It has been 12 days since I last had time to really sit down and write anything. Summer has been a whirl - a whirl of what I'm not sure because even when I look back in my diary I cannot quite see what has gone on.
Tabi and I did get our trip to Blenhiem Palace in at last, though the plan for the summer was to do lots of stately homes but the time just flew by. Its that whole thing of working out how to be spontaneous and how much one needs to plan in. It really has got me thinking about how so often things can just get caught up in today and trying to keep the whole show on the road.
This is a bit how life has been for us as we have got busier. Sometimes time really is just doing the house, cooking meals, working (which I have just started on - and then go on to college soon!!) and of how the more one does that the vision disappears.
I have been praying a lot about the whole thing of the church leaders in Weymouth and of them having to keep the whole show on the road as their congregations expect a sermon every week, pastoral care, the leader to turn up and endorse their various other meetings, etc, etc. But I have also been praying and pondering about what God wants us to be doing. I did have a vision for our town and of praying stuff for it, and we seem to be being blessed by another couple wanting to start a simple church idea in our home, but I wonder with that what vision we should have.
We have been busy, busy just living life, and I feel that we have lost the connectedness between us as a couple and from that have lost the vision we should be praying about. Ok so we suffer from the fact we do see the world very differently and so getting a joint vision is hard work, but it seems to me that the busier we have got the more we have got in with just the business of living life and have forgotten to make time to hang out with God, with each other, not just to watch TV but to pray and to find this vision we are meant to be having.
Oh I could make lots of excuses as to why we haven't been able to do that, and most of them are really good. In fact some of the excuses would involve helping others, but still we have lost the point and purpose to why we are here and we need to refind that.
Hopefully in the busyness of college, family, keeping house, working, etc we are going to understand the urgency of making time to keep that vision in place. And maybe too we will be able to be kinder to those who have got so caught up in keep the whole show together that they have lost the bigger picture.
My prayer today is to help me/us to find that bigger picture, the vision God has for us for now
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Next Wave - Please Pray
Still things roll on with the 2012 Olympics and it would be great if you could all pray about the YWAM boat Next Wave getting the only berth left in Weymouth harbour for the sailing side of the 2012 Olympics. The local churches have to put together a proposal to say why the boat should be there to convince the local council. YWAM very much want to use the boat to serve the area and serve the Olympics so it would bring a team who would be willing to volunteer for other things, would be a safe place of hospitality, and would be willing to just be there for people.
The proposal needs to be in very soon and the local churches seem to be having trouble just finding the time as well as running their churches. Something I think happens so often in local church; one goes into survival mode and cannot see that bigger picture, but that is for another blog :)
My son Ben served on it for 4 weeks when it was first here in the UK back in 2006 so we do have a connection with it. And Brian Sloane, the man in charge, has said he'd like me to be involved in the planning of things if the boat gets accepted. This would be a great chance of us to reconnect with YWAM and find a space to serve our country at this amazing time.
I really do feel that 2012 is a significant year and that there is something in that Mayan prophecy which the movie 2012 was based on. I don't think the world will end like that but I do think something significant will happen, maybe on the lines of the Gutenberg Press which changed the way people lived and view the world back in 1436!!
The proposal needs to be in very soon and the local churches seem to be having trouble just finding the time as well as running their churches. Something I think happens so often in local church; one goes into survival mode and cannot see that bigger picture, but that is for another blog :)
My son Ben served on it for 4 weeks when it was first here in the UK back in 2006 so we do have a connection with it. And Brian Sloane, the man in charge, has said he'd like me to be involved in the planning of things if the boat gets accepted. This would be a great chance of us to reconnect with YWAM and find a space to serve our country at this amazing time.
I really do feel that 2012 is a significant year and that there is something in that Mayan prophecy which the movie 2012 was based on. I don't think the world will end like that but I do think something significant will happen, maybe on the lines of the Gutenberg Press which changed the way people lived and view the world back in 1436!!
Labeling
Labeling is a funny thing, esp as we use it more and more to identify people these days. Box people some would say. But we seem to have a concept on what labeling is, whether it is good labeling or bad labeling. If I say I'm prophetic that is seen as good labeling, if I say I'm greedy that can be either depending on what I say I'm greedy for. Why is it ok to be greedy for God and yet wrong to be greedy for power?
