to consequently be saved. Thus He offers us life, everlasting life. He offers us a second chance, a chance to live a fulfilled life. We cannot life a fulfilled life without Him.

Worshipping God is what fulfils us. We're going to spend eternity doing just that, so how could it not do? In His presence, we cannot do anything but worship Him. In heaven, we will tell Him, amongst other things, that He is worthy. Who are we to tell Him so? What have we done? Praise God He has made it so that we can even be near Him, never mind call out His holy name and tell Him what He is. How awesome is His love? That we can stand before Him, gaze at Him, and praise Him?! Wow! In my opinion, the dictionary does not encapsulate the entire meaning of that adjective, but that's alright, because no words can sum up what God is anyway.

Who do you turn to?

2006-03-27T13:13:00.000+01:00

2 Kings is underway... and God has been speaking to me through it pretty powerfully...
I'll share a little:
In the first chapter of 2nd Kings, King Ahaziah is injured in an accident and he sends a messenger to ask Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if he will recover from the injury. The Lord tells Elijah this, and tells Elijah to go and ask them: 'Is there it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?'
In total, 103 men died because Ahaziah turned to the wrong god. 2 messengers, 100 men, and Ahaziah himself.

This caused me to think about who I turn to when things are tough, or if some sort of 'accident' occurs in life. It is absolutely crucial that we turn to God. To turn to anything else can, but for the grace of God, have fatal consequences, and depending on how we go about it, can affect the lives of those around us as well as ourselves. And if we think about it, would Baal-Zebub have given the right answer? Would he have given any sort of answer at all? Why, why, why would one turn to anyone or anything other than God when we know that we have access to God - the King of kings and Lord of lords?! It does not make sense to do anything other than turn to God. Sometimes, as I keep discovering, we do not see what is so manifest before us: Praise God that He abounds with grace!

Cool People

2006-03-16T13:30:00.000Z

A post about some astounding people who have blessed me today! :-)

Catherine Longson - she made me a cup of coffee which I have in fact just finished. Thank you Catherine! She is very cool. Am babysitting for the Longsons tonight actually, their daughter is awesome! Andrew and Catherine are such a blessing to me in the form not only of cups of coffee but in the form of a lift on Sunday mornings, which means half an hour extra in bed. Much appreciated! And how could I forget - Catherine has a fantastic voice (a total blessing) and Andrew is a fantastic drummer (keeps the whole band going! it's a bigger job than you realise...).

Ian - no need for a last name because he is reknowned everywhere anyway. Today Ian blessed me just by taking time out of his busy, busy day to chat for a few minutes. When you think about how busy this guy actually is, and remember the preach that he did at I.D. once about the value of time, it's such a blessing that he is always prepared to make time for us lot. Ian is AMAZING... I wonder if he'll ever read this to see... but in case he does, if you agree, please leave a comment. (you can do that for the Longsons too if you like... and the people to follow)

Channings - I have just seen Steppi. Smiling as always and always such a blessing to me! That whole family has been a complete and utter blessing to me in letting me into their family (pretty big deal when you think how many of them there are already) and being there for me constantly. The Mr. and Mrs. are like parents to me, Debs is one of my best friends, Josh dates my housemate, Esther, Luke and Grace are in the Youth... Liv, Joseph and Nathanael are cute. They are a blessing!

2006-03-14T10:14:00.000Z

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8v.28

We know... I know that I know that I know God. I know that I know that I know that He is a God of Love who loves me. I love Him. He is awesome... I know that He is true. He is undeniably true.

In all things God works for the good of those who love Him... that is not to say that things can never go wrong, or go badly when you are one of those who love Him. It is to say that as long as we submit our lives to God in all things, He will work for our good in all things (remembering that what we think is good is not always what is best). If we don't submit all things to Him, how can we expect Him to work for our good? In submitting all things to Him, we are submitting everything for His good, for His glory. When it is for His good and His glory, of course God will work it out for our good! If we put ourselves first, and don't relinquish things to God, our hearts are not such that God can work with. God wants our entire lives, not dribs and drabs of our lives.

If we submit our lives to Him for His glory, He cannot help but work our lives for good, because it means it is for His glory, and God knows that He is God, He knows that He must be worshipped, that He must be glorified. Woohooooo! How amazing is God?!

