Little Things

Sometimes on the grey days and the black days,
we are prone to focus on the darkness.
But it is far better to look at the shoots and the stars.
Those little stars in the bleak blackness.

A call from a friend.
A walk with the dog.
A good book that makes you laugh.

All of these are can lift the weight off you.
Each little thing helps.
They don't have to be complex.

A hug rather than a worried look.
A small task completed for you.
A meal made for you.

Just little things, but they make life worth continuing.
Every little sensation.
A taste. A touch. A feel. A smell.

Thank You God for all the little things.
For even when there is darkness all around...
I will choose to fix my eyes upon the little things.
Starting with a breath and ending with a poem.

Like Sheep 

“All we like sheep have gone astray. Each turning to his own way. But the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” Isaiah 53:6

“You Lord are my shepherd, I will never be in need. You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths. I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I will not be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe. You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch. You honour me as your guest, and you fill my cup until it overflows. Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep” John 10:11

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father- and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15

The Bible talks about Christians, (we that trust and know Jesus as our shepherd), to be like sheep. The world tends to think that we follow blindly, ignorantly, without a thought or a doubt. But this simply isn’t true.  We do doubt. Each time we wander and lose our way our shepherd seeks us out. He embraces with joy, bringing back to him, and placing our feet back upon the path.  

The world questions us as we travel, “Why do you want to return? How can you be certain that he is guiding you on the road you want to go? Why do you love and trust him? Is it all worth it?”

My answer is that he laid his life down for me. Everyday he demonstrates his love for me. He knows me inside and out… and yet still he cares for me. I trust him to always have my back. He knows the plans he has for me and he works for my good. He created me, knitting me together in my mother’s womb. He knows me, what behind me and what is to come. My shepherd promises to remain by me whatever challenges may confront me. 

“But how do you know this? Why do you just assume? Where is the evidence that God (if he even exists) will keep his promises? Is God as great as you believe he is? Isn’t the gospel too good to be true? The world contradicts. 

You see, I know that God keeps his promises. He has done so again and again. He promised that Jesus would come and redeem us, bringing us back to the God who invites us to call him “Abba Father”, just as he does.

The only thing that makes me special and privileged. The only way I can have this hope and assurance is this; that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. I don’t deserve it. I didn’t have to work for it. I only had to accept it.

Thankyou my Father in Heaven. May I never want to stop serving you, praising your name, being part of your family, your child, and your daughter.  

Rain

I've been learning to fully appreciate moments.

In all the chaos, I pause, experiencing the calm in the midst of the storm.

Noticing the breeze and how it moves through everything.

The trees sway and their leaves rustle. 

The clouds float across the sky and shapes form, change and dissipate. 

The birds are guided by the pressure and direction of the wind. 

Time ticks on , yet still I sit, absorbing and valuing each moment.

My eyes continue to scan the landscape. 

The colours of the grass, fading from vivid green to dusty brown.

The varying colours of  tree trunks
-grey, red, blue, silver, merging with the brown. 

The shade, making colours darker and richer.

The sun, making colours brighter and lighter.

Making dappled sunlight fascinating.

Looking up at the sun as it sets,

It draws the eye along with the blues, purples, pinks, oranges, and yellows.

It eventually gives way to deep purple, blue of the sky, and silver of the moon and stars. 

To think that God created all things, just using words.

But I know my words cannot truly express what the eye can see and the heart can feel.

So I would urge everyone to pause and fully appreciate moments.

To find the calm in the midst of the storm. 

Praise Be To His Name!

Undulating waves.

Rocks and fossils.

Colour, size and shape.

The Lord spoke and 

there they were.

Laughter, puzzles, books.

Food, walks, time away.

The Lord gave us the

ability to enjoy.

Songs, voices upraised.

Small communities of Christians.

Coming together as one by grace.

The Lord has provided in Jesus.

Praise be to his name! 

Work

What is it?

According to the macquarie dictionary (2003),

the word work has 23 separate meanings.

The first of which is

'exertion directed to produce or accomplish something; labour, toil.

Why do people work?

I asked what work meant to people I know and they told me that to them work is;

'Something that is never easy but makes you feel a lot better than from when you started.'

'Procrastination...don't put things off.' 

'Realising I will never get paid work ever again, mourning that, and trying not to let it define me.'

'Society requirements.'

'Some work is great to watch. I remember watching 2 men make concrete when I was a kid, it was perfect timing and action. They use concrete mixers now, of course. Some work is very creative and makes you feel good. BUT I hate housework.'

To me  going to work means

Using all the skills and energy that God has blessed me with to serve him,
loving and serving others as he has done for me.