Just recently we have been looking into Asperger's Syndrome because my lovely husband displays an awful lot of the characteristics of this way of looking at life. It is totally amazing the traits in it, all very frustrating for those of us who don't see the world that way and who have to work around this lovely person but very much without these people we could all still be stilling about drinking tea in caves and talking about what needed doing.
But it has been interesting how why Ian has tried to explore this with people, esp Christians, he has been told not to take on board that label. It is seen as a bad label, hence then finding it hard to work out how we live as a Christian couple with seeing the world so differently. I do wonder if he said that he was an evangelist, that would be a good label, and if we were struggling as a couple to deal with his way of looking at life of wanting to evangelise everyone he saw then we would get loads of help.
It seems to me that good labels get help but "bad labels" people struggle to accept and to deal with, esp in Christian circles.
I wonder what other differing labels like that come to mind?
Just recently we have been looking into Asperger's Syndrome because my lovely husband displays an awful lot of the characteristics of this way of looking at life. It is totally amazing the traits in it, all very frustrating for those of us who don't see the world that way and who have to work around this lovely person but very much without these people we could all still be stilling about drinking tea in caves and talking about what needed doing.
But it has been interesting how why Ian has tried to explore this with people, esp Christians, he has been told not to take on board that label. It is seen as a bad label, hence then finding it hard to work out how we live as a Christian couple with seeing the world so differently. I do wonder if he said that he was an evangelist, that would be a good label, and if we were struggling as a couple to deal with his way of looking at life of wanting to evangelise everyone he saw then we would get loads of help.
It seems to me that good labels get help but "bad labels" people struggle to accept and to deal with, esp in Christian circles.
I wonder what other differing labels like that come to mind?
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Humility
I've been having an interesting chew over on this one after recently my other half has been told he's humble on 2 different occasions. Now I am not saying he isn't but I did realise that the suggestion of him being humble is that he is quiet, thinks a lot before he speaks and is quite wise, on the whole, when he does speak. Very cool but is this really what humble is? Are those of us who seem to speak quickly not humble? Very much we are often not seen as humble by others.
I was looking up what humble meant in a recent Bible study I was doing about Jesus who was the most humblest person ever but He was quick to speak, often put people in their place, though I know too that what He said was the right thing to say too.
So after much prayer, thought, chewing over whilst doing other things, the conclusion I have come to is that being humble means being totally reliant on God, knowing that with God we can do all things but without Him we are nothing. Its not about being quiet and not doing things, of sitting meekly in the corner, it is about being bold enough to step out there and be and do knowing how great our God is and how much He wants to do with us.
Wonder if I'm right? But I know I'm going to keep on working on learning to rely on Him.
I was looking up what humble meant in a recent Bible study I was doing about Jesus who was the most humblest person ever but He was quick to speak, often put people in their place, though I know too that what He said was the right thing to say too.
So after much prayer, thought, chewing over whilst doing other things, the conclusion I have come to is that being humble means being totally reliant on God, knowing that with God we can do all things but without Him we are nothing. Its not about being quiet and not doing things, of sitting meekly in the corner, it is about being bold enough to step out there and be and do knowing how great our God is and how much He wants to do with us.
Wonder if I'm right? But I know I'm going to keep on working on learning to rely on Him.
Monday, 9 August 2010
Torn Ligaments
I was with a neighbour the other day talking about another neighbour who'd had a car accident. Her and her daughter had similar injuries but her daughter had broken her foot, the mother had torn ligaments. What my neighbour said fascinated me. She said that the torn ligaments were not so noticeable to begin with and would take longer to heal.
In Ephesians 4:16 it says "from whom the whole body, joined and knit together tightly by ligaments, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love"
As I keep being burdened by a need to pray for unity in The Church this really has struck me. I wonder how many of the divisions in the Body of Christ weren't noticed at first, were just a bit painful, but then as time went on one knew something was wrong but wasn't sure what. But then when the problem is discovered it will take a long time to heal. This is, I think, why its a burden few want to carry. If I'd have known that it was so hard maybe I wouldn't have taken it on either :)
But anyway this is a long drawn out process. In fact once a ligament is torn then it often never heals the same. Also it is not uncommon for people with torn ligaments to get depressed. I wonder sometimes if that goes on in our congregations as a collective, not as individuals, but as a corporate body. There is a malady, a feeling of not wanting things to change, of needing to potter on in the same old same old just because to do anything else takes too much.