On a slightly separate subject, last night we had a wonderful time at worship practice. It was brilliant. We spent time in God's presence, and God showed us heaven, the clearest we'd ever seen. Personally I was wowed by God in that He told me to play what I saw, and that a song would come seeing what I saw afterwards, and Rhian sang exactly what I saw! It excited my yesterday, but today it makes me think - why was I surprised that God's word came to be? That is what He told me, and so why should I be surprised that it came? I think I was surprised that it came so quickly and promptly. But actually, we should we have to wait? If it is God's will that His words come to fruition now, we do not have to wait! But the awe of heaven remains with me still...
Last night really was a brilliant night. God is as brilliant today as He was last night. And we have yet to see Him in his full brilliance! Praise God!

May God dwell in our lives!

2006-03-10T10:20:00.000Z

1 Kings 8 is Solomon's prayer of dedication to the Lord. This - again - really spoke to me. Solomon followed the plans God had given for the building of the temple - in excellence he paid attention to the detail that God laid down and Solomon knew that he had build the temple in the right way - in the way the God wanted him to. Yet we notice that he still asks God to come and dwell in the temple. For a moment one may wonder why he bothered to do that when wasn't it the express purpose of building the temple that God may dwell in it? And did not God instruct as to exactly how He wanted the temple to be built? One might draw the conclusion that since God did all this - He would surely dwell in His temple. It was built for Him. He had instructed that it be built for Him. Why did Solomon need to ask Him to dwell in it? The answer to this lies in the way that Solomon performed this task entrusted into his hands by God. Solomon asked for wisdom, and that wisdom manifests itself here. In wisdom Solomon made no deviations from or alterations to the exacting plan that God had given for the building of His temple. He built the temple - and upon its completion, in wisdom He dedicated it to God. He asked God to bless His plans, the outworking of His plans, and dwell in the Temple! God's presence came like a cloud. Awesome.

Therefore, whatever we are building, it has already been established that we should build it according to God's plan (paying attention to the detail!) but we should also follow Solomon's example in this and ask God to bless what He has told us to do - ask God to dwell in what we are doing for Him. In that way, He is doing it through us and the focus shifts from what we do for Him, to what He does through us.

Solomon and the Temple

2006-03-09T23:55:00.000Z

How awesome is this: Solomon built the temple.

That was the job assigned to him. The ultimate end was to build it. However within that, Solomon paid attention to detail - he performed his task with excellence.
We can so often do what God's telling us to do in general, and yet deviate from His plan when it comes to the details, but it changes the end result. I have been challenged to be more like Solomon and do everything (including the seemingly unimportant things) that God tells me to do even when I know that I could go towards achieving the ultimate aim without paying attention to detail. God is a God of excellence, and I am so thankful that He is! And nothing is unimportant to Him, even it may seem so to me. Solomon followed the plans that God had given for the building of the Temple.

What is it that you are building right now?

Solomon

2006-03-07T01:03:00.000Z

Read today about the dream that Solomon had where God asked him what he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom. This is awesome - and I could go on about that for a long time, but God pointed something else out to me:
After Solomon asked fo wisdom, God spoke over Solomon's life and told him out it would be, with some conditions as to how he must live in order to live a long life. God was pleased with Solomon's heart's desire - to do what he had been called and anointed to do with his life to the best level that could be done: to govern wisely - and consequently spoke over his life and blessed it abundantly. But having received wisdom, Solomon had to use it, and the passage immediately following on from it tells of an example of Solomon using that God-given wisdom. Solomon honoured what God has spoken over his life. He became a man of influence who not only influenced his own subjects, but the rulers of other kingdoms. How amazing!
Likewise, God has spoken over our lives, into our lives. And yet sometimes we don't get right into it. We don't grab hold of what He has said and live by it. It's our choice whether or not we live in what He has for us - we should make the simple choice and live in line with the Word of God.

This is just a little something of what God has been speaking to me about. He is so good to me!

Bible Week

2006-02-27T23:01:00.000Z

Well... I'm booked in for Bible Week - hopefully it will not rain as much as it did last year, but I'll be happy to be there even if it does! Last year I was involved in the Youth meetings - God moved in such an awesome way, I loved it - and I'm doing that again this year. I'm so excited and it's a real honour to do Youth again - lives are not only impacted but changed at Bible Week. Last summer I learnt so much and I can't wait to go again, it's going to be so, so good and again I know that I will learn even more! If you haven't booked - book! It's totally worth getting excited about and rain or shine it's worth going to!

