Yesterday I had my first paying customer for life coaching. It was a bit scary because she is also a friend and through doing some of the stuff I did with her I found out loads of things that don't normally come out over a cup of coffee. But apparently I was very encouraging - which was a gift I remember asking God for when I first became a Christian (hey isn't that good the way God answers our prayers!!) - and had been a great help I have sent her off with some more tasks to do, which will reveal even more about her that we can then look at!!!
I feel greatly honoured that she trusts me to do this with her. What is that proverb about the wounds of a friend, and there is no way that I want to wound her, but to encourage her and help her to realise her dreams; which again is a great trust on her part to share her dreams with me, and together for us to bring them to fruition.
Though in amongst all this amazing trust, our friend's Jack Russell puppy that we were looking after for the day ate the fur trim from her hat. And I saw another side of her. No she didn't hurl the puppy across the room, but just laughed and said that was what puppies do and looked fondly at the dog. That was just as precious as all the other stuff.
There seem to be many situations where God is trusting me to hear from other people and I was wondering why, but then I read the latest post from "stuff Christians like" and one of the things he says is that we need to be asking the questions and listening to the answers not just asking and not caring. (paraphrased!) And I believe God has given me that gift and I need to stay in that place of trust with Him and with others. This is a gift that would be so easy to manipulate and use but that would be so wrong.
Thank you God with trusting me with other people's secrets and being able to help them along their journey. And thank you for answering my prayers to be able to do this. Please help me when I get frustrated that I can't do more of this.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Saturday, 17 January 2009
God in charge!
Yes I do know that God is totally in charge of all my life and that He has my destiny in the palm of His hand, but sometimes when it happens I got totally amazed by it all.
Yesterday Tabi had a cookery course in Bristol, which she normally catches the train to, meets her friends at the station and walks to the venue. Well she was feeling a bit under the weather and had rehearsals in the evening, and a sleep over on Saturday night so we thought we would spoil her a bit and drive her in. Then Ben came back Thursday night to let tell us his girlfriend had dumped him and he was really really upset by it all as he really did like her.
So we looked on the map and saw that the cookery course venue wasn't that far from the climbing centre so Ian thought it would be Ben good to do some hard climbing so he took Ben there.
Well because the traffic was good getting into Bristol I dropped Ian and Ben at the climbing centre on the way to the cookery venue. We got there just on time and 2 of the mums were outside chatting. I knew one but not the other so joined them anyway. The one I knew was going shopping but the other one was off for a coffee so I went with her. We were meant to be meeting up with the other mum but finished up going to a different place as this mum I was with had lots of things on her mind and went where she was thinking of not to the place that had been arranged.
Anyway she got to telling me her story of all the awful things that had been happening to her, loads of horrendous stuff, but then loads of blessing in it all, and very much I could feel God in it all.
I could feel my hands trembling where I knew the Holy Spirit was so close to us. She does not believe in God, but also said that I had great insight and understanding into her situation. When she went up to get another cup of coffee I could really feel God pushing me, so when she came back I asked if I could pray for her. She said yes, as in yes you can pray when you want, I so I asked if I could pray now - here in Tesco's cafe!! It was an amazing time of prayer, of course God really stepped in and gave me some cool stuff to speak over her. and she finished up in tears. It was just so awesome.
So yes I am going to be praying for her now, but also I am going to be praying for more opportunities to be bold for Him. And also praying that I get over trying to work out where I fit.
Yesterday Tabi had a cookery course in Bristol, which she normally catches the train to, meets her friends at the station and walks to the venue. Well she was feeling a bit under the weather and had rehearsals in the evening, and a sleep over on Saturday night so we thought we would spoil her a bit and drive her in. Then Ben came back Thursday night to let tell us his girlfriend had dumped him and he was really really upset by it all as he really did like her.
So we looked on the map and saw that the cookery course venue wasn't that far from the climbing centre so Ian thought it would be Ben good to do some hard climbing so he took Ben there.
