Nanna Jo

Dedication: Nanna Jo we will miss you untill we meet again.

I don't want to through greif again.
Yet here I am in the mist of it.
It's past 1am and my head is too full to sleep.

But every now and then...
I do something good.
I read my bible like you would.

No matter your faults.
You would turn to God your Father.
To ask for his guidence and forgiveness.

Nanna Jo, you had a great big heart.
Not always right, not always wroung.
You were all in... see you again in heaven.

Love you always,
Meg.

1 Thessalonians 4:13- 14 (NLV) 
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the belivers who have died so that you will not grieve like those who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring with him the beleivers who have died."

Faith

Faith can be all sorts of things.

Faith is trusting that it’ll be okay.

Faith. Even though it’s hard…

In the end what you have Faith in will remain.

A relationship. A career. A belief.

Ask yourself why you fight for it.

Our faith may undergo seasons and change shape.

I have faith, and I pray it will remain.

Faith to others may not make sense.

Faith is more than vague hope.

Faith looks different from one person to another.

We all have faith in something.

Me, I have faith in God.

That even when I miss my turn.

He’ll always be there.

Waiting to guide me home.

What do you have faith in?

What keeps you going?

Faith, even when small, we still have it.

Me, I hold on tight, I don’t want to let go.

Happiness

Happiness is complicated.

It’s superficial. Laughing to stave off pain.

It’s genuine. Being grateful, content with the simple.

Happiness is both unexpected and the result of search.

But how is happiness possible?

Happiness. Don’t give up the search.

Like a sliver of gold amongst quartz.

Work, people you’re close to, long walks…

Share your happiness. Where do you find it?

What motivates you to get up and sift through sadness?

And what are the things that make it worth it?

Mine is hope. Hope that even though life can suck…

God is always there to guide me and give me joy, peace and rest.

Happiness.

In His Hands

Lord, who would I be without you?
How would I see the world?
What would fill my heart?

Time and time again temptations.
Time and time again questions.

Where should I find my motivation?
Why do I even gather with your people?
Will this questioning end?

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To everything there is a season.
The season of questioning has finished.

Here I am with you, safe and loved.
Here I am my Father, saved by grace.
Here I am to worship, just as I am in you.

Thank You that nothing can clutch me from your hands.
Welcomed as one of your beloved children.

Not a Barbie Doll

I am not a Barbie Doll.
My body is not perfect.
I don't tick all the boxes.

My body is loved as is.
All bumps, bones and curves.
I work to achieve my goals.

Being real is better.
Working for what you wait for makes you value it.
Causing you to not just get, but learn and grow.

Thank-you Father for the ability to choose.
The choice to be real.
The ability to look beneath the surface.

An Entreaty

Mark 9:23-25 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Sometimes I wonder if I'm just going through the motions.

If the way I think and what I say and how I act is just a facade. 

Do I really believe that God sent his son to die and rise again, to save not only me, 

but everyone else too? 

I want to. But It's not easy. I question if I really do believe, or do I just want to believe?

I'm influenced by those around me to keep hold of what I refer to as my faith. 

Is it really my faith, or is it their faith projected onto me so I may perceive it to be mine? 

Are we just encouraging one another to believe in the world's biggest lie? 

Yet how can a lie go undetected? The gospel has spread like wildfire across the centuries. Surely it would have been totally disproved, and its followers disbanded by now if it were of man's invention.
But time and again academics who began as atheists, become not only Christians, but evangelists.
Fulfilling what Gamaliel the Pharisee said, when the gospel first began its spread:

"Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:38-39)

Those whom I care about I who care about me...

People whom I trust and value their options...

Most of these people are Christians...

But some have turned away, slowly giving up their faith.

It was no longer precious, but instead turned into something that they resented and rejected.

Dear God, I don't know what kind of person I would be without you living with me.

Directing my heart, soul and mind every day.

I am guided by you for give up the God who is just yet whose love surpasses all understanding.

Please my Heavenly Father, remind me every day where I stand.

Let me remain supported by Christ, the solid rock, and not give in and tread down upon the sinking sand. When you call me home, may I then in Him be found. 

Shared...

'It is not good for man to be alone'
Genesis 2:18

So many things are better when shared.
Shared, experienced and treasured by two. 

When you stand still in awe and wonder there is no one there to hear your exclamation.
When you stand together you share your thoughts, conjectures, and perceptions.

Trees need a Xylem and a Phloem to function.
To be healthy, to grow, and support one another as each day passes.
They are together as one.

Good relationships are like trees.

When two people are devoted to caring for one another.
When two people can share faith, values, goals, beliefs...
slowly becoming of the same heart, soul and mind.

