Karen's Scribbles

Conformed or transformed?

2012-01-20T09:08:00.004+01:00

Interesting and vital devotionals from UCB over the last couple of days on whether we want to be conformed or transformed - of course we would all say transformed, but it doesn't come without a price and it isn't easy.

Transformation requires a continual commitment to being changed into God's likeness, submitting ourselves to His processes and surrendering our will to His.

The result? Christlikeness. A pure heart. The only way our lives can be of impact is to be like Him in every way. He conquered through love not the sword. He advocated forgiveness and not revenge.

There are timeless principles we can apply today: it is better to give than to receive; if we sow we shall reap, in due season. Love your enemies. Forgive them.

Easy to write - not easy to live! Living the Christian life is impossible - without Christ! With Him, all things are possible.

Lord, today, may Your life flow through me to touch others. May You be glorified through me in all I think and say and do. Amen.

2012-01-19T19:52:00.001+01:00

He is a God who can be found.
A God who can be known.
A God who wants to be close to us.
That's why He is called Emmanuel, which means 'God with us'.

But He draws close to us as we draw close to Him.

Il pleure dans mon coeur

2012-01-05T09:27:00.002+01:00

Il pleure dans mon coeur

Comme il pleut sur la ville ;

Quelle est cette langueur

Qui pénètre mon coeur ?

Ô bruit doux de la pluie

Par terre et sur les toits !

Pour un coeur qui s'ennuie,

Ô le chant de la pluie !

Il pleure sans raison

Dans ce coeur qui s'écoeure.

Quoi ! nulle trahison ?…

Ce deuil est sans raison.

C'est bien la pire peine

De ne savoir pourquoi,

Sans amour et sans haine,

Mon coeur a tant de peine !

PAUL VERLAINE

Advent

2011-12-18T23:14:00.002+01:00

Today I discovered a new blog. It is well-written, has beautiful photos and is encouraging and challenging.

I loved what Ann Voskamp wrote about Advent and it found an echo in my heart. This year I have not made much of a thing of advent. Today we lit the advent candles for the first time and next Sunday is Christmas already! I remember a few years back that I would ensure we lit them every Sunday in advent to remind the whole family what Christmas really means. To move our thoughts away from decorations and presents and the whole whirlwind of preparation to think about the coming of Christ, the adoration of the Magi, the foretelling of the prophets...

This year, with our daughter away and both me and my husband swamped with work, there hasn't been much time to reflect on the meaning of Christmas. The thought that mostly went through my mind was that each year I like Christmas less and less.

I didn't want to put up decorations that make cleaning the house difficult. Then when they were up each one reminded me of something from over the years - the few we had when we were first married, the ones that commemorate our child's birth or other momentous events in our lives. And of course, the advent candles.

Giving presents somehow seems pointless when, even in the economic crisis, we in the West have so much and others have so little. And yet as I give some inexpensive gifts, chosen with care, and see the warmth they bring and the love they express, it is worth it.

One of the reasons I say I don't like Christmas is that since my parents' deaths five and nearly four years ago respectively, I miss them especially at Christmas. I think the first couple of years my intention was just to 'get through Christmas without them'. In a way I think I put my feelings of mourning on hold. This year I was surprised by tears as I came across a recipe in my mother's handwriting hidden away in a drawer... It's true that nothing can bring them back but it is also true that they enriched my life and the lives of so many others and no-one can ever take away the unique experience of growing up in the family they created. Two very special people. Not perfect, but each one wonderful in their own way, deeply loved and often remembered. The memory of Christmas' past, of growing up, of their love as grandparents for my child, their acceptance of my husband. All these enrich the memories of Christmas.

So, back to advent... this is an excerpt from Ann's post, but I encourage you to read the whole post:

Preparing for the holidays is primarily a preparing of the heart. Because what comes down is love and the way to receive love isn’t to wrap anything up — but to unwrap your heart.

This will take time. This will take waiting. I must make space for these. Why don’t I make space just for the heart unwrapping? Advent could light a lukewarm heart. Burn up everything that wraps it tight…
Advent – this is the season of preparing that prepares us for any season of life — because we are preparing our lives for Christ to enter in — which prepares for us the life without end.
Is that the ultimate purpose of this life — the preparing for the next life?
Is this why Christmas, Advent, unlike any other time of year, glimmers with a glimpse of heaven — because it’s the time of year we’re fulfilling our purpose, preparing for Christ and His coming again? The Christmas tree’s been lit for weeks, a beacon, a preparing, an anticipation. Why is it easier to make Christmas cookies than to make our hearts ready for Christ? Is getting ready for Christmas as simple and difficult as simply sitting stilled before the cradle of Christ?

Turning the calendar page to December doesn’t turn life into this dance of the sugarplum fairies. Christ shied from the sanitized — He chose the dung heaps and entered in at our stinking places.

And Christ comes and cracks into this world and the carapace of our hurting hearts, and we can hear Him coming: I came in unexpected ways the first time and I will come again in the hour you think not, so trim your wick, you there in the impossible dark, and light an unexpected flame regardless, and be ready with impossible hope, for I am coming again.

We’re ready for Christmas, not when we have all the gifts, but when we are ready for Christ — when we’re ready to give all of ourselves to Christ.

So, set aside some time to think and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and to allow Christ to enter in.

No ear may hear His coming,

But, in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him still

The dear Christ enters in.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T10:38:00.001+01:00

Eucharisteo means to give thanks,

and "give" is a verb,

something that we do.

God calls me to do thanks.

To give the thanks away.

That thanks-giving might

literally become thanks-living.

That our lives become

the very blessings we have received.

- Ann Voskamp

The Call by Rick Joyner

2011-11-10T14:23:00.000+01:00

Just finished re-reading The Final Quest and The Call. These books really revolutionised my thinking when I first read them. Reading them again I am so aware that they are even more pertinent and that these last days are upon us.

We, the church, need to wake up to what is happening in the world and become what God has called us to be. Above all to seek Him, to abide in Him, listen to His truth and live it out. We are to be light in the midst of the ever-growing darkness we see around us in these troubled times. We need to see beyond the natural.

Today, particularly, I have an ominous sense of somthing brooding, something about to happen... tomorrow is 11.11.11 - a date that seems significant. I know a lot of good things are planned for tomorrow, such as The Call in Detroit, a call to prayer in Spain for the My Hope ministry, etc.

I have a sense that life as we know it could come tumbling down at any time - the Eurozone crisis, troubles in the Middle East, the financial crisis generally, natural phenomena becoming increasingly frequent. These are, after all, the signs of the times.

Seek Him, while He may be found. He is a God of love and mercy. He is all about redemption.

Let the Refiner Do His Work!

2011-09-28T08:27:00.000+02:00

'He will sit as a refiner... of silver...' Malachi 3:3

It's hard watching someone you love going through the refiner's fire, but it's the only way to get pure silver. It's hard watching the refiner turn up the heat until all the scum on the bottom rises, every impurity is removed, and He finally sees His face reflected on the surface. But only then is the work complete. And that's God's goal for each of us.

When we pray, 'Make me more like Jesus,' we're asking the Holy Spirit to do a work in us. Usually we don't change until the pain of staying the same becomes unbearable. For most of us, knowledge is not the bridge to growth - pain is.

No matter how much you love someone, don't try to rescue them from God's dealings. The worst thing you could have done for the Prodigal Son was go down to the pigsty, clean it up and make it comfortable for him. That's called 'enabling'. Let the refiner do His work!

For much of his life Jacob didn't think he needed God. He'd probably have told you, 'I'm doing just fine, thank you!' But the time came when he had to go home, stand before his father and face the wrath of his brother Esau whom he'd wronged. And that's when he became willing to wrestle with God and say, '..."I will not let you go unless you bless me"' (Genesis 32:26 NIV).

Change usually comes when it hurts so much that you have to change, when you learn so much that you want to change, and when you receive so much that you welcome change.

Bob Gass in Word for Today

Rebeca's Adventures

2011-09-06T16:13:00.000+02:00

Today Rebeca arrived home from Costa Rica where she has spent a month helping out in foster homes with under-privileged children. She went with three other girls from Spain and it sounds as though they have had a fantastic time. Apart from actually working with children and getting to know a new culture they also travelled there and back on their own. Today when they arrived they had been travelling for 24 hours from San José, Costa Rica to Houston, Texas then to Newark, New Jersey and then to Madrid!

Rebeca is off on another adventure tomorrow - going to study in France for five months! Not much turn-around time! We quickly packed her cases, although she had left one more or less packed before she left. Then some of her friends came round to go out to lunch with her. Later on more are coming to say goodbye. She only has one day in Spain to say hello and goodbye to everyone! Thank goodness for Internet and Skype these days. It was very different when I went to France and then Mexico for six months each and letters from Mexico took two weeks to arrive!

Hold Steady and Let God Work

2011-08-29T12:20:00.000+02:00

'...our light affliction... is working for us...' 2 Corinthians 4:17

There are times in your life when everything you attempt to do will seem to go wrong. Your faith may be strong and your commitment deep, yet adversity will come knocking on your door. In such times, the power of prayer will strengthen and stabilise you. But you can't pray away life's seasons!

God has a purpose for not allowing you to be fruitful all the time. Real growth requires seasons of struggle as well as seasons of success. Your seasons of struggle destroy pride in your own ability, increase your dependence on God, and cause you to say, like Paul did, 'Not that we are sufficient of ourselves... our sufficiency is from God' (2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV).

These are humbling experiences, but you need them. Your life is like a tree: in winter it silently refurbishes its strength, preparing for the next season of fruitfulness. As you look back on your life's accomplishments you'll notice that they are seasonal. There are seasons of rain as well as sunshine, and each season serves an important purpose.

That's why it's a mistake to make a permanent decision based on a temporary circumstance or changing emotion. '...the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal' (2 Corinthians 4:18). The word temporal means 'subject to change'. Hold steady, it's not always going to be this way! Sometimes the situation doesn't call for action, it calls for patience and trust in God.

Paul writes, 'Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us.' In ways you cannot understand, God is making the circumstances you're in today work for your good.

Bob Gass in Word for Todayhttp://ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

Holiday Scare

2011-08-23T16:21:00.001+02:00

My husband and I had been having a lovely holiday touring northern Portugal. We had been in Portugal for just over a week and had visited the Douro wine-making region, then Oporto and the mountainous region of Gêres. We travelled a bit further north to the coastal town of Viana do Castelo, the only place we had actually visited before. We had planned to relax, visit the beach, maybe buy some of the beautiful blue and white pottery the region is known for.

However, we had only really just arrived at our accommodation when Oscar started to feel ill. Initially it just seemed like gas - maybe too much breakfast, too long a gap between meals or perhaps a chill from the open doorway while he was having a siesta. None of the usual methods to clear it worked - indigestion tablets, anti-gas tablets, mint tea, burping - after four hours of this we went to a chemist and they gave him alka-selzer. I wasn't very convinced but he took it. He lay back down on the bed and said, "If I'm not better in three hours take me to the hospital." I replied that I wasn't going to wait three hours - I had already decided on waiting about an hour to see if the alka-selzer worked.

After only about ten minutes he said he was having difficulty breathing and the pain was worse and asked me to go to the main house where the owners of the accommodation lived to get them to call a taxi. I went up to their house and Alfredo, the owner, immediately said he would take us. The hospital was a 10 minute drive.

Afterwards I was thinking about the visit to the emergency ward and how we could see God's provision. First that it didn't happen at any of the previous places where it would have been much more difficult to get to a hospital - in the Duero valley with little winding roads, miles from a major town; in the countryside an hour from Oporto; in the Gêres mountains, again an hour from a big town with a hospital. Also that it didn't happen while he was driving. We had already arrived in Viana do Castelo and settled in, met the owners and chatted to them.

At the hospital the lady receptionist was very efficient and kind. When Oscar said he couldn't breathe she shouted out for a wheelchair and he was immediately sent to triage for priority treatment. They did an ECG and gave him a cocktail of morphine and omeprazol which took the pain away very quickly and then ran a whole battery of tests.

I kept insisting that Alfredo went home and that I could get a taxi back but he said he wouldn't want to be alone at a hospital in a strange town when you barely speak the language (although fortunately we can both understand Porguese quite well and Oscar does speak quite a bit from having worked with Portuguese colleagues). In the end Alfredo took me back for a couple of hours rest once I'd spoken to the doctor, then we went back to the hospital at 9 pm and he stayed until gone midnight when Oscar was finally discharged. Then he took us to the emergency chemist to get the prescription. Once we got back to the lodgings they invited us in to their house and were very concerned, asking what he could eat for breakfast etc. It was as if God had sent an angel to look after us!

Casa do Ameal, where we staying in Viana do Castelo

The final diagnosis was hepatic colic caused by a fatty liver - probably due to eating eggs, bacon and sausages most mornings, fatty cheese and more wine than usual! We came back from holiday a few days early to see our own doctor and are still waiting for the results of the Spanish bloodtest (of course, the Portuguese one wouldn't do!). Probably though, with the right diet and exercise the condition can be controlled.

2011-08-23T15:51:00.000+02:00

'He will... oppress the... people of the Most High...' Daniel 7:25

Satan uses two strategies.

First, 'he will defy the Most High.' Satan will always attack God's plan, God's principles and God's people, so be on guard!

Second, 'he will... oppress the... people of the Most High.'

Weariness is a weapon satan will use against you. When you're worn out, you're vulnerable. At that point temptation can lead to compromise, compromise to indulgence, and indulgence to defeat.

'...make no provision for the flesh' (Romans 13:14 NKJV). Don't give satan an inch or he will take a mile.

Your mind is where the real attack takes place. The Bible warns you to be careful, '...lest you become weary and faint in your mind' (Hebrews 12:3).

Satan will wear you down in order to wipe you out, so you must take time to replenish your strength in God's presence.

It's easy to get caught up in the work of the Lord, and not spend time with the Lord of the work.

Jesus said, 'Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it... I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live...' (Matthew 11:28-30 TM).

When you commit yourself to doing God's will, God's way, in God's strength, you don't wear out. You're fulfilled, you stay in balance, and you overcome the stress and anxiety of this world. And that's how God wants you to live.

Bob Gass, UCB

Your Best Days Are Still Ahead

2011-08-05T10:35:00.001+02:00

'..."Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara..."' Ruth 1:20

Yesterday my daughter left to go to Costa Rica for the month. It is a great opportunity for her to experience new things and to serve others - she is volunteering at an orphanage. When she comes back she will be going off to France for five months to study.

Now I understand how it is easier to go than stay behind! As much as I want her to go out and do worthwhile things with her life, part of me feels like the things expressed in the devotional below, how Naomi felt after losing her sons. I don't want to become bitter or apathetic. I want to find out what new things God has in store for me because I know He has not done with me yet! I still have so much more to learn and the assignments He has for me seem overwhelming at times. It's all about being, not doing. The most important thing in life is our relationship to God and how we view Him.

Learn to build your life around your person, not your role, otherwise when your role changes you'll lose your sense of worth.

Being a good mother is a noble calling. It's also a self-sacrificing job. But when your children leave home and those demands are over, it's easy to feel like Naomi did. Her name meant 'my joy' But after her two sons died she changed her name to Mara, which means 'bitterness'.

Don't allow changing times to change who you are, or to make you stop dreaming and give up hope.

God still had a lot for Naomi to do. In the future she would mentor Ruth, who would give birth to a son who was destined to grow up and become part of the lineage of King David and our blessed Lord. What an honour!

When your role changes, remember that your life's not over. See your own worth as a person, discover your next assignment, gather up your assets and keep on living and giving.

Don't develop a 'Mara mentality'. She allowed herself to become cynical when her circumstances changed; don't let that happen to you! Discouragement often comes when we feel like we've seen it all, heard it all, done it all, and most of it was bad.

No matter how old you are, you can never say you've seen it all.

