I'm not American and I don't celebrate Thanksgiving Day, but I do like the idea of taking time to specifically think about the things in life we can be thankful for.
I need to take my eyes off the negative/critical/difficult things and spend time focussing on just how blessed I am.
So here is my list of things I'm current very thankful for...
1. Family - I love my family. They are so much to me. I am very blessed to have such a wonderful family. And I'm very much looking forward to spending time with family at the weekend.
2. Friends - my friends are very important to me. They listen to me, support me and show God's love to me in very practical ways. I love my friends.
3. Interact - I know I've said it before, but I am loving being part of the interact team this year. The teaching is great, the discussions are great, the quality time with people is great! I am really enjoying every part of it...even the snot and tears parts! God has been so good in enabling me to be part of this. So, so thankful!
4. The Internet - I know this one sounds a bit weird, but hear me out. Thanks to the wonderful inventions of skype and google+ I have been able to 'meet' up with friends and study God's word together during a time when I really needed it. Having children asleep at home, and being several miles apart would normally have restricted this time. But instead, we have been able to continue to support each other, and learn more about being godly women, through our study times together. Plus, internet shopping has enabled me to buy most of this year's Christmas presents without having to wander round numerous shops...great!
5. My church family - words are not enough to describe how blessed I feel to be surrounded my people who look out for me personally and for my family, who encourage us, challenge us, support us and just love us.
6. Tea - the difference a good cup of tea can make to my day cannot be underestimated!
7. Anthropologie - I unwisely stepped into their shop yesterday just for a 'look'! Ha! I left with two dresses that were both significantly reduced (my justification for buying them) and an anticipation for flouncing around in them!
8. Cake - After Jesus, and points 1 and 2 on this list...cake is the best thing on the planet! And so I shall end my list on this undeniable high!
Although there are many many many more things that I could add, and so many things to be thankful for...I shall leave it there and save some for another day.
Happy Thursday!
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Walking step-by-step
Life, faith, a relationship with God... is a journey.
Not a road trip or an international flight.
Not a rush from one thing to the next.
But a step-by-step walk. One foot in front of the other. Second-by-second, minute-by-minute, moment-by-moment.
Sometimes the walk is easy. The ground is flat. The scenery is interesting. The steps come naturally and with ease.
Sometimes the path is high, the view is astounding, the next steps are clear.
The journey is enjoyable. You travel far without even realising it.
Sometimes the walk is hard. The ground is steep or uneven. The night has set in. Your body aches, and it takes everything in you to keep going. To keep placing one foot in front of the other. Each step feeling slower and heavier than the last.
You need a rest. A chance to stop and take in the view. But the view isn't what you want to see right now. So you keep going. You have to keep going. Just to get somewhere else.
Its in these times when other paths become so attractive. The paths that others walk along, that seem to serve them so well. The paths that promise so much but deliever so little. The paths that only go downwards, whether gradually or swiftly.
Its in these times that we need to draw closer to God.
The one who will keep us from stumbling when the path is uneven.
The one who will be our light when the darkness surrounds us.
The one who will give us rest when we long for refreshment.
The one who will carry us when we get weak and weary.
The one who will use the journey to transform us. To re-form us. To restore us.
The one who will bring us to the new place when the time is right...and the one who knows exactly what that new place needs to be.
Whether the path is easy or hard...I pray that I walk each step with God.
Just one foot in front of the other.
Not a road trip or an international flight.
Not a rush from one thing to the next.
But a step-by-step walk. One foot in front of the other. Second-by-second, minute-by-minute, moment-by-moment.
Sometimes the walk is easy. The ground is flat. The scenery is interesting. The steps come naturally and with ease.
Sometimes the path is high, the view is astounding, the next steps are clear.
The journey is enjoyable. You travel far without even realising it.
Sometimes the walk is hard. The ground is steep or uneven. The night has set in. Your body aches, and it takes everything in you to keep going. To keep placing one foot in front of the other. Each step feeling slower and heavier than the last.
You need a rest. A chance to stop and take in the view. But the view isn't what you want to see right now. So you keep going. You have to keep going. Just to get somewhere else.
Its in these times when other paths become so attractive. The paths that others walk along, that seem to serve them so well. The paths that promise so much but deliever so little. The paths that only go downwards, whether gradually or swiftly.
Its in these times that we need to draw closer to God.
The one who will keep us from stumbling when the path is uneven.
The one who will be our light when the darkness surrounds us.
The one who will give us rest when we long for refreshment.
The one who will carry us when we get weak and weary.
The one who will use the journey to transform us. To re-form us. To restore us.
The one who will bring us to the new place when the time is right...and the one who knows exactly what that new place needs to be.
Whether the path is easy or hard...I pray that I walk each step with God.
Just one foot in front of the other.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Calling into Existence
"God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did"
Romans 4:17 NKJV
What has God spoken into your life that that does not seem to exist yet?
What has God breathed life into that once was dead?
What does God want to create in and through you that is not in your life at the moment?
What God sees when he looks at us is not the same as what we see. The words and promises he has spoken over us stand true, even when we don't see the evidence of them. Even when we struggle to believe they exist.
When we feel guilty, God has called us innocent.
When we feel lost, God has found us.
When we feel insecure, God has called us his own.
When we feel weak, God has given us his strength.
When we feel trapped, God has given us freedom.
When we feel like we can't go on, God has given us hope.
When we feel we need to justify or prove ourselves, God has given us grace.
What things has God spoken over you and into your life that you need to step into today?
Do you believe that you are innocent? Do you have hope and see your self as free?
What things are you waiting on God for? For him to call into life and bring into existence?
He will do it. He has done it already!
Romans 4:17 NKJV
What has God spoken into your life that that does not seem to exist yet?
What has God breathed life into that once was dead?
What does God want to create in and through you that is not in your life at the moment?
What God sees when he looks at us is not the same as what we see. The words and promises he has spoken over us stand true, even when we don't see the evidence of them. Even when we struggle to believe they exist.
When we feel guilty, God has called us innocent.
When we feel lost, God has found us.
When we feel insecure, God has called us his own.
When we feel weak, God has given us his strength.
When we feel trapped, God has given us freedom.
When we feel like we can't go on, God has given us hope.
When we feel we need to justify or prove ourselves, God has given us grace.
What things has God spoken over you and into your life that you need to step into today?
Do you believe that you are innocent? Do you have hope and see your self as free?
What things are you waiting on God for? For him to call into life and bring into existence?
He will do it. He has done it already!
Friday, 4 November 2011
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