Can we be an Island?

I had my playlist on this morning whilst I was making my breakfast and a song came on called No Man is an Island, and it made me think, can we be an Island? Do we have a capacity to be alone?

Sometimes we can end up going through stuff in life that makes us feel alone in what we stand for. Standing firm in the truth of the gospel can feel really lonely. But I don't think we can be an island.

As the chorus of the song says:

No man is an island, we can be found 
No man is an island, let your guard down! 
You don't have to fight me, I am for you 
We're not meant to live this life alone

We're not meant to live this life alone, Paul spends most of his new testament letters instructing the church in how to live together, to love and support each other, to share in each others sufferings and joys.

So can we be an Island? By no means,

If you're finding yourself standing alone as an Island, pray with your church family, on your own and find a way to get stuck in and share life with your church family. We're really not made to live alone, God says in Genesis 2v18, it is not good for man to be alone, so I will make him a helper.

Don't be alone, call on your brothers and sisters for support and love. And be that sister your family may need.

One to Ones

I've just recently started meeting with another one of the Young People in my Church Family and realised that yet again I've been struggling to remember the sort of helpful things to ask before getting stuck into the bible or the book we're reading together.

So I decided to compile a list of standard questions that I thought might be helpful and share them with you all in case any of them are helpful.
I'd love feedback of more I can add if you have more!

Blessings!

One to One Basic Questions:

·         How are you?

o   In yourself

o   At school

o   With friends

·         How is school?

o   Grades

o   Friendships

o   Joys and struggles

·         How are friends?

·         Church?

o   Attendance?

o   Understanding?

o   Joyful or a struggle?

·         Personal Christian life?

o   Quiet Times?

o   Prayer?

o   Is it fun?

o   What are you studying?

o   What are you praying for yourself?

·         Home?

o   How is life at home in general?

o   What do you do in your spare time?

o   How are you getting on with your family?

o   Do you get your own space?

o   Do you get family time?

·         How can I be helping you? Praying for you?

God meant it for good!

A while ago I put this verse on my Instagram page from Genesis 50 v 20: 

"You meant it for evil but God meant it for the saving of many!" 

So often I feel we can look around this world and ask How can God allow this to happen? But this verse reminded me that God looks after his children, he is shaping us and growing us to be more like him. We as humans have a heart problem, we are unable to be perfect, we are sinful people who need rescuing.
But who can rescue humanity? Clearly not a human because we are all messed up right?

Well, God came down from heaven as a man, fully God and fully man and lived a perfect life, he defeated death and was raised to the Father's right hand. Who better then to take the punishment for our wrongdoings?

If God wanted that much to save us that he would be able to send his only son to die to save us, then how can you think that he would want to hurt us? God surely just wants to shape us to show us what it looks like to be one of his people.

Hebrews 2v11 is one of my favourite verses in the bible and I'm going to leave it with you to ponder and reflect on but I hope you find it as encouraging as I do!

"Both the one who makes people holy and those who are holy are holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters."

Reflect, Receive, Respond

Reflect: It's the end of a term and a great chance to reflect on some on the great things that have happened this term! I have had the brilliant opportunity of going into local schools and getting them to look at the evidence and see for themselves. The kids have all engaged with this so well, interviewing the eyewitnesses (who tell the story from the eyewitness accounts in the gospels) and deciding who rolled the stone. 

Then to finish we read the passage where it says, the Angel rolled the stone and sat on it! What an amazing image, this super heavy stone that probably took 10 men and kit to move it and this angel just pushes out the way effortlessly and sits on it! It was such a great chance to really get my head round the events of the Resurrection because you have to know the accounts inside out!

Receive: In thinking through the Easter story so many times to present in so many different ways this term I've come to this point totally in love with the Lord Jesus and in awe and wonder of how painful yet miraculous this time would have been for him. 