Of course, due to the presentence of sin, this isn't always the case.
We let each other down sometimes, forget the needs of the other and want things done our way.
Yet with God's help and intervention repairing the damage is possible.
If only we are willing and humble enough, to ask for his guidance and his aid.

I pray that my relationship will grow to be like a tree one of these days...

Words of Faith

“My soul thrusts for you as a parched land thrusts for rain’ Palam 143:6

My soul was parched. My thought was dry. I was out of words. Deflated. Had lost confidence in my beloved God. I was afraid to speak in case, he was indeed, a tyrant.

Then came a sprinkling of hope… It occurred to me that I was not alone. “Others have experienced this before me”, I said to myself. Unlike me they were more objective and logical. Not overcome by emotion, but willing to grapple with the historical and science evidence. Challenging God on uncomfortably raw moral questions. After reading and listening to podcasts, Audiobooks, and talking openly to Atheists I made a discovery. It was this; the fact that intelligent people have done so for centuries. Beginning and continuing to read the book of Job and seeing his words. Words such as these:

“O earth do not conceal my blood. Let it cry out on my behalf. Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high. My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God.” Job 16:18-20 (NLT)

I’m glad that God gave us doubt. Without it I would not have questioned. If you want to truly understand someone you need to ask them questions. It demonstrates that you value that relationship. I want to better know my Father; therefore, I question. That I may see him more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly, day by day (God Spell).

Not to do so would make us complacent. We would not then be restored. Nourished and reassured by his words each day. Comprehending and gratefully accepting Jesus’ death and resurrection.

I once saw engraved on a young women’s gravestone the words;

“I have redeemed thee, I have called the by thy name, thou art mine.”

Conveying to the Atheist: Injustice, imprisonment, despair, anger, scorn and scoffing.

Yet to the Christian…

These words mean hope, joy, and a deep sense of peace.

The question is…

What do these words mean to you?

To my sister, who challenges me with love.

Comprehension

People are afraid of what they do not understand.

Some even avoid the unknown-

People that look and act differently to what they consider 'normal'

Music, listening to other languages, music, cultures, and accents and pronunciations, 

that they cannot understand, and so don't begin to make the attempt. 

Some time ago I became aware that I did this too. 

I then set myself a challenge to try the things that scared me. 

Try new things, talking to people different from me, 

embracing and acknowledging new ideas. 

I joined a Gaelic Choir, began to learn sign language and 

had more in-depth conversations with my sister (a Geologist). 

Doing these things has taught me that not understanding something 
can in fact be invigorating. 

There are two reactions- to wonder, say this is amazing, yet then just walk away.

Or to admire and to get inspired to discover more

about the astounding world we live in.

I once did only the former, now I rejoice in continuously doing the latter. 

Because I believe that we need to do a little of each, a little salt, a little pepper. 

We must investigate to marvel; to become lost in our admiration of, 

what I consider to be, God's intriguing and intricate creation.  

To rejoice in every sensation, uncovering each pattern within.

Now I challenge you readers, grow with me as human beings. 

As a tree sprouting new leaves from its nodes,

letting them develop into leaves, and from leaves to form branches. 

Go on... try something new, do something that scares you, allow yourselves to 

look beyond your own personal understanding. It may just be worth it.

Perhaps together we can create something unique.  

Diversity might then cease to make us tremble. 

Be brave... share with me in my delight. 

Emotions

There are times when I’ve yearned for my emotions to simply cease.

But what would that look like? After contemplating the question, I resolved that if we eradicated all feelings… grief, loneliness, comfort, jealously, satisfaction, affection, joy, hatred, compassion, envy, anxiety, dispiar, anger, shame, joy…

Leaving them all behind would destroy our motivation, empathy and sense of purpose.

We need to feel. If we became entirely apathetic we could not feel for others. Never having experienced, and therefore not able to understand, where the other person is and how they are feeling.

It is deeply encouraging to me to know that Jesus knew how painful it can be to live in this world
- but he came regardless.

He came so that we might not endure the estrangement, but the adoption.

So that we may know the happiness amongst the grief. The colour against the black.

For what we did not earn he gave in abundance. He gave his grace. 

A treasure that will never spoil or fade.

Now when emotions make strong attempts to overwhelm me, I will recall him who triumphs.

I will put on the armour of God as I prepare for battle. As I march out surrounded by other Christians, I will remember that I do not struggle alone. With the support of my brothers and sisters, I am not alone. None of us are, God is with us…  Always.

Easter

Jesus went to Jerusalem to die for us.

He didn’t have to save us.

He knew that his death would be agonisingly painful.

He died in our place.

We did nothing.

We are  weak and helpless.

He came in strength, mercy and love.

He came to save us from the curse of sin.

On the cross his body was broken and his blood was shed to make us whole.

Consider him.

A madman? A liar? A saviour?