What we must realise too, which is encouraging, is that even when a ligament is severely torn and the person may never walk again the body is still intaked, just not able to function and be as effective as it should be. Perhaps too this is why we often wonder why The Church seems so ineffective in some areas, but that could just be because it is a useless ligament that we need to wait for it to heal.
Father God we need You to do a might miracle and heal these torn ligaments, to help us see the tearing and to try to use these joints when things are still torn.
In Ephesians 4:16 it says "from whom the whole body, joined and knit together tightly by ligaments, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love"
As I keep being burdened by a need to pray for unity in The Church this really has struck me. I wonder how many of the divisions in the Body of Christ weren't noticed at first, were just a bit painful, but then as time went on one knew something was wrong but wasn't sure what. But then when the problem is discovered it will take a long time to heal. This is, I think, why its a burden few want to carry. If I'd have known that it was so hard maybe I wouldn't have taken it on either :)
But anyway this is a long drawn out process. In fact once a ligament is torn then it often never heals the same. Also it is not uncommon for people with torn ligaments to get depressed. I wonder sometimes if that goes on in our congregations as a collective, not as individuals, but as a corporate body. There is a malady, a feeling of not wanting things to change, of needing to potter on in the same old same old just because to do anything else takes too much.
What we must realise too, which is encouraging, is that even when a ligament is severely torn and the person may never walk again the body is still intaked, just not able to function and be as effective as it should be. Perhaps too this is why we often wonder why The Church seems so ineffective in some areas, but that could just be because it is a useless ligament that we need to wait for it to heal.
Father God we need You to do a might miracle and heal these torn ligaments, to help us see the tearing and to try to use these joints when things are still torn.
Monday, 2 August 2010
Sun Waking up?
I thought I'd just post this from SpaceWeather.com. I posted a while back that they were predicting that the sun was waking up and I was wondering what prophetic significance it had - accentuated after watching the movie 2012!!! But very much they were saying on SpaceWeather.com that what happens with the sun will dramatically effect here on earth.
Maybe this is why we are feeling restless. Jesus does say when He comes back we will all see. So?
Anyway read on and see what you think - (Probably to get the links to work you'll need to go to the webpage on SpaceWeather.com as I'm not sure how I get them up here and working!!)
COMPLEX ERUPTION ON THE SUN: On August 1st around 0855 UT, Earth orbiting satellites detected a C3-class solar flare. The origin of the blast was sunspot 1092. At about the same time, an enormous magnetic filament stretching across the sun's northern hemisphere erupted. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the action:
Click to launch a movie (EUV 304 Å)
The timing of these events suggest they are connected, and a review of SDO movies strengthens that conclusion. Despite the ~400,000 km distance between them, the sunspot and filament seem to erupt together; they are probably connected by long-range magnetic fields. In this movie (171 Å), a shadowy shock wave (a "solar tsunami") can be seen emerging from the flare site and rippling across the northern hemisphere into the filament's eruption zone. That may have helped propel the filament into space.
In short, we have just witnessed a complex global eruption involving almost the entire Earth-facing side of the sun.
A coronal mass ejection (CME) produced by the event is heading directly for Earth: SOHO movie. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when it arrives on or about August 3rd.
more images: from Francois Rouviere of Mougins, France; from Rogerio Marcon of Campinas SP Brasil; from Didier Favre of Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; from Cai-Uso Wohler of Bispingen, Germany; from Wouter Verhesen of Sittard, The Netherlands; from Michael Buxton of Ocean Beach, California
Maybe this is why we are feeling restless. Jesus does say when He comes back we will all see. So?
Anyway read on and see what you think - (Probably to get the links to work you'll need to go to the webpage on SpaceWeather.com as I'm not sure how I get them up here and working!!)