God can do '...exceeding abundantly above all that [you] ask or think...' (Ephesians 3:20). You don't know what God will do with your life before it's over, but He has a way of saving the best for the last.

From the Word for Today

Living without Regret

2011-07-30T11:37:00.002+02:00

''...that I may finish my race with joy...'' Acts 20:24

Imagine your life is over and you're standing in front of a big DVD player. God inserts a disc with your name on it labelled 'What might have been'.

It details everything He wanted to accomplish through you: How He wanted to bless you financially, but you were afraid to sow into His kingdom and be generous with others; how He wanted to use your gifts, but you lacked the discipline to develop them and the courage to use them; how He gave you great relationships, but you weren't truthful and loving enough to maintain them; how He longed to reproduce in you the character of Christ, but you refused to deal with your sin, resist temptation, and pursue spiritual growth.

The poet said, 'Of all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these - it might have been.'

But there's a bright side. As long as you're still breathing, you can close the gap between what is and what can be.

So stop and ask yourself, 'What can I do now to live without regrets later?'

Here's what: start renewing your mind each day with God's Word instead of filling it with junk. Use your talents and your treasures to build His kingdom instead of your own. If you do, you'll discover that God gives '...seed to the sower...' (2 Corinthians 9:10 NIV). The more seed you sow, the more seed God will give you. And how about making time to disciple somebody? That way your legacy will be greater than your lifespan.

It's not too late to become the person you might have been - if you're willing to start today.

Bob Gass in Word for Today

Need direction?

2011-07-23T13:11:00.000+02:00

''The Lord watches over the path of the godly...'' Psalm 1:6

God will speak to you through relationships. Sometimes He will give you direct revelation, but often He will speak to you through relationships. His Word says,

'Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you...' (Hebrews 13:7 NIV).

Who speaks into your life? To whom are you submitted?

Without good input you will live unprotected and undirected.

God will speak to you through your gifts.

'A man's gift makes room for him...' (Proverbs 18:16 NAS).

When God is directing your steps you won't need to kick the door open or force your way in. Your gift will bring a solution and meet a need; therefore, you'll be welcomed, valued and rewarded.

He'll speak to you through your thoughts.

'...we have the mind of Christ' (1 Corinthians 2:16 NIV).

When our minds are renewed by His Word and lined up with His will, God actually thinks through us. Consider what an advantage that is!

God will speak through open doors. Paul wrote,

'For a great door for effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries'

(1 Corinthians 16:9).

God will open doors for you, but you must remember that with every opportunity He gives, challenges come too. That's what builds your faith and strengthens you for the future.

He will speak through 'a word' of confirmation.

'Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it...' (Isaiah 30:21).

Note the word 'behind'. This word comes after you obey God, letting you know you've made a good decision and that you're on the right track.

Yes, you can be led by God. His Word says,

'The Lord watches over the path of the godly.'

Bob Gass, in Word for Today

Fulfilling your destiny

2011-06-21T11:10:00.001+02:00

God will help you to be all you can be, but He will never help you to be somebody else. When you try to be somebody else, you lose yourself in the process. God wants us to fit into His plan, not yield to pressure and try to fit into someone else's. It's all right to be different; different is OK!

Find out what you're good at, throw yourself into it wholeheartedly and you'll start to experience true joy. Besides, when you try to do what somebody else is good at, you generally fail, right? That's because God hasn't assigned you to do what they are doing, or at least not in the way they're doing it. But that doesn't mean you're not good at anything.

Here's an important key: focus on your potential, not your limitations.

We all have limitations and we must accept them. That's not a bad thing, it's just a fact of life. Actually, it's wonderful to be different without feeling like there's something wrong with you.

Spiritually mature people know that God loves them as they are and has a purpose for their life, so they're not threatened by the abilities and accomplishments of others. They enjoy what other people do, because they enjoy what they themselves do. Paul writes, 'Let us not become... competitive... envying and... jealous of one another' (Galatians 5:26 AMP).

In the end, what matters most is being able to say as Jesus said, 'I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do' (John 17:4 NIV).

Any time you can say that, you did it right!

Thanks to Bob Gass in Word for Today.

Led by the Spirit of God

2011-06-20T09:57:00.000+02:00

Another treasure from Word for Today.

'...led by the Spirit of God...' Romans 8:14

Life is like a maze; it's easy to get lost. Pressure comes at us from every direction to keep others happy. We study the important people in our lives, trying to decide what they want from us and how to give it to them, and in the process we lose ourselves.
You need to stop and ask,

'Who am I living for? Why am I doing the things I do?'

Paul writes, 'Having gifts... that differ... let us use them' (Romans 12:6 AMP).

What has God called and equipped you to do? Those who succeed at being themselves don't allow others to control them because they're led by God.

'As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.'

Don't be upset because people place demands on you.

It's your life, take charge of it!

The pressures you feel right now may not be coming from others at all; they may be coming from your own people-pleasing instincts! Yes, there are times when we all do things we'd rather not do. We do them because we love others, and in so doing we show '...the fruit of the Spirit...' (Galatians 5:22). But that's different from being controlled by your own insecurities or the endless demands of others. When you try to become everything to everybody, you get lost in the process. Plus, when you live for people's approval, you risk forfeiting God's.
It's time you started praying, '..."Lord, what do You want me to do?"...' (Acts 9:6 NKJV).

Once He reveals it to you, commit yourself to it fully, regardless of who does or doesn't agree.

2011-06-10T09:58:00.000+02:00

I read this from the Word for Today this morning and it seemed as if it had been written just for me! Over the last few months I have been trying to be bold and speak out what God has put on my heart but it just seems to back-fire! It's true, at times I have been too brash and insensitive in the way I have communicated. Rejection has made me doubt my ability to hear God, my self-worth and defintiitely where I am going in life.

So, it is time to put the hurts aside and tune my ear to the Father's heart and speak the truth in love, even if it does go against what everyone else is saying or doing. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, not what the people around Him expected or wanted Him to do.

You Must Be Bold! 07 Jun 2011

'...we were bold in our God...' 1 Thessalonians 2:2

If you want to be led by God you must learn to be bold; not rude or insensitive, but bold, because God will sometimes direct you to do things others don't understand or agree with.

Any time you step outside the boundaries of what others think is acceptable, you risk rejection. So be it! You can't allow that to keep you from doing what you know God wants you to do. Confronting criticism becomes a little easier when you remember that, ultimately, '...each of us shall give account of himself to God' (Romans 14:12 NKJV).

It hurts to be criticised. But if you're to succeed in life, you must have the attitude Paul had. Ben Campbell Johnson paraphrases Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4:

'I am not the least concerned with the fact that you are deciding what is right and what is wrong with me... Neither you nor anyone else can put me down unless I first put myself down (and I'm not doing that)... Though I don't know of anything against me, my ignorance doesn't mean that I am correct in my appraisal, because the final evaluation is in God's hands.'
Secure people can handle being the only ones doing something. They can also allow others the same choice because they know we have been called to love one another, not analyse and categorise one another!

To avoid growing old and feeling like somewhere along the way you got lost and never succeeded at being what God called you to be, you must be bold.

From Word for Today.

Surrender!

2011-02-16T09:07:00.000+01:00

I read this this morning in UCB's Word for Today:

Surrender isn't just the best way to live - it's the only way! All other approaches lead to frustration.

The Bible calls surrender '...your reasonable service' (Romans 12:1 KJV).

Your wisest moments will always be those when you say yes to God. Sometimes it takes years, but eventually you discover that the greatest hindrance to God's blessing in your life is you. You cannot fulfil His purposes while you're focusing only on your own plans and self-interest.

If God is going to do His deepest work in you, it will begin with surrender. So give it all to God: your past regrets, your present problems, your future ambitions, your fears, your dreams, your weaknesses, your habits, your hurts and hang-ups. Put Jesus in the driver's seat, and take your hands off the wheel. Don't be afraid; nothing that is under His control can ever be out of control.

Surrendered to Christ, you can handle anything life throws at you.

In the Secret Place of Your Presence

2011-02-04T09:20:00.000+01:00

Going to the Women Aglow conference in Toledo today. Daughter is coming with me for the first time and four other women from church plus some other close friends.

The topic is just what God has been impressing on me lately: we need to get into that secret place with Him to draw from His strength and joy and life but especially just to be with Him, to know Him in a deeper way, to love Him more.

Do it Lord!

The Mind of God toward you

2011-01-23T21:56:00.002+01:00

There is never a time

when you're not in His thoughts,

never a time without grace,

never a time when He turns away

from any need you face.

There is never a time

when you're not in His heart,

never a time without love,

never a time when you're not blessed

with good things from above!

How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I wake, I am still with Thee. Psalm 139:17-18

Excerpt from the devotional gift book Always Loved by Roy Lessin

Read encouraging messages by Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer, on Roy's blog, Meet Me in the Meadow.

New Year 2011

2011-01-09T20:38:00.000+01:00

We had an interesting time at church today thinking about what God has for us in this coming year. The pastor wanted to make a 'declaration' - that we should be willing to change to become the people God wants us to be.

Another sensed we are held back by past failures - or successes - and need to look at the 'now' of what God is calling us to.

Others urged us to consider the hidden things that God has for us. To seek Him and His presence and listen to His voice.

Still another said that God wants to shake us up and move us out of our lethargy and unbelief and into the realm of faith - where all He has said and proclaimed over us will come to fruition.

Becoming more Christ-like (3)

2010-12-31T10:49:00.000+01:00

'...we become more and more like him.' 2 Corinthians 3:18

To make us more Christ-like God will use His Word, other people, and difficult circumstances. God's Word provides the truth we need to know, God's people provide the support we need to grow, and difficult circumstances provide the environment we need to show Christ-likeness. If you apply God's Word, connect regularly with other believers, and learn to trust God in every situation, you will become more like Jesus. Count on it; it will happen!

You say:

1) 'Some days I wonder if I'll ever get there.' Spiritual maturity is neither automatic nor guaranteed. It's a gradual, progressive development that will require commitment and discipline. 'This will continue until we are...mature, just as Christ is...' (Ephesians 4:13 CEV). Even when you falter and fail, God will be faithful to you. He is committed to your spiritual growth as long as you are!

2) 'Sometimes I wonder if I've chosen the right career.' All of us have times of doubt and confusion. Don't worry about it. God's more concerned about your character than your career, because you'll take your character into eternity with you. The Bible says: '...Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out...Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you' (Romans 12:2 TM).

Every day you must make a decision, a counter-cultural decision to focus on becoming like Jesus. As you do, God's indwelling Spirit will empower you to carry it out.

UCB Word for Today

Becoming more Christ-like (2)

2010-12-31T10:46:00.000+01:00

'...we become more and more like him.' 2 Corinthians 3:18

Spiritual growth could be compared to a seed, a building, and a child. Each requires our participation. When planted, seeds must be watered, fertilised and protected. When erected, buildings must be maintained. When born, children must be cared for, taught and disciplined. Getting the idea?

Now, effort has nothing to do with your salvation, but it has everything to do with your spiritual growth. You can't just sit around and hope to evolve into spiritual maturity. Paul explains our three responsibilities in becoming more like Christ:

1) Deciding: '...everything - connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it!...' (Ephesians 4:22 TM). We must decide each day to let go of our old ways.

2) Renewing: '...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...' (Romans 12:2 NKJV). The Greek word for transformed is 'metamorphosis,' which describes the amazing way in which a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly. It's a picture of what happens when we spend time in prayer, feed on God's Word and allow Him to direct our thoughts. As we take on the beauty of Christ's character we begin to grow and soar to new heights.

3) Clothing: We must clothe ourselves each day with the character of Christ. How do you do that? By developing new habits. Your character is made up of the sum of your daily habits. What you do, you become! So, '...put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness' (Ephesians 4:24 NIV).

To become Christ-like you must commit yourself to doing these three things.

UCB Word for Today

Becoming more Christ-like

2010-12-29T09:31:00.000+01:00

'...we become more and more like him.' 2 Corinthians 3:18

Becoming more Christ-like doesn't mean losing your individuality and being a mindless clone. God created the characteristics that make you unique, so He certainly doesn't want to destroy them. Christ-likeness is about transforming your character, not your personality.

Paul writes, '...take on an entirely new way of life - a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you' (Ephesians 4:22-24 TM).

Every time you forget that character, not comfort, is God's first priority in your life you become frustrated and wonder, 'Why is all this happening to me? Why doesn't God do something about it?'

Abundant life isn't the absence of adversity, it is growth in the midst of it.

As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.

You say, 'Yes, but how does this happen in real life?' Through our choices - we choose to do the right thing, then trust God's Spirit to give us the power, love, faith and wisdom to do it. Since His Spirit lives inside us, these things are available for the asking.

But when you ask Him and God tells you what to do, you must obey Him.

When Joshua stood at the River Jordan, its floodwaters only receded after he stepped in. Obedience unlocks God's power! God waits for you to act on His instructions. You can't wait until you feel capable or confident, you must move ahead in your weakness, doing the right thing in spite of your fears. That's how you cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and how Christ-like character is developed in you.

Bob Gass, UCB

Here is a place by Me!

2010-12-28T08:42:00.000+01:00

Something I read today:

God intervenes when we are overwhelmed by the sheer size of the challenge. Faced with leading two million Israelites into the Promised Land, Moses prays,

'...show me now Your way...'

(Exodus 33:13 NKJV).

And God replies,

'..."Here is a place by Me...I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand...'

(Exodus 33:21-23 NKJV).

When God tells you, 'Here is a place by me,' get into it and stay there! Even when you can't see Him clearly, you'll feel His presence, experience His goodness, and know that everything is going to be okay.

Lord, hide me in the cleft of the rock, cover me with Your hand. I want to be close to You and know Your Presence.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T11:42:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day in the United States which, apparently, is celebrated there more than Christmas.

In Britain Harvest Festival is celebrated in some churches but it is a comparably sober affair. I remember as a child on Harvest Sunday we would have to take food and place it on the altar and it would later be distributed to the needy. Actually a good way of expressing giving to the Lord the first fruits of the harvest and providing for others.

For the last few years an American family we are friendly with has invited us to participate in their Thanksgiving Day celebrations which we will be doing this Saturday. It is a veritable feast as the famiy are renowned for their cooking skills.

However you celebrate it is a good time to remember the things you are thankful for:

- Knowing God and being assured of His love and eternal salvation.
- Having a loving daughter who is going on with the Lord.
- A husband who is faithful and loves God.
- A nice home, food on the table, good health.
- Wonderful friends and family!

Thank you Father for all the good gifts you bestow on your children!

B'day post data

2010-11-25T00:05:00.002+01:00

Went out for a meal to Alcalá de Henares, a town renowned for difficult parking. No problem, hubby had located on the Internet two car parks close to the restaurant. One gave you a discount of 2 € whereas the other gave you two hours free parking. We chose the latter. It was perfect - right opposite the restaurant.

As we drove in I thought it strange that no-one was on duty. How did you get your two hours free parking? As we were leaving a car raced around the car park to get out - a bit strange but thought nothing of it.

Went up the stairs to the pedestrian exit - it was locked! Oh well, nothing for it but to leave via the car exit. As we came back down the stairs I noticed a sign with hours between 8 am and 9 pm - must mean the pedestrain exit, I thought. However... as we approached the car exit we saw it was firmly shut. Definitely no way out! Oh no! Were we going to have to spend the night in the car park? On my birthday????

Hubby decided we would just pay and leave and go to the other car park, although I still had a sinking feeling that the door would not open. That's why the other car was speeding round the car park - to get out before 9 pm! So... we paid and drove up the slope to the closed door and sure enough, there was no way it was going to budge! Fortunately we had seen an emergency telephone number and hubby went to phone. At the other end of the line they told him there should be a 'compañero' on duty to let people out. There was no one. However... at that very moment someone opened the door from the outside, with a key. I have no idea whether he was a security guard, someone who worked there or just a regular with a key - the door had opened and we could leave!! I breathed a sigh of relief that we would not have to spend the night in that place - especially with the temperatures rapidly dropping to 3º C!