Fresh Challenge

2006-02-19T23:12:00.000Z

This weekend has been good - my mum came down, and I still managed to get quite a lot of work done. But this week the REAL work begins, prayers for wisdom in timekeeping and against procrastinating (staring blankly at a page thinking as opposed to reading) would be very much appreciated in the next two weeks.
I was very challenged by the word Richard brought to us today. What challenged me the most was this question:
Do you believe in your experience or do you believe in the Word of God?
So many times we can let our experiences affect our prayers, our beliefs, our lives. But although we should learn from our experiences, and some experiences are invaluable, we must always remember, that the Word of God is what should really be affecting our prayers, our beliefs, our lives. I believe 100% that as we spend more time in the Word of God, and pray in line with what it says, and make it what we say, pray, believe and live, we will see what it says come to pass in our lives. Praise God for His Word!

The apple of His eye

2006-02-16T13:47:00.000Z

This totally struck me the other day as I was sat spending time with God...

In Zechariah 2v8b it says 'whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye'.
I thought and still think that is absolutely gobsmackingly amazing! I mean, WOW! This is the almighty God we're talking about here, and He is my protector - He says that whoever touches me touches the apple of His eye!

It's awesome.

I don't really think I can say anything else. It's pretty self-contained... but I will say this:
In Him I know I am safe, I know that I am secure. In Him I know I can let myself go and give myself up and lean not on my own understanding but on His supreme understanding. In Him I know I am protected, and in Him I know life will be the best that it can be so long as I remain in Him. With all of this, why would you not remain in Him?

Reputation

2006-02-09T14:11:00.000Z

Our reputation is important - in the Bible it talks about the importance of an elder having a good reputation with outsiders (1 Timothy 3v.7).

It is important to us to make Jesus famous. We ought to do so. God has chosen to use us as tools in order to glorify His name throughout the world. That being the case, what others think of us is important.

Although the most important thing about us is what God says about us and what we say about Him, there is a subsequent importance on what others think of us. We are saved not just to be saved, but to glorify God's name, to be part of His plan and purpose for this world, to live out what He has for us. Our reputation, i.e. what others think of us, ought to always include the fact that we love Jesus, and that our lives are centred around Him.

We cannot separate out sections of our lives. Everything must be about Jesus and what He wants for us. Even if it would seem, on the surface, that it has nothing to do with Jesus, every action, word and deed in our lives should stem back to the ultimate aim of reflecting His glory. It cannot be, one section about Jesus, another about me. Rather, all about Jesus, none about me. All for His glory, none for mine.

When I was little, I always wanted to be famous. In some ways perhaps I still do, but not in the same way. I want to be renowned within the sphere of influence in which I am involved, whatever that is, and whenever that is, for being somebody whose life is about glorifying Jesus, for somebody who is able to achieve more than she alone could ever achieve, because of His amazing grace.

For anyone who is interested, this all stemmed from thinking about God's fame. (Habbakuk 3v2). Funny what can come out of meditating on God's word! This was totally unexpected! Should have learnt by now to expect the unexpected!!! God is GOOD!

My Refuge

2006-02-06T22:43:00.000Z

This is the dictionary definition of refuge:
1. Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship.
2. A place providing protection or shelter.
3. A source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble.

'The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him' - Nahum 1v.7

The Lord is good, a protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship, in times of trouble. The word 'refuge' pops up around the Bible and as a word that is not so commonly used these days (well not in my vocabulary) I thought I should look it up and get a proper definition of what it means, and subsequently what it means God is.

God is a refuge in times of trouble. He is our Rock, which means we can stand on solid ground in times of trouble. Not only can we stand on solid ground sohuld we choose to do so, He is our protection and shelter also. He provides protection and shelter, we find it in Him. He is also our source of help, relief and comfort in times of trouble.

Personally for me, I can say that the Lord is my Refuge with more meaning now. We have so many adjectives for God, it's cool to have another noun.

Love

2006-02-03T09:38:00.000Z

Why do I keep going on about it? Because it is amazing, awesome, mind-blowing.

Look at the definition of it: A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.

Ineffable means indescribable. The English language cannot describe Love - it is too limited. Thus it cannot contain the greatness of what God is. God is Love.