Well because the traffic was good getting into Bristol I dropped Ian and Ben at the climbing centre on the way to the cookery venue. We got there just on time and 2 of the mums were outside chatting. I knew one but not the other so joined them anyway. The one I knew was going shopping but the other one was off for a coffee so I went with her. We were meant to be meeting up with the other mum but finished up going to a different place as this mum I was with had lots of things on her mind and went where she was thinking of not to the place that had been arranged.
Anyway she got to telling me her story of all the awful things that had been happening to her, loads of horrendous stuff, but then loads of blessing in it all, and very much I could feel God in it all.
I could feel my hands trembling where I knew the Holy Spirit was so close to us. She does not believe in God, but also said that I had great insight and understanding into her situation. When she went up to get another cup of coffee I could really feel God pushing me, so when she came back I asked if I could pray for her. She said yes, as in yes you can pray when you want, I so I asked if I could pray now - here in Tesco's cafe!! It was an amazing time of prayer, of course God really stepped in and gave me some cool stuff to speak over her. and she finished up in tears. It was just so awesome.
So yes I am going to be praying for her now, but also I am going to be praying for more opportunities to be bold for Him. And also praying that I get over trying to work out where I fit.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
New Year
New Year is a funny time, especially this year as Tabi is following on from last year's work and working towards GCSEs this summer. It means that the end of the year is now in June. Very strange!
But I feel like I should be doing something, starting something, moving somewhere, but when I pray all I keep getting is "Be still and know that I am God and I will be exalted in the nations", or other things about resting on God and waiting for Him to rise me up.
Now I am a doer which I must admit being remarried has slowed me down a wee bit. I have to now wait for my husband to decided what is going on and I can't just go. But also I am now limited by Ben being at college and only getting to really have holidays in school holiday time. Also with him it is having the time to see him as when he is busy he needs his head space at home and so doesn't really talk, but then gets grumpy if we aren't free when he wants to talk. And with Tabi she is busy doing so many things that she keeps my calendar full. Most of that involves just being here, supervising, ordering books or movies on line for school related stuff, and taxiing.
It might just be a time of life as well at time of year thing, as I was talking to a friend, also in her late 40's and she was feeling similar, but because she had a larger family has 8 years left of home school. Though as we talked we both realised just how great life actually is. We do have time to just hang out and be and talk and have time with our children which so many people don't.
Perhaps its the age we live in that we are always searching for more, to achieve something, when actually being contented is the most important thing in life.
Dear Father God, please help me to learn more to rest in You, to not have to achieve to know that I am of value, and to be content with the people You place around me and to stop searching for something I can't have.
God is just so brilliant that I do wish us Christians could proclaim that a bit more rather than being just as bad as the world in wanting more and more and more - and needing to achieve.
Love, Peace and Trust
But I feel like I should be doing something, starting something, moving somewhere, but when I pray all I keep getting is "Be still and know that I am God and I will be exalted in the nations", or other things about resting on God and waiting for Him to rise me up.
Now I am a doer which I must admit being remarried has slowed me down a wee bit. I have to now wait for my husband to decided what is going on and I can't just go. But also I am now limited by Ben being at college and only getting to really have holidays in school holiday time. Also with him it is having the time to see him as when he is busy he needs his head space at home and so doesn't really talk, but then gets grumpy if we aren't free when he wants to talk. And with Tabi she is busy doing so many things that she keeps my calendar full. Most of that involves just being here, supervising, ordering books or movies on line for school related stuff, and taxiing.
It might just be a time of life as well at time of year thing, as I was talking to a friend, also in her late 40's and she was feeling similar, but because she had a larger family has 8 years left of home school. Though as we talked we both realised just how great life actually is. We do have time to just hang out and be and talk and have time with our children which so many people don't.
Perhaps its the age we live in that we are always searching for more, to achieve something, when actually being contented is the most important thing in life.
Dear Father God, please help me to learn more to rest in You, to not have to achieve to know that I am of value, and to be content with the people You place around me and to stop searching for something I can't have.
God is just so brilliant that I do wish us Christians could proclaim that a bit more rather than being just as bad as the world in wanting more and more and more - and needing to achieve.
