“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
— Robert F. Kennedy
As a Christian I am always critical on myself. I am constantly making mistakes, regretting actions and promising never to do that again while constantly failing. I am hoping this blog will develop into an encouragement for others to let them know they are not alone in this crazy messed up world. We are one family in Christ. We may be nuts at times but if we constantly pray into the Fruit of the Spirit and encourage each other we may just see our family grow and exciting things happen.
Sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you pray the armour of God or ask for the fruit of the spirit, there is an unseen arrow from the evil one that has already snuck into your being through the slimmest crack and is doing a very affective job to destroy your peace.
You pray, you cry, you can’t see or think straight!
Everyday we need to remember who we are, but on the days when we feel like we are drowning this is when we need to affirm who we are out loud.
WE ARE
Loved
Adored
Cherished
Unique
Fearfully and wonderfully made
A daughter of the King
A princess
Special
Blessed
Free
Forgiven
Redeemed
A child of God
After we have affirmed this, let’s sit back and see God work!
This tree fascinates me. It has obviously been uprooted. You can even see the stone from the riverbank it brought with it when it flipped. Yet the tree hasn’t died. It is still flourishing as you can see from the photos below.
This tree makes me think about my faith and how my faith is rooted. We are told to build strong foundations on solid ground so we can weather any storm. This tree obviously had a root system established yet has been battered and blown. However it has such a root system established that it survived the storms by having roots running deep.
This is what I need in my faith. Even when I am blown over in a storm. My roots need to be firm in Christ forever. He sustains me and helps me grow.
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7 NIV
Let my roots be deeply planted Only in Christ Spread so far That if I become uprooted My faith will not crumble
Let my roots keep me flourishing Bearing fruit Constantly growing So any storm that comes my way Never fazes me
Keep my roots in you alone Jesus Building me up Keeping me strong For all the glory goes to you With every breathe I take
When I took this photo it reminded me of how much God loves me and you. He leaves the 99 to go find you or me when we wander.
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18:12-14 ESV
Lord I wander off far too often Hiding in the metaphorical grass Thinking the grass is greener But in reality I'm lost again
Looking for a way back to you But I really don't need to search As you are already with me My shepherd, saviour, Lord
Your care for me so deep And for my fellow flock When any one of us wanders off You find us and bring us back
The picture is from an old quarry we walked the other day. While walking this verse from Joel was in my mind.
As God has restored this area back to its natural beauty, despite mankind stripping it from its minerals. It reminds me of how God is constantly restoring us. He takes the lost years and restores whatever we need when we need it.
Your power Lord Jesus we limit Where really you are limitless For doing good Putting right The constant mess we make
Your power Jesus Though The cross Makes us not only forgiven But renewed, restored, revived In all aspects of our lives
So in your power Jesus Please restore us today Whatever the need Emotional or physical Lord we need you to transform us
Patience is far from my strong point. The nuts of not wanting to wait. Wanting an end to all problems instantly I desire. I need to learn to rejoice in hope that my answer is already here. God’s timing is perfect, mine is normally hurry up please!
My hope is in you alone Jesus However hard I try Patience is not my thing Why can't I have it now I cry As doubt finds a way in Eyes get diverted My head starts to spin
Patience is what I need I pray Learning to be still Why is it so hard I grumble But is hardship really here Just a loss of creature comforts My self pity needs to go The Holy Spirit needs to enter in
With words of praise and worship Nuts of lies and impatience Run and disappear Hope And patience reign As the Spirit is allowed to soar God is able to step in Bringing miracles and glory galore
So whatever your waiting for Keep your eyes on God above Let Jesus take your hand As the Holy Spirit leads Let praise part from your lips Peace and joy surround And everything is well
We started our adventure 4 weeks ago. As ever packing up and following. Now feeling like we are in a hole. We trust and know Jesus has a plan. It’s just hard to see it right now.
You promised an adventure Jesus As ever the road full of bumps Emotions on overload The smooth road far too busy People looking for perfection Why would we go there
Let's go on that adventure Jesus We won't need our armour The way beautiful and straight Nothing will go wrong No bandits, thieves or robbers Where did that mountain come from
The adventure in this realm Jesus Is getting tiresome The enemys arrows sweeping in Doubt trying to break in To rest in green pasture we need With the shepherd by our side
Stay with us on the adventure Jesus Never leave our side Keep us focused on eternity Not the superficial realm Strengthen and protect us So we feel your spirit dwelling inside
Thank you for this adventure Jesus There is no one else We trust to travel with It may not be a first class airplane ticket But your company the best Protecting every footstep we take
Let this adventure Jesus Turn into a much more As each step of faith Although here on earth Turns into something much bigger More wonderful than words
The adventure not over Jesus We can't wait to see the end The outcome so spectacular Hard for many to take in Let it glorify you only Bringing lives alive in faith
My youngest woke Saturday morning to a frost and wanted to go on an ice walk in the garden.