I like the 'sense of underlying oneness' - this should thus be an underlying part of the Church should it not?

Look at what Love is not: it is not shallow, callous, describable. It is not a feeling of loathing toward a person.

If God is Love, and God lives in us, surely we have in us the capacity to love. But not merely to love, but to be Love.

Challenge from the book of Jonah

2006-02-01T10:11:00.000Z

'From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD." And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.' - Jonah 2v1-10

This is a very excellent prayer. It is a prayer of faith. Note that Jonah is still inside the pit, yet he prays: 'But you brought my life up from the pit'. Jonah has not yet been vomited out onto dry land, and yet he declares that he has been brought up already. It is a prayer of faith.

It's interesting isn't it: we, like Jonah, have learnt to hear from God, to recognise the voice of God. I, for one, am not always immediately obedient to what God tells me, especially regarding the bringing of prophetic words. I, like Jonah, sometimes run away from what God has told me to do, to say, to bring, even when I know that I heard correctly. Recently I have been challenged to bring prophetic words when I hear them, as opposed to waiting until I can build up the courage to bring them. (It is not about me, it is about God and His purpose.) There is a reason for God speaking to me at the moment at which He does - if I wait to build up courage, it becomes about myself and not about Him, and anyway, they are not my words to bring when I please, they are God's words to be brought at the point at which I hear them (or shared with whoever is leading the meeting so that they can discern through the Holy Spirit the right time for them to be brought). But God is gracious, and He still used Jonah to bring the word to Ninevah.

It is also interesting to address the point of Jonah's disobedience. When we are disobedient, we affect those around us. When a storm builds up, we should identify the disobedience and 'throw it overboard' i.e. submit it to God. Throw it away. Resolve the disobedience. Immediately the storm stopped. Immediately a stormy life can become calm.

I have also been challenged on the point of responsibility. It can seem to be more fun to live a life ruled by emotions. The highs certainly seem that way. But the lows bring one to a place in which it is hard to worship and reflect God's glory. To live with the responsibility of being a child of God himself, I must depart from a life ruled to any extent by emotions. I don't believe that emotions are bad in themselves, yet they can take over, and Jesus is the one to whom I have submitted my life. Furthermore - it is more exciting to live a life that is secure in Jesus. I believe a responsible life, an exemplary life is the one to which I am called, not one ruled by emotions. It is also the more exciting of the two. What can be more amazing than consistently living in the purposes that Jesus has for you and there being no emotional barrier to that?!

All of this is challenging me... Challenge is good!

Can't escape Him!

2006-01-30T15:30:00.000Z

'Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down. Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them. Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.' Amos 9v2-4

The title to this blog makes it sound like a bad thing. That was entirely un-meant. In this passage, it is talking about the fact that for those in judgement, there was nowhere, no place for them to hide from God's judgement.

This made me think of the fact that should I go down to the depths of the grace, the Lord my God is there with me. Jesus is there with me. And that is not enough, He will bring me out of them. Should I try to climb up to the heavens, and become proud and arrogant, the Lord my God is there with me, above me, and will bring me down. Should I hide myself someplace remote, God is there to seize me, to bring me out...

Wherever I go, be it good or bad. Whatever situation I walk through, be it good or bad. Whenever, be it morning or night, be it when I am awake or asleep. He is there with me. I cannot escape His love (praise God!) and I have a choice to make: whether to let this amazing love, awesome love, fantastic and good love envelop me and change me, or to turn away from it and carry on trying to ignore it or hide from it.

I choose to revel in God's love. I choose to let His love envelop my every thought, my every movement, my every word. I choose to let Him shape and guide my life. My life is no longer mine but His. I gave it to Him over four years ago. And just as He gave His life that I may live, I give mine to Him that He might work out His plan and purpose. This is the best way to be.

What do you put your trust in?

2006-01-28T11:16:00.000Z

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm." - Psalm 20v7-8

In what do you put your trust? In whom do you put your trust? Reflect on yourself. Have a look at what you trust, who you trust. Where does your confidence come from? Money? Appearance? Attention? Gadgets? Retail therapy (SHOPPING!)? Your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife? Your friends? What keeps you going? What spurs you on? Is it the thought of a pay rise? Is it the thought of a better gadget? Is it a new car (equivalent of a chariot or horse)? A better grade?
What would it take to undermine your confidence? Money can be lost. Your appearance fades with time. Attention may not always be available. Gadgets are constantly being invented and the latest becomes old in a short space of time. Shopping is temporary. Even your partner may let you down. Your friends are almost bound to do so (although that's not what we should expect). One can always be paid more. One can always have a better car. One can always write a better essay.

