Be loved.

Hey,

Matthew 22:36-39

New Living Translation (NLT)

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’

A while back God told me to read through the gospels and I haven't been able to get out of Matthew yet, it's just so good! 

This verse is just pure and simple. Loving God first with everything we have and then loving others as we love ourselves, incredible.

This evening we had a worship time with the students in our church and one guy said to ask God how you can sacrifice and commit yourself completely to Him. He asked us what were the things that we were filling in the gaps of our lives with, instead of Jesus. 

It was so interesting to ask God that question. I know for myself, I'll commit myself to Him in a moment, and then in the middle of the week, when I'm still beating myself up about something that happened like the week before, I think to myself, 'I am not putting God first in this situation, I've clearly taken back control' and I've wondered, why?

I think there are many reasons it can be easy to do this, but one that I've just figured out with the Holy Spirit is that I often forget to live everyday as His beloved. I recognise God as my Heavenly Father, the All Mighty Creator, but sometimes I can forget how much He actually adores me, (and you of course!)

I know that sounds crazy, how could someone forget that? 

But so easily performance mentality weasels it's way in and you can go right back to listing things off to God that you've done right or wrong, or how you could have done this better, or what that person must have thought when you said this, and so on, when actually all He wants is our hearts. 

It reminds me of Galatians 3, where Paul says, "^2-4 Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness?" (The Message Version) 

Jesus has the victory. He paid for it all on the cross. That is the best demonstration and act of love ever. It's not about us at all, it's not about what we can and can't do, what we fail or succeed at. It's about His overwhelming love for us.

All I know right now is that that is an outrageous love, it's wonderful, it's perfect and it's freeing. And it makes me want to know Him and love Him and serve Him more and more, because He is so worthy.

The worries and the fears (although they seem huge) pale into insignificance next to Him. I choose to live as His beloved, a life full of love. I choose to give Him everything like the widow's offering in Mark 12: 41-44 

One last thing that struck me, the same guy also said this evening, that these choices are daily, there are significant times to recommit yourself, but there are daily choices too. 

To choose not to worry if your prayer is shorter than everyone else's, the choice to sing with all your might even if you get the words wrong, the choice to volunteer to read, the choice to wash up other people's dishes, the choice to speak up to injustice on the street, the choice to forgive yourself for being late, the choice to turn the TV off and get on your knees before Him. 

Sometimes they can seem insignificant, but they never are to Him.

Check out this video, it will rock your world.

WE ARE HIS.

C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtZUNf0Yt54

Produce of His Perfume - [Poem]

Hey!

So this is just a short 'story' (if you could call it that!) inspired from a word a guy gave me this evening. To some it might just be wacky-weird and nonsensical. But... I'm okay with that! Please take from it what you will, I know for me right now, it means something pretty great and important. From the metaphor in this 'story' I felt it needed to be shared, and I hope you feel peace from it.

C.

P.s Also at the bottom there is a link to a brilliant song, which might make this post make more sense, it's still wonderful, check it out?

Matthew 5:8-9

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Upon the shelf of her disorganised dresser sat several glass containers, each holding within themselves a liquid of senses. They stood about an inch and a half high, with bottled tops ready for spritzing. She prized them all. For within each was more than just a different smell, it was a different evoked thought, a different gift, a different feeling, yet none ever last for long.

In her disarray of Monday mornings, she would save herself time to choose wisely of her aqueous ally. Each day was marked by her early expectations, as she attempted to arm herself for today’s battle through the feuding field of puppetry.

One day when she awoke from her slumber, a dusty glint caught her eye. Upon the wooden windowsill stood a different glass bottle, a bottle of esteem, and exuding with vintage flair, caught the glare of the sun through the window, which in its focussed beam immediately lifted the dust from the glass in a clear haze.

There, was her old perfume, in its old bottle, with its withering atomizer, the liquid inside mature.

She walked over and lifted the bottle from its bondage with the saturated ring mark upon the glossy sill, and enclosed her fist around the pump as if she were holding the hilt of a sword. She breathed the colour of maturity in, and heard the shape of the droplets sing into her lungs.

This is what she had needed, all of what she needed was contained within this bottle of life. It wasn't just a scent; it was a fragrance that marked her future. The longer it was left, the more it would temper to become what she needed for the next day and then the next.

Yet it never ran dry.

Long gone now are the superficial spritzers, the tiny testers. No longer does she need them. She knows now that what she has comes from a greater understanding. Within that mix of liquid she found upon the windowsill that day, was enough for her and another, and another. Within it all, there was something different to be felt by each individual.

A greater source was found, greater than her own collaborations of attempts.

