Skywatch #100

Skywatch 100! This is a snap of Exmoor in North Devon. On the horizon you can see the cloud shadows on the sea, and beyond that you can just see Wales. Have a great weekend!

A Text Message From God

Pour Out Your Hearts To God

Image by Steve Punter via Flickr

I pour out my complaint before him...'
Psalm 142:2

Learn to pray the Psalms. They run the gamut of human emotion from thanksgiving, to anger, to fear, to loneliness, to grief. The Psalmist doesn't miss a beat when it comes to life. Not life as we wish it was, but life as it is: 'I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.' He vents his pain to God, he allows himself to 'feel it.' That takes courage, especially when you just want to put on a brave face. John Ortberg wrote: 'I regret the pain of failure so keenly that I backed away from owning it and learning from it. I could not heal and move on. I wanted to bury it so deeply that no one would ever guess it was there-not even me.' Sound familiar?

The Bible doesn't discourage the grieving process, it just warns us not to get stuck in it. '...Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning...' (Psalm 30:5 NIV). To reach your morning of rejoicing you must go through your night of weeping. FB Meyer writes: 'There are some who chide tears as unmanly, un-submissive, un-Christian. They comfort us with a chill, bidding us to put on a rigid and tearless countenance. We may well ask if a man who cannot weep can really love? Sorrow is just love bereaved; its most natural expression is tears. Jesus wept. The Ephesian converts wept on the neck of the Apostle Paul whose face they were never to see again. So go ahead and pour out your heart to God. It's a vital step to becoming whole.

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

Skywatch #99

Woody Bay, North Devon, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

Last weekend I spent in a Christian conference centre in North Devon with some wonderful friends. Lee Abbey is in the most stunning location. We enjoyed walking, talking, laughing, eating, singing, sleeping and more laughing. This view we enjoyed on the coffee breaks between sessions. Aah...

In Harness With Jesus

Image by Isidr☼ Cea via Flickr

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me
Matthew 11:29

Some of us find it easy to trust God for health, yet we stay awake all night worrying about finances. Or we trust Him for finances, but not to direct our steps. Jesus says, 'Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.' You say, 'Learn what?' Learn that if you want to lighten your load don't take on more-take on a partner. Get in harness with the Lord and take your lead from Him. Working with God will restore your strength, not deplete it!

Richard Mylander writes: 'On my way to a conference in Colorado I was driving uphill along a major interstate, when I overtook a freight train going the same direction at a slower speed. The train was being pushed uphill by two locomotives that sounded as if they were straining at full power. I'm a flatlander from the mid west. 'Is this how trains move in mountainous terrain?' I wondered. I gradually came alongside the front of the nearly mile-long string of cars. There I found five more locomotives pulling the train. Seven engines in all! Where I come from, I rarely see more than two or three. That train was a lesson for me. I had been under serious strain for some time. I was feeling tired and was wondering whether I could persevere under the pressure. How like God, I thought. When I am pushing a load uphill with all the strength I have and feel like my energy level is depleted, He wants me to know that He is in the lead, pulling with power far greater than mine.'

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

Hold On Love Will Find You

Love Will Find You

For the Son of man came to make search for those who are wandering from the way, and to be their Saviour
Luke 19:10

Just turn around He's right behind you now...it's gonna be alright..

O Gott Du Frommer Gott - Brahms

O Gott Du Frommer Gott - Brahms

Oh God, you righteous God
you source of good gifts,
without whom nothing exists that does exist,
from whom we have everything :
give me a healthy body
and grant that in such a body
there may remain an inviolate soul
and a pure conscience.

I haven't been blogging much recently due to my upcoming and final organ exam. I'll be playing this piece of Brahms to a critical ear on Thursday, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

In The Refiner's Fire

Image via Wikipedia

He will sit like a refiner of silver...

Malachi 3:3

Are you in the refiner's fire today? If you are don't rebel or try to run away, just sit still and let the refiner do His work. The Bible says: 'He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify [them], refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.'

A woman who read this verse at a Bible study wanted to know how it related to her walk with God, so she made an appointment with the silversmith. Without mentioning anything other than a general interest in the process, she sat and observed him work. She watched as he held the silver over the fire, explaining that in order to burn away every impurity he had to keep it in the middle where it was hottest. She asked him if he usually sat in front of the fire the entire time. 'Yes,' he replied, 'not only do I have to hold it, I must watch it. If I leave it there too long it will be destroyed.' After thinking about that for awhile she asked, 'How do you know when the process is complete?' Smiling, he replied, 'That's easy; I see my face reflected in it.'

If you're in the refiner's fire today, remember: a) He knows what He's doing, so trust Him b) He won't allow you to be destroyed by the circumstances, or take His eye off you c) when the process is complete, you'll be more like Jesus and less like your old self. Isn't that what you want? Isn't that what you've prayed for?

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

Your Name

Your Name - Paul Baloche

We learnt this song last night at church. It's beautiful. He will always be a strong tower for me, always comfort, always joy, always mercy. There is no other name than Jesus!

Godpod

Image via Wikipedia

I've recently been browsing for new podcasts and came across the Godpod from St Paul's Theological Centre. It is currently only at episode 54 but already I am addicted! Fantastic discussions on faith, culture and all things church. It's described as:

A regular podcast where theologians Graham Tomlin, Mike Lloyd and Jane Williams get together to discuss burning issues of God, theology, life and much more, over an endless supply of coffee and biscuits.

Art, Honesty & Church is a recent favourite episode of mine and can be heard here. "Charlie Mackesy artist, preacher and very interesting chap, joins the regular team to talk about art, faith, and honesty in church."

You can subscribe in iTunes or directly here. Fantastic stuff!