God is consistent. God is eternal. God is before us and behind us. God is. He says: 'I am'. That is His name. He is the Rock. The firm foundation. God cannot be undermined. What God says about you cannot be undermined. It cannot be lost - as long as we put our trust in Him. Primarily and ultimately, my trust is in God. When that is so - all else just falls into place.

This is who I am

2006-01-27T00:07:00.000Z

I know that I know that I know that Jesus will never leave me. I know that I am His child, that I am adopted into His family. I know that nothing can separate me from His love, that my sins are forgiven and forgotten.

I am holy and blameless. I am His chosen possession. I will always prosper. Goodness and mercy will follow me for the rest of my life. He always listens to me when I pray. I know that I am part of the people of God, that I have been sent by him, that I am anointed, that I carry his authority.

I know that I know that I know that I am going to spend eternity with Jesus, that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, that Jesus is Lord of all. Thank You God that it is a gift from You and by Your precious grace that I am all these things and I am convinced of that and that I can trust in You and Your Word.

When you reach the point of stress

2006-01-24T11:27:00.000Z

Ezekiel shared something really amazing at worship group last night. I thought I might share it on here, because I believe it's going to have a huge impact on my life, and it would be selfish for me to keep that for myself.

We are encouraged to do as much as possible to serve God. We are encouraged to do things whole-heartedly and commit to things whole-heartedly - to put our all into what we do. That is all very amazing ad very good. Our heart must be such that we want to serve, and we should react to that heart by serving.

But this inevitably leads to a busy life. Sometimes, one becomes stressed because of the business that a full life entails.

It is not God's plan for us to be stressed. He does not want us to be stressed. A stressed-out and reluctant servant does not do a very good job and that is not glorifying to God.
When we reach the point of stress, we have a choice to make. We either carry on and become stressed. Or we submit to God's will and resolve that stress. Jesus reached that point of stress at Gethsamane where He sweated blood at the knowledge of what He was undertaking. He even asked that the cup be passed from Him (that He would not have to go to the cross), and had He carried on and become stressed, at the point of His flogging even before the cross, He would not have been to undertake the huge task that the cross entailed. But He did not choose to carry on, but He succumbed to God's will and not His own. Thus He resolved that stress. And He went on to die and rise again! .

When we reach that point of stress, we must realise that we can choose to submit to God's will, let His grace envelop us and in doing so resolve the stress and carry on. Personally I think that is absolutely AMAZING!

Reflections from last night...

2006-01-21T11:20:00.000Z

Had a weird moment yesterday night when couldn't actually think about more than one thing at a time... so the whole multi-tasking thing went out the window and I had sort stuff out in my mind one at a time. I couldn't even think about a whole concept, but had to think about it step by step... It was very strange and I didn't like it very much, apart from when Becky and I were having Becky, Ee-Reh and God time, and I got a fresh revelation of how AWESOME God's Love is.
Firstly, we need to have more revelation of who God is, what God is, and how God is... I am totally GOBSMACKED at God. I'm awestruck, my mind is blown away, I'm love-struck.

My heart always softens when I see any couple who are old that are clearly more in love with eachother than when they first met. But I am loved more than that. God has loved me since before creation. With me in mind He created the world. But with the purpose of reflecting His glory. But He made the coolest way possible of us doing that. All we have to do is love Him. It isn't a complicated choice to love God, who has loved us since before creation. His love for us is simple yet profound, our love for Him comes out of a simple choice of accepting who He is, and and all that came from His love. God is Love. Without God there would be no love. Because of God's love I feel worthy (He has made me so). If my heart softens at the sight of an old couple in love with eachother, how can it not soften at a glimpse of God?

Jesus lives in me, and that means I can love as He does. My whole life, I want to become more and more like Him. I want people to be love-struck when they see me - not at me in myself, but at Jesus in me, and for them to meet with the Lord and Saviour of my life.

...and that torrent came from not being able to think straight. God really does work through every situation...

Excited about Love

2006-01-16T21:28:00.000Z

You know that when you love somebody, you can depend on them... Do you just depend on them a little bit? I mean, when you really love somebody... I don't even think about whether to depend on them or not. I'm confident in my dependence.