Jesus is my  saviour.

Jesus the Messiah has saved us from condemnation.

We do not deserve his compassion.

We deserved death.

Jesus gave us life and hope.

God our  Father loved us.

He watched his children reject him, turn away and ignore him.

Again, and again, and again.

But… God still loves us.

God planned to bring us back to him.

God planned to send his son to repair what sin has broken.

God sent his one and only  son so that whoever believes in him will not die,

But have eternal life.

Jesus’ blood, his death and his return from death

Made us free from sin and clean before God

He made us right with God.

Able to be in his presence.

To love him.

To serve him.

To honour him.

To be his children.

Will you come to rejoice in him?

I rejoice in him with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I have taken up my cross and I follow him.

It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

This is the greatest story ever told.

This is the story of how God loved man.

This is the story of Easter.

The Future

I used to dwell on  the past.

It was eating me up inside.

I was tired to the bone.

Then I turned to God.

To the God who loves me, cares for me and helps me grow. 

The Lord my God who has helped me time and time again, helped me to recover. 

Now I can look to the future without apprehension.

Now I pray that my Father will make me more and more the women that he wants me to be.

Now I am free to learn from my past, live in the present and look to the future. 

Matthew 6:26 and 27

"Look at the birds in the sky! They don't plant or harvest. 

They don't even store grain in barns. 

Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them.

 Aren't you worth much more than birds? 

Can worry make you live longer?" 

Suffering...

SUFFERING

“They will go around in great pain and will become so hungry that they will try to find help on Earth and in Heaven.   They will find only trouble and darkness, terrible trouble and deepest darkness”, said the Lord to Isaiah.

Isaiah 8: 21-22

When contemplating suffering

              That dreaded thing that

Haunts our dreams,

Cloaks our world with despair,

And can occupy our every thought;

When contemplating suffering

Our hearts throb with fatigue,
Our heads spin uncontrollably,

Our fight or flight instincts take hold of us;

When contemplating suffering

I, like Paul the scholar,

And like Isaiah the prophet,

Have hope of a day when it will end.

Suffering will continue to exist in the broken world.

BUT

God has a plan to end it.

His plan is fail safe,

Perfect and made with immense love.

God planned Jesus His only Son to come
To save us from sin and darkness.

Jesus came, died and rose again,

Jesus our Lord, Saviour and God’s beloved Son.

And one day he will come again to finish what he started,

Restoring this broken world, our relationship with God,

And ending suffering forever.

But those who have suffered will no longer be in pain. Those who have walked in the dark have seen a great light.    And it shines upon everyone who lives in the land of the shadow of death.  Our Lord, you have made our nation stronger.  Because of you, its people are glad and celebrate!  .  .  .  You have broken the power of those who abused and enslaved your people.  You have rescued them.

Isaiah 9: 1-4

Jen

“Everything that was a gain for me
I considered to be a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I also consider everything to be loss
in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things
and consider them filth,
so that I may gain Christ.”
Philippians 3: 7 and 8.

There once was a girl.
Kind, brave and generous.
For her heart belonged to God.

As she grew she taught others she knew,
From the small and weak to the tall and strong.
She did so consciously and unconsciously,
Because her heart belonged to God.

She continues to develop in skill, and in strength,
And with this, ventures into the unknown.
Without her large family and her many friends.
But go she will, for her heart belongs to God.

Why she goes, heaven knows!
She trusts in the one who sends her.
Her heart belongs to God.

So now, we must bow to the one who made us,
Praying that he will look after her;
blessing her and keeping her safe.
And so will she pray, for her heart belongs to God.

Jennifer Adams obeys her heavenly Father.
She knows him. She trusts him. We know she is wise.
Her heart belongs to God.

Our loving Father, bless Jen in all she does.
Introduce her to her siblings in the country,
to her new work, and her new life.
Help us all to remember and emulate this courageous,
compassionate, and selfless women.
With love we commend our wonderful sister into your care.
Our sister, who is, well and truly, your daughter.
This we pray in Jesus name, Amen.

A Lightened Load 

'Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others'
Philippians 2:4

I have been guilty of the former, particularly of recent date.
I got so wrapped up in my wants, my needs, and my pain that I could not emerge from them.
Absorbed by my own interests, I could no longer look to those of others,
feeling and showing concern for them.

Now, once again, I awoke deeply concerned, and tried to untangle myself.
Yet I could not do this.
So I turned to my saviour and my God.
I pleaded with him to free me from my apathy.
He showed me grace and taught me to trust him, and to feel again.

A weight fell off me and I was reminded of the story of Eustace from 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.
Of when he needed  Aslan to remove the scales from him
to become human again, for he could not do this for himself.
As each layer came off I felt my muscles relax, and my breathing return to normal.