We successfully parked in the other car park and went for our meal and got our 2 € discount!

My Birthday!

2010-11-24T15:11:00.001+01:00

Today is my birthday and I'm feeling good!

Three of four friends came over for coffee, cake and prayer this morning and bearing gifts! The cake was a Thanksgiving Cake made with pumpkin - a bit like carrot cake - delicious! It's always good to spend time with these precious friends and today was no exception. True friends are like pearls of great price!

Later opened a lovely present from my sister and am currently listening to Unwritten on the present from my husband: a new hi-fi. (Love that song!)

Sitting in the lounge with soft, winter sun pouring in through the window, candles on the table, accompanied by my wonderful daughter with the expectation of a very nice meal with her and hubby this evening in the beautiful medieval city of Alcalá de Henares.

Thank you Lord for all these blessings and most of all for Your presence in my life. The point of life is You, as Misty Edwards sings. My life is hid with Christ in God and for that I am eternally grateful.

Mr North

2010-11-08T19:49:00.001+01:00

I recently finished reading a book about the 20th century preacher, G.W. North. The blurb on the front cover says:

"From the East End of London to the warm heart of Africa."

His is a truly amazing story of how God worked in a young boy from one of the poorest districts of London and ended up taking him to many parts of the world and using him to influence thousands in the British Isles through the holiness movement and the growing house church movement.

I did not know him personally but have met people who were his 'disciples', such as Barbara and Derrick Harrison, my close friend Maggie, and Alan Vincent who ran various fellowships in the town I grew up in. People of influence who were undoubtedly impacted by Mr North's preaching and, above all, his lifestyle.

Born in 1913 he died in Africa in 2003. He was a true scholar of the Bible, even though he was virtually uneducated. Some of his teachings were controversial but he endeavoured to remain true to the Word of God and the revelation the Holy Spirit brought to him. Above all he aimed to live what he preached.

A significant vision is shared in the book, received by a young Fellowship leader in the 1960s, ordained in the Anglican church:

He saw a red-leaved tree 'like a maple in Autumn'. The leaves fell into a glowing heap which, after burning for a time, was caught up by the wind into a canopy over the globe. The leaves then began to fall and settle all over the globe. The interpretation was that the people involved in the Fellowship movement were to burn together in love and then to be scattered over the earth by the wind of the Spirit.

My heart 'burned within me' as I read about the close fellowship these people had and as I remembered my early days as a Christian involved in a youth fellowship and later a house church. The cry of my heart is, "God, do it again!" How we need your presence and the depth of life this man modeled.

Back from holiday!

2010-08-29T17:01:00.000+02:00

Got back home yesterday after three weeks holiday in the United States. It was fun but also tiring and I would not like to live there. Everything is so comercialised - it is in Europe too but not quite to the same extent.

The first week daughter, hubby and I spent in New York City visiting all the sites: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Radio City, Rockefeller Center, Top of the Rock, Staten Island Ferry, Central Park, Times Square, etc., etc.

We had planned to go to see the Niagara Falls and spend some time in Toronto but we decided it was too much driving and we would end up spending quite a bit of time in the car. Instead, we drove from NYC to my sister Marilynn's house in Chelmsford. We had a good time there with her and her family although Hannah was at her boyfriend Mike's most of the time. Marilynn organised a welcoming party at Johnny's pool house (Scott's elder brother) so we could meet his family. The atmosphere was somewhat muted due to the fact that their dad was in hospital after surgery on his oesophagus. He had three major operations in under two weeks.

We went to the beach at Hampton, Sandy (Scott's sister) gave Oscar her ticket to see the Red Sox at Fenway Park while we went out to dinner; we celebrated Marilynn's birthday with the kids at Carrabas and later Oscar prepared a champagne cocktail; we did a lot of shopping... we went into Boston by train on our own and did some sightseeing; we visited the Budweiser factory at Nashua; we toured the Gloucester Penninsula with Marilynn, Scott and Tim and visited Rockport, Gloucester and Marblehead. An unforgettable evening was spent at the BBC - British Beer Company! Poor service, no cutlery, etc.

From there we drove to Connecticut and stopped at Weathersfield on the way and then stayed overnight at West Haven. We drove into New Haven to have a look at the beach and downtown where Yale University has a lot of places.

The next day we drove to Media, Pennsylvania to visit Rosemary, Gordon, Cameron and Stephanie. The last time we saw Rosemary she was pregnant with Stephanie - so 12 years ago. They have been in the States for 9. It was great seeing them all. Cameron has grown into a wonderful young adult and plans to study medicine the year after next. We visited an Amish village - made for tourists, so not the real thing and the next day Chocolate World in Hershey. There we saw an Amish family also visiting and buying chocolate.

We left the next day to drive back to New York, hand in the hire car and check in at Delta. We had time to spare so had a good lunch, wandered around the airport (JFK) until it was time to board. We returned via Malaga and were all exhausted by the time we got back!

Tons of photos on Facebook. I'll upload to Flickr too once I've sorted them out a bit more.

Who do I write like?

2010-07-21T17:08:00.000+02:00

I found this link thanks to the Book Publishing Professionals group which enables you to (supposedly) see which famous author you write like!

I write like...

I don't know that it is very scientific but I had a bit of fun pasting in various blogs from other the years. The results were quite varied:

Margaret Atwood,

Dan Brown,

Daniel Defoe,

Kurt Vonnegut,

H.P. Lovecraft,

David Foster Wallce...

Cory Doctorow came up twice and James Joyce three times!

The latter is rather ironic as the only time I tried to read James Joyce I gave up in despair! I very rarely give up on a book, pushing myself to read to the end even if I don't like the style but Joyce was beyond me. Mind you, it was probably about 20 years ago. Maybe I should give him another chance?

The site is probably just nonsense but it has made me think that perhaps I should devote a bit of time to writing, even if it is only blogging which can be tapped out in a relatively short time.

Keep your hope alive

2010-07-11T15:07:00.000+02:00

'Having hope will give you courage...'

Job 11:18

Hope is a powerful force. It arouses your mind to explore every possible angle. It enables you to overcome the daunting obstacles. It's absolutely essential to the life God wants you to live. It's the fuel your heart runs on. It's the single biggest difference between those who persevere and those who give up.

Hope is what makes couples say,

'I do,' without any guarantees,

and later, after all the broken promises,

pick up the pieces and try again

knowing it can get better.

It's why composers agonize over a score
and artists over a canvas,
believing some glimmer of beauty will emerge from the struggle.

As an old man Henri Matisse was crippled with agonizing arthritis.

When asked why he continued to wrap his swollen fingers

around a brush every day he replied,

'The pain goes away; the beauty endures.'

Laboring to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,
Michelangelo grew so discouraged that he wanted to quit.
But every morning hope pushed him up the ladder
to fulfill his magnificent vision.

Hope is what made Abraham leave home

without knowing where God was taking him.

It made Paul challenge the powers of Rome.

It's what fueled the Old Testament

prophets to keep taking on City Hall!

This is not blind optimism, but faith focused, and hope-in God.

'...You have been my hope...my confidence since my youth'

(Psalm 71:5 NIV).

You can survive the loss of many things, but not the loss of hope.

Nobody experienced greater loss than Job, yet he wrote:

'Having hope will give you courage.'

So keep your hope alive by trusting in God!

From UCB

Not feeling much hope today. And yet, what else is there? Need to keep trusting even when everything is getting on top of you and the future does not look too bright.

I think I am just too tired, too stressed. I need a holiday! But then what? I need to see some change, I need to see that what God says really will come to pass.

Like most people, the person I am most frustrated with is myself.

Accept your Limits

2010-07-10T16:44:00.001+02:00

'"You have... [circled] this mountain long enough; turn..."' Deuteronomy 2:3

Do you live overloaded and overwhelmed? (Yes!)

Like a driver who's lost his way, instead of stopping to ask for direction you increase your speed until you run out of fuel and end up on the side of the road. We quote the promise: 'I can do everything through him who gives me strength' (Philippians 4:13 NIV). But God doesn't promise we can do everything we want to do, or everything people expect us to do, or everything others do.

God will only give us grace to do what He calls us to do.

Isaiah writes: 'Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength..' (Isaiah 40:30-31 NKJV).

Few things humble us like failure. God will let us circle the same mountain over and over until the scenery becomes so familiar that we're forced to stop and ask for direction-especially when we know in our heart that we're not where God wants us to be.

In Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer writes:

'I was raised in a culture that insisted I could do anything; that I was without limits, given enough energy and commitment on my part; that God made things that way, and all I had to do was get with the program. My troubles began when I started to slam into my limitations...in the form of failure.'

What's your most painful limitation? The one you won't admit? The one you don't want anybody to see? Acknowledge it. Seek honest feedback. Ask for God's help in accepting the limits He's placed on you for your own protection.

Passage for today from UCB.

When I read this today, in the midst of far too much work, under the weather physically, knowing that I would rather be doing other things and that I spend far too little time seeking God, I felt, this is for me! So often I take on too much - maybe I am going round in circles like the Israelites in the desert! I want to enter God's rest - I know that doesn't mean not working or not doing anything, but it is a place of inner peace and knowing that what you are doing is what God wants you to do and will have eternal implications. Somehow the things I'm involved in right now do not have that ring to them.

God's favour

2010-06-16T00:05:00.000+02:00

'...Esther...won his favour...' Esther 2:17

The Bible says, 'The king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor.'

If you want to enjoy God's favour, look at the life of Esther:

1) She took the time necessary to prepare herself. Before a girl's turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatment (Esther 2:12). There are no shortcuts. The price of success is study, preparation and discipline. Those who pay that price aren't lucky, they're rewarded!

2) She sought to please only one man-the king! No doubt Esther turned a lot of heads, but she sought the approval of only one. Why do you want to be blessed? To please God? Or yourself? Or others? The higher God takes you the more you'll have to answer this question.

3) She had a purpose greater than survival or self interest. Haman planned to annihilate every Jew. Only someone greater could save them, such as the king's wife. That's when Mordecai told Esther, '"...You have come to the kingdom for such a time as this..."' (Esther 4:14 NKJV).

You were born with a plan and a set of instructions; you'll discover them in the presence of the One who said: '"...Before you were born I set you apart..."' (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV). What sets you apart? What were you called to do?

4) She gave it her all. Approaching the king uninvited meant death, yet Esther said, '...If I perish, I perish' (Esther 4:16 NIV). And the result? The nation was saved and Haman was hanged on his own gallows.

God's favour; there's nothing like it!

Thanks to Bob Gass at UCB.

God blesses us then He breaks us

2010-06-12T10:59:00.000+02:00

I remember Francis Frangipane preaching on this: we receive a blessing from God and then it seems He breaks us. He gives us a dream then He smashes it. What is it all about? Why does God do that? What is He trying to teach us?

In the Word for Today Bob Gass explains it really well:
'"Your kingdom come. Your will be done..."' Matthew 6:10

In the breaking process God's intention is not to destroy your will, but redirect it; not to rob you of self-worth, but to let you see that He is the source of your worth.

Gideon's three hundred soldiers had to break their pitchers, which made them vulnerable to attack, before the light within them could shine out and the enemy be defeated (Judges 7).

Elisha had to break his plough, which represented his financial security, before he could qualify for a double portion of God's Spirit (1 Kings 19:19-21).

Mary had to break her alabaster box, which represented her dowry and hope for marriage, in order to receive Christ's highest commendation (Mark 14:3-9).

Brokenness is costly; it happens in stages.

Stage 1: Repentance. After his affair with Bathsheba David prayed, 'The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit...' (Psalm 51:17 NLT).

Stage 2: Discipline. '...I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified' (1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV).

Stage 3: Intimacy. You love prayer and God's Word because you 'connect' with Him through them. But you'll have to fight the distractions around you to get to the place of intimacy, and fight the carnality within you to stay there.

The real issue in brokenness is submitting to God's control.

Dick Rasanen writes: 'Dear God, I find it so easy to try to be the one in charge. I find it so painful to realize that I am not the one in control. Help me to know when saying 'I just work here' it's a confession, and not just a way of evading responsibility.'

The Approval of God

2010-06-06T16:18:00.000+02:00

'...I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ...' Philippians 3:8

This is one of my favourite verses in the Bible. My heart resonates with Paul: to know God and be known by Him. Nothing else compares.

The Word for Today from UCB expresses it brilliantly in this devotional:

Many of us race from one thing to another, driven by our need to accomplish, yet never feeling fulfilled or stopping long enough to appreciate our worth in God's eyes. Lasting fulfilment doesn't come from reaching another goal or deadline.

Paul wrote much of the New Testament, preached to world leaders and built the church, yet his heart's cry was 'that I may know [be intimately acquainted with] Him...' (v. 10 NKJV).

Until God affirms you, the praises of men will keep falling into a heart that leaks. Once the thrill of the chase is over, there has to be more to your life than just accomplishing another goal. Our challenge is to address our nagging approval addiction (yes, addiction!) by turning to God to find the only approval that can truly satisfy-His approval.

Paul worked hard, but he did it for one sole reason: 'We labour...that we might be accepted of Him.' Ask yourself, 'Why am I doing what I do? Who am I doing it for?' Your answers will be revealing.

What makes you think you can fulfil God's purpose for your life without taking the time and effort required to build a relationship with Him? Without fresh fire in your soul you will burn out. Another credential and another trophy won't cut it.

Only God can restore what all your striving has depleted. God will never ask you to do anything that replaces what His presence alone can do. In His presence crowns lose their lustre and human accolades become meaningless (Revelation 4:10-11). There you can let it all go, without losing anything.

What Kind of Soil Are You?

2010-05-23T17:58:00.000+02:00

"A sower went out to sow his seed..." Luke 8:5

The seed of God's Word is always productive. The only variable is the soil of our hearts.

In the parable of the sower Jesus discusses different kinds of soil:

1) Hard soil. In Bible times hard-packed footpaths ran alongside the farmer's field. Any seed falling there just shriveled and died. Be careful; when you've been walked on and disappointed, you can become callous; you can develop a tough, impenetrable shield that makes it easy for satan to come along and steal the seed of God's Word before it has a chance to grow. Prayer will keep that from happening, so '...break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord...' (Hosea 10:12 NIV).

2) Superficial soil. In Jesus' day much of the farmland was just a few inches of topsoil over rock, with nothing to sustain roots. One Bible teacher writes: 'Superficiality is the curse of the age. We live in a world of shallow relationships, superficial conversations, and hurried moments of prayer. We bounce from one spiritual activity to another without any real root system.'

3) Cluttered soil. This ground was overgrown with weeds. There was no room for anything else. Clutter happens so easily, and it's dangerous because it's so subtle. Ever notice how often you're bombarded with guarantees that material things will bring you happiness? Like the car manufacturer who advertises, 'You can't buy happiness, but you can drive it!'

Get real! Do a soil analysis and weed out anything that's hindering your spiritual growth.

Once your heart's tender, your devotion deep, and your life uncluttered, you'll be good ground that yields fruit for God.

http://www.ucb.co.uk/index.cfm?itemid=88

Learning from experience!

2010-04-28T22:24:00.000+02:00

Contrary to what you may have heard, experience is not the best teacher - evaluated experience is the best teacher! Everybody has some kind of experience; it's what you do with your experience that matters.

We all begin our lives as empty notebooks. Every day we've an opportunity to record new experiences. With each page we gain more understanding. Ideally, as we progress our notebook becomes filled with observations.

But not all of us make the best use of our notebooks. Some of us leave the notebook closed; we rarely jot down anything at all. Others fill their pages but never take time to read them, reflect on them and gain greater wisdom.

But a few of us not only make a record of what we experience, we linger over it and reflect on it. Reflection turns into insight, so that we not only live the experience, but learn from it.