I'm reading through the Minor Prophets (I think I already said that on here) and am in Hosea, and today's reading was what I read on my A-Level Results day! It was pretty cool really, seeing as how I started my uni exams today... I proceeded to get really excited (and am still excited) about what I was reading. The verse that God really put on my heart that day was this:
Hosea 12v.6
"So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confidence dependence on your God."
I read that verse, and rang up school to get my results. It was quite amusing really, having got them, I thought about going back to sleep but thought that was a bit cruel on my mum, so I got up and told her. I can live in confident dependence - not on myself, and not anything else - but on God.
Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. Greater is He that is in me than He that wrote my exam papers. God's greater than all of that.

He has a plan and purpose for my life.

His will is better for me than my will.

In my weakness, He is made strong. The more I diminish, the stronger He becomes in me! I want to be weak enough for His will to be enacted in my life.

What I'm thinking about is this: What do I depend on? On whom do I depend? Is what I depend on dependable? Are the people I depend on dependable? I don't know about you, but when I depend on someone, I trust them, and I trust them with a lot of things. I trust them not to mess around in the relationship I have with them, I trust their words. I trust them, depend on them. Isn't that how friendship grows? But ultimately, where does my dependence lie? I'm not independent. To be independent is a sad and lonely place to be...

Ultimately, I depend on God. Ultimately, I trust God, because I can do so confidently. Why is that? Because His will is greater than mine. Because His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Because He chose me and has a plan and purpose for my life. (Same for you! GET EXCITED!) So this is it. I will act on the principles of love and justice and will always live in confident dependence on my God!

Someone like you

2006-01-14T15:31:00.000Z

It's someone like you that God predestined to be holy and blameless.
It's someone like you that chose, even before He created the earth, to reflect His glory.
It's someone like you that God has spoken through in songwriting, singing, music.
It's you that Jesus thought of on the Cross. It's you that He thought of when He rose again.
It's you that Jesus wants. It's for you that God created the heavens and the earth and sent Jesus to die.
God can use someone like you. Because He has made you worthy.
You are worthy. Worthy to serve God. He made you worthy.
God loves you. He chose to love you. And He won't go back on that choice.

Overwhelming Love

2006-01-12T14:26:00.000Z

To continue on the theme of Love... since God has continued to speak to me about it. It's cool, and so awesome. Awesome not in the sense that it can become known (as another word for amazing) but awesome in the sense that it has filled me with awe. I'm going through the minor prophets at the moment, still in Hosea. Hope to have finished them by late February, early March, but will see, because I don't just want to read them, I want them to affect me.

'When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.' - Hosea 9v.10a

So here I found an image of how much God loves us. Grapes in a desert? It's crazy - out of all that barreness, a grape. How precious would that grape be to you? I would get so excited about that grape, I would love that grape. That grape would be so precious to me. And that's how previous we are to Christ! Like a grape, a juicy grape, in the midst of a desert. Imagine how precious it would be, a great find! Yeah... just like that. (And then we come to figs... which I don't like. But I remind myself that God made them so God likes them seeing that God created them and said they are good. So we're precious like that too!)

'But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved. ' - Hosea 9v.10b

How much must the people of Israel broken God's heart when they turned their back on him? When that people who were to God as precious as a grape in the midst of a desert turned their back on Him who chose them. It must have broken His heart! But as I've read through Hosea, I have had fresh revelation of God's grace. As much as Israel turned their back, as much as God, through Hosea, gave warning after warning, when they turned back to Him, He had grace for them. It has struck me that His grace is sufficient. And I don't want to break God's heart. I won't turn my back. I love Jesus. How can I?

To wrap it up (!) I've found a real overwhelming love in Hosea. A love for God's people. And because Jesus died and rose again, we are His people, and that overwhelming love is for us. I find that totally awesome.