Love, Peace and Trust
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Blocked Culverts
A friend of ours nearly got flooded in that heavy rain before Christmas; in fact the houses up her street did get flooded.
The comments that I found interesting were when she said that they had never been flooded there before and that it was a blocked culvert that had caused it.
I totally believe that God is always on the move and that He rarely blesses in the same way twice, and if He does then that is His choice not ours. But often it can come as a surprise, a feeling of "well I have never seen God move like that before" or whatever. But also that a times something that should've been a blessing in fact floods us and washes things away = in fact with this flood it got into the drains and many of the houses have sewage in them = and this happens to us because have got things in our lives that cause blockages for God to do all He wants. That we have blocked culverts in our lives, whether through bad things we've done, ways we have just moved off of what God wants or just not looking after something the way it should be.
I do believe if we are not careful in both our personal lives, family lives, church lives, churches, etc, etc we can get a huge blessing from God but because we haven't kept something clear then what should've been a blessing becomes something that brings up all the sewage in our lives, in our communities - whatever they maybe - and leaves something that will take a lot of clearing up rather than will water our land.
Even with having to deal with a horrid cough which is keeping me away I am looking into what things in my life could change the blessing of God into something horrid.
The comments that I found interesting were when she said that they had never been flooded there before and that it was a blocked culvert that had caused it.
I totally believe that God is always on the move and that He rarely blesses in the same way twice, and if He does then that is His choice not ours. But often it can come as a surprise, a feeling of "well I have never seen God move like that before" or whatever. But also that a times something that should've been a blessing in fact floods us and washes things away = in fact with this flood it got into the drains and many of the houses have sewage in them = and this happens to us because have got things in our lives that cause blockages for God to do all He wants. That we have blocked culverts in our lives, whether through bad things we've done, ways we have just moved off of what God wants or just not looking after something the way it should be.
I do believe if we are not careful in both our personal lives, family lives, church lives, churches, etc, etc we can get a huge blessing from God but because we haven't kept something clear then what should've been a blessing becomes something that brings up all the sewage in our lives, in our communities - whatever they maybe - and leaves something that will take a lot of clearing up rather than will water our land.
Even with having to deal with a horrid cough which is keeping me away I am looking into what things in my life could change the blessing of God into something horrid.
Friday, 2 January 2009
Goodbye Car
This post isn't really in keeping with the Positive blog bit, but I wanted to publicly say good bye to my red Peugeot. Just before Christmas someone ran in the back of it where Ian had it parked at work and smashed the bumper, number plate, and crumpled up the floor of the boot. We sort of knew it was going to cost too much to repair but still............ This was a car I bought with money from my stepdad after he died and when I bought it 3 years ago we joked about how Ben would be able to learn to drive in it. Well Ben isn't doing much learning to drive as he had his hours cut in the pub and so couldn't afford driving lessons any more and also wasn't working too hard a passing his theory test. But also now it is gone. And I know its only a car and much worse things are going on with people losing jobs, houses, etc and I feel very silly as I don't get attached to many material things. I am a relationships person so I feel odd. I did say my goodbye's to it before Christmas when I cleared all the rubbish out of it, and did cry when the car transporter took it away on Monday.
Mind you I have been saying for a while that I do feel like maybe we shouldn't have 2 cars and that maybe we should get rid of one, but there has always been that tension because I didn't want to get rid of my red one but we did need the big one for going camping, etc. So maybe, just maybe God had a hand in this and He made sure it happened. And also we have got some money from the insurance and no one was hurt in the accident. So who know?
Perhaps this too is a way of teaching me to trust God in all things. So perhaps this does still qualify for a positive blog.
Mind you I have been saying for a while that I do feel like maybe we shouldn't have 2 cars and that maybe we should get rid of one, but there has always been that tension because I didn't want to get rid of my red one but we did need the big one for going camping, etc. So maybe, just maybe God had a hand in this and He made sure it happened. And also we have got some money from the insurance and no one was hurt in the accident. So who know?
