Challenged to use the past for good...

It's been an interesting day...


Normally I can sit down and write away on my essay's with thoughts coming and going, inspirational ones...pointless ones...rather peculiar ones...


Yet today, I managed an introduction, done some prep work amongst other things and had to leave it there..
My mind was somewhere else today...I've had the song "I will rise'' playing pretty much most of the day...and along with the kindly reminder that we aren't to dwell on the past but learn from our biggest mistakes and turn them into the biggest life changers!


Are we rising from our past...from our mistakes...from our troubles? Or as I wrongly 'thought' today, we should just leave it in the past and slot it into our forgetful part of the human mind?...


I would challenge us to look to what scripture says on this subject...


'For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.' Romans 15:4


Just as everything which was written in the past was written to teach us and through the endurance taught in the Scriptures we have hope! I believe everything which was done in the past is there to teach us so that through the endurance which was taught in the past... we have hope! 


Hope in a God who is Love
Hope in a God who is Hope
Hope in a God who is Good
Hope in a God who is Indescribable

Hope in a God who Saves


I will rise on eagles wings...before my God...fall on my knees..

'What are you devoted to?'

So I've been challenged to start my blog again... It seems quite a number of people are blogging and why not go with the flow! (Don't look into that last comment too much)

Anyway, on Sunday I'll be leading a group of 14-16 year olds and asking them the question...

'What are you devoted to?' 

Maybe you can answer straight away?

This question has come about as a result of reading Mark 12:28-34 where Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind and with all of your strength.'

So, let me ask the question again...'What are you devoted to?' 

Money....Love...Possessions...Job...Family...Alcohol...

Jesus wants our hearts, the very essence of our character

Jesus wants our soul, the eternal inheritance that we are promised

Jesus wants our mind, so that He is first to mind whatever the situation

Jesus wants our strength, are we giving him everything because He gave everything...

I'm challenged..

A lot has changed in two months!!

I do honestly feel bad for not doing my blog for over 50 days!!


Anyway, no time like the present to start again.


So since I last blogged, some rather crazy things have happened. 


1. New job 
2. Travelled to Romania
3. More great news from work
4. Travelled to Norwich
5. An essay
6. New Wine
7. Holiday Club
8. Middlesbrough have won 3 games in a row
9. New flat


So it's all change and that is one thing that I can embrace...I'm rather fond of it.


One thing has remained throughout these hard and joyful times and that is God.


He is faithful and true to His promises. 

One thing that I would encourage you to do after reading this is to find the Lord's prayer. I really feel at the moment, now don't get me wrong, there is great power in corporate response using this prayer. 

However....I would encourage you to find it, read it through, then read it standing up like you are standing in front of God Himself. 
For me it changes dramatically...
Jesus told us this is how we pray and I don't think He did it mumbling!!


So why don't you get the Lord's prayer...Matthew 6 is where it's at..and make it your own for you and God...it will change your outlook on prayer..


I promise!

Great things happen and God is on the move!

So, the Kidzone roadshow is on and it is going great!


The school's are being great and every child is enjoying our roadshow!


Our prayer for the week is that God is on the move among children and that all we can do is supply Him with the platform to act.

Anyway, on a more personal note, I'm back on crutches for the time being thanks to another footballing injury on the same ankle I broke last summer. Again, it's a testing time but I pray that I use this slower time, to reflect, to respond and to grow in my relationship with Jesus. 


I pray that this summer will be a great time for our young people and that through various things that are going on, either, begin or further their relationship with our GREAT God!


Catch you soon!

Back after a great and crazy week!

What a great week, if you want to know more about what happened with the Big Prayer Experience, let me know and I'll fill you in on the details!


Anyway, I'm back with the blog, and I'm discovering more and more what it is like to be me, but also to be in the role that I am currently in.


God is good
God is faithful 
God taught us through Jesus to love one another
God taught us through Jesus to turn the other cheek
God taught us through Jesus that He is the perfect model to follow 
God is for us not against us


Have a ponder on these statements

Pray, Prep, Hope, Pray, Prep, Hope

It's amazing how you think that you will have a busy week, yet when you start it, you suddenly realise how crazy a week it is going to be. 