Now she was ready for the battle field.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvUam7OQ-kw

His embrace - [Poem]

This is my attempt to convey into words the sense of security and devotion we experience when in His embrace even if only for a second.


His embrace is like a paper clip,
tangible and closing in.
It holds the A4 of me together,
even the margins of my awkward limbs.

I fit into His arms, like a built in wardrobe,
where everything has it's eternal place
shelved and organised, when I look to His face.

I can see things differently
from the warmth of His chest,
The smoke finally clears,
I'm no longer left to guess.

His arms fold around me,
more tightly than origami.
But, here in this folding
He knows I'm still withholding.

So, 
as I breathe out the ashes of my striving,
He lifts up my head with attention undivided.

He whispers in my ear and I almost
don't hear,
as my blood performs, it's attempted escape
from it's venous constraint.
But still through the bloody uproar His words pierce
the surface of my core.

"I. Love. You."

There. It is finished.
8 letters, and I'm undone.

I'm the island
in His sea of arms
and there's nowhere left to run.

In His acceptance, more gratifying than speech,
He is my shore of certainty, and hope is now 
my beach.

Forever will He hold me up,
like a hanger on a coat,
and constantly He will whisper:

"No, you did not misquote."





 © 

The truth is. - [Poem]

Sometimes when I say ‘You alright?’

I know that you are not.

And I know that you know, that you are not.

So when did we become so vague and insecure,

Never saying what we feel, but always acting so ‘pure’

Of heart and mind

Always wanting to be kind

Yet failing blindly.

It’s all because we've forgotten who we are,

We’re focussed on what we do,

So God seems so distant

 and afar.

But the truth is

He never left.

When you felt pain that time?

He felt the same.

When you spoke those unkind words,

He loved you all the same.

When you left that person out and sought out

The attention for yourself

He knew that He could help.

But why didn’t we let Him?

Why?

Because we were too hung up,

 on trying to do it for ourselves,

Never wanting to seem

 needy,

lonely

or in doubt.

But God looks at our heart and He knows us so well.

So next time that I ask you, ‘You alright?’

I’ll stop and I’ll sit tight,

And I’ll wait and I’ll wait until you say

Actually

How you feel.

And when I say ‘I’ll pray’

I’ll do it there and then.

Shout it out loud or whisper it in my head,

All the same.

 I know that this mandate,

To Love everyone is real and

It’s never too late.

So next time you ask me, if I'm ‘alright’

I’ll answer you honestly,

I’ll not put up a fight.

I’ll not put up a façade,

Or hide my cards.

I’ll let you see what God is doing, has done and is yet to do,

Because after all  He is,

The Only One,  

The Beloved Son,

The complete wholeness of love,

To whom we’re all undone,

We’re all His works in progress yet complete at the same time,

So let’s stop pretending

And share the truth of our lives.

Apologies.

Hey! 

So... it's been a heck of awhile. And a lot has changed in that while, one thing that hasn't? My God. 

Since moving to another city to study there have been a lot of uncertainties, however God's really used this time to develop my trust in Him, He's been there all the way through - which is one of the many lessons I'm learning with Him at the minute, when it says 'He will never leave you nor forsake you' (Deuteronomy 31:6) He actually means it, and it is amazing.

However, one of the lessons I'm learning most about at the minute is something about myself I didn't even realise. Since moving, a couple of friends pointed out to me, how often I say sorry. It seems really trivial and insignificant, (and slightly annoying for others!) but God's really been teaching me about things related to this.

I didn't even realise this about myself, but it was so true! I would say sorry for the silliest things, (and then when told I needn't be sorry, I'd usually apologise again!) 

God told me that it was a habit I had gotten into through... yes, the 'p' words... 'people pleasing.' However one thing that I realised, was that the more I said sorry unnecessarily, the less value I felt it would have when I really meant it, when it really was necessary. 

For example, in apologising for jumbling up words or not completely understanding something, showed me how I was actually apologising for thinking differently. This struck me as absurd, apologising for the way you were created doesn't seem to quite fit? 

Now, by no means am I saying that it is never necessary to apologise. Or that we should all just liberally say and act as we feel and not care for others feelings. Of course not. We always need to care and love for one another, the Bible clearly tells us to do this. 

However, there definitely comes a point where you can apologise too much, for things that really don't need an apology.God created us all to think and act differently, that's why we are unique and why Psalm 139 speaks to our spirits. 

He made us all different so we can learn from one another, and that comes in all forms of: loving, rebuking, agreeing, disagreeing, conversing and so on. To live in a community and to live as a family means when those times of hurt or wrongdoing do come up, we apologise heartily and forgive. 