While in the garden although there was not much ice to see, I did notice new life popping through in nature. Shrubs starting to spring green leaves. Bulbs poking their leaves through the ground. Flowers hiding in buds. And fungi forming out the side of a pot.
A lot of people will have said at the beginning of the month that they will have made a resolution for a better lifestyle.
However in reality as people we do not need to wait till spring or new year to have new life in us. We can accept a new life any time.
The moment we accepted Jesus as our saviour we were receiving new life. The moment we rose from our baptism pools we had a new life. It didn’t matter what the time or date was. We received new life.
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
As Christians, we always seem to say that we are going through a season. However whatever the season God is changing, developing us and bringing us new life.
We just need to be mindful and pray for wisdom in our lives. As we bud and flower in our new lives, weeds can also grow and take hold. We need to keep them at bay.
Whether we are in a place of needing new life, wanting a new life or happy with our life as it is, we need guidance from the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit keeps us in the armour of God. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and discernment when we ask. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us. We need the Holy Spirit to stay in our new life. The Holy Spirit keeps weeds away so we can bud, blossom and be fruitful for God.
The cherry on the cake. When we have a relationship with Jesus and our days on earth are over. He is waiting in heaven to embrace us into new eternal life.
Dear Jesus Please keep us close living with you in our new lives. May your Holy Spirit lead us, so we can bud and bloom. Help us to share your gospel, spreading the good news. For we long to be fruitful bringing others to your kingdom. Yet sometimes we struggle in this task. Just let us be bold and daring for you, in sharing your story of bringing new life. Amen.
My husband is a huge Jeremy Camp fan and was listening to some of his music at the weekend. Keep me in the moment was playing and as I was squallingly singing along when the line ” Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me” really spoke to me.
Like many others I really believe that God has something special in store for our family this year. God has broken so many chains for us over the last couple of years and it feels like the last hurdle to climb is in sight and we are nearly at the finishing line.
However in all our plans, ups and downs I wonder how much of God’s goodness I am missing out on by focusing on the one goal.
I am not saying dreams and looking to the future are bad but if they are still in my head and not in reality yet what am I missing out on by not living in the moment.
oh Lord, keep me in the moment
Help me live with my eyes wide open
‘Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me
Singing oh Lord, show me what matters
Throw away what I’m chasing after
‘Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me
Jeremy Camp
It is good to have dreams and believe God will get us there but we have to live in each moment with God whatever that looks like.
We need to make the most of each moment. Conversations over coffee, hugs and wiping each other’s tears. Sharing the love, laughs and smiles while we can. These opportunities we do not want to miss.
We can have the world in the world’s eyes but if we do not share Jesus with friends, families, colleague’s and strangers we are missing out on something very special.
Let’s be wise with our precious time and ask God how we can use it wisely and not miss a single important moment.
Dear Jesus Let us live each and every moment with you. Let the spirit guide us showing us what we need to do. From enjoying your creation to fellowship with others. Let us know when to hug, when to speak and when to rest. What ever the path let us follow and never miss a God filled moment here on earth. Amen
Over the holidays I watched the new James Bond movie. No spoilers, but as the end leaves things wide open, it got me thinking. Does the world really need another hero?
We may all be heroes in our own way, helping and saving individuals in distress but when it comes to saving the world we already have the hero we need.
JESUS
Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever. We need nothing else.
As we start 2022 and look forward to a more hopeful and better year ahead. Are we looking for a person to save us from everything we are running from in 2021?
That person is here. The issue is people mock and turn their backs from him because their answer from him doesn’t match their own!
Instead of looking to your own powers, fantasies or the government to complete your 2022 dreams, look to the baby whose birth we have just celebrated.
Life is never promised to be easy. But we are promised that we do not have to be a victim of our circumstances. In Jesus we have a hero that frees us from shame, fear, poverty, addiction, sickness and much much more if we just let him in.
If it is the only thing you do in 2022, make sure you search, ask, seek and commit to the only hero the world needs, Jesus. The transformation will be life changing and possibly world changing!
On the silver screen Heroes are plenty Saving the world With imaginary powers
In reality Our hero does exist But many prefer imaginary ones Not wanting to believe
The hero already exists We need no other A supernatural being Who has already saved the world
To be saved All you have to do Is accept Jesus And live for him each day
There is no other hero No more are required Just the son Who became one of us
The hero who loves us so Takes away all sin No shame in us Just freedom
Our hero has set us free To live in joy, Peace and hope Each and every day
Less Nuts More Fruit 