The biggest act of love ever shown, and it's for me and for you! It's such a personal thing and I am so incredibly thankful I don't think words exist to describe it.

Respond: My prayer this week as we run up to Easter is to be: Thank you Lord Jesus for your wonderful sacrifice demonstrating your complete and holy power. Lord help me to submit to your power and kneel at the foot of the cross leaving all my cares and worries with you. Jesus help me follow your example of humility as I serve you and work for the growth of your kingdom!

Singing and Serving

Have you ever looked at your worship leader and thought, wow they seem so together and good, or, they're such a good performer. Or maybe you're that worship leader or band member.
Is this the question that should arise from our worship? Or should we not notice this and be thinking of praise instead?

Well I've been trying to think over this, as someone who sings in the church band, and work out just what our role is.

The first thing to remember is that as a member of a band we're there to serve the congregation, not as a performer. There is a time and a place for performing and I think it's a wonderful thing. But if you're in the band and you feel like you're performing, maybe you need to pray about your motives for being there.

Secondly, this is your opportunity to praise God! So remember who you're singing to, remember why you're doing it. This is an opportunity to spend time in prayerful reflection on your Heavenly Father.

Thirdly, read Colossians 3v1-17, especially verse 16 "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." We are to sing praises to one another teaching and charing wisdom, even in singing! So sing with your brothers and sisters, sing to them! 

Praise the Lord with all your heart, loving and serving your congregation. 
You have a gift. Use it for God's glory.
Raise your voice and praise the Lord.

Our Father

At the start of this month I had a wonderful opportunity to go to the 9:38 conference with a whole group of Ministry Apprentices just like me, and spend three days looking at our prayer life and what the bible teaches us about prayer.

One of the highlights, for me, was hearing Richard Coekin speaking on the Lord's prayer, showing us how the prayer our Lord Jesus taught us can structure our devotional prayer time.

Now before I continue this post, I want to make sure you know my prayer life is a constant battle that I am trying to turn into a joy! And this is all stuff I'm trying to work on and want to share with you! But it's hard and I have by no means got an answer to making it easier, remember it's literally a spiritual battle, Satan will do literally anything to distract you while you pray. Did I put the Dog out? Did I turn the oven off? That was a lovely program I watched today. He tries anything, to stop you talking to your Heavenly Father.

So, why have I entitled this blog post, Our Father, well, the Lord's prayer begins with this and I was shown that it is the most wonderful reminder of the privilege of prayer and the power of the one we pray to. Just stop and think for a moment, how amazing is it that you get to call the creator of the universe Father. The King over everything, the most powerful one ever known, Dad. We get to come to Him in times of Joy, sorrow, weakness, strength, love, heartbreak, anger and compassion. He doesn't change at all, His love-o-meter is fixed at maximum love. 

Our phone-line to Him is never engaged, faulty, out of service, or in a queue. It's instant and always open.

So, next time you make an excuse to pray, just remember, your Heavenly Father is always listening. He delights to hear you pray to Him. He longs for us to find treasures in His word and ask Him for them. 

He longs for us to speak to Him as our Heavenly Father, to embrace the privilege of prayer. 

Women who made me the woman I am today

The Fruits of the Spirit are the true things we should be striving for, to grow in and pray through. Praying that we would grow in this is not an easy prayer because to become more patient we must stretch our levels of patience, to become more kind, we have to see how far our kindness will go, but with prayer for help from God, we can do it!

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"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." 

Galatians ch 5v22-23

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There have been many Christian women who have influence many aspects of my personal growth in my faith and my approach to the bible and prayer life and showed me how to live out the fruits of the spirit. God has truly provided for me with all these wonderful women who have spent time with me teaching me, showing me and serving God wholeheartedly and I am incredibly thankful to them all.
I can't list everyone and I know that I have much more growing to do because really, I'm only just at the very beginning of my spiritual journey and I'm sure many many more people who will shape me and grow me to serve God and his Kingdom!