To win in life you must turn your experience into wisdom.

So, slow down. Wisdom is gleaned over time, not overnight.

Then, drill down. The treasure is there, but you have to dig for it.

Finally, get down. Yes, get down on your knees and talk to God, because

...the Lord gives wisdom...
(Proverbs 2:6 NKJV).

Thanks to UCB, Word for Today.

More of Him!

2010-04-18T20:12:00.002+02:00

This summarises what God is saying to me lately: More of Him! More of His presence, more focus on Him, His calling, His purposes.

Should be wonderful! And yet it is a really difficult time. I do want more of Him. I do want to be walking in His purposes and fulfilling HIs calling on my life. And yet it seems so difficult to set aside time to seek Him and listen to Him and put aside the cares and anxieties of everyday life.

I so often feel disillusioned with myself, my job, my church... things I hardly dare admit even to myself.

I want things to be different! There has to be more than this!

If you call me to deeper things why can't I find you?

Pruning and becoming poured-out wine

2010-02-14T17:26:00.002+01:00

I've been through some very dry and difficult times over the past few years but I know that Jesus has walked that way with me even when I haven't felt Him and have even questioned His existence.

He loves us so much and is constantly wanting to draw us deeper.

This weekend I had a word for someone but I think it also applies to me and to many of us.

In John 15 we read about the vinedresser and how he tends to the vine and cuts it back. Think about when you prune a rose bush for example. At the end of the process the bush looks pretty awful but then when the time comes for it to blossom it is so much more beautiful than if it had been left to its own devices.

Pruning is a painful process but Jesus does it with love in His heart. It is not a punishment and it is not a one-off experience - it is part of the cycle of life. We are pruned, we blossom, we bring forth fruit and then it's pruning time again.

Think of the fruit of the vine: grapes that are pressed and squashed until all the juice comes out of them and they end up like dry old raisins. But from that juice comes wine - symbolic of life. Wine that can be poured out to bless others.

Oswald Chambers talks about the Christian being 'broken bread and poured out wine'. This is what He calls us to.

So when we feel like parts of us are being cut off and thrown aside remember, it is part of the process of God's dealings with us. The end result will be something beautiful. We are called to bear much fruit. And the fruit is not for us to keep but for the establishing of His kingdom and to touch other people's lives.

How to overcome in troubled times

2010-01-16T11:58:00.002+01:00

'...Let not your heart be troubled....' John 14:27

Jesus said, 'My peace I leave with you...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid' (John 14:27 NKJV).

Underline the words, 'Let not.' You can't control what goes on around you, but Jesus said you can control what goes on inside you.

How? By doing two things:

1) Filling your mind with God's Word. Jesus said, 'These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world' (John 16:33 NKJV). Rearrange your priorities and take time to read God's Word each day. Process it, apply it to each circumstance, and stand on it in times of difficulty. You'll be amazed at the results!

2) Praying about the situation, then leaving it confidently in God's hands. Here's a prayer to help you do that:

'Lord, everything seems to be falling apart around me. Everybody wants a
piece of me. There's far too much to do and never enough time to do it. My head
is clogged with all kinds of junk and my heart is ready to break. Lord, where
are You? I feel like the disciples in the storm, the waves are too big for me.
My cry is the same as theirs, "Somebody go and get Jesus - I'm about to drown
out here!" Prince of Peace I need you. Father, who never slumbers nor sleeps;
take charge. Let me find in You a quiet place, a place where I can pillow my
head on Your breast, hear Your loving heartbeat and feel secure knowing You'll
work things out for me. This I pray, believing, in Jesus' name, amen.'
UCB

The Spirit-filled life

2009-12-28T00:31:00.001+01:00

'...be filled with the Spirit.' Ephesians 5:18

The new birth doesn't automatically eliminate the old nature. We live in bodies that are susceptible to sin, so we must stay filled with God's Spirit.

Paul says: 'Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh' (Galatians 5:16 NAS). Then he gives us a familiar illustration: '...do not be drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit' (Ephesians 5:18 NKJV).

Notice: First, Paul's talking about yielding control of our life to God's Spirit. When someone's drunk we say they're 'under the influence.'

Second, Paul's statement is a command. 'Be filled.' He didn't say, 'If you'd like to,' or 'It would be nice.' No, if you are going to please God then you must be constantly filled with His Spirit.

Third, this applies to every believer. Sometimes we look at someone and say, 'They love Jesus so much; why can't I be like that?'

You can.

The difference is the filling of the Spirit, not the fact that they have something you don't.

Fourth, you can't fill yourself. Like filling your car, you must regularly pull up to the pump. 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled' (Matthew 5:6 NIV). Are you hungry? Are you thirsty?

Fifth, it's a continuous action. You can't run your car on a single tank of petrol; you've got to keep going back to the source. The Spirit's filling is a dynamic, moment-by-moment experience. Why is it that way? Because we live in a world that depletes us spiritually and contend with a core of carnality that seeks to defeat us.

So, '...be filled with the Spirit.'(Ephesians 5:18 NKJV).

Work on the inner you (3)

2009-12-16T00:51:00.000+01:00

'...the inward man is being renewed day by day.' 2 Corinthians 4:16

Be grateful for the outer you. Make peace with it. Rejoice in its strengths. Accept its limitations. Let it work hard. Be happy when it gets promoted. But remember, it's wasting away.

The inner you, on the other hand, is capable of a glory you can't even imagine.

'Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure' (1 John 3:2-3 NKJV).

Make your biggest investment in the thing that will last. We have scales and mirrors and tape measures to track the development of our outer selves. But how can we track the well-being of the part of us that will last? This may look a little different for each of us, but here are a few mirrors and scales and tape measures that will help you get started:

1) self-examination and confession

2) friends who love you enough to speak the truth to you

3) time to be alone and listen to God

4) time spent in the Scriptures, renewing your mind

5) examination of your calendar and your chequebook

6) questions such as: How easily discouraged do I get these days? How easily irritated am I compared to six months ago?

7) attention to your thought life. What's your mind drawn toward? Where does envy, blaming, judging or lusting rob you of life and joy?

Come on, get serious; work on the inner you!

UCB

Una canción de amor a ti...

2009-12-13T00:31:00.002+01:00

A song of love to you...

A young Mexican guy wrote this song dedicated to God. It has been ringing in my head this weekend after spending a day and a half at the In Spirit and In Truth conference. A group of young Mexicans and a gifted and anointed American have led us into the very presence of God.

It was wonderful to see these guys, so committed to one another and to God but also to see so many young people attending, giving their all in worship to God - face down, on their knees, dancing, singing spontaneous songs of adoration.

It has helped restore my faith in God's plan to raise up a generation of worshippers in Spain and to move upon this nation - to rend the heavens and come down and to turn this nation back to God.

It has been wonderful to be in His presence, to experience His love again.

Yes, I will sing a song of love to You.

Recovering from loss

2009-12-01T20:31:00.001+01:00

'...Pour out your heart before Him...' Psalm 62:8

Here are five keys to recovering from loss:
1) Process your grief. Emotions like fear, anger, worry, depression, resentment, helplessness and grief are normal. It's no good to suppress them or deny they exist. God created us to feel; He doesn't expect us to act happy when we're grieving. 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted' (Matthew 5:4 NIV). Be honest with God. 'Pour out your heart before Him,' (Psalm 62:8 NIV) and He will comfort you.

2) Accept help. It's a mistake to isolate yourself in the aftermath of a tragedy. We all need the encouragement and the support of others. We're called to carry one another's burdens 'Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ'. (Galatians 6:2 NKJV).

3) Choose the right response. When you choose bitterness, you hurt yourself and shut the door on happiness because you can't be happy and bitter at the same time. During some recent California wildfires there were victims who said, 'We've lost everything and we're sad, but we'll work together as a family and rebuild.' Others said, 'My life's over! I can't go on...I'll never recover.' You can choose to believe you're on your own, or that God's with you and bounce back.

4) Know your joy comes from God. There's no correlation between your circumstances and your joy. Joy comes from within; it's based on whom you trust not what you see and feel.

5) Concentrate on what you have left, not on what you've lost. Make a list of the good things in your life, and thank God for what you still have. It's impossible to be grateful and hopeless at the same time.

UCB

2009-11-24T19:04:00.004+01:00

A nice gesture from the company where I've currently been working is to give you a day off on your birthday. Great! I had all kinds of ideas of what I would do on 'my day'!

However, the first of these, having a lie-in, was shattered when my daughter told me she had an appointment with a surgeon at 8:30 am to lance an ingrown toenail.

We duly set off on what was to turn into an entire morning of bureaucracy of one kind or another! Lately I had been quite impressed at how things have changed in Spain: you can get an appointment to renew your ID card instead of standing in a queue for four hours; you can download certain forms on-line and even book your own appointments for some bureaucratic issues. However, this morning I ended up swamped in miles of red tape and felt as though I had gone back in time twenty-five years to when I first came to this country!

We arrived at the surgeon's office to find a note on the door: no list of appointments would be posted. No names would be called. We want to respect your privacy... What was this? Political correctness gone mad! So how did the people sitting in the waiting room know whose turn it was to go in next? It was back to the ¿Quién da la vez? scenario of old: What time is your appointment? Oh, and who is before you? Then I must be after him... Oh, hang on, your appointment has already past and that guy has gone in before you...

We managed to work out when our turn was, letting the people who had missed their turn go in before us, although another patient thought they should be made to wait until the end of the morning. The surgeon took a brief look at the offending toe, said the nail had to be cut out and instructed us to go downstairs to book an appointment.

Oh, my naïvety! I was convinced that here at this specialist consultancy the surgeon would have dealt with the matter himself in his surgery. But no, downstairs we went to book an appointment at the hospital. We were given a choice: go on the waiting list for the Social Security hospital which would mean waiting about a month. Once at the hospital they might only look at it and give you another appointment (i.e. another waiting list!) or you might get lucky and they might actually deal with it. The alternative was to opt for a waiting list with a private hospital they had an agreement with. Their waiting list might take two months but you had the guarantee that when you went they would perform the procedure. We opted for that.

When we got out, dear daughter walking rather gingerly (an ingrown toenail is very painful), I suggested trying our private insurance, so we drove to another clinic and got an appointment with another surgeon in two week's time - I'm not sure whether he will just look at it or whether he will actually do something!

So, first incident over, daughter sent off to school, I embarked on my mission to go to the employment office. I had already ascertained on the Internet that what I needed to do could not be done on-line so had chosen an office within my postal district and relatively close to my home. Once I had managed to park I walked to the office. On the door was a note saying that this office only dealt with residents from post-codes 17 and 47. Why? It wasn't located in either of them! Well, I suppose they did at least inform you on the door (why not on the Internet???) not after you had waited for hours. So I went in to Reception and asked where residents from my district should go and headed off in another direction hoping for a good spot to park...

After waiting for a while my turn came and I had to give a list of previous jobs and qualifications. I told them I had a degree from a British university which had never been recognised by the Spanish educational authorities (now that procedure, of submitting qualifications for recognition has a red-tape category all of its own!). I explained that this had never been a problem but his answer was that he could therefore not include my qualifications in his database: I would have to be a school-leaver and not a graduate! He said not to worry, having a degree would only limit my chance of getting job offers, much better to have less qualifications... What kind of job might they offer me I wonder, where it is actually better to have studied less!

I eventually got home at about 1:30 after my morning's adventures! There was a lovely surprise awaiting me: a bunch of flowers from my sister in the States.

Finally, after lunch, I could put my feet up and have a relaxing afternoon and start to enjoy my day!

He makes all things new

2009-11-22T21:23:00.002+01:00

Today was one of those days at church where things really seem to flow together - where everyone seems to be hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit and as Paul says in the New Testament, when you come together, one has a Psalm, one has a hymn, one has a spiritual song.

First in the worship, two people asked for specific songs to be sung which were totally in line with what God was saying. Then the Lord gave me some Scriptures from Isaiah about Him doing a new thing and waters flowing in the desert and God wiping out our rebellion. I shared this from the front - the first time I have shared from the pulpit in three and a half years, but God gave me the grace to do it - and I really sensed that word was for several there.

The pastor brought the word and he said that the message followed on from what I had shared as he was talking about putting aside the former things and a ministry of reconciliation.

The person who was leading the service was so touched by the message that she could not carry on and had to hand over the mike to the pastor.

At the end of the service we were praying for one lady when a new family asked for prayer as they have determined to put aside the former ways and return to the Lord.

There was a real sense of God doing something amongst us in our time of need. How we need Him! How we need the river of His Holy Spirit to touch us and guide us!

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

The Fear of the Lord

2009-11-19T21:36:00.002+01:00

The more you get to know the Lord and understand who He is, the more you will reverence Him and fear His displeasure. This is called the fear of teh Lord, and it makes you want to obey Him. It's what draws you closer to God and increases your longing for more of Him. When you have the fear of the Lord, you fear what your life would be like without Him.

Stormie O'Martian

Six principles to live by

2009-11-15T14:56:00.002+01:00

Incorporate these six principles into your life:

1) don't worry, when you're doing your best.
God accepts no less, but He demands no more. 'Trust in the Lord, and do good...and He shall give you the desires of your heart!' (Psalm 37:3-4 NKJV)

2) don't hurry, when success depends on accuracy.
'Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty' (Proverbs 21:5 NLT)

3) don't form conclusions until you have all the facts.
Everyone you meet has unmet needs, unhealed wounds and unfulfilled hopes. If you want people to evaluate you by your best qualities, rather than your worst, 'Do to others as you would like them to do to you' (Luke 6:31 NLT)

4) don't believe a thing is impossible without trying it.
When you are in God's will, doing things God's way, sensitive to His timing and willing to persevere, your problems are just a platform for Him to work on your behalf '...we must wait patiently and confidently.' (Romans 8:28 NLT)

5) don't waste your time on trivial matters.
In order to put first things first, you must ask yourself, 'What is it that only I can do, or do best?' Only when you've answered that question will you know what you should do

6) don't think that good intentions are an acceptable excuse for doing nothing.
Examine your life; are you a 'talker' or a 'doer?' Get specific about your diet and your devotions, your finances and your family, etc.

Write these words on a card and read them regularly: 'If it's to be, it's up to me.'

James writes: '...faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead' (James 2:17 NKJV).

Bob Gass, UCB

Terry MacAlmon - How We Need The River

2009-10-17T20:56:00.001+02:00

This is the song described in the earlier post.

Lord, I thirst for You

2009-10-17T20:15:00.005+02:00

I read this quote by Tozer on Tim Hughes blog:

"The church that can't
worship must be entertained.
And men who can't lead a church to worship must
provide the entertainment." A.W. Tozer.

Pretty challenging! Do we just turn up on a Sunday hoping to be entertained or do we ready our hearts before we even get there by spending time in the presence of God and worshiping Him in spirit and in truth?

Over the last several weeks this song has been very significant in helping me to come into the Lord's presence:

Lord, I thirst for You

There is no one else who satisfies

My soul, it longs for You

Like the deer panting for the water

But Now, I wait for You

Take me to Your courts of glory

And Fall upon me, Lord

Give me strength to help me stand

In this dry and weary land

How we need the river

How we need the rain

Living water flow to us again, we pray

Shower down Your glory

Shower down Your grace

Let Your holy presence fill this place

Deep calls unto deep

Lord, we seek to know Your glory

For there is only You

And our hearts cry 'Abba, Father!'

Now, Lord Jesus come

May your love and grace restore us

Breathe upon us Lord

Let your mercies be brand new

Let the whole earth worship You

How we need the river
How we need the rain
Living water flow to us again we pray
Shower down Your glory
Shower down Your grace
Let Your holy presence fill this place
Let Your holy presence fill this place

Jesus come and free us
To worship in spirit and truth
Heal us and reveal to us your power

How we need the river...

Sung by Shauna Chanda and Terry MacAlmon on the album The Sound of Heaven.

