Adéu, Barcelona!

My mum rocks...

The last few days, I have had my head mashed u with things... But my mum has been at the other end of the table with a cuppa tea and a listening ear, and its been invaluable, so mum this is a shout out to you,

I know i don't say it enough..but thanks You goony (couldn't be 100 % lovey)

I am grateful.

Invisable giving.

I found myself Tuesday night, walking around a park with some of the church crew, looking into the nooks and shadows of the bushes, walking with God around town. A small act of obedience which no one saw and with no glory and praise from people in it.

It reminded me of a time in Ibiza when it was four in the morning, we took someone home, they were absolutely out of it, the 24-7 team found themselves practically carrying the lad to his hotel room, he was that drunk. (I stayed in the van, I was only a one week team member at this point) and seeing the team do this act of giving. Their was no glory in it. No one to see it and praise them. It was invisible giving.. I remember actually crying in the van waiting for them to come back, thinking this is what it all about. Only God saw the act of love. ( I don't think I ever told the Ibiza crew that).

An invisible act of service ! Is that what giving should be? It should be the receiver seeing Gods love for them, not me trying to bless them? But I admit that's not always the way of my heart.Invisible giving is hard. The world's ways is to show your Charity and make kindness acts shown.

What I do remember is walking around and seeing the stars through the tree's the other night.
A small act of beauty from God for me...

Let your light shine....

This morning I woke up with a certain Hillsong kids tune in my head. 'Let you light shine' to say its annoying me is quite accurate .

Also this week a scripture from 1 Peter 2 has been following me everywhere.

' But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.' it then goes onto say

'Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world.'

Now I was thinking, If for some reason people I know started accusing me, of doing wrong say ' thieving or bitching' would people have seen and still see God's light and love in me and think that's complete rubbish ?

I am scared to say I think I know the answer to this question and I don't like it.

So as much as I the song is annoying maybe its not such a bad thing that I am singing it all day.

Let your light shine.xxx

Live In Me

Phil Wickham - Grace

We are Made to soar....

'It is said that an eagle does not carry her young in her claws like other birds; the young eagles attach themselves to the back of the mother eagle and are protected as they are carried. Any arrow from a hunter must pass through the mother eagle before it could touch the young eagle on her back.'

This morning I was reading from exodus and I came across some scripture concerning Eagles wings, and how we somehow fly on them or are lifted up. I was reading a commentary as well and the above was said to do with the passage. Now I was intrigued and did a bit more research on the Internet to find some more info on this subject.

Basically the mother 'pushes the little one out of the nest, and the eaglet falls down the face of the cliff, surely to be destroyed. But not so! In a flash the great mother eagle flies down, catches the little one on her back, and flies up and deposits it in the nest. ("Whew! Mom, that must have been an accident.") But it was’nt an accident. The mother bird pushes the little one out again, and again, over and over.

Now this seemed abit extreme but ' It’s just that those little birds were made to fly, and they don’t know it, so she is going to push them out of the nest. She never lets them hit bottom, but she does let them fall, because they have to learn something they don’t know.'

So the scriptures that says 'But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.- Isaiah 40:31. I feel it means that God will not only protect us as we wait on him and learn but, also we will be be able to fly high like him and soar because we are meant for more, it's just we don't see it yet...

It even goes onto to say, that the mother eagle starts to dismantle the nest whilst the babies are still in it, first the feathers go, then the twigs because 'she is determined that those little ones will fly, and she knows something they don’t. She knows they will never fly as long as they remain in the nest.'

God is to chuck us out of the nest because we were made to fly, and he will mess up our nest (our world) because we are not meant to be comfortably sitting pleasantly, but to fly and soar.

Argghh, this is awesome. I love our God...and right now I love eagles as well.

X

A Belfast Girl and an Essex Boy come to Cov.

Justin Bieber just happened to drop by to say hi.


A feast of friends and food.

Dare to reach !

Standing at the bus top everyday, I see the same dog walkers, cyclists and families, all in their routine of daily life. For the last couple of weeks, I have been getting the later bus, which is great, but my group of people, that I observe whilst standing at the stop has changed.

As I stand their cold listening to my ipod, I have noticed a family that walk by. A tall dad wearing a hoodie and a beanie with his hands in his pocket, 2 boys always running ahead and 2 girls, one older than the other. The smaller girl with long gold hair in a ponytail, always lumbered down with at least 3 bags, her poor little body, shuffling along under the weight, trying to keep up. The other older girl who looks more strong and only has 1 or 2 bags, always seems to get to hold her dads hand, or always has the privileged position of walking next to him, down the road.

The younger daughter is so frail and small and never gets anywhere near her dad.

I remember last week she was crying and her dad just yelled abuse in the street at her. As she was crying, she dared to reach out and ask for his hand to connect with hers, but he just dismissed her. (now please don't think, I am judging the guy I'm not, she could of been really doing his head in that morning) but I will never forget the pure bravery of that small act of her lifting her arm to his in the midst of her sorrow.

It made me think of the bravery of becoming a Christian (does that sound stupid ?) knowing you need someone bigger and stronger and the act of reaching for Gods hand and his presence. God sees the small girl on the outside of the group, lumbered with all her issues, so frail and fragile and he totally reaches back and grabs her, to walk side by side with him in her life. Even taking the weight of the bags for her, carrying them for her. So shes free to enjoy the walk.

This truth never ceases to amaze me. Gods for the weak and the downcast, we are all that and all we have to do is dare to reach.

Its amazing the lessons I get taught at the bus stops.

x

Monday Morning Thought ! which is late.

If your not living on the edge, your taking up too much space. - Anon.

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.
C. S. Lewis