My Mother: She probably has the biggest influence. She has taught me everything from the day I was born, she has always encouraged me to challenge myself and always be kind. Even if being kind it's the hardest thing you ever have to do, try to make it top priority. When I was struggling with being bullied at school, she taught me to pray because my Heavenly Father is bigger than all of that and will give me the strength to carry on. When I feel lost she points me to my bible and shows me look to God for guidance. But most of all, she has shown me how to love, when I am cross with her, she still loves me, when I do things wrong, she still loves me. Even when things are totally imperfect, love conquers all. It is a God given thing, it has to!

Tinkerbell: This lovely curates wife spent a lot of time in my earliest years as a Christian discipling me and showing me how to be strong in my faith when it wasn't cool to be a Christian at school. Tink still to this day is only ever a phone-call away and has shown me ways of being a good Christian mum, friend and encourage me in single service of the Lord.

Climber girl: This lovely lady regularly trusts me with her children and has been a mentor to me throughout my apprenticeship! Her biggest influence has been showing me how to be Gracious and loving when having difficult conversations and teaching me to keep a clear focus in the growth of the Church in what I do.

Belle: When struggling with my body image, the lovely B took me straight to Psalm 139 and showed me God's grace and true love in creating me exactly how He intended me to be! She showed me that my heavenly Father truly cares for me and would never let one of His children go.

C'Cee: She has shown me how your what work God has for you to do is so much more important than your own preferences and being where you're comfortable. In one of my lowest moments at university she stood by me and showed me that God can give you the strength and courage to stand firm in your faith. She has always stood firm in every situation and gets straight back up when things knock her back, C'Cee has always shown me that Go will always hold your hand and pull you up if you ask him.

Mrs B: When I got to my uni church it was Mrs B who took the students under her wing like a wonderful mother hen. That was the first time at uni I felt safe and protected, as if she was my own mother! This lovely lady is married to a lovely man who (as far as I know) is not a Christian but supports her faith wonderfully, and I was really show by this lady to make sure that God was always top priority, He always took priority if it was home group, church, students coming over, prayer time, quiet time, anything! And rightly so, Mrs B showed me a true discipline of faith and a real hunger to serve God in everything she does.

Auntie J: Auntie, Grandmother to all, totally loving and a homemaker. If you were to pop round to auntie J's she'd truly make you feel like you belong, her home is like a safe space, a place to laugh, cry, be honest, be silly and talk about penguins with no knees! Auntie J has truly shown me that loving everyone with your whole self is so important, and that a Godly love can be to rebuke as well! But if you live by God's love, you're onto a good start!

Snow White: Snow is one of the most wonderful women I've met, she is kind, gentle, loving, patient and has a real heart to disciple women carefully studying the Word of God. She has truly shown me that challenging yourself with God'sword is so important, and whenever you're questioning what to do, pray. If you're doing well, pray. If you're struggling, pray. Snow has really shown me that a dependence on God, through prayer and disciplined study of His word is the way to get to know God and to grown in his knowledge. And that friends, couples, churches, families that pray together, stay together.

Ultimately though, I have been taught all these wonderful things by the grace of my Heavenly Father and without Him not only would I have none of this, but I wouldn't be here! So my aim is each morning to wake up thankful that He has given me another day to serve Him and to continue to study His word and grow in all these things.

Shaking up my Faith

Myself and a friend have just begun reading through Jen Wilkin's new book together None Like Him which is an exciting and challenging read so far.
I'd not heard of the wonderful Jen Wilkin until my friend showed me her blog, so I started to read through some of the posts. I have never felt more challenged and inspired to get stuck into being more proactive with my faith! Jen has a wonderful practical way of challenging your thinking and your faith.

