God Speaks

Where are you my child?
I know you are sad, angry and in pain.
But I have been all these things and more.

Please just talk to me.
I am waiting at the door.
When you are ready, let me in.

To you I sent my son.
So that we could talk again.
Because I love you... whatever.

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.

Waiting...

Some find waiting difficult.

Some jump at their first option rather than wait.

Some do this in small ways until they magnify. 

We become easily impatient in this fast-paced world. 

Everything must be done now.

Waiting on others, we are tapping our feet.

Waiting for a holiday, we are working hard.

Waiting on God, we are questioning how long?

When I think of waiting on God

I remember those who have done likewise.

Abraham and Sarah waiting for a child.

David waiting for God to deliver him from many perils.

The Israelites waiting to return to the promised land.  

Simeon waiting for the promised Messiah till old age.

The disciples waiting for the Holy Spirit.

And Christians now and over the years waiting for Jesus to return and restore.

God may take his time to fulfill his promises and answer our prayers.

But his timing is never late, it's just when he carefully planned it to happen.

If we try to rush and hurry things along it may not turn out as well.

So be patient and wait for God.

Unlike other people in life he can be relied upon.   

Story

Everyone has a story.

Stories are everywhere.

There’s the story of an international student,

Trying to understand…

The story of a lady living in a nursing home,

Thinking of the past…

Stories of soldiers in distant places,

Waiting to return home…

In the future, past and present,

You can always find a story…

Everyone can tell a story,

When was the last time you paused to listen…?

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?

A Daughter of God

I was born into a dim place.

I didn't know where I fitted.

I looked to others to show me how to live.

When I was a teenageer I found a reason to live.

I stopped living my own way.

I started loving God and began to look to him for guidance.

I was reborn and accepted into a bright community. 

A family with the same father who teachers us how to love one another.

Today life makes sense. 

I am a child of God, and he teaches me to learn and grow and love as his daughter.

1 Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 

Soul Park

We move though life at such
a brisk pace, our minds full and
overcrowded.

Oftern I become far too absorbed
in this fast passing world.
I panic, become prideful
forget God is there and am too
self reliant to remmember him.

That is when I walk.
Away from traffice, crowds
of people, and calendars.

As I strolling though a park free from
the bustle my mind becomes clear
again, as many worries drop away.
I leave them behind, then pray .

Doing this, I am lost in
admiration of Gods' creation.
I thank him for the breeze, plants,
sky, animals, and the variety of
people that I pass by.

Speaking with God, I hand my
burdens over to him, because he is
far more capable of dealing with them
then I. My father embraces
me like the brezee for he is willing
to come to my aid.

For whatever the troubles of this world
God is forever by my side.
In sending his son as a sacrifice the bond
was reformed between God and humanity.

So now there is no curtain, no more
barrier of sin but freedom in Christ
whose sacifice makes prayer possible.
All I need to do is humble myself,
acknowleage this great privalge
and that sin runs though me, humble myself
and pray to my loving compassionate father.
He is not only ready but forever willing
to lend an ear and to listen as I reflect.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will
say it again: Rejoice! Let your
gentleness be evident to all that
the Lord is near. Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests
to God. And the peace of God,
which transends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus."

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?"

"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.

A decision made with love

Mark 14:36;

‘And he said “Abba, Father all things are possible unto thee;
take away this cup from me:
nevertheless not what I will but what thou wilt”’

At Christmas we celebrate a birth.

At Easter we celebrate a death and a new life for many.

Those lost, now found.

Those dead, now alive.

Those against, now for.

And why?

To fulfill and ancient prophecy?

To provide an interesting story to pass on?

To have something to pick at?

If he’d said no there would be 

No redemption,

No connection,

No family,

And

No Easter eggs.

If he had not obeyed his father.

But out of his great love for us he did.

He wasn't pressured.

He wasn't caught off guard.

He was intentional.

For him there was little loyalty.

For him there was little pity.

For him there was much pain.

For him there was separation.

For him there was loss of life.

But for us there was an abundance of Grace.

On that day a new life was created.

On that day there was the gift of redemption.

So accept it with thankfulness.

Don’t leave it by the wayside of life.

Instead grip it with vigor.

Let it fill you up until you are

Compelled to share it.

Remember it, and that with God 

Nothing is impossible. 

The edge

I dreamt that I was standing on the very edge of a chasm.