Anyway,


God is good when I am busy.
God is good when I am stressed.
God is good when I am annoyed.
God is good when I am happy.
God is good when I am having fun.
God is .....you get the picture!


God is good. And the more we all have this mind set when doing everything in our day, the easier life will become and the more fruitful our relationship with God will be.


Have a blessed day :)

You've lost you!

It's been a while again, I'm not the best at keeping up with things like this. 


Busy day!

Anyway, a comment given to me has really resonated with me and challenged me, and after reading a quote in a book today I feel confirmed what I was thinking.


The quote was as follows...'One of my most sobering moments in relation to this issue came as I was driving a minibus full of young people home from a weekend away in the Lake District. We'd had a fantastic time together, and it was so good to hear the chatter and singing and laughter coming from the group. We'd been travelling for a little while when one of the group leant forward to talk to me. She told me that she'd just been praying for me and felt that God wanted me to know that he loved the role I played as youth pastor, and the concern that I had for the group, but he'd really like to meet Ruth again.'


Can we sometimes get caught up in our roles? When we are leaders, are we losing our identity in God?


Something to ponder....

God has a sense of humour

After a great Youth Led service on Sunday night, I came away intrigued to get stuck into God's Word more.

So while reading Tom Wright's Luke for Everyone and the first chapter of Luke, I read again after many times the account of the angel of God silencing Zacariah.

And you know what, it made me laugh so much, God really does have a sense of humour. I realised that I had forgotten that although the Bible is great at teaching and challenging us. It is also an account of parts of histories every day happenings....

Anyway, it made me smile and laugh, which is another sometimes forgotten characteristic of God....

Smile

Back into the swing...Isaiah 64:8

After been out of the office for a week and then catching up and planning and...well it doesn't really matter, what does matter is that out of my last teaching week I have changed my outlook on several things dramatically.


There are too many to probably talk about however, I went into the week feeling like I was going to learn when to go to lunch and how to count my hours and be told that I should be open to change. Yet God removed that ignorance from me and moved in a way in my life that I was just like 'ahhh I've been an ignorant git, Jesus just mould me and rebuild be this week into who you want me to be'.


Anyway, again, I have come away a more reflective person, who is asking why more and more and really seeking God in more and more. 


I would encourage you if you read this that if you have the wall of, well God will do this, this and that and I will respond with this, this and that; then I would say to you to ask God that he would remove that mould you like a potter and clay. 


Anyway, I'm out of the loop with this, hence why it's waffle and not really making sense...

There is a hole in my shoe

Your walking along and all of a sudden you feel a stone in your shoe.

How did it get there? There is a hole...there is the answer.

So today I have a significant hole in my shoe and it is right on the seam, so every time I change gear in my car, the whole is there. When I bend my foot, it is there, the hole isn't just a hole, the whole shoe is flawed. 

Anyway, what am I going on about, a shoe!?

Well, when we have a hole in our lives, in our spiritual lives or general everyday lives, what can fill it if it cuts directly on the seam? 

We should be constantly allowing God to not only build us up and encourage us, but when there is a problem, is there first thing you do when a hole appears is to try and fix it yourself? 

Rather instead, we should be filling ourselves with God and His Holy Spirit, otherwise the seams will destroy the whole shoe = Us!!

Would God say Yes or No to AV....or does it really matter?

My view, not God's because you cannot decide the nature of God. 

So in the end, I can only vote as a Christian in the hope that in some way, Christian values will be shown throughout the country.

I must admit, I'm not a boffin on the subject and would welcome your opinion on this....

Have a blessed day

Good combination

1. An almighty powerful God
2. A servant hearted leader
3. Past history of God providing and leading
4. An army of followers
5. A land flowing with milk and honey

What a great combination for Joshua to know and to God to look down on and see from Heaven. But I ask myself this question, the 5 points above aren't just for the Book of Joshua back how ever many thousand of years ago. No these 5 points can apply today! Right now!