I also sense that this song is very significant to Spain. This is a dry and weary land very much in need of the river of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Those with a heart for Spain and a longing for God, cry out to Him for this land!

Anxiety

2009-10-12T14:32:00.002+02:00

'Do not be anxious about anything.' Philippians 4:6

Anxiety starts as a trickle then creates a channel in our mind through which all our thoughts begin to flow. Most of our anxieties fall into three categories:

1) Anxiety about things we all face: like aging, disability, retirement, loneliness, financial uncertainty, accidents, illness, losing a loved one, and death.

2) Anxiety about things we all must do: like making decisions, starting and ending relationships, losing weight, changing careers, making a mistake.

3) Anxiety reflecting our inner state of mind: These anxieties reveal how we feel about our ability to handle things. For example, fear of rejection can affect every relationship in your life. In order to avoid being hurt you shut others out, your world grows smaller and your opportunities for personal growth are more limited.

Many of our anxieties can be reduced to one question, 'What if I can't handle it?'

Your mind is the battlefield where victory is won or lost.

So ask yourself, 'Would I still be anxious if I knew for certain I could handle anything that came up?'

The answer is no. Anxiety can't immobilise you and steal your joy when you know you can handle whatever happens.

You say, 'That sounds too simple.' Not when you bring God into the picture!

Here are two great anxiety eliminating Scriptures you can stand on when times are tough:

1) 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

2) '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 transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds' (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV).

Bob Gass, UCB

A promise for the future

2009-10-06T19:09:00.005+02:00

I was struck by this tree as I left the gym the other day. There are a lot of horse chestnut trees round where I live and I was drawn to this one as I noticed the dead, brown leaves, typical of autumn. However, there were also green leaves and fruit - conkers bursting out of their skins, ripe for picking - and there were flowers.

I'm no tree expert, but it struck me as unusual that the tree should have three things supposedly reminiscent of three different seasons:

- Spring flowers
- Summer fruit
- Autumn leaves

I sensed this was some kind of prophetic sign, maybe because the previous week someone had also spoken to me about a tree that looked dead but did, in fact, have fruit and leaves. That particular tree was also trapped in barbed wire, whereas this one was not.

For a long time I have felt dead - certainly spiritually dead but also emotionally dead.

During a trip to the UK I believe a change was wrought in me. Things were identified related to my family line but also oppression due to the calling on my life. I do believe I was set free from these things - the barbed wire is gone.

There is still work to do. I need to be persistent in renewing my mind and believing what God says about me rather than what my own thoughts or those around me or satan would have me believe.

What I sensed God was saying through the horse chestnut tree is that the dead leaves will fall off as part of the natural process, as leaves do fall in the autumn.

There is already fruit that is ripe for picking, for which I am thankful.

The flowers are the promise of more fruit to come - I just love that! Hope for the future.

This is a new day. A new season. Time to move forward into the calling, following God's leading.

Jesus said He only did what He saw the Father doing. (John 5:19-20)

This is my prayer. I don't want to rush into things, getting involved in things for the wrong reason (been there, done that!). I want to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

On writing

2009-09-09T13:41:00.003+02:00

The skill of writing

is to create a context

in which

other people can

think.

Edwin Schlossberg

Be careful what you say

2009-09-08T10:44:00.006+02:00

I have always been very sensitive to words, tones of voice, gestures, perceiving what lies behind. Of course, sometimes I am wrong and that leads to complications and a lot of heart-searching.

When I was a child there was a playground chant:

Sticks and stones may break my bones

But words can never hurt me.

So untrue! At times it seems that I have been fighting off stinging words and thoughtless accusations since back then in the playground! Sometimes it's easy - if you feel on top of the world and know your position in God you can easily fend off harsh words or negative thoughts. Other times it's as if they drag you down and pull you under their syrupy thickness and you can't get out.

Bob Gass writes in UCB today:

"Careless words can hurt people. Not only can they influence a person's self-worth, they can actually shape that person's destiny.

"Your words either build people up or tear them down. Solomon said,
'Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.'

"Here's a truth we don't like to acknowledge; what comes out of our lips reveals what's in our heart, and our 'I didn't mean it' doesn't change that or undo the damage."

The Bible also says that 'The power of life is in the tongue'.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue,And those who love it will eat its fruit." Proverbs 18:21

What we say affects others as well as ourselves. We can even be cursing ourselves by our negative outlook on life - 'I'm no good, I'm a failure, nothing I do goes right.'

How about blessing ourselves for a change? 'I am a child of God. I am loved and accepted by Him. He is working in me to perfect His work. He has given me gifts and abilities.'

Believe me, I struggle with this daily! But if I believe in God I need to believe that what He says about me is true and not what other people say or what my own accusing thoughts would have me believe. I need to start fighting back and not be so passive just letting things wash over me, dragging me down even further!

The Word of God is a sharper than a two-edged sword.

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart". Hebrews 4:12

We need to be practised at wielding the two-edged sword and cutting through the lies spoken over us.

Handling your anger the right way

2009-08-26T13:41:00.006+02:00

'Don't sin by letting anger control you.' EPHESIANS 4:26

A guy's car stalled at an intersection junction causing a chorus of honking horns from behind. He got out, walked calmly to the next car in line and said, 'Sorry, I can't get my car started. If you'd like to give it a shot I'll sit here and honk your horn!'

When you don't know how to handle your anger properly, two things happen:

1) You stay angry. You walk around with your thermostat at boiling point. Be realistic. More problems in life are forgotten than are ever resolved to our liking.

2) You don't get angry even when it's appropriate. Consequently, issues that could build character, end up creating vacillation and indifference.

Express your anger the right way! When you lack the courage to confront your boss or an associate at work, you're more likely to explode at home. Jesus said, 'If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you' (Matthew 18:15 NIV).

Sometimes we're supposed to get angry. Paul writes: 'When Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed...he would eat with the Gentiles; but when [the Jews] came, he...separated himself, fearing [them]...the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite...so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy' (Galatians 2:11-13 NKJV).

It's wrong to tolerate wrong when you can do something about it. Just do it the scriptural way. Say what you have to, in kindness. This is called 'speaking the truth in love' (Ephesians 4:15). Slamming doors and storming out are un-Christ like and counter-productive. Direct your anger toward the problem, not the person.

Bob Gass, UCB

Kitchen cupboards

2009-08-24T13:25:00.004+02:00

The other day I was tidying up a kitchen cupboard - it wasn't particularly dirty (or so I thought!) just untidy. There were a lot of Tupperware boxes that I had to find lids to and generally put in order so I could fit more things into the cupboard!

Anyway, once everything was out of the cupboard it did look a bit grubby so I decided to wipe the surface. When I did so, it looked worse than before! Suddenly the cupboard was filled with black streaks and it turned into a major cleaning job. The trouble with kitchen cupboards is you start to clean one and then the 'white' one next to it no longer looks white but grey... so one thing led to another and all the lower cupboards got a spring clean (the top ones will have to wait for another day!).

As I was involved in this lovely chore I was reminded of that verse about whitwashed tombs. Jesus tells the Pharisees that they are like whitewashed tombs but on the inside they look awful. (Matthew 23:26-28). Superficially, everything looks great but it you dig a little deeper there is some real gunge inside.

Often we can be like this. Outwardly everything looks fine. We put on a mask and tell people we are OK but we dread them looking underneath the surface to discover what really lies beneath. We get so good at pretending. Very few people are really transparent. And let's be honest - when you ask someone how they are, do you really want a full-blown breakdown? Normally you expect them to answer with a simple 'I'm fine thanks.' We don't really want to know.

So we go on smiling and laughing when deep inside we are hurting and dying.

What was Jesus' view of the Pharisees? That they were blind hypocrites!

Let's lay aside our masks and try to be real. Inside of covering up, let's clean up. If there is stuff we're ashamed or embarrassed for others to see, bring it first to Jesus who promises to wipe the slate clean and give us another opportunity. He's in the business of healing wounds and binding up the brokenhearted.

Brokenness - continued

2009-08-06T21:54:00.002+02:00

Paul writes: 'Now may...God...sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord' (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NAS).

This word 'sanctify' means to be 'set apart,' to be used exclusively for God's purposes. Paul describes it as 'the high calling of God' (Philippians 3:14). And it happens from the inside out!

Notice, our fleshly body comes last in order of transformation for a very simple reason. The problem with a thief isn't his hands, it's in his mind or spirit, which tells him stealing is okay. His mind tells his hands what to do. So if you transform his spirit his hands will follow suit. Otherwise you can handcuff him and take him off to jail, but he's still a thief inside.

Too many of us want to get victory over bodily sins without being truly transformed within. But God starts with our spirit because that's the part of our being that makes us conscious of God; that 'connects' with Him. When God sets us free in our spirit, then our emotions and our body begin to fall in line.

If you're a parent you know how differently your children respond to discipline. One child will collapse in tears, whereas another will stand up and defy you. God will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to break us of our self-sufficiency so that the life of Jesus can be demonstrated through us. And we determine how long the process takes, by our submission or resistance.

Paul prayed, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?' (Acts 9:6 NKJV). Today, make that your prayer!

From UCB

Brokenness

2009-08-06T11:06:00.007+02:00

'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.' PSALM 51:17

A world that celebrates success doesn't see value in broken things. But God brings beauty out of brokenness. For a plant to rise from the soil the seed must be broken. For a baby chick to experience larger life the shell must be broken. Even a thoroughbred horse must be broken; it must learn to respond to the tug of the rein and the sound of the master's voice. Getting the idea?

After a humbling encounter with Christ on the Damascus Road, Paul re-evaluated all the religious activity he once boasted about and calleds it 'dung' (Philippians 3:8). And you don't brag about dung, you're repulsed by it.

Brokenness is the work of God by which He strips us of self-sufficiency so that the character of Christ may shine through us. Now don't misunderstand; being broken doesn't necessarily mean experiencing some tragedy. Many people suffer tragedy without drawing closer to God or even acknowledging Him. Indeed, the same sunshine that melts the butter hardens the clay.

The issue in brokenness is not so much our circumstances, but our response. What is God trying to teach us? True brokenness is when He strips us of self-sufficiency to the extent that we've no strength left to fix ourselves.

When God blocks every exit we try to take and we come to see that He alone is our answer, we make a life changing discovery. 'And what's that?' you ask. When God is all you have - God is all you need! Bottom line: God's power is reserved for those who have given up trying to do it in their own strength or to accomplish it for their own ends!

Published by UCB

https://www.ucb.co.uk/index.cfm?itemid=88

No vision

2009-08-05T12:17:00.007+02:00

Without vision the people perish.

I feel that I have lost my vision, my sense of purpose and worth, so it is hardly surprising that I feel as if I am perishing!

Somehow I need to claw back who I am and what I need to be doing. My life seems to have come to a standstill. It is dull and has lost its lustre. Someone once said that in the Christian walk you don't stand still - either you go forwards or you go backwards. Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not going forwards!

I remember a teaching from a church retreat a few years back. The man speaking used to be a pilot, so he knew what he was talking about. He said a time is coming when we have to fly using instruments only. When you can't see the ground in a plane you just have to rely on what your instruments are telling you and put your trust in them to get you where you are going.

In the spiritual, we cannot always see where God is leading us, often circumstances and feelings don't seem to line up, but if we trust God's word as the plumbline and direction for our lives, we will get to where He wants us to be.

Renew my vision, Lord. Restore my soul. Restore to me the joy of my salvation and renew a right spirit within me.

Where can I go except to you? No one else has words of eternal life.

Goodbye Filiberto

2009-06-25T00:03:00.003+02:00

How fragile life is. One day we are here, the next we are gone.

On Monday one of our neighbours, Filiberto, died. When I heard the news I was surprised, as latterly his wife, Margarita, had been very ill after a second stroke and he was taking care of her. She has difficulty walking, talking, eating, one arm is almost completely useless. She is (justifiably) angry that this has happened to her, especially after recovering well from the first stroke.

And now her husband has died. He had cancer which had spread to several parts of his body and over the last two weeks had gone downhill fast.

They were a lovely couple. One of the fondest memories we have of him in the community is at a party held to celebrate the opening of the pool one year, shortly after we moved here. He brought down a melon hollowed out and laced with alcohol (brandy? rum?) which he passed around amongst the neighbours. My parents were at that event too and often spoke about him.

He and his wife were always cheerful, always together. What will become of her now?

The broken teapot

2009-06-23T22:19:00.002+02:00

A friend's response to my piece about shattered lives:

Do you know the story of the broken teapot? It was Grannie´s pride and joy and was so beautiful and valuable that it only came out on Christmas Day. Then one Christmas Day it got broken and what was there left to see? - sharp jagged pieces on the tiled floor surrounding a heap of pathetic, soggy tea leaves. Something had gone forever. The future was no longer safely insured and a lifeline to the past had been severed.

We are all teapots. Some are small and dainty, others bigger, able to serve more cups at any one time. But we all have to be broken. Some break suddenly, some gradually, crack by crack, pressure upon pressure, but however it comes it has to happen because we´ll never be REALLY useful in God´s hands or purposes until He has all the pieces of our lives - including our pathetic, soggy leaves (I so often think of myself like that) - and can make them over, mending them His way.

YOU ARE BEING RE-MADE. You´ll still be Karen but different!

Welcome to the club of broken teapots!!!!!

Love, Maggie

A shattered life...

2009-06-21T20:48:00.007+02:00

Last Friday morning I dropped one of my favourite saucers when I was reaching to put it in the dishwasher. It smashed into about a thousand pieces, with bits of china everywhere, even out in the hall. There was no way to even attempt a repair job so I shovelled the pieces straight into the bin.

As I made my way to work I thought, 'That saucer is like my life, smashed into little pieces that can never be put back together again.' The fact is that so many negative things have happened over the last few years, that I have been giving in to that kind of thinking quite frequently. It's as if everything in my life that seemed sure and solid has just given way. Strangely enough that was a word that God gave me for the church, that He would shake everything and things we thought should stand would fall, until only that which was built upon His sure foundation would remain. Sounded quite poetic and obviously biblical when I got that word, but when you start to see it play out in your own life it's quite another thing...

Some of the things that happened I suppose fall into the category of 'life's inevitabilities,' such as my parents' deaths, although they were reasonably young by today's standards of life-expectancy - 73 and 74. Even so, the events surrounding both deaths were tragic and painful. It is awful to watch someone you love suffer and feel so helpless.

I am given to analysis and it is confusing not to be able to make head or tail of the whys or wherefores, not to even understand what is happening to you... Due to various circumstances I felt my spiritual life slipping away. I didn't want it to happen, but I began to lose interest in things that had captivated my heart since the age of 17. I hadn't exactly lost my faith because I have seen too much to be able to deny the existence of God. Rather that I didn't see Him coming through in my case. He just didn't seem to be standing up to the plate regarding promises He had made to me, or even just being there. I had got to the point of almost throwing in the towel and giving up on God altogether.

This weekend was the annual church retreat. I didn't want to go. My daughter didn't want to go. But at the same time I prayed that God would do something, that He would speak to us, that He would prove His presence somehow...

And He did. It wasn't particularly dramatic but it was God. He spoke to both my husband and my daughter, confirming their calling and the gifts He has given them. And He spoke to me. It was one of those occasions where I knew that at some point I would have to go forward and be prayed for and I wasn't going to resist. After all, I had asked God to move. The preacher had a rare gift of discernment but did ask what He should pray for. I told Him I felt I had lost my spiritual life. He prayed and prophesied for healing and restoration, a breaking off of false words spoken over me, and even my own thoughts. He prayed for a new blossoming like Aaron's rod, a sign of the supernatural. 'You asked for life and life you shall receive.' At some point I realised that standing behind me were my two partners on the team which has almost died over the last few years... It hasn't been easy for any of us. I was touched. They had come to stand beside me. They held my hands and ministered to me, prayed over me as the Holy Spirit worked in me. Oil flowed from my hands... God spoke to me about this team being raised up.