The name of that chasm was doubt.

Doubt in myself and doubt in the God I love.

Then I stumbled. Again and again I stumbled.

 I fell down, and further down

until I gave up on all hope of a rescue.

Then in that darkness I heard a voice.

“It is finished” It said.

With that I was lifted up on eagle’s wings.

I circled up and further up until light burst in upon me.  

I realised that although I had then given up on myself,

 my God had not and never will.

Because you see,

it is not our own fuel that propels us though life,

 for that is small and soon peters out.  

Instead, it is the love of our patient heavenly father

who lifts us each time we fail. 

And we do fail.

Each time we learn and grow

so that we might resemble him even more. 

It is indeed finished and our

relationship has been repaired

by the author of those words;

our saviour, Jesus Christ.

Broken 

I am broken. Smashed, 

seemly beyond repair.

I need to be remade. 

But no glue of this world 

can stick me together 

again. No amount

of parties, possessions, 

money, social status, or

anything else will sustain me.

So I have searched. 

After searching,

 I have found that 

none but the Lord can 

restore me. 

I am healed by nothing 

but his compassion and 

grace, poured out for us all

upon the cross. 

Now I may rest. 

I am at peace. 

Racist! 

A person is bursting with potential.

An individual is stupendous and skillful.

Men and women have unique ways of 

completing tasks and contributing in this world.

The great value of children no matter what may be 

their race or gender or abilities is always 

the same to their maker.

So...

what is it that makes a person a person?

Is it their race?

Is it their gender?

Is it their ability to fit into society? 

Is it their relationship with their spouse?

Or is it who they are as a human being?

So is there ever any excuse to be prejudiced towards others?

NO!

There are oh so many reasons not to.

So let me just share a few with you...

Our differences are what makes the world work.

Our differences are what gives us our personality.

Our differences separate us from the other creations of this earth.

Our differences are in fact how our God created us.

That is in fact the thing that ties us together.

That thing is that we have all been fearfully and wonderfully made.

So if we are going to discuss the race of another

then why not do it with respect to what the Lord has created.

For it is 'in his image that we have been made'.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 

Psalm 139:14 (King James Version) 

Upon The Beach of Grief

Grief comes in five waves of

emotions caused by

treacherous winds of pain and

regret.

Grief causes unique reactions in

individuals triggering

transformations and

determinations within the

individuals dampened

by this tide of

bereavement.

 When bearing up to such an

experience these individuals

endeavour to uncover

for themselves the right sort of

towel in which to wrap the

pain and confusion that is caused by

this rather

debilitating disorder.

The trouble is; there is only one that

will truly dry one and

not disappoint.

Only one that will not become threadbare

and leave one with little or no protection

against the great gusts of despair as they

essay to entangle and an entrap one in it's

dull-full tries.

This is the ever reliable,

unmistakable and comforting,

fortifying towel of

God's grace.

To my beloved old hound.

The Companionship of the Hound

O what a great and quiet joy it is stroll alongside a dog -

your dog.

To experience the simple wonders of nature through the senses -

together.

What a pleasure it is to possess all the five senses.

They operate in perfect harmony -

sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste.

All such senses work together

and when some fail the others prevail,

becoming stronger as they endure.

They make the gradual amble with an aged dog

a far more enjoyable and reflective time

than the otherwise lonesome and energetic jog that it may have been.

Sight: grants one the opportunity to observe one's sensorial surroundings.

Smell: allows you to inhale the fragrance of the flora

and the heavy breath of your dog, pacing patiently beside you.

Sound: enables you to hear the song of the birds and the soft rustle of leaves.

Taste: assists one to taste the fresh air that flows

as a consistent stream into the mouth, landing delicately on the taste buds.

Touch: allows one to feel the fur of the hound

alongside you as you meander along the path.

These things encompass the pleasure of the companionship of the hound.

A companionship that is the very best of friendship;

a friendship that is unique to that of the dog.

God - The Greatest Counsellor

When the time comes to grieve -

God is near.

When all you want to do is scream with frustration -

God is near.

When mental and physical pain becomes too great to bear alone -

God is near.

When you're convinced that the whole world is against you -

God is here.

When you could fill the entirety of a bucket with just your tears -

God is here.

He really is the greatest counsellor, comfort, and companion we could ever have.

...

James 4:8 ; "come near to God and he will come near to you."