God is never changing and therefore is still almighty and powerful, we have many servant hearted leaders. Just look at the testimonies of just this year of what the Lord has done. Then look around you in the body of Christ and see an army of followers. And then look further around you to see the beautiful earth God has created. 


So why not today as I challenge myself, look to God and say, lets get marching!!

Back to reality or so I think!

Big Easter Blessing is over....


However, the work does not stop, and we pray as a team that we carry on with the passion, determination and drive that got us through the week.


You know we should really try not to have mountain peaks, but we should have like a peak and then it stays there, and then we climb higher, and then cement that place and so on...


I think if we do that then the only result is that God will be glorified and people of all ages young and old will come to know Him! 


Which will be pretty darn good!



Anyway, I'm back blogging and enjoying being back!

God is GOOD!

First day yesterday and it was great! God blessed us just at the right time with the right weather, because God is in the business of miracles!


More prayer points for the week ahead:


That God would use the team to build relationships with the young people where we can impart Jesus into their lives.


For good weather


For tomorrow night where we will look to get as many young people to NLBC as possible and enjoy a great party night!!



That amongst all of the activities etc, that God will be glorified and young people would come to know Him.

I really don't have time to be doing this

Basically, we have seen God do great things already and the week has just kicked off!


We are praying in faith for God to powerfully move and believe he will. Jesus died so we can share the Good News and for us to have this opportunity to be here today, so lets seize the opportunity and offer a gift like no over!


Catch you in a couple of days when I have more than 60 seconds to do this! 


God bless

There isn't any more counting.....It's here!!

I've given up counting down the days. 
It feels like the Big Easter Blessing is here, mobile unit yesterday, more egg dropping.


I have realised that I love egg dropping and giving out leaflets, to give people an opportunity to come to an event where the name of Jesus is the priority is great! It's a privilege! 


So yeah, the week is here, and Jesus is moving, he never stops to be honest!


I have one question for you all to ponder if you come to church, if you don't attend church, then the second question is for you!


Firstly, asked by a friend in church a week or two ago, what are we at church for?


Secondly, what is stopping you from coming to church?

Have a great week! I know I will!

Found the joy this morning

This morning, I realised during an assembly where I was telling 200 young people the real reason of Easter, I suddenly realised I have the best job in the world!!


Telling young people about Jesus and offering the opportunity to explore more, what more could you want! 


Anyway, bad times today, I called my boss Dad! Couldn't believe it, I don't think he could either...


Right, got to go! This week really is crazy!! 

Today, and the next 2 weeks, could be the greatest few weeks of our lives!

Big Easter Blessing! That's all I can say! 


It's the last week before, and we better get cracking! Prayer would be appreciated for the whole team and the work we will be doing!


For divine time, to fit everything in this week as we egg drop, prepare for the Cliff Team coming, prepare for the events we are putting on!


God is going to move crazy style these next two weeks as we partake in His mission, so I would encourage you to get involved, from praying for us, to coming down to all the events at Bullamoor. 


God is on the move, can you keep up?!

Do what I do...

So the last two days I've been telling young people in assemblies about role models and how positive one's can be of great influence.

David Beckham came out top in a pole as the best role model for young people and children, well to be honest, he is a professional sports man and is highly respected for his work ethic.

I used a biblical role model of Joseph to explain that it is about the right attitude in every situation. That even though Joseph had some intense bad stuff thrown his way, he relied on God and he excelled in everything through his positive behaviour.

So my question today, who is your role model?

Or reverse the question, are you a role model for others, and if you are, is your behaviour worth being emulated? 

Last Kick of the Game!!

So we played football last night and we scored a penalty with the last kick of the game!


I'll be honest, we didn't play well and didn't really deserve the 2-1 victory, however, what happened to the referee after awarding a free kick was not a comfortable scenario. 



The colourful verbal bombardment the referee suffered was unacceptable and I really felt uncomfortable around such a situation.


You know, I wonder how God feels every time someone uses His name in vain?
It has certainly made me think of the value of Jesus' name and how people around me use it.


So I would challenge people and myself to really think about not only the effects of using the Lord name in vain spiritually, but also how it makes other people feel around you...