Now I wouldn't say I was passive with my faith, but I had realised quite much how I'd got into a monotonous routine and that I'd forgotten to be joyful in my quiet times and prayer life and serving for the LORD.
Because honestly, God is AWESOME and He deserves to have 100% of everything! My joy, my love, my time, my energy, my all. The hymn that says Demands my soul, my life, my all. Has never been more true and such a kick up the backside! I would urge you to spend 10 minutes of your day to go over to Jen's blog http://jenwilkin.blogspot.co.uk/ and read through some of her posts. I would think she would graciously challenge you too!

If you have more time, invest in her book, |None Like Him or Women of the Word. Both of which I am greatly enjoying and are so well written for refreshing your quiet times and approach to God!

So I urge you to read to read one of the above, or even just have a think and pray into what you can do to spice up your quiet time or prayer time, because we must rejoice! Rejoice the LORD has come!

My Journey of Humility

Today whilst travelling on the train, I had to learn to be incredibly humble and ask for help.

Anyone who knows me would tell you that I like to be very independent and do it by myself and I allow my pride to get the better of me because I don’t want to appear “stupid”, I believe this is also a very British thing that we don’t speak to anyone but just get on with things.

Now the thing is, there was nothing stupid in what happened, I was waiting for a train at Appleby and wasn’t certain if the one that pulled in was the right one. After almost everyone else had got on I was still sat on the platform thinking this train was way too early.

A guy ,also going to Leeds, came over to me and asked where I was going and if he could wait with me. Great, my independence has someone other than me relying on it, time to learn to humility and take responsibility for the situation. Five minutes later the train is still at the station and I’m no longer sure if I should stay off this train.

So I stepped onto the train and prayed to the LORD asking that he would provide someone I could ask, and of course, he did and it was the train I needed to be on. The guy who was on the platform with me also got on the train in a slight panic but now, en route to Leeds station my journey continues but with much more humility.

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On the way back from Nottingham I was reminded how God never leaves us alone and we are always surrounded by other Christians. I boarded the train at Preston which was fairly empty, but my reserved seat was on a table with two guys probably about 19, and one had their bible on the table and must have been reading a particular passage. As I sat down next to the I felt a huge sense of relief, comfort and of being with family. We didn’t speak but just silently enjoyed Christian company. I thank the LORD for his lessons he has taught me on my travels that no matter how far away you may feel God is always bringing you back to His love.

This week has been a tough week from me, two people I knew at uni passed away within four days of each other and it made me truly realise just how important it is that we spread the good news that we have!
It was also an eye opening time for me to realise that it's okay to lose the front we have that everything is okay, it's human to struggle with these things and actually you need to open up and pray with Christian friends and let them help you.
They can actually have some pretty good advice!

Realisation of the week: Let people help you, don't keep that barrier up, because that is all it is, a barrier.

SWAK: Betraying Jesus in our daily life

Sorry for the controversial heading but can you say I'm wrong?

I know I'm guilty of doing the same, not just saying we don't believe but maybe just not standing up for Jesus as we should.
Please stick with me as I work through a few challenging questions to strengthen my faith, and hopefully yours too.

Let's begin with what we know:

We are all sinners.

We can be forgiven if we ask.

BUT

Do we use this as an excuse for our sin?

Do now pay later?

Will we follow Jesus to the cross?

Will we be Peter, asking for forgiveness?

Or Judas?

So when we sin, do we feel crippled with guilt until we ask for forgiveness? Or do we just remember as we go to bed that out of habit we should ask for Jesus to forgive everything we've done wrong, the end. 

Remember that Judas betrayed Jesus, he handed Him over to the authorities, but it would seem he showed no remorse. However Peter also denied Jesus three times, but Peter asked for forgiveness, he accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and went out to spread the Good News! 

We must decide when we sin, will we follow Jesus to the cross like Peter, or will we betray Him like Judas.

I hope that this Easter time like me, you can commit to being a Peter not a Judas and celebrate Jesus death and resurrection and spread the fantastic news that HE IS RISEN!

So you're a Christian in your twenties...

