prayer life update

I keep on praying for my family, in all places: the train, shower, church, bed, walking in the street, on the toilet.

I have been pretty good about doing it every day, though thinking back have missed a couple of days.

I tend to pray about something, a topic, for all of them at a time, like:

• to find the joy that I have found in the Lord
• to find peace and comfort for their issues
• to find purpose in their life that is more than them
• to be convinced and committed
• to have the love that I have in me from the Lord, so we can all share it
• to have a personal relationship with Jesus
• to be saved

Lord, thanks for the prayers so far. Give me the strength and love to carry on. Amen.

A great night on the street

Just gotta say that I had a great time at Pass The Plate last night.

Every time I go out God confirms to me we should be there. I speak to guys just out from Prison, in shelters from being homeless, lonely men, all sorts!

And they want to talk! They want to open up and share. And I get to talk to them about my faith and Jesus. A lot of the time they bring it up! ITS EASY!!!

It reminds me that men are often the most alone people.

What's so hard about choosing a church?

Now I know I may get shot down for expressing this '5 minute christian view' but sometimes is amazes me that hardcore mature christians have such difficulty in choosing a church. To me it seems simple:

• have a relationship with God as your only source of validation
• choose a church
• start serving at church and start loving your church family

If you have issues with the theology, practices, people at the church, fine. But don't let it stop you choosing, serving and loving.

I know church can be an 'institution', but I also see it as a 'fellowship of believers', most of whom are far less blessed than me, yet far more humble and loving.

If I have 'issues' with the church, I better make sure its not due to "all about me" type thinking. I know I am meant to be serving at church. I am blessed 'cause the Lord gives my heart joy doing it.

love, love, love...

I can remember growing up that there were always people that others rejected...
they were the ones who didn't look cool
who were outcasts
who everyone looked down on...

i am my Father's daughter because i never saw them this way...i saw people that the LORD loved...that within each of them was something worth loving, worth getting to know...it wasn't out of pity but out of love...i can say this because my spirit is soaring and i feel like celebrating who the LORD made me to be.

so when cool people made fun of them...I always stuck up for them, talked to them, laughed with them...my man was one of these cool people...but i could see behind his coolness too...I could see just how unique he was.

Maybe that's the answer to that old question how do you know he's the one??
when you can see behind the mask he shows the world and recognise how unique that person is from everyone else...when you see him with the LORD's eyes...and suddenly everyone else in the room disappears...and you only see him.

ONE PERSON MATTERS

I love the way the LORD makes you feel like he is speaking directly to you and there is no one else in the room...claire, zee and me experienced this sitting in the same service with 40 others.

reminds me of that virgin blue ad where it shows all these passengers on a plane with...i don't remember the name of the passenger...say Mr Jones. The catch lines go somethng like this...
This is how Mr Jones sees Virgin Blue (plane full of passengers, air hostess serving him a drink, lots of noise)

next scene...
This is how our customer service rep (air hostess)...say her name is Sarah...sees Mr Jones....
and it shows Mr Jones in an empty plane and all her attention is on him as if no one else exists but him.

That's like the LORD...he pours so much love on you, just ONE PERSON, that you feel like his little girl with your face in his hands as he whispers a message just for you and kisses you on your forehead....everything else melts away...and for a moment you life is crystal clear...and you know who you are.

For me...it's like catching a glimpse of him...and recognising him IN YOU...you know without a doubt who you serve...who you belong to.

Great Weekend

Well its been a great weekend. On Friday I went up to the Entrance for my sisters Birthday, it was so good just being able to relax and be silly with the girls. The night was full of laughter and fun and just a little bit of alcohol.
I think I showed all my sisters friends that us Christians do know how to have a good time to.

On Saturday morning I had to get up early to head back home. I spent Saturday at the beach just me and the Lord, it was good just sitting there talking to him as if he was right there spread out on his towel sun baking with me.

On Sunday the service at church was fantastic it was like the Lord was talking to just me, it was everything I needed to know at the right time. Its beautiful the way the Lord talks to us.

Thank you Lord for such a great weekend and for protecting me on my trip.

what a weekend....

what a weekend for our God...boy did he stir people up or what??? That sermon on sunday confirmed alot of things for me, and also for our group..
what i learnt?

People are the most important thing to Jesus!

im laughing at how God unites his children, like Tali, i was also struck with Gods mercy over non believers who have not gone to