Perhaps this too is a way of teaching me to trust God in all things. So perhaps this does still qualify for a positive blog.
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Travel and Weddings
Life is always odd and when one hands things over to God then things don't quite go as one would like.
There are loads of places in the world I would love to go to, and actually have been blessed with going to. And yet I had one lovely friend last year (07) invite us to her wedding and it was in Oregon, USA. Now it was great to go there and lovely to meet their families and be made to feel so welcome, but really the West coast of America isn't one of those places I would've ever chosen to go. Interestingly the only 2 times I have been to USA have been to the West coast, once for the wedding and once on a conference.
Then on Saturday I had a lovely friend and her lovely new man come to visit with our family and on our walk she ask me if I would be willing and able to come to Australia next December as they are planning to get married then. Again this isn't a part of the world I have ever wanted to visit, even though over the holidays Ian got offered the chance of a job there and nearly went there for work a couple of years ago.
I am totally flattered to have been asked and will very much see if God will let me go, but still do wonder why He wants me there.
There are loads of places in the world I would love to go to, and actually have been blessed with going to. And yet I had one lovely friend last year (07) invite us to her wedding and it was in Oregon, USA. Now it was great to go there and lovely to meet their families and be made to feel so welcome, but really the West coast of America isn't one of those places I would've ever chosen to go. Interestingly the only 2 times I have been to USA have been to the West coast, once for the wedding and once on a conference.
Then on Saturday I had a lovely friend and her lovely new man come to visit with our family and on our walk she ask me if I would be willing and able to come to Australia next December as they are planning to get married then. Again this isn't a part of the world I have ever wanted to visit, even though over the holidays Ian got offered the chance of a job there and nearly went there for work a couple of years ago.
I am totally flattered to have been asked and will very much see if God will let me go, but still do wonder why He wants me there.
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Being bold on following what God says
I have been totally amazed at reading Martin and Gayle Scott's newsletter. I quote:
"We have been in Palma for the past 4 days looking for property. We were able to see 5 in total. One stunning place and excellent value but about 800 yards / metres too far away from the area where we have believed we should be located.
It was a good feel to walk away from it."
How many of us I wonder would be that accurate with the message God had given us? How many of us would've thought that it fitted almost and really 800yds is about a 10 minute walk so that is good enough?
It really has taken me back to God and I have been talking to Him again about what He has given me to do and how often I do the almost, or do things because I like them and well ..... they are good things.
And you know it has been really interesting since getting back to the place of checking things out with Him on where I am going and what I am doing that He has given me not a fresh revelation but a confirmed old revelation of what He has for me to do and I am going to have to go back and say No to a few people. And also make sure I don't do things just because they pleased others but to remember the call He gave me - which bottom line is "to equip the saints through discipleship".
Also I have noticed that when we take what God gives us to other people they will all answer differently because they all come from where they are, and we must make sure that we are not tossed like the waves with every new person we speak with but stick to that exact area that God has asked us to walk in.
Thanks Martin for showing us the way
"We have been in Palma for the past 4 days looking for property. We were able to see 5 in total. One stunning place and excellent value but about 800 yards / metres too far away from the area where we have believed we should be located.
It was a good feel to walk away from it."
How many of us I wonder would be that accurate with the message God had given us? How many of us would've thought that it fitted almost and really 800yds is about a 10 minute walk so that is good enough?
It really has taken me back to God and I have been talking to Him again about what He has given me to do and how often I do the almost, or do things because I like them and well ..... they are good things.
And you know it has been really interesting since getting back to the place of checking things out with Him on where I am going and what I am doing that He has given me not a fresh revelation but a confirmed old revelation of what He has for me to do and I am going to have to go back and say No to a few people. And also make sure I don't do things just because they pleased others but to remember the call He gave me - which bottom line is "to equip the saints through discipleship".
Also I have noticed that when we take what God gives us to other people they will all answer differently because they all come from where they are, and we must make sure that we are not tossed like the waves with every new person we speak with but stick to that exact area that God has asked us to walk in.
Thanks Martin for showing us the way
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