As a Christian in your twenties you're in a really weird spot, some of your friends are engaged, some are travelling, some are ignoring adulthood completely.

But things are great, you're out of education and into the real world! Unfortunately there is some responsibility you have to undertake, but here's some things I find helpful to remember when you feel like things aren't going right.:

• Singleness in not a bad thing that deems you unimportant
• God's plan A is the church, there is no plan B. Get involved!
• Regular time with God is super important.
• Don't aim to people please.
• You don't go on the shelf if you're not married by the time you're 22.
• You are not of this world.
• Your future has already begun.
• Not everyone has it all together yet, no matter how much instagram says they do.
• Who you are dating makes a difference, they become part of who you are.
• Adulthood isn't as scary you may think. Enjoy it.

So remember, it's only the beginning, don't stress.

The Mission in Sewing

Today I attended a sewing club that my mum goes to. There are only four of them that go, three Christians and a non Christian. It's not intentionally an outreach, however naturally it is one.

This is because we are all missionaries.

Some people would see this as a very bold statement but it's true! Anyone who knows their bible will tell you, we are not of this world. We are only here for a short period of time, here to tell people the amazing news of Jesus Christ! Of his salvation and wonderful, gracious love. 

Now this sewing club I went to today, without forcing any form of bible based conversation we ended up discussing the question; "How can God allow suffering?" a very difficult topic, but the non-christian was the one who brought it up and God had prompted that and placed us there to be His missionaries. 

You don't have to go abroad to tell people about Christ, yes the work of OM and other mission groups is fantastic and if you have the facility then go and do it! But don't be disheartened, mission is also on your doorstep! 

The Lord has placed you exactly where he wants you to be.

So take what he has given you. We all have been given gifts, just remember to use them.

You can even be a missionary just by sewing.

The Book that gave my Faith a Lift

Reading "Passion" by Mike McKinley:

I was recommended this book by one of the leaders in Berea at Maidwell 1, Pete Matthew and nearly a year later I really felt that my walk with Christ needed a kick up the butt so I pulled it off my rather extensive book shelf and began reading it on the train home. It has really helped to pull me up already (when writing this I've only read the first chapter) and I wanted to share it! So I decided to write this as I go along and almost openly discuss how it's shaping my faith and my personal reactions to the book whilst they are fresh and true.

I knew straight away on reading the dedications that it was a Christian hearted book because he asks for the book to shape a select group of people's hearts. This is what any Christian would want and straight away I felt encouraged to make a difference in myself and then pass this book onto someone else.

Only £5.03: https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/passion

Introduction:

In the introduction the author talks about our attitudes towards Jesus death and how it affects our lives using a football ticket analogy. We can treat the cross like a ticket to and even football game that we are carrying around in our pocket. We're really excited about it, but we won't need it until we get to the stadium. I know I often think like this and it's an easy trap to fall into but later on the author discusses how we are to live for Christ through our whole time on earth to reflect his graciousness to others in the world who do not understand what the cross means for us. He finishes the introduction talking about how amazed Christians are by this and how we will never fully understand God's plan but we are not supposed to, because we are not God. Finally he finishes with one of my favourite verses in the bible; to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1 v 21) We will gain so much when we die, eternal life and a perfect relationship with God, however, what Christ wants is for us to live out a life for him and tell the world the great news!

At the back of this book there is an eight day reading plan to allow time for reflection and meditation on what you have read and really think through the impact on our lives, I have decided to follow this plan and see how it goes.

