Wisely Gardens

A beautiful day at Wisely Gardens with a good friend, coffee, walking and lots of talking!!

 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas :)

Just some thoughts

If anyone is interested, here are some random musings:

1. Why do the British only talk about the weather? Ok so it keeps changing, but even when we go abroad to more stable weather countries - we still talk about it. Is it perhaps because we don't like meaningful conversation?

2. Is Facebook actually a waste of time? Does it aid or hinder my use of time? Would there be a difference if I spent more time in my close community and in prayer with God instead of looking at photos on facebook?

3.I really love the fact that its snowing. It is really beautiful and white and makes me think how Jesus will wash us clean as white as snow...now thats bright!

4. Why do I always feel Christmas is an anti-climax? Its like a self-indulgent holidays where I am not celebrating Jesus but I am enjoying more the fact that I will be getting nice gifts and everything shouts at me from the TV that Santa is some kind of scary God with his naughty and nice list...?

5. I do wonder why Christian ministry always seems about "doing" and being worn out. What about passionate grace filled ministry, where there is permission to fail and to enjoy telling people about Jesus.

6. My mission field is a lot harder in Plymouth then Peru. Funny that.

7. Some friendships really change and fade away. Sometimes that is good and allows room for new friendships. But the ones that stay the same are really special and are truly solid friendships - the kind that will weep and laugh with you, make fun of you and chat for hours with you while rebuking you now and then. I love those friendships!

8. Romans 8 is wonderful.

9. God really does comfort us in our afflictions.

10. I sometimes wish that more excitement and interest would go into the actual marriage and in becoming a wife which is for a lifetime then the one day that I wear an expensive dress, have a big party and eat cake...I feel some things have more significance...

Snapshot of Christmas Team Days Pt 2

Snapshot of Christmas Team Days

Team days. South East and South West. Ephesians. Mulled Wine. Soup. UCCF. Praying. Walking. Eating. Sharing Life. Captured in pictures...

Enjoying the Trinity

The great thing about being around so many great thinkers in my job is that I can pass on all the things that they do to encourage others. Mike Reeves is a brilliant speaker and makes theology easy to understand. So here are some resources...

You know how hard it can be to understand the Trinity? Its one of those subjects that we feel can be abstract and therefore never really plunge into. Yet imagine enjoying the Trinity? Can this be done? Well why not listen to Mike Reeves speak about the Trinity here:

1. Enjoying the Trinity: A delightfully Different God

2. Enjoying the Trinity: The spreading love

3. Enjoying the Trinity: This changes everything!

When you forget your first love...

Some days are such a battle where you just compare yourself to everyone. You look across that room and its so easy to feel worthless, its so easy to be in a situation where you feel like you can't handle it and you wish you were like someone else.Its really easy to get lost in your own thoughts about how you should be, to get lost in your own self righteousness - in the sense that you feel that people ought to tell you "well done". You continue along that road waiting for someone to give you approval and you live for it. How it satisfies your heart for about two seconds as you hear your name in a sentence of approval. Your heart lives for it. 

My heart lives for it. I live a life of wanting approval from everyone. Believe me I want to be the best staff worker not because of Jesus, but because people think I am. I want people to think I am creative,intelligent, an amazing evangelist, theologian and apologist oh and also sociable and the best friend they have ever had. I want their approval and I will strive to get it until I am exhausted and crying. Believe me this will only end in tears and a broken heart. It will end in a breaking point where I am so worried about what people think of me and if they think I am doing a good job, that I only fix my eyes on this and my insides begin to rot, my heart becomes hard and my first love is no longer Jesus but myself and approval. I will become a very sick person.

You know what needs to be done? I have discovered two things:

1. Repent - if this is you...repent and believe. I need to pour my heart out before God and say I'm sorry and ask him to soften that hard heart... 

2. Remind yourself of the Gospel and your status- Oh we have a sweet sweet Gospel. And this is because of our sweet Jesus and how beautiful He is. Everything is about Him and we need to come back to our wonderful Jesus. Pray for our hearts to yearn for Him and love Him because He is worthy and He is love. And do you know what? Your status is in Christ and this is not trashing your character, but its bringing you into the best relationship you will ever have and you will be adopted as a son or daughter. God "lavishes" his Grace upon us (Ephesians 1:7-8). This isn't a sprinkle its a lavishing, its plentiful and its right there in your relationship with Christ. So come back to Him because He gives you a beautiful status that is never changing and your approval continues to be in Him and continues to be by Him. Come back to Christ as your first love and be reminded of the glorious riches of His Grace...this speaks straight to my heart, I need to come back to Christ and have Him as my first love.

How much better it is to truly know who you are in Christ and to love Him with your whole heart. No longer are you fighting for other people to tell you what you are worth, but Christ gives you your worth. Its wonderful to be a Christian, its wonderful to know Jesus and to be loved by Him and no longer needing approval from anyone.

Frosty Plymouth

Here is my frosty Plymouth pictures from my garden. Check out some more of my pictures on flickr

A slipper in ice and Gospel fellowship

This is why I love my job - I can go away for a weekend and get to know students, be encouraged by Gods word, see randomness happen around me and warm hearts to the Gospel and its a great joy to call that work!

The best prank over the weekend was the slipper frozen in ice... what a brilliant idea!
The whole weekend was an encouragement and Andy Croft really excited hearts about living for Jesus! Now today is a day off, so its about enjoying rest which means I get to read a novel, go for lunch with a friend, watch a film and make cards... good times.

Here is a view from the houseparty after morning prayer...

Telling the Christmas Story...

We all love to hear stories. The drama, getting to know characters, becoming a part of the story and being plunged into the depths of different plots and seeing them come alive!

So over at Natwivity is a group of people telling the Christmas story this December...why not check it out?

Here is a snippet....

#Natwivity Darkness falls on Nazareth, Galilee. A breeze sweeps through the town, down streets, round alleyways, into Mary’s house

#Mary Has anyone ever seen an angel?! So bright, white light, kind of beautiful. He was just here. Right in front of me.


#Mary It’s like there’s this light and fire in my stomach. Life exploding inside me. "Nothing is impossible." That’s what the angel said.