COMPLEX ERUPTION ON THE SUN: On August 1st around 0855 UT, Earth orbiting satellites detected a C3-class solar flare. The origin of the blast was sunspot 1092. At about the same time, an enormous magnetic filament stretching across the sun's northern hemisphere erupted. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the action:
Click to launch a movie (EUV 304 Å)
The timing of these events suggest they are connected, and a review of SDO movies strengthens that conclusion. Despite the ~400,000 km distance between them, the sunspot and filament seem to erupt together; they are probably connected by long-range magnetic fields. In this movie (171 Å), a shadowy shock wave (a "solar tsunami") can be seen emerging from the flare site and rippling across the northern hemisphere into the filament's eruption zone. That may have helped propel the filament into space.
In short, we have just witnessed a complex global eruption involving almost the entire Earth-facing side of the sun.
A coronal mass ejection (CME) produced by the event is heading directly for Earth: SOHO movie. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when it arrives on or about August 3rd.
more images: from Francois Rouviere of Mougins, France; from Rogerio Marcon of Campinas SP Brasil; from Didier Favre of Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; from Cai-Uso Wohler of Bispingen, Germany; from Wouter Verhesen of Sittard, The Netherlands; from Michael Buxton of Ocean Beach, California
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Dilemmas
Dilemmas are interesting things to have to deal with. I have just come back from only the one day at New Wine, a huge Anglican based week long conference, based in a field near where we live. Its interesting that we have never been there before, even though it happens every year and is only 40 mins drive from our house. Probably the reason. Have you noticed how we also like to do mission in places that are not on our doorstep too?
I have been a bit challenged by God on a few personal things recently and realise that the congregation I went to last Sunday does speak a lot about getting oneself right with God and going from there, which is a great place to start, but the talks we heard yesterday, on the whole, were much more about doing, getting out there, justice.
I love the 24-7 ethos that speaks of prayer, mission and justice though am still trying to work out how that works in the world that I live in. It would be great to have some like minded people on board but as yet God has not revealed them.
So my dilemma at the moment is to try to work out what it is God wants, not just for me but for us all. Not the whole world but us as a family which with Ben and Tabi growing up looks very different every day almost.
I would love to buy a big house and fill it full of children in some deprived part of the country. I would love to start a Simple organic church here in my home and release people into who God has called them to me not to just fit the mold. I would love to go abroad on an internship but the ones I like seem to want graduates. I am about to embark on a course that will open doors to go into university.
Sometimes you see and hear people who's lives are just so sorted and it seems all so straight forward. I wonder if that is true?
So as I wrestle with my dilemma I may not blog so much, but then I may use this as a space to voice what I feel and then see what feedback I get.
God really does want us to be involved with Him in justice and setting people free. In fact He says so very clearly in Isaiah 58 and 61 amongst other places. Someone said recently that there are more mentions of justice issues in the Bible than being born again and yet so many congregations labour more on making sure everyone is born again than walking justly.
How do we do this in the places God has placed us? in the families He has given us to protect and release? the partners He has given us to love and cherish? the neighbourhoods where we are now?
I have been a bit challenged by God on a few personal things recently and realise that the congregation I went to last Sunday does speak a lot about getting oneself right with God and going from there, which is a great place to start, but the talks we heard yesterday, on the whole, were much more about doing, getting out there, justice.
I love the 24-7 ethos that speaks of prayer, mission and justice though am still trying to work out how that works in the world that I live in. It would be great to have some like minded people on board but as yet God has not revealed them.
So my dilemma at the moment is to try to work out what it is God wants, not just for me but for us all. Not the whole world but us as a family which with Ben and Tabi growing up looks very different every day almost.
I would love to buy a big house and fill it full of children in some deprived part of the country. I would love to start a Simple organic church here in my home and release people into who God has called them to me not to just fit the mold. I would love to go abroad on an internship but the ones I like seem to want graduates. I am about to embark on a course that will open doors to go into university.
Sometimes you see and hear people who's lives are just so sorted and it seems all so straight forward. I wonder if that is true?
So as I wrestle with my dilemma I may not blog so much, but then I may use this as a space to voice what I feel and then see what feedback I get.
God really does want us to be involved with Him in justice and setting people free. In fact He says so very clearly in Isaiah 58 and 61 amongst other places. Someone said recently that there are more mentions of justice issues in the Bible than being born again and yet so many congregations labour more on making sure everyone is born again than walking justly.
How do we do this in the places God has placed us? in the families He has given us to protect and release? the partners He has given us to love and cherish? the neighbourhoods where we are now?
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