When God does something in us, it is always tested. Very shortly afterwards there was a need to pray for someone for healing and without hesitation I joined those who were praying - which lately I would not have felt free to do. Then today our team was called on to minister to the preacher and his wife. It was a case of totally relying on God. I had nothing of my own to give. What He gave me was then backed up and expanded on by the others, which is the best kind of confirmation.

So... maybe God does have a way to put back the pieces of that shattered saucer, just like the potter in Jeremiah. He takes the marred pot and throws it back on the wheel and makes another vessel.

"The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."

British summertime

2009-06-16T20:20:00.002+02:00

British summertime is a rare thing but when it happens it is wonderful! When the sun is shining and the fields are green and there are flowers everywhere - it has a softer feel to it than the 40ºC Madrid sunshine blazing down day in and day out.

Last weekend the weather in the UK was brilliant. Not too hot, but warm enough to feel sticky on exertion, but not too hot to get to sleep at night. Actually spent quite a lot of it outdoors doing gardening - a rarety for me, living in a flat. Cut the grass, trimmed the verge, overgrown plants, etc. My sister discovered how to use a hedge trimmer and there was no stopping her! The garden looked better for it afterwards but I was aching all over!

On writing

2009-06-12T00:32:00.001+02:00

How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.

Henry David Thoreau

Summer is a-coming!

2009-06-11T18:58:00.003+02:00

Today is a holiday in Madrid but there is a guy working hard at cleaning the community pool which will be opened this weekend - and I won't be here!! Going to the UK tomorrow where the weather is forecast to be dreary and wet and where most of the time will be spent clearing out a cold, dark garage...

Oh well, from next week on I'll be able to go down for a dip after work and from beginning of July it will be Jornada Intensiva - finish work at 3.00 pm so can spend sunny afternoons at the pool (the sun moves off it after about 5.30 pm).

Michael W. Smith

2009-06-05T00:36:00.003+02:00

Just saw Michael W. Smith in concert in Madrid in the Hotel Auditorium with friends Ally and Stephan and Marilyn and Terry - and we bumpted into a lot more friends as you do on these occasions. It was a benefit concert in aid of Compassion, to help kids in Africa.

It was very good, apart from being a great musician and singer he is a wonderful communicator and quickly connected with the audience.

2009-05-24T22:41:00.002+02:00

Shortly after that last post (when I could finally persuade him to go to the doctor after days of a splitting headache) it turned our d.h. had had a minor stroke.

Fortunately there were no lasting side-effects. He spent a week in hospital and lost quite a bit of weight then, which did him good, and lost some more back home. He was off work for a month and decided to take up cooking, using a cookbook I've got with low-cholesterol recipes. He is trying (not always succeeding!) to take things easier at work and to exercise more.

It has been a wake-up call to him and we are very thankful that it was not worse. We know what it could have been like - the neighbour upstairs had a stroke and is still having rehab and cannot move her arm or speak properly. The man in the bed next to him went into a coma and died.

He is taking blood pressure tablets morning and evening, a cholesterol tablet and an aspirin a day to stop blood clots.

He has to be careful about what he eats and drinks and about his stress levels. I notice he loses his rag more easily, is not as patient and gets angry more often. He is sometimes forgetful and distracted, but he was like that before anyway.

I feel he - and we - have been given another chance. Several years back he survived a bad car accident - the car was a write-off and he just had grazes. Now this. It is as if God has to push him to the limits but spares him. What for? I don't know! After the car accident his mother told him that God had something more for him to do on earth and that was why He had spared him. Who knows.

Strange day of snowy chaos in Madrid

2009-01-10T01:11:00.004+01:00

Worst day of snow in Madrid for years. We are not prepared for it! Saw two snow ploughs out. Even the motorway was treacherous. Our neighbourhood roads really bad.

We were due to go to Granada and when I saw the snow I said we should cancel the trip. D.h. thought differently...

Drove for five hours in the snow (well d.h. drove actually). Didn't get anyway, massive traffic jams, accidents, cars skidding. Really scary. Eventually d.h. admitted we should turn back. We had driven all of 30 km to Valdemoro. Left before 9.00 am and got home at 3.00 pm. He spent most of the rest of the day sleeping. His blood pressure was up to 14/10!

A bush just behind our house. Actually has red berries but you can't really see them!

Daughter taking aim with a snowball.

D.h. and darling daughter outside police station (which is just by our house). We had just got home after spending practically the whole day going slow in the car!

This is our community garden.

Snow-capped mountains

2008-11-26T14:05:00.003+01:00

It is a very clear day today - cold too. It means the mountains can be seen very clearly from my office window. Beautiful snow-capped mountains that stretch in a semi-circle on the horizon as far as I can see. They are so big and majestic that they made me think of the verse about God surrounding us with His arms just as the mountains surround Jerusalem.

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,

which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds His people

both now and forevermore.

Psalm 125:1-2

It's a comforting thought that in such unstable times He is still reliable.

I will praise you in this storm

2008-11-25T13:41:00.000+01:00

The host of golden daffodils

2008-11-24T21:09:00.002+01:00

You've Got to Have Attitude!

2008-11-11T19:10:00.002+01:00

Your ability to succeed in life often comes down to a single choice: how you react to what has been done to you in the past, or is being done to you right now.

Dr Viktor Frankl endured the Holocaust by this principle. The Nazis killed his family, placed him in a concentration camp, starved and beat him. When the war ended Frankl was neither broken, bowed nor bitter. When asked how he endured such treatment with a positive outlook he said, 'Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms, to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.'

Ground Zero is a space where the Twin Towers once stood. Three thousand people died there. And how did New Yorkers choose to respond? A sign at the edge of Ground Zero proclaims, 'The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart.' That's an attitude terrorists will never conquer.

This is the attitude God's Word calls us to adopt:

'...whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report...think on these things.'

Every day you choose the clothes you wear, the food you eat, and the attitude you adopt. And there are only two kinds of attitudes; good ones and bad ones. A good attitude is the one the Psalmist adopted when he woke up each morning:

'This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it'

(Psalms 118:24 NKJV).

Make that your attitude too!

Courtesy of UCB

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

2008-10-20T00:37:00.002+02:00

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars
that shine and twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
in such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
what wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth, 1804

Rest for the weary soul!

2008-09-19T14:33:00.001+02:00

One of the greatest promises Jesus ever gave us was, 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls' (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV).

How could Jesus talk about being yoked in a harness, which suggests hard work and about rest in the same breath? To most of us, rest means kicking back in the recliner. That's not the kind of rest Jesus was thinking about.

A yoke is a harness that goes around the necks of two oxen so they can pull a load. Accepting Jesus' yoke is a picture of submission. It's also a picture of help because you're not pulling the load alone. In each team of oxen one is the leader and the other follows. Jesus will take the lead but you must be yoked to Him to get the benefit.

So to enjoy intimacy with Christ, you have to bow before Him and accept His will. Jesus promises that His yoke won't choke you, it won't be wearisome or confining; you won't chafe under it. In fact, the irony is, if you want to be truly free you must allow yourself to be yoked to Jesus by submitting your will to His.

Now it's possible to accept Christ's yoke, then start pulling against it when life doesn't go the way you want it to. Peace and rest come only when you relax in the yoke, and let Christ lead the way.

UCB

Thanks to Stephen's Miracle for this additional information which she, in turn, credits to (http://www.prairieoxdrovers.com/):

I learned, the "yoke must be shaped very carefully to fit the head and horns of the oxen. As the oxen grow, a new yoke must be made, and because each team's head and horns have a different shape, once a yoke is fitted to a specific team, it cannot be used on another team of oxen." God has us each fitted in the palm of His hand, does He not? Thank you, Jesus!

http://stephensmiracle.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html

Working out what is already inside you!

2008-09-12T14:29:00.006+02:00

When you stumble or face a problem, God doesn't jump off His throne and say, 'John's in trouble, Mary's in trouble, I'd better act!' No, He's already placed within you all that's necessary to handle the situation and overcome it.

Maturing in Christ is simply the process by which we learn to work out what God has already worked within. Think about a baby in his mother's womb. He already has the necessary genes, chromosomes and traits built into him from conception. Likewise, when you're born again into God's family, you don't just get one or two spiritual blessings; you get 'every spiritual blessing.' As a baby Christian you start out not knowing who you are or what you've got, so the Holy Spirit's job is to reveal it to you.

When you go through a crisis you don't need to go out and look for faith, grace, strength or anything else. You already have them residing within you; learn to draw on them!

Furthermore, you don't need to go looking for a more powerful person to pray for you. God wants to bring you to the place where you can...lay hands on your own head...minister to your own needs...speak peace to your own spirit...command calm within your own home!

And that will happen when you acknowledge and activate the spiritual blessings He's already placed within you.

Published by UCB

Awesome August

2008-09-02T20:53:00.011+02:00

Laredo, Cantabria.

Just a week after returning from La Industria saw us driving up to the north of Spain again to spend a week's holiday at Noja, Cantabria.

The first afternoon we discovered a medieval market and looked around and then had some of the local delicacies.

Octupus being boiled in a copper pot.

Chorizo, Ribeiro wine from Galicia, ribs...

We had fun but I think I prefer Asturias. We went to Santander one day, another to Bilbao and one lovely day driving through the Pas valleys, where the sobaos come from. These are big, buttery cakes, typical from the region which is renowned for its cattle and dairy products.

We spent a few days at home then went to Ally's house for another week. She had kindly loaned us her home while she and her family were away in the States. We had a lovely relaxing time there and made the most of being in a bigger house than usual, with a pool and garden, to invite family and friends over.

The first big event was the annual Carpet Cleaning Day. This originated because Debee, Ally's sister developed a tried and proven method of hand-cleaning carpets. They look and feel great afterwards and it is a whole lot cheaper than taking them to the cleaners!

Debee in action.

Some friends have some very old carpets (over 100 years old - see photo above) which they started taking to Deb's every year to clean.

Charlie's Angels making sure the procedure is being correctly carried out...

Well, gradually over the years we made it into a party with four or five families taking their carpets and cleaning them and then having a barbecue or pot-luck together and enjoying the pool at Ally's.

On another day while we were staying at Ally's, DH invited his sister and her family and his mother and we were treated to her cooking us cigalas (according to the dictionary, Dublin bay prawns).

On yet another occasion the pastor and his family, including his grandson, came over and we had (another!) barbecue.

Our pastor and DH discussing barbecuing techniques (this was just before everything went up in flames - seriously!).

Alfonso and Debee live close by so we saw them and their kids regularly and played a lot of badminton, basketball and pool volley.

We had only been back four days when my sister and an American friend of hers came for a short visit. We managed to pack a lot into their time here, spending most of the first day looking at the typical sites in Madrid – Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, the cathedral, the royal palace and the shops in between.

The Roman aqueduct, Segovia

The following day we drove over the mountains to Segovia, a Roman city with a famous aqueduct. The weather was perfect, not too hot for sight-seeing. We walked through the old town and had lunch at an interesting place which had an aljibe (literally, a cistern) where the Arabs used to store water.

DH chose red peppers stuffed with cheese for desert – very unusual! He said it was delicious!

Family photo outside the Alcázar - castle fortress

After lunch we made our way down towards the castle and did the whole tour including climbing 152 steps to the top of the tower.

Daughter at the top of the tower. The steps up were nothing like these - very narrow and winding, with people going up and down at the same time!

We ambled back up to the main square, stopping in shops on the way and gratefully flopped into the seats at one of the cafés in the Plaza Mayor, sipping at a much needed drink while we watched the early evening light turn the buildings into a beautiful pinkish-gold colour.

On Sunday morning we headed to Madrid’s flea market – the Rastro. My sister and I hadn’t been for years and we took the American friend and my daughter, who absolutely loved it. To be honest, we were a bit disappointed. It seemed to have lost much of its old flavour although there were some interesting stalls towards the Puerta de Toledo.

The following Friday was DH’s birthday and the choice of entertainment was left to him to decide. The result was that daughter and I suffered almost three hours of the latest Batman movie! He loved it!

Then he took us to a smart restaurant in Madrid called el NODO, which is the name of the old documentary newsreels that used to be shown at the cinema in Franco’s day. Daughter wanted to try Sushi but didn’t like it so she swapped with DH – who didn’t like it either!

This was the first course - the NODO box, a selection of four meals!

The desserts were spectacular. This one is double chocolate cookie with fruits of the forest and ice-cream.

DH had read about a roof-top cocktail bar in a centrally placed hotel and wanted to see what it was like. However, daughter was too young to be served – even with a non-alcoholic drink – so we had to leave, but not before getting a glimpse of the view over the city! She has decided she wants to celebrate her 18th birthday there...

More photos will be posted on Facebook - it is so painstaking to upload on to Blogger!

Jumping July

2008-08-27T19:24:00.013+02:00

Well July was a busy month, starting with daughter's 16th birthday, which seemed to go on forever (in a good sense). First of all she celebrated with us and we took her to Rock in Río where Police were playing (a lot of jumping went on there) and also Alejandro Sanz, a Spanish singer.

The Police were fantastic, but they looked soooo old!

There were other fun things to do at Rock in Río such as being twisted around in this:

The next day was her actual birthday. DH prepared a slideshow accompanied by the song 'Sixteen Candles' which he put on at church! Back home he gave her another slideshow we had prepared with photos from the time she was born to the present day, telling her how much she means to us.

Later on she had some school friends and church friends over for supper, games, movies and a sleep over with pillow fight included! DH and I left them to it and went to bed!

In the morning her boyfriend brought a present round - some red plastic roses and a stuffed toy - ahh!

In July also got friendly again with the girls that live in our block and spent a lot of time at the pool with them. During term time there isn't so much time for socialising but she has had fun this summer.

They also came up to our house and helped bake cookies. It was quite a cultural experience for them - enhanced by the discovery that, yes, English people actually do drink tea! Moving amongst multi-cultural friends you sometimes forget that we 'foreigners' seem very strange to the average Spaniard!

The next big event was taking daughter and friends to a camp in Cantabria. DH and I made the most of the five hour drive by staying over in Bilbao in the Basque Country and visiting the Guggenheim museum the next day.

We had a great day together just being tourists.

Meanwhile daughter was having fun at her camp (La Industria) with six hours of hip-hop dance classes a day (more jumping)! They put on a great show at the end of the camp and Ally's son excelled at his rap performance too.

Workshops ranged from hip-hop to classical dance, rap, vocals, surfing, drums, keyboards, etc. The rap group had the privilege of having Joan Armand from Praxis as their tutor - the number 2 rap artist in Spain.

Daughter with her friend from church.

The hip-hop group.

We drove up to pick up the kids from La Industria with Ally and family and spent some fun time on the beach at the Playa de los Locos near Suances. We could have jumped the waves but, well, we didn't! The water was freezing and the current very strong. But at least we went in!

Ally's daughter had her own private jacuzzi, courtesy of her big brother!

We also had a lunch invitation to DH's sister's. Her husband and son (who works at a restuarant) cooked us a wonderful lunch with seafood for starters (almejas a la marinera and percebes) and then fish.

DH's mother also went (in the pic below she is explaining some culinary technique) plus some very good friends of ours.

The boys didn't fit round the table !

So, as you can see, July was a very full month!

Jolly June

2008-08-26T12:32:00.007+02:00

Long time no blogging, so here's the start of a series of updates about things we've been doing over the summer.

First, in June, dh and I made our way to sunny UK (it was actually!) for my Aunty Valda's surprise 60th birthday party. She really was surprised and it was a lovely day with most of the family there. It was nice to meet up on a happy occasion as the last two family 'events' had been my parents' funerals.

After the party we went to visit friends who also live in Bognor Regis. I was friends with Helen from 3rd year at secondary school, so we go back a long way. The 'coincidences' of life - she went to the same university that I did, but several years later, then she moved to my Dad's home town, so whenever I visited my relatives I tried to meet up with her too. I met Mike last year at another mutual friend's house.