This is what Paul says in Colossians 3:23 and 24

'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.'

I am blessed by God that I truly love my job.

I find meaning and value in what I do.

Paid or volunteer.

So... why do you go to work?

Family Christmas

At Christmas time we make a fuss.
Clean, cook, organise, deal with certain
family members, and clean again.
We forget why we do it.
Lose the joy we had as children.
Discover a whole month of stress.

I'm an adult now.
I've uncovered that stress that was
hidden from me as a child.
I disregard the 'Christ' and only think
about the 'mass'.
The mass of things that need to be done.

This Christmas my levels of anxiety
have mounted considerably.
I have been so busy with work,
singing and organising choir
that I've been absent minded
about the person I'm celebrating in song.
Ironic, isn't it?

Christmas is about joy.
As Christians we rejoice as one.
We praise the Lord as we thank him
for sending his son to bring us him.
To show us great mercy and love
in adopting us as his children.

I think the reason the friends and families
gather is to remember that we can be
part of Gods' family...
If we simply are humble,
accepting his grace.

My church family are people
that I'll never tire of spending time with.
Particularly at Christmas.
You see, even though we come from
different backgrounds, cultures, and
life experiences, in Christ we are one.
We are a great forever growing family.
Body and soul.   

"If we claim to be without sin
we deceive  ourselves and the
truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned,
we make him out to be a liar
and his word is not in us."
1 John:8-10.

Sometimes I am angry 

Sometimes I am angry.

I deceive myself. Because 

I simply don't want to admit 

the sensation. So I allow it 

and give various masks by

calling it frustration, annoyance 

and 'not wanting to become a 

pushover', and so on.

But really I know I'm just in denial.

When I do this I choose to forget the 

numerous times that he hasn't been 

angry at me but instead has

shown me mercy.

After all the wrong we have done

our heavenly father he is still loving 

and compassionate and 

continuously forgives us. 

Why? Why can he do this?
Because he sent his son to pay
the price for our sins so that
we might become his
sons and daughters.

If we are to resemble our father
then when should we become angry?
What occasions can we possibly
call anger righteous anger?

Abuse of power,
Mistreatment of the vulnerable,
Preaching a false gospel.
While these things are worth
becoming angry about
they are equally worth doing
something about.

So next time remember that Jesus
had to die to save you
and not just them.

Be patient and loving like your father.
And canal it into doing something.
Like serving others, making a
difference, and showing compassion.

Don't let your rage control you.
Pray that God might help you to
control it. For with him nothing
is impossible.

Death

Death.
Society teachers us to be
afraid of it.
To avoid it in so many ways;
Plastic surgery,
Medical advancements,
and this cream will take away
your wrinkles.

But I'm not scared.
I'm not sacred because I've
no need anymore.
Because God sent his son to
face death before me, to
save me, a sinner.

For the Christian there is hope.
A hope that beyond death there is life
A life with God forever.
Not because we loved God
but because be loved us first.

What will you do when you
reach death's decline?
Can you be confident of
what you will find there,
at end of all things?
Or is it just the beginning?

I was going to publish this on Christmas day but ran out of time... 

The Gift

At Christmas we receive a gift,
the first, given by God.

Each year we unwrap it anew.
Each year our understanding grows.

It shines brighter as we mature.
It is the extraordinary gift of
God's grace; his one and only son.

As the Christmas rush begins,
pushing us from one stress to
another, we all forget.

We strive to find those perfect
presents for those we hold dear.

And so the gift we are
celebrating slips our minds.

Christmas day is the day to call
off the search.

For he has come, the prince of peace.
Emanuel, God is indeed with us.

The ancient promise has been fulfilled.
So let us rejoice with those we love
because he loved us first.

Oh Grime of Mine

Today my finger nails are filthy.
They are covered with grime.
I have been digging that hole again.
I have been searching hard,
striving to find a way to satisfy
mine and the needs of everyone else.
I've been depending on me.
What I can do, and what I can offer.

I am exhausted.
I know now that I really am just...
stupid.
Everyone else has more brain than me.

And then, as I try to do nightly,
I picked up my bible.

Sometimes picking up God's word
becomes a mundane chore.
But I must run towards it for
how else can my soul
be nourished?

At that very time
I came across words.
Words that I needed.
They where;
"If any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God,
who gives generously to all
without finding fault."

A great weight was lifted then,
with the remembrance that
God is the one that can be
truly relied upon.

In him lies all wisdom.
To him be all praise.
Because in him we find purpose,
not in ourselves.
So this poem is not about me,
it is about him.
Just as it should be.