blog ~ faith ~ family ~ heartlife
Shopping at our nearest shopping centre today (Midland Gate) when I ran into someone I have immense respect for. We didn’t sing and we didn’t pray, but we did have Church right there as we talked. It’s nearly 6 years since I stood in the almost exact same place having church with one friend, and then another, and another – like a group skydive – each grabbing hold of the other as they floated by ‘by chance’.
Continue reading “Portable church”
When I was a young teen, the topic of the second coming/the rapture/the tribulation/end of days was a hot and common topic in the church. It does still come up, but much less than years ago and mostly I think viewed with suspicion and there-goes-a-fruit-loop-ism these days. Suspicion is good if it makes you look for Bible truth, and so is there-goes-a-fruit-loop-ism for the same reason, but mostly I think it’s I’m-havening-a-nice-life-don’t-interrupt-me-ism or maybe a case of no-one-ever-told-me-Jesus-is-coming-back-ism. Or maybe fear.
Continue reading “Trumpet sounds”
Monday morning mind mush.
A million minutiae making mockery of my methodical manner.
Making minutes mine to:
Stop.
Think.
Sort.
Be still.
More than once I’d have heard Pastors/teachers speak about how when we believe we’ve heard something from God, we need to stick absolutely to the purity of what He said, but that we have a tendency to add.
Continue reading “Adding to His voice”
Been thinking on Jesus time in the wilderness. This 40 day time period leads directly on from Jesus baptism. Breathtaking.
There was no doubt the devil knew who Jesus was. The devil wasn’t testing Him to see if He was God’s son… he knew it.
God had just announced Jesus as His Son – in whom He was well pleased at the river. The heavens were torn open, the Spirit rested on Him, and The Father’s audible voice was heard.
I’d had a miscarriage about 3 weeks before I stood at the edge of a gorge in Queensland marvelling at its beauty. Up to that stage, the miscarriage had been the hardest thing I’d ever known, and tears were never very far away. (This was 20 years ago almost exactly).
Continue reading “Growth of beauty”
Had a very smiley morning with my folks today. Have been taking Mum shopping often on a Thursday morning and today Dad came along too. Mainly for the fun of taking Miss 5 into school – though I cleverly forgot it was photo day and the usual half hour wouldn’t happen. Nevertheless content, we pottered off to Midland Gate and while Dad took a seat, Mum and I went off to hunt down the things she wanted.
Continue reading “Reminiscing”
Been thinking on Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
An idea I’ve not actually done with Teen Team at church was to ask them each to bring a collection of items that represent themselves, their personalities, attributes, interests. The kinds of things they’d want their children and grandchildren to know were important about them.
Continue reading “Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh #1”
We have a God Who turns
Water to wine
Weakness to strength
Rough to smooth
Dark to light
Curse to blessing
——————
(This was a VSP – very short post 🙂 )
The most agonising sorrows I’ve ever felt have been for others… a little of me in there too, but mostly others. When I watched a particular message by Michael Card, and heard this song for the first time, my heart sang with relief to know my sleepless nights were because my heart had a taste of the sorrow of Messiah… the man spoken of in Isaiah. To know this sorrow was how He felt for me… incredible.
I know the roundabout of sorrowing for another and feeling like the specifics of the Psalms don’t fit my cries, but when I learned that lamenting is worship, at least when addressed to the Father, it felt so purposeful instead of so very fruitless.
Prayers are eternal. Not a single word ever dissipates into nothingness.
So once again, if anyone’s headed for a sleepless night, know that addressing our sorrows to Him is very much prayer… and very much worship when we know and trust His heart for us.
I love this song by Kristen Getty – but I love her reading at the beginning of this clip even more.
A snippet:
I have cried upon the steps that seem
Too steep for me to climb,
And I’ve prayed against a burden
I did not want to be mine.
But, here I am and this is where
You’re calling me to fight,
And You I will remember
Through the watches of the night