Unconditional Love

2006-01-10T01:03:00.000Z

Much of what God has been speaking to me recently has concerned love. Today, He has proved his consistency, and challenged me on loving people unconditionally. To love unconditionally is to love when they don't love you back, when they reject you, when they outright hate you. To love unconditionally is to take on the true nature of Christ. To love unconditionally is hard, but a fresh revelation of how much God loves us comes with it. I totally believe that as we try to do as God does, in this sense, love as God loves, this is one of the times at which God reveals more of His nature to us.
Unconditional Love endures. It perseveres. It forgives seventy times seven times. And it doesn't just end with, 'Yeah I love them'. It speaks not from the mouth but from the actions.
Unconditional love started with God. We can love unconditionally because of Christ in us. Unconditional love is powerful - it's why God created us, it's why Jesus died on the cross for all our sins. But because of its power, it is also why Jesus rose again. Because God wanted to have a people who worshipped him, who reflected his glory. That means... God wanted a people who loved unconditionally. That was his purpose. That is still his purpose. God still wants a people who love unconditionally.

Snowy Scotland...

2005-12-28T14:50:00.000Z

So, I'm at home in Aberdeen, fun fun fun... it finally slowed today. We've been waiting! It's the first non-white Christmas I can remember! How crazy is that?
Erm... Last night spent 11hours straight watching a Korean TV Series... subsequently didn't sleep at all last night, since i finished watching them at 7am... so I spent lots of time with God... and it was totally fascinating.
God is SO, SO fascinating. I love Him so much!
Someone spoke at the church I go to up here on Sunday morning based on crackers (as in, Christmas Crackers). The thing that really stuck in my mind is that the cracker has to break, it has to snap, in order to obtain the gift inside. It's the same with Jesus. He had to break, to snap, in order for me to be able to have the relationship with God that I have, for me to be able to have eternal life. And so with me, I have to daily hand a broken heart to Jesus, be totally vulnerable to His sculpting (not really a worry since He's the best sculptor in the world!) and mending. And daily, He puts my heart back together.

Jesus take this heart of mine

Lord put these pieces together once more

I've tried to put it together myself

But I just can't do it on my own

Jesus melt this heart of mine
Make my heart soft again
Jesus will You mould this heart
Into the jar You want to make

Jesus is amazing. Everyday I hand Him a broken heart, everyday I fall deeper in love with Him.

Glorifying God through studying

2005-12-14T10:50:00.000Z

We were created to reflect God's glory. We were created by God so that He could have a people who worshipped him. I am one of those people who has chosen to live a life of worship. In choosing to life my life for God, I have chosen to let go of my control on my life and give Him full control. It's amazing - such vulnerability, yet such security. Vulnerability because you have to let go of your life, every little bit of it, and yet security because God won't take you to the wrong place, or make you do the wrong thing. Once you give Him full control, and everyday do so, He doesn't shrug off responsibility, no, He takes full control and in tune with Him, things will not go wrong. So anyway... the things I do in life are study, spend time with my local church, socialise, go out, practise, and that just about sums it up! Of all these, my studies take up most of my time (which is a good thing, I love Law!), and since my life is to reflect God's glory in all I do, I want to glorify God in my studies. That means putting my utmost into my studies, doing my best. To achieve less than my full potential is not glorifying to God, since He has given me this potential. (Man I'm starting to feel convicted even as I write this, and I thought I was doing ok!) So I have to think big, think outside of the box, because as Keri Jones once said, 'The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary'. I want to be successful, I want to be successful so as to glorify God.
Right. I'm going to go and work now. :-)

There's a battle going on...

2005-11-25T12:28:00.000Z

There's a battle going on as to whether I should go with this blog, or my xanga... one of them is going to have to go... but which?! I really don't know. To be honest, I prefer this one, but the xanga is so convenient... everyone looks at xanga.

Oh well... It's not actually particularly important to my life. I think I'll do God-times on this blog.

Short blog. I know. See you.

New blog...

2005-11-12T00:54:00.000Z

So... this is a new blog... all a bit different... it looks much classier than my last blog, but it's not all about looks is it?! No... it's going to be classier too! Yeah I know... can she achieve class? Answer: OF COURSE! She can do EVERYTHING (through Jesus)!
Anyway... today was a day for being at Youth - wonderful-ness encompassed in one word. Love Youth, think they're fantastic, think they're great. It's such an honour to lead them!
This week has been one lacking of sleep, thus i'm going to leave it at this and sleep... but here's some pictures (well, one of two of the people I know definitely won't mind me putting them on here) of some of my favourite people just so you can get a feel for my life (which, by the way, is absolutely awesome!)
That wonderful person on the right is my esteemed and much loved sister. Love her much!

My good friend Dan took the picture (on my phone)...