This is Helen with Mike. She hasn't changed much since we were at school together!

Me with Helen in her garden.

While we were away our lovely daughter headed off to Lanzarote for her end of school trip (she actually still has two more years of school, but there was the option to leave at 16). She had a great time and it served to bond even more with some of her friends. She has known them since she was seven. She is fourth from the left.

Hold on to Your Vision

2008-05-25T21:54:00.004+02:00

'Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.' Habakkuk 2:3

In the early stages of pregnancy a baby is easier to lose. The same applies to your God-given vision; you need to protect it. The enemy tried to destroy Moses and Jesus before they reached their second birthday. Why? He feared their future and he fears yours too!

Furthermore, when a prospective mother is pregnant, she has to do certain things in order to 'deliver' what God has promised. When your doctor says, 'No smoking, drinking or eating certain foods, etc.,' he's thinking about your future. 'But others can do these things,' you say. Yes, but they're not carrying within them what you are.

The call to give birth to a vision means daring to be different, even radical: it means disconnecting from relationships that can hurt you, staying out of certain places, and reordering your priorities according to your God-given destiny, not popular consent. If you think fulfilling a vision is easy, check the price tag! Like childbirth, it's hard, it's lonely, it's sleepless, it's appetite-changing, it's schedule-altering. It involves pain and leaves stretch marks.

So before you give lip service to, or play around with God's purpose for your life, ask yourself, 'Am I ready to carry this thing full term?' Visions aren't for the immature, the impatient or the faint of heart. And you can't downsize them when things get tough.

Esther's vision meant putting her life on the line and saying, 'If I perish, I perish' (Esther 4:16). Did she perish? No, but she had to be willing to. Are you?

UCB

It's all part of His plan!

2008-05-13T20:48:00.002+02:00

'In everything God works for the good of those who love him ... because that was his plan.' Romans 8:28

When you're in a situation where you've got more questions than answers, it takes faith to accept that 'in everything God works for the good of those who love him.' What you consider wasted experiences can become confidence-builders and priceless sources of insight when you make up your mind to learn from them!

If you don't, they'll keep happening until you do. The Israelites went in circles for 40 years before they finally cottoned on to this. Don't let that happen to you.

When you get too comfortable God stirs things up. The mother eagle teaches her little ones to fly by making their nest so uncomfortable that they're forced out of it. Next they are pushed off a cliff edge. Can you imagine their thoughts: 'It's my mother doing this?'

Who and where you are at this moment in time has been divinely appointed. God in His wisdom knows that you need the challenge of certain situations to mature and stretch you.

The job you dread going to every day is developing your skills, endurance and sense of responsibility. Those people who rub you the wrong way are actually making you more like Jesus!

Paul says, God 'understands...and knows what is best for us at all times' (Ephesians 1:8 TLB).

So instead of asking Him to change things, thank Him for the experience and the lessons you're learning. And if you can't figure out what those lessons are, ask Him.

James says, 'If...you need wisdom...ask God' (James 1:5 CEV).

When you do, you'll discover it is all part of His plan!

UCB

Be strong and courageous

2008-05-10T14:40:00.002+02:00

Before Israel entered the Promised Land God gave two important instructions to its leaders:

1) 'Cross over ahead of your brothers' (Joshua 1:14 NIV).
If God has called you to lead, stand up and get on with it. Believe in yourself and your mission! Accomplishment is more than just working harder and smarter; it's about believing the right thing. Someone called it the 'sure enough' syndrome. If you expect to fail, sure enough you will. If you expect to succeed, sure enough you will. Personal breakthroughs begin with a change in your beliefs. What you believe deep down determines what you expect, and what you expect determines how you will act. In the long run, a belief is more than just an idea you possess, it's an idea that possesses you!

2) 'Be strong and courageous' (Joshua 1:6).
Your life will expand or shrink in proportion to the measure of courage you display. If you're willing to take risks you'll go further than those who timidly follow the safe and predictable path. Orison Swett Marden writes: 'The moment you resolve to take hold of life with all your might and make the most of yourself at any cost, to sacrifice all lesser ambitions to your one great aim, to cut loose from everything that interferes with that aim, to stand alone, firm in your purpose whatever happens, you set in motion the forces implanted within you for your own development. Live up to your resolve, work at what God meant you to work at for the perfecting of His plan, and you will be invincible. No power on earth can hold you back from success.'

From UCB

May Break

2008-05-04T22:44:00.007+02:00

We have just come back from a short break on the coast - to have some family time after all the recent traumatic events we've been through and just to relax with good food, good company and sun, sea and sand!

We went to Peñíscola in Castellón, a place we know well as we are part of a team that organizes a conference there once a year, but it was the first time our daughter had been with us - and the first time that we had absolutely no responsibilities apart from relaxing and enjoying ourselves!

The place has a lot of history and this walled fortress was the view from our hotel room.

Here we are walking in the walled city.

Balconies in the old part of the town.

La casa de las conchas - the house of shells.

I think they were impatient for their supper!

The restaurant is called El Mirador and you can see why - the view is spectacular!

Looking out towards the harbour.

What a beautiful sunset.

And an even more beautiful daughter!

The Best Dad

2008-04-23T17:59:00.005+02:00

Today would have been my Dad's 75th birthday (he died in July 2006). This day was a most significant day in history. Apart from being the day my Dad made his entry into the world, it is also St. George's Day (patron saint of England and reputedly a dragon-slayer),

the day Shakespeare was born and died

and the day Cervantes (of Don Quixote fame) died.

In Spain, St. George's Day (el Dia de San Jorge) is also the Day of the Book and is celebrated, particularly in Catalonia, with couples exchanging a rose and a book.

My parents would traditionally fly an England flag from their bedroom window as the start to the day.

My father was an exceptional man and the next post is the tribute to him that I wrote with the help of my sisters and aunt on the occasion of his funeral.

A Celebration of David

2008-04-23T17:20:00.008+02:00

It is impossible to sum up an outstanding life in just a few sentences. David himself was not verbose, yet he had a way with words, putting his views across quite forcibly and keeping to the point. He was a man of hidden depths. A man of integrity with a strong sense of justice who always treated others with respect and upheld what he believed to be right at all times. He was a man of character, sound judgement, patience, a man who ruled his own spirit, had a cheerful disposition and a good sense of humour.

One of the greatest gifts he gave to his daughters was to teach them to think for themselves while supporting their decisions, even when he did not necessarily agree with them. Sometimes this meant learning the hard way – through mistakes – but he was there to pick up the pieces. Always ready to help others, he has offered his children continuous support, prepared to offer advice when needed, but without being intrusive.

He was generous to a fault, extremely thoughtful, exceptionally intelligent, always planning ahead and willing to take on responsibility. In return, as his wife, Grace, said recently ‘everyone loved David’.

David was born in Portsmouth on 23rd April 1933, the eldest son of Ellen and Bert, brother to Keith, Michael and Valda. He grew up in the difficult inter-war and war years and spent some time as an evacuee living with relatives. The family finally settled in Bognor Regis where David first met his future wife, Grace, at the Methodist Sunday School. Romance was kindled a few years later when Grace was working at Eroica’s Record Shop and David came in with a box of chocolates he had bought for another girl. He said, ‘You had better have these, the other girl doesn’t deserve them!’

Although his career took him away from his parents’ town, he continued to be a very supportive son throughout their lives, visiting regularly and concerned about their well-being.

David joined His Majesty’s Customs and Excise as a Departmental Clerical Officer in April 1951, serving at Newhaven for a few months before completing his National Service with the RAF in 1953 as a Radar/Gunner flying Shackletons out of Gibralter in 224 Squadron of Coastal Command. His trips across the border to Spain when Torremolinos was little more than a bus-stop were to provide amusing stories for his Spanish son-in-law later on!

Grace and David were engaged on Christmas Eve 1956 and married on 2nd March 1957, marking the start of a strong and loving partnership which was to last almost fifty years. It was evident to all that David was a very devoted husband.

The first year of their married life was spent in Fulham, London, where their eldest daughter, Suzanne Mary, was born. In 1958, David moved to the Customs and Excise Department in Trecwn, Wales, where his second daughter, Karen Elizabeth, was born at home. Marilynn Dawn followed shortly afterwards, born in Cardigan hospital.

By the time he retired in 1993, David had given 42 years of public service. Following his spell in Customs and Excise, he joined the Admiralty. His next appointment was to have been Singapore, but this was cancelled and instead he was sent to Bath. This move, though unexpected and disappointing at first, was to set the basis for the remainder of his career – he was to be a ‘Computer Man’!

He went on to hold a variety of jobs in Bath, Cincfleet in Northwood and London, covering many aspects of accounting and Information Technology. In 1988 he became project leader of the office automation CHOTS (Corporate Headquarters Office Technology System) project, one of the most significant developments in the management of the Ministry of Defence’s business.

In 1991 he took on his final appointment, on promotion to Grade 5, as Director of Intelligence (Information Systems). His wide experience, technical proficiency and, above all, leadership qualities, enabled progress to be maintained in bringing the defence system Project Trawlerman to fruition, a project that was to have a wide impact across the whole Defence Intelligence community.

On David’s retirement, the then Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Sir Christopher France KCB, wrote:

“Throughout your Civil Service career you have combined loyalty, enthusiasm and high professional standards in a rapidly developing field. These qualities, coupled with your firm but sensitive approach to the management of staff, have earned you the respect and affection of all those with whom you have worked. Yours has been a long and distinguished career, on which you can look back with pride.”

To most of us here, however, David is better known as a family man and it was obvious how much he loved and felt about all his family and that we all, in turn, felt the same way about him. Although his sister, Valda, did not share an early childhood with David, she remembers eagerly awaiting the visits of ‘my big brother’ and, as time went on, his wife and children. His devotion to Grace was a shining example of all a husband should be. His love for and pride in his children was evident to all.

As well as being a wonderful husband and father, David proved himself to be a fantastic grandfather too, in spite of the physical distance, with one grand-daughter in Spain and the other two in the States. Again, his sacrificial love was evident in the way he made time to be with his grand-children, taking genuine delight in being with them, and they with him.

In addition to his brilliant career in the civil service, David was also extremely gifted in other areas. His exceptional intelligence was matched by his creativity in a very wide range of fields. As children, his daughters would often say, ‘Our dad can do anything.’ He no doubt inherited his creativity from his own father. He could put his hand to woodwork, photography, drawing, games requiring analysis and logic; he was an avid reader with a wide scope of interests, ranging from intrigue and crime novels to sci-fi.

Rather than get someone else to do jobs that needed doing around the house, he would invariably tackle all manner of tasks himself, from decorating to plumbing to carpentry – many of the items in the family home were made by David. Indeed, whenever he visited his daughters there would invariably be a ‘to-do’ list of various practical tasks which he would cheerfully and willingly attack! David was skilful at so many things it seems that he could master anything he put his mind to. He was a perfectionist, always striving for the best but extremely modest about his own abilities.

He loved gardening and was a member of the Royal Horticultural Society. His own garden, with the many beautiful shrubs, trees and flowers, is a clear testimony to his green fingers.

His keen mind was always active and following his retirement he soon mastered the latest Internet technology and branched into digital photography. A few years ago he started to investigate his own origins and began developing the family tree, a project to which many members of the family have contributed.

David spent his last ten weeks in hospital, fighting for his life after what should have been a routine operation resulted in a perforated duodenum, facing a diagnosis of cancer of the gall bladder and liver. His stoicism and courage in the face of his debilitating illness were further proof of his strength of character. He died, at peace with God and man, on 6th July 2006.

Husband, father, grand-father, brother, uncle, neighbour, friend. No-one can replace David. He will be greatly missed and will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Forgiveness

2008-04-20T18:40:00.003+02:00

What makes a Christian a Christian

is not perfection but forgiveness.

Max Lucado, Walking with the Savior

Fight for what is Right

2008-04-02T22:51:00.003+02:00

"There is greatness within you,

and it becomes apparent

as you go through your storm."

(Quote from When it Pours, He Reigns - Thanks Ally!)

An Easter Prayer

2008-03-20T21:50:00.003+01:00

Lord,
Thank You for the gift of HOPE
You gave us on Easter morning.
Because of You we know
that no problem is too difficult
and even death does not have power over us.

Thank You for the gift of JOY
You gave us when You were resurrected.
Because of you we know
that no matter how challenging life may be,
in the end we will rejoice again.

Thank You for the gift of LOVE
You gave us when You laid down Your life.
Because of You we know
that there is no sin too great to separate us
and we are incredibly valuable to You.

Thank You for the gift of LIFE
You gave us when you left the tomb.
Because of Easter we know
this world is just the beginning
and we will spend forever in heaven with You.

We celebrate You, JESUS,
with hearts full of praise and gratitude
for who You are and all You’ve done for us!
Amen.

by Holley Gerth

Tribute to Grace

2008-03-11T20:35:00.006+01:00

Bonnie used to host the Tuesday Tribute - so thanks Bonnie.

The ideal would be to post this tribute to my Mum next Tuesday, 18th March, but I don't know if I will have Internet access so am posting today.

Grace was born in London on 18th March 1933. The day of her funeral, 18th March, would have been her 75th birthday.

She grew up in Bognor Regis where her Mother, Winifred, worked as a chambermaid and her father, George, as a chef in one of the large hotels. Grace had many amusing stories to tell about helping out in the hotel kitchen, standing on a chair peeling potatoes at an enormous Butler’s sink or mixing up a cake which miraculously changed colour when her Dad added a few drops of food colouring without her noticing. Grace had a difficult childhood, losing her two brothers in infancy and then her father at the age of eight. Her mother had to take over his job as chef and work extremely hard to make ends meet, which meant Grace was often alone. Perhaps this is why family life became so important to her and her husband’s family became very much her own. Despite the hardships, Grace had many happy stories about life in Bognor, cycling everywhere and swimming in the sea every day in the summer.

She met her husband, David, at the Methodist Sunday School although the romance was kindled later when he came to Eroica’s record shop where Grace worked with a box of chocolates originally intended for another girl! Theirs was an enduring romance which lasted over 50 years. They were inseparable and so obviously in love right to the end.

Grace would often say that ‘people are what matter’ and this characterised her outlook on life: she would make every effort to make people feel welcome, taking a genuine interest in them. She was a great conversationalist and was as much as ease talking to a Rear Admiral at one of David’s Mess Dinners as to a cashier at Sainsbury’s. Her son-in-law says that she was the one that helped him survive his first visit to England by making him feel accepted and at home. She enjoyed being with people, especially her family. We would often sit around the kitchen table after school discussing the day’s events over a cup of tea. She was always interested in what we were doing and welcomed our friends into her home.

She was kind, warm-hearted and affectionate and this was even more evident when she was with her three granddaughters. They were her pride and joy and she loved having them stay or going to visit them in Spain and the United States.

One meaning of the word ‘grace’ is ‘an undeserved favour’. We did nothing to deserve a mother like Grace. She gave herself entirely to her husband and daughters, putting our needs and desires before her own. Her life was wrapped up in her family. At one point she had three young daughters under the age of four, bringing them up on a very limited budget, making economies wherever she could. She’d often point out in a photo a pair of dungarees on one of us as a toddler and say the material came from one of her own dresses. Due to her husband’s job with long absences away from home and sometimes working night shifts, she had to manage the household on her own a lot of the time, a task she coped with admirably.

Once we were all in school she couldn’t get used to being alone in the house and one day Dad told us not to be surprised if we saw Mum at school that day. When we went for our lunch, there she was behind the counter serving the school dinners! Later, when we moved to Hemel Hempstead, she worked for the Evening Echo newspaper – a job which entailed reading advertisements for errors or illegalities, proof of her keen eye and powers of observation. She also made many lasting friendships there. She would often regale us with stories of her work experience before she was married in Eroica’s record shop in Bognor Regis and at a bank in Chichester and then in London. At Eroica’s she was renowned for knowing the serial numbers of the most popular records off by heart!