Chapter one The Cup:

He begins with a chapter called The Cup, it focuses specifically on Luke 22 v 39-41 where Jesus goes up the Mount of Olives to pray, leaving the disciples and little while away so that he can be alone with His Father. Mike shows us how we relate to the disciples in this chapter with our misplaced priorities, the disciples are supposed to be praying that they would not fall into temptation (v40) however instead they fall asleep, and as the author says, when life is overwhelming, I often find it easier to sleep than to pray. It would seem that when the disciples fall asleep Jesus realises that He will go through is completely alone. Christians often talk about Jesus taking The Cup, but I've never really understood it, until now. Going back to the Old Testament in Jeremiah "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath" The Cup in a nutshell is a symbol of God's perfect and holy hatred for sin. We all deserve God's wrath and that cup fits us all perfectly. Reading over the passage again that this chapter is based upon Jesus anguish and pain I had to just stop and think. In the sub-section entitled The First Sip the author makes you look deeply at what Jesus is going through Just the taste, just the anticipation of that wrath was enough to make Jesus fall to the ground and sweat drops like blood, how much worse was His actual experience at His crucifixion the next day? I had to take a moment at this point and seriously think, think of my most painful experience and times that by a billion and it wouldn't even be close, that is just horrible, but it's not even the half of it. Thinking about the fact that Jesus didn't just leave and run away but he walked closer to the city where he was going to be killed. That is true obedience and as the author quite rightly says, and actually this was my first big kick-up-the-butt moment; the point is that you and I should realise we are not like Jesus, that we don't love and forgive and trust and obey the way that we should. We don't need an inspiring example we need a saving substitute. That for many Christians is a huge shock factor, the realisation that we are not to try to be Jesus, but we are to accept his substitution. That doesn't mean to say that we should just do what we want for the rest of our lives and use it as a Get Out Of Jail Free Card, but we mustn't think any of our saving is our own doing. It is all down to Jesus. We just live to show people how much of a saving gracious God we have.  

Well look at Jesus on the Mount of Olives, saying to the Father: I will take the cup. He took it for you. he loved you so much that he did that for you. You are loved, by the only One in the universe whose love matters eternally. He loves you!

The reflective questions hit me quite hard, they make you dig quite deep and go into yourself personally. This is what we need to do to make our faith true through and through to really begin to change. It asked me to be really honest with myself and say where I have gone wrong repeatedly and ask for help to change ourselves because we cannot do it alone. The one question that hit me really hard was “When and why do you feel unworthy of love?” As someone with depression you can quickly feel very alone and lost and therefore unloved. Actually as a Christian I don't need to feel that way at all! Jesus loves me unconditionally and I am never without him. That is an amazing fact and I've decided I'm going to put something on the inside of my wallet so that everything I am out and about I know he is there and he loves me! Actually I'm going to put little notes everywhere for myself as a motivation to get out of bed and go show the world how amazing Jesus love is!

I would recommend this book to everyone! All credit to Mike McKinley, fantastic author!

Only £5.03 at the moment! Bargain! https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/passion 

Spiritual Single Service

In an age of feminism we can easily get swept up in power, self love and self service. The HeforShe campaign and I don’t need feminism can distract us from our inner beauty.

The urban dictionary defines new age feminism like this:

 Unlike the old notion of feminism, the new age feminist does not demand to be treated the same way as a man. She demands that the differences between men and women are recognized, understood, and accommodated for.

As Christian women this is not the attractive inner beauty we are taught about through the fruits of the spirit. Galatians 5:20 tells us we should not live by; self-ambition, idolatry, jealousy and hatred. Instead we are told that the fruits of the spirit show; love, joy, peace, self control, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and patience.

When we sort out our inner beauty our willingness to serve should follow, serving and submitting makes us no weaker than anyone else, however it shows a strength and a courage above all. Remember Christ came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

We serve because we are on a passionate pursuit for Christ, not for self ambition.

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So, what task has God given you?

This could be miles away from your comfort zone, it could be away from home, it could be your next door neighbor.

Don’t let stubbornness, anxiety, pride or fear get in the way. We need to prayerfully consider what God has planned for us and go for it! We should enjoy our freedom to serve God whilst we are still single!

The definition of a servant;

One who is doing the will of another with resources of another for the benefit of another.

Cosette Conway