But in the meantime, if you're learning about this (as I still am!) don't apologise for who you are, what you believe in, what you stand for, things you have no control over. Express your love for your God to those around you, and if people misunderstand or misinterpret you, as long as you are right with your God in your heart, and you have apologised for what is necessary, don't apologise yourself away. Give Jesus away.

"To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless."
G. K. Chesterton

C.

Giftings.

Hey!

Recently mine, and a couple of good friends' creative juices have been flowing! Today I actually spoke to one of them, as we were discussing how exciting it is to create art, music and literature, with our King, God fired me up. He reminded me of something He placed on my heart back in March, and that word was simply... creativity.

I'm really loving and enjoying how recently me and some friends have been intentionally tapping into our creativity with God. This gets me so excited. God is our ultimate creator, and He enjoys doing this with us! He has said to me before how significant creativity with Him is, in that it actually forms part of the movement of bringing and enjoying Heaven on earth.

To add even more excitement into the mix, is the fact that we get to share in one another's giftings. It's so important for us to cheer each other on in our particular gifting, encourage and support the process of what God is doing in each individual, because there is always something we can learn from the other persons walk... always. (Plus it's just really fun to be involved in what God is doing in and with them!)

What comes with this building up is... responsibility. My friend said this to me, (she blows me away with her wisdom!) "It's just using what God's given us and then exploring it, but also accepting it as well, we've got to use our own gifts and not try and be someone else." 

This is so true! It's so necessary for us to recognise what He's already put inside of us, and exploring it with Him, rather than looking at our friends, leaders, parents, whoever, and trying to fit their style and giftings.

God said to me awhile ago, that we often compare ourselves to others and we can end up spreading ourselves too thin.We try and be a bit like everybody. The danger in this is, even though we're trying to be like people we respect, we can actually miss the giftings God's put inside of us for this season, because our attention is elsewhere. God's not saying that you can't have more than one gifting, but what He pointed out to me was that we can miss out on what He already has for this season, which could actually unlock other giftings later on.

God has given us giftings to use in worship to Him, to bless one another and to glorify His name wherever we go. We don't know where our giftings with Him could take us when we let them, rather than trying to control them.

Picking up on something else my friend said, she used the word 'accepting.' We've got to search our heart with God and ask Him to show us what He's placed there for us to use with Him at this time, and then... we've got to accept it. Even if it's a challenge, out of our comfort zone, well into our comfort zone, however it makes you feel, God's put it there for a reason, and He will help you in exploring it. Acceptance is something as humans we so often crave and strive for, but accepting what God has placed inside of us has no strings attached or sneaky terms and conditions, they are gifts. 

God summed up like this: "Being a Christian doesn't mean you're good at everything, it means you depend on Me for everything."


"I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously." 
(1 Chronicles 29: 17)

Blessings, enjoy exploring the gifts God's given you!

C.

Just another day, but with roller blades. - [Poem]

She asked me, if we could go,
those brown eyes pleaded, how could I say no?
With curls in her hair and her socks pulled high,
I remember when all she needed was to hear a lullaby.

So off we went, the journey went swell,
she looked gleeful, like she'd struck a wish from a wishing well.
The music was loud, and she came to life.
I know one day, she'll make a loving wife.

So here I am, with my granddaughter in toe,
putting on these roller skates, trying to 'go with the flow',
within minutes she's off, but always returns to my side,
there's people moving every where, like a sea with a tide.

She holds my hand, and giggles at my steps,
She smiles with her heart, revealing such depth,
I know this is special, I know it has purpose,
How can people dismiss this relationship as surplus?


Hey,

So today whilst I was shopping in town, there was a make-shift roller blading party going on! (I know right?!) As I walked by, two of the skaters caught my eye, and old man and a little girl, to whom I presumed was his granddaughter. 

Watching the pair of them skating around this rink in the middle of town inspired this poem. Its not the most technical or polished poem, but the scene provoked something in me. God reminded me how powerful and important family is; especially this idea of our church family. This old guy, at times to be honest, looked terrified; I'm sure he was the only one there over the age of 25! But what struck me was his ability to push aside his own wishes and to bless this little girl, just by spending time with her. It revealed to me just how important and necessary we are to each other. 

Being part of your natural family, but also your church family is such a blessing. There's so much life to be found in playing our part and getting involved, from the smallest to the biggest task. We can learn new things about ourselves and others, in how we relate, serve, honour, respect and treat each other.

"The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you." (1 Corinthians 12:21)

I hope you'll be encouraged in your obedience to God to play your part, because we do each have a part to play in the bigger body of Christ. So, let's step up our game and put some roller blades on. Be ready to offer a helping hand, or a helmet to your neighbour, we need to get skating.

Praying peace and prosperity over all of you inspirational skaters.

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each another." - Mother Teresa

Blessings.

C.