Our childhood and adolescence were characterised by a happy medium of discipline and freedom. We knew we had to toe the line and behave but we were also given tremendous liberty to roam the countryside when we lived in Bath. When the time came to choose further education and careers, we were always offered support and advice but not undue pressure to go in any particular direction. The same was true when choosing our life partners or having children. Both our parents have been towers of strength to us, building character in us and encouraging us in our chosen paths.

Grace loved music and ballroom dancing. She enjoyed listening to pop music on the radio and right to the end she was often singing along or tapping her fingers to a favourite CD. She was a good cook and spent hours poring over her vast collection of cookery books – although most of her recipes were made from memory! She also enjoyed gardening and loved flowers and could point out many of the species of birds that would come to feed in her garden. A favourite pastime was going for a drive in the country and visiting places such as the Bluebell Café or Ashridge or walking around Gadebridge Park, delighting in watching young children play. She was also good at doing crosswords and liked watching quiz shows such as Mastermind, University Challenge and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

David’s death nearly two years ago was devastating for Grace and she became a shadow of her former self. However, recently we had begun to see her picking up and a return of her sunny personality, keen sense of humour and kind heart.

A proposed two-week holiday to Spain turned into two months of suffering with three spells in hospital – a broken hip, pneumonia and lung cancer. We almost lost her after her hip-replacement operation, but she pulled through, only to discover the return of lung cancer a short while later. During this time she has been surrounded by family and friends who have done all they could to help her and in spite of the circumstances she was still able to make a joke and give a warm smile and a kiss to those who were caring for her or visiting her. Even the hospital staff were impressed at how she kept her sense of humour in spite of not understanding much of what was going on around her and people who had only known her for a short while warmed to her and considered her their friend or even said she was like a second Mum to them.

During this time my prayer has been 'grace for Grace,' confident that God knows our end from our beginning and the days that He ordained for us.

We all miss her terribly — she has left a huge hole in our hearts which no-one can replace. We have taken her back to be buried beside her husband and we know she is now in a place where there is no more suffering or pain and she is at peace.

I don't feel like it but...

2008-02-11T00:09:00.001+01:00

You're a Butterfly!

Fragile and beautiful, you work as a good-luck charm for those
around you. People are always happy to see you and sometimes beseech you to reach
out to them as a blessing for their day. Though you are proud of your reputation,
you strive not to forget your own humble beginnings and remember that not so long
ago, everyone looked down on you. All you can do is appreciate the metamorphosis
you made now that you're on its good side. You adore stained-glass
windows.

Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Brave New World

2008-02-11T00:05:00.000+01:00

You're Brave New World!

by Aldous Huxley

With an uncanny ability for predicting the future, you are a true
psychic. You can see how the world will change and illuminate the fears of future
generations. In the world to come, you see the influence of the media, genetic
science, drugs, and class warfare. And while all this might make you happy, you
claim the right to be unhappy. While pregnancy might seem painful, test tube
babies scare you most. You are obsessed with the word "pneumatic".

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

You'll laugh again!

2008-01-27T14:45:00.000+01:00

'THE LORD SAID TO ABRAHAM, "WHY DID SARAH LAUGH?"' GENESIS 18:13

In Genesis 18:13-14 we read: 'The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, "Will I really have a child, now that I am old?" Is anything too hard for the Lord?"' Then in Genesis 21:2 we read: 'Sarah became pregnant and bore a son...[and] said, "God has brought me laughter"' (Genesis 21:2-6 NIV).

But between the first and the last laugh Sarah went through a wrenching time of disappointment and heartache. The 'love of her life,' Abraham, betrayed her to save himself. Abimelech, a heathen king, took her to his harem and would have slept with her had God not stepped in to rescue her.

Yes, like Sarah, between the first laugh and the last you'll do a lot of growing. You'll celebrate your good times and pray for grace to survive your bad ones. Some days you'll feel like you can't go a step further, yet through it all you'll learn to trust God more than you ever dreamed possible.

Here's an important thought: when you share your story with others don't just tell how you started or where you are today, tell them what God brought you through. Why? For those are the things they are struggling with too! King Abimelech's tent was in Gerar, which means the halting place. There will be times when you'll feel as if your life has come to a complete halt; like you're getting nowhere.

Maybe that's where you are today. If it is, please know this; God will be faithful to you! Not only will He bring you through, but like Sarah, you'll laugh again as you watch Him fulfil His promises in your life!

UCB

Priorities

2008-01-20T18:44:00.000+01:00

Life right now is totally focussed on my Mum who has now been in hospital for 18 days. On Friday 11th January she had her hip replacement operation which went well, but she had a lot of post-operative complications and lost a lot of blood. We were told she would die within a few hours - but miraculously she pulled through!
However, the chest infection she had was actually pneumonia and she is still fighting that. She is very weak and cannot even cough up what is on her lungs so progress is very slow.
I spend every day at the hospital and family and friends are helping out by spending the nights and making us food and generally being supportive with phone calls and visits. My younger sister came from the States last week to visit and my elder sister has been two weekends running from the UK.
So, no blogging! Thanks to everyone who has contacted me, prayed for Mum, visited, spent the night, made meals, etc. We really do appreciate it.

Broken Teeth!

2008-01-07T22:53:00.000+01:00

This morning hubby went to the hospital to be with Mum so I could get on with some chores at home, such as cooking, taking down decorations (that didn't get done!) and working on an editorial project due in on Wednesday.

Before I had even started on any of this he phoned from the hospital to say Mum's bottom dentures had broken! Today is still a holiday so no dentists are working. I tried to phone a friend who works making false teeth but got no answer - he did later phone hubby and explained that he only works with ceramic teeth, not resin ones, but will try to get the name of someone who can help us tomorrow.

Meanwhile I was rushing round to the duty chemists to see if they sold some adhesive as a temporary measure, but apparently it is no longer sold to the public.

So today Mum had to have all her food pureed! I did manage to get time to make a wholesome courgette soup with potato, cheese and bacon which she gobbled up (she is not keen on Spanish hospital food!).

Times of Testing

2008-01-06T21:32:00.000+01:00

'UNTIL THE TIME CAME TO FULFILL HIS WORD, THE LORD TESTED JOSEPH'S CHARACTER.' PSALM 105:19

It's difficult to see God blessing others while you are forced to wait. But this is not injustice: it's divine order! Look at Joseph. His faith was being tested by the very promises God gave him. Can't you hear satan whisper: 'I thought your dream said you were supposed to be sitting on a throne. What are you doing here in prison?' But satan miscalculated. This only looks like a prison but in reality it's the birthplace of promise and the day of small beginnings. God has not changed His mind, so don't change yours! When He's going to build something great He takes extra time to lay the foundation. 'Jesus grew...in favour with God and men' (Luke 2:52 NIV). Allow yourself time to grow! When you walk with God your opportunities for advancement are regulated by His plan, not someone else's actions and preparation always precedes promotion.
God told the prophet Elijah to go and hide himself by the brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:3). Before he could call down fire from heaven and defeat the prophets of Baal, Elijah had to spend time hidden away with God. There are some insights you only gain by spending quality time with God. God may not come when you want Him to but He'll always be on time if you wait on Him. 'No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly' (Psalm 84:11 NKJV). His delays are not His denials. He's never said anything He couldn't back up or promised anything He wouldn't deliver.

So disregard the circumstances and stand on the Word God has given you!

UCB Word for Today

Happy New Year???

2008-01-06T21:10:00.000+01:00

'My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than yours...' says God. Well, I'm certainly glad about that because the start of this year has been pretty incomprehensible so far. I'm not complaining mind, I'm sure God is in all of this!

On the first of January we were in England, preparing to return to Spain with my Mum, when we heard that hubby's brain-damaged sister, who had been taken into hospital on 30th December with pneumonia, had died. She was 41 and lived more than 20 years longer than expected as the family had cared so well for her. It was a big shock to all the family, especially my mother-in-law whose life has been devoted to caring for her. The funeral was on 2nd Jan and my hubby and the pastor both spoke about how she was trapped in her body but very up-front with how she felt about things. There was never any deceit, she was just plain honest. If she felt angry or frustrated you knew it. If she was happy too. It was a very moving service. God is really at work to bring healing and comfort to the family.

Then that night, in the early hours of 3rd January, my Mum got up to go to the bathroom and fell and broke her hip. She was rushed to hospital by ambulance and told she would have to wait at least 10 days for a hip replacement operation. To top it all, they discovered a chest infection which means she is now on oxygen and antibiotics and needs to recover from that before they can contemplate the operation. All this at 74 years' old, in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language! Fortunately there is one doctor and some of the nurses who speak some English. My hubby's family are being wonderful, visiting, bringing in food to tempt her to eat more, spending the night at the hospital. I don't know what we would do without them.

One of my husband's nephews was in the same hospital waiting for an op on his foot which then got postponed and he was sent home, due to come back on Tuesday!

In the midst of all of this my husband has been working extremely hard, both before and during Christmas and this past week with the end of year accounts and the auditing. He is so tired.

BUT GOD... We know our redeemer lives and will never fail us nor forsake us. He is with us in this. I know He is with me every day in the hospital, giving me grace just even to be there. I remember how hard it was for me when my Dad was in hospital and somehow this time God is just helping me through each day.
I have seen Mum's breathing improve over the four days she has now been in hospital and am believing for a complete recovery from this chest infection so she can have her op. What's more, the geriatric doctor is very kind and efficient and she is probably getting better care here than she would be if she were at home.
The way people, especially family, are offering to help is very clear evidence of Christianity in action - selfless love. I think it was Jonathan Edwards who said, 'Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.'
I was very touched by my mother-in-law coming to the hospital the day after she buried her youngest daughter (and only five weeks after burying her eldest) and holding my Mum's hand and saying, 'I love you.'

Christmas Quiz

2007-12-24T21:46:00.000+01:00

I saw this on Folded Wings and she got it from Diane at Glasses of Grace, so here goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Both but mainly wrapping paper.

2. Real or artificial tree?
Artifical. We have quite a large one which looks realistic.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Over the 'puente' of 6-8 December, as this is a long holiday with plenty of time for it! Always preceded by a good clean-up!

4. When do you take the tree down?
After Reyes, King's Day, which is 6th January.

5. Do you like Eggnog?
I'm not sure I've ever tried it. It doesn't really appeal to me.

6. Favorite Gift you received as a child?
I don't really remember many gifts I got. I know one year I got a Barbie style doll (although ours were more of the Sindy variety) and thought that it would probably be my last doll as I was already a teenager.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?

Yes - two in fact. One is made of wood and you just get it out of the box and you're done. It's nice with palm trees and quite tasteful. The other one is very small clear plastic figures that I put in the entrance hall. I don't have the huge extravaganza a lot of Spanish families go in for!
8. Hardest person to buy for?

My husband. Well, men in general really.
9. Easiest person to buy for?
My daughter. I know what her taste is and besides, she usually lets me know what she wants!
10. Worst Christmas gift ever received?
I can't remember.

11. Christmas Cards...Snail mail or E-mail?
Mostly snail mail or by hand although sometimes I send out a Christmas letter by e-mail. I haven't written a letter for the last couple of years but I do hope to get back into it.

12. Favorite Christmas movie?
Can't really think of one, but maybe one with Bing Crosby singing White Christmas?

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?

I have to start in November really in order to send of presents to my sister in the US. Just finished the last of the shopping today!

14. Have you ever 'recycled' a Christmas present?
Probably.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
All the traditional stuff - roast turkey, parsnips, roast potatoes, brussel sprouts, Christmas pudding, mince pies. Mmmm!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?

Both.
17. Favorite Christmas Song?
I've always liked Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We used to alternate between the UK and Spain but since my daughter was born (she's now 15!) we have spent Christmas and New Year in the UK and Reyes in Spain.

19. Can you name Santa's Reindeer?

Prancer, Dancer, Blitzen, Cupid, Rudolph, ... can't remember the rest!

20. Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree?

Both.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Traditionally the kids have always opened a stocking with little things first thing on Christmas morning then a bit later on each adult has opened one present. The rest we save until after lunch. As my parents got engaged on Christmas Eve, my Dad would always give my Mum a present on Christmas Eve. Now that he has died we have continued to give her a small gift on Christmas Eve.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Definitely the consumerism and lack of focus on the real meaning.

23. Shopping...Mall or online?
Both.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Be careful what you pray for...

2007-12-20T16:01:00.000+01:00

There's a work going on in you

'GRACE WHEREIN WE STAND, AND...TRIBULATION [THAT] WORKETH PATIENCE.' ROMANS 5:2-3

We're too impatient! If God doesn't speak to us in the first five minutes of our prayer time we get up, shrug it off and decide 'He isn't talking today.' Where's the tenacity of our spiritual forefathers who would take hold of God in prayer and refuse to let go until they received 'a sure word' from Him? (2 Peter 1:19).

There are two things you can count on as you walk with God: trouble that works for you and grace to stand while you're going through it. Have you been praying for patience? Get ready for trouble! There's no other way to get it. Patience grows in the soil of adversity. How do you test the strength of an anchor? Expose it to the fury of a storm. Understand this: some of the people you can't stand right now are the very ones who'll mature you!

Our problem is we pray for things but don't recognise the answer when it comes. God has a purpose in all things, He also has a process. As you get to know Him better you begin to recognise both.

Here's how it works: you ask God for strength and He allows you to go through times of testing. You ask for wisdom and you get to deal with problems that require solutions. You ask for success and He gives you the ability to work, not necessarily harder, but smarter. You ask for favour and He gives you responsibility. Salvation is a gift, but patience is a reward for overcoming.
So stay where God has you today and learn the lessons He wants to teach you; tomorrow you'll be glad you did!

UCB

Memory Verse Monday: It's a new day

2007-12-17T11:33:00.000+01:00

It's a new day!

Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19

I am not really into memorising scripture. I know it is good to do so, but I never seem to get round to doing it! One way I have always found useful to remember scripture, though, is through song - so many of the choruses we sing are based on scripture and it is easier to remember a verse when you sing it to a tune. Having said that, I know a lot of verses or parts of verses and where to find them, so today the Lord was impressing on me 'It is a new day' and the above verses came to mind, so I looked them up on Bible Gateway.

Why these verses?

For some time I have been struggling with a lot of issues, including anger, and really getting to the end of myself, considering throwing in the towel and just unable to rise up above all the circumstances and emotions that were getting me down. It just seemed that I could not find God in all of this. It really did seem to me that there was no way out and everything looked black and hopeless.

Then last night I was invited to attend a TV show on TBN with Claudio and Betty Freidzon from Argentina. This was kind of a 'make it or break it' time. I had indicated to God that I needed Him to do something to show me there was still hope.

It was one of those events where it is very hard to describe what actually happened but somehow I experienced a breakthrough and was able to connect with God for the first time for ages and it brought a deep sense of hope to me for the future, hence the verses I have chosen to share.

The aim of "Memory Verse Monday" is to:

1. Memorise a passage (or passages) of scripture.
2. Share why you have chosen the verse or verses that you have.
3. Encourage one another with God has been saying to you through this verse.
4. Share the ways in which you find remembering verses works for you.

Hosted by Karen's Ramblings

Thankful Thursdays

2007-12-13T13:29:00.000+01:00

Due to the long weekend last week (Thursday to Sunday) we were able to catch up with a lot of friends - mostly around a meal table! Then this week we had guests from Africa staying for a couple of days, so I'm thankful for good food and good friends!

On Thursday, we went out with the youth group to celebrate my birthday and Ben's with a meal and presents.

On Friday, we had supper with the Eddys (no photos) and all received belated birthday presents!

John, a friend from Ireland. My husband made this meal in the Portuguese cataplana:

Our friends from Africa enjoying a Gallego evening: