Skywatch #45

Canary Wharf, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

In Times Of Difficulty

Praying Hands
Originally uploaded by mulmatsherm

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you...Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer...Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 20:1, Romans 12:12, Philippians 4:6-7

Thought Attacks!

Green Thought Bubbles
Originally uploaded by INoxKrow

Take captive every thought...
2 Corinthians 10:5

Nineteen-year-old Liu Shih-Kun was an esteemed concert pianist in China until the Cultural Revolution banned all things of Western influence. Refusing to renounce his beloved music, Liu was deemed an enemy of the people, beaten and imprisoned. There he languished in a tiny cell with no books, no paper, and even worse; no piano. Six years later, for propaganda reasons, he was asked to play in Beijing with the Philadelphia Orchestra. After years without an instrument to practice on, he performed brilliantly. Eighteen months later when he was finally released, he again played flawlessly. That Liu survived is remarkable; that his hands continued to move as if they'd never stopped playing is amazing. His secret? Stripped of everything musical, for seven and a half years Liu disciplined himself to shut out negative thoughts and practice hour after hour on an imaginary piano.

A well respected counsellor says: 'We don't realise the extent to which our own thinking contributes to our mental anguish. The earlier you stop 'thought attacks' the easier it is to regroup and get back on track. Now, while the concept is simple, it's not easy to implement. Once you start paying attention you'll probably discover you have a lot more 'thought attacks' than you can possibly imagine.' Police shout 'Freeze!' when they want to stop a suspect and protect themselves. And you can freeze out harmful thinking by capturing every thought and making it 'obedient to Christ.' Paul says: 'This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with...spiritual forces...' (Ephesians 6:12 GWT). Your thoughts have power. To win over them, you must submit to Christ and control what you allow your mind to dwell on.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

King Of Wonders

I can't wait to teach this one to the church. An awesome song!!

We could try to count the stars,
You already know them each by name.
Every single galaxy was your design,
Your majesty displayed.

Your glory shines before our eyes,
The more we see, the more we love
You

(Chorus)
King of wonders, we stand amazed,
Theres no other,
other than you.
King of wonders, you know the way to our hearts and
The
more we see the more we love you.

You reveal and we respond,
You
have shown theres no one like you God
Your love and mercy welcomes us
Into the beauty of this Holiness.

Your glory shines before our eyes,
The more we see, the more we love You

(Chorus x3)

The more
we see the more we love You, God.

Skywatch #44

Skywatch, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

This is the view of the sky very close to my house. In the summer, planes come in to land at Heathrow every minute or so. I've always lived near the airport so I don't hear the noise anymore, and as a child I used to plane spot and take down the plane registrations from the wings. Enjoy some more skywatches and click on the logo below. Happy weekend!

The Race

The Race attributed to Dr. D.H. "Dee" Groberg, will encourage you.

The Lion Has Triumphed

Image via Wikipedia

Some weeks ago I was fortunate to attend a conference at St Andrew’s Church Chorleywood, led by Marc DuPont and the vicar Mark Stibbe, called The Lion Has Triumphed. This church has a strong prophetic tradition, and later on I’ll share some insights given especially for the coming year. Meanwhile, here are a few points I scribbled down in my notebook. I hope you find one or two that you can ponder on.

1. Put out into the deep water. Luke 5/John21.

2. Christianity Today: Are we consumers or are we consumed?

3. After we after the King or the bling?

4. The ministry of healing – it’s not what you do but Who you know.

5. The one with passion and desire is the one who sees. (For this point, the example of Lucy from the Narnia novels by CS Lewis was used. Lucy was the one who could see Aslan when the others could not. She had a love a passion for Aslan that opened her eyes.)

6. Passion leads to an energising of the prophetic gift and to dreaming.

7. The prophetic releases HOPE.

8. Are we consumed with passion or have we become inward looking?

9. Intimacy with God is the key to victory.

10. God is full of faith ie. He has no doubt that He can accomplish what He speaks. This is the kind of active faith we should seek and exercise.

This Year: Persevere (5)

Image by duopastorale via Flickr

We will reap a harvest if we do not give up
Galatians 6:9

Here are three more enemies of perseverance you'll have to defeat each day of this year:

1) Lack of resiliency. Harvard professor George Vaillant identifies resiliency as a significant characteristic of people who navigate the different seasons of life from birth to old age. In his book Aging Well he writes, 'Resilient people are like a twig with a fresh, green, living core. When twisted out of shape the twig bends but it doesn't break; instead it springs back and continues growing.' That's an excellent description of perseverance. We must not become dry, brittle and inflexible. We must draw on God's grace and endeavour to bounce back no matter how we feel.

2) Lack of vision. Everything that's created is actually created twice. First it's created mentally, then it's created physically. And where does our creativity come from? God, our Creator, who made us in His likeness (Genesis 1:27). A God-given vision will keep you moving forward when nothing else will. The lack of one will stop you dead in your tracks.

3) Lack of purpose. Rich Demoss remarked, 'Persistence is stubbornness with a purpose.' It's very difficult to develop persistence when you lack a sense of purpose. Conversely, when you have a passionate sense of purpose, energy rises, obstacles become incidental and perseverance wins out. World champion boxer Mohammad Ali said, 'Champions aren't made in the gyms, they are made from something they have deep inside them; a desire, a dream, a vision. They have last-minute stamina. They have to be a little faster, and they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.'

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Skywatch #43

Heaven's Wonders, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

LORD, the heavens praise Your wonders
Psalm 89:5

Worried About Money?

Image by schoschie via Flickr

Do not worry  
Matthew 6:31

The Psalmist said, 'I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread' (Psalm 37:25 NIV). Has God ever failed you? No, and He won't now: 'You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you...' (Joel 2:26 NIV). Stop trying to figure everything out. Instead, lean on God. 'Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass' (Psalm 37:3-5).

Just keep doing what God has told you to do: '"...obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful...do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go"' (Joshua 1:7-9 NIV). Don't be anxious; God won't fail you. '...do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?"...your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well' (Matthew 6:31-33 NIV). Relax, He's Jehovah Jireh, 'The Lord will provide!'

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Lord I Will Bow To You

Lord I Will Bow To You - Bob Fitts

Lord, I Will Bow To You
To No Other God But You Alone
Lord I will worship You
Nothing Hands Have Made
But You Alone

I Will Lay down My Idols
Thrones I Have Made
All That Has Taken My Heart
Lord, I Will Bow To You
To No Other God But You Alone

Skywatch #42

Winter Stables, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

The heaviest snowfall for 18 years! That's what we've had in London this week. And it was fun. On Monday morning I stepped out to a bunch of local school children having a snowball fight on my front doorstep, and then on Tuesday I wandered over to Osterley Park (National Trust) and met a few nice snowpersons. Watch out for the snowman carved by Michelangelo!

Get Up Get Over It And Move On

"HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!"
Originally uploaded by MrClean1982

"...you will forget the shame of your youth..."
Isa.54:4

When Eve first opened her eyes on planet earth, she was already married. She never got to grow up. She just stepped into being a wife, then a mother. Did that happen to you? Were you a parent before you had a chance to be a child, or knew what it meant to be innocent and grow up with your trust intact? If Eve's story is your story, the Word for you today is, 'Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced...you will forget the shame of your youth....'

You can't go back and make things different. You're not the same person and you're never going to be. You cannot relive your first marriage or your early childhood. But there are three scriptural steps you can take to get up, get over it and move on:

1) forgive what others have done to you (Ephesians 4:32)

2) forgive yourself for what you've done (Philippians 3:13)

3) believe that God has truly forgiven you, and act on it (Isaiah 43:25).

Sometimes we hold onto the past because we believe there's something there we think we still need. We cling to certain things because we fear we'll never be able to replace them. No, God has more in store for you. If you've entrusted your future to Him you haven't seen your best days yet. There's more ahead of you than behind you. God promises: '...beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness...' (Isaiah 61:3). So in God's strength get up, get over it and move on!

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Officially Christmas!

Officially Christmas!, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

I knew it! Yesterday I took down my Christmas cards and this is what happens. At least I've kept the fairy lights up :)