I thank you, my Father, for freeing me from my sin, and keeping me safe.
I will rejoice in you -
Always.

Note: This is a poem written on behalf of Christians that have died and gone to be with God the Father.

Remember me 

When I go remember me.

For you are left and I can no longer be on your right. 

Remember me, for I am gone.

Grief is strong and hard to bear.

Yet all of us have dealings with it.

May our Heavenly Father aid you from here on in, for I cannot.

Continue life's journey with your load,

of photographs and places we can no longer go.

Remember me, for I am gone.

There are traces of me, in faces and hearts
of  people you know. They are living and whole.

As I pray you will grow to be once again.

Please keep your merry laugh, as the days move past.

Emerge from the fog of grief, with God in your heart.  

Remember me, for I am gone. 

Joy Defined

"An emotion of keen or lively pleasure, great gladness or delight"

(The Macquarie Dictionary) 

Joy is an emotion that differs from one person to another. 

It is a gift that know one can measure or manufacturer,

but most can recognise the sensation.

When considering this phenomenon I thought it worth asking others 

what they considered joy to be...

"Joy comes from the depth of emotion, it's happier than just 'happy'.

When a heart is filled with joy, it's blissful." 

"Joy is a couple of hours spent with friends, 

a keyboard, and a virtual rocket launcher." 

"Reading and writing is my joy"

"God. Friends. Pets.Smiles. Laughter.

But also being able to trust God in every situation"

"To me, Joy is a deep trust that whatever circumstances 

you find yourself in, God is there."

So, what is joy to me?

My answer is that my joy is found in my ever growing 

relationship with my heavenly father. 

I rejoice in his love for me. 

For his love and compassion is so incomprehensible 

that he sent his son to die a painful death, bringing me back 

to his father and sending the holy spirit to live within us. 

He did it all...  I did nothing. 

All he asks is for me to live for him... 

and I have accepted this privilege.

This is my joy. 

In despair and delight. 

This is my joy. 

What is your joy? 

Does it encompass your life?

Is yours like mine?

When the bible mentions joy it says...

"This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it."

(Psalm 118)

"Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again rejoice!"

(Philippians 4:4)

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, 

and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; 

for this day is holy to our Lord. 

Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

(Nehemiah 8:10)

Having just returned from a Christian camp called Dare To Be Different these are my reflections...

A Slice of Heaven

Life in this shattered world (shattered by sin) is like living in a mirror that has started to be repaired yet you can still see the super glue.

Jesus has repaired the mirror of this world of sin. Him being the only one who could concur sin defeat death, and bring us back to God. For Jesus is the perfect priest, king and prophet this world has ever and will ever know.

Its' amazing how many ways God uses us. He uses us! Sinful people in this world to make him known. He moulds us into new people in Jesus and gives us his holy spirit to guide us through this new life with Jesus as Lord.

He loves us and gives us spiritual gifts and advantages. So use them. He'll surprise you how many ways the person you are can bring others to him and help them in their journey.

Introverts, extroverts, cultural background, musical abilities, singleness, marriage, male,female, the list of things that we can use for Gods' glory goes on.

We are his people. All different parts of Christ's' body. One huge family.

Speeding quality time with Gods' people over the course of five days, reflecting on his word and how he works in this world and our lives is truly a slice of heaven. A glimpse of what is to come. A new heaven and a new earth.

Revelation 21:Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 


This poem is dedicated to the leaders campers from 'dare 2 be different'. Thanks for making camp like you guys... pronominal! 

My computer broke last month so here it is now...

I am single

I am single.
Why?
I am single.
But you seem nice, friendly,attractive...
I am single.
What's wrong? Do you lack confidance?

Let me explain...
I am single because that's my marital satus.
There is nothing wrong, and I'm not gay.
I'm contented and not lonely.
Because I am a single person in a group of
people that I care about and that care about me.
Being single doesn't mean being alone.

But why don't I yern for male compainionship?
What makes me contented?
How am I not searching for a partner?

The answer is that it is okay to be single.
Being single is actually a good and
helpful experiance, however long it lasts.
It is not a problem
that needs to be fixed.

After all Christ was single.
And he had not problem with it.
Neither did Paul.
Paul thought of singleness as a spritual gift.
In 1 Corithians 7:7 Paul says;
"I wish that all men were as I am.
But each man has his own gift from God,
one has this gift another has that."

Getting married and starting a family
is not my main goal in life.
My life has a purpose; to honour God
and serve him. Married  or single.
I will live for him because he cares
about me and for me.

I don't know what God has planed for me.
I don't know what the future holds.
I just know that it will be filled with purpose.

The question is not "why am I single?"
The question is "how can I use my spriual gift
to the full while I'm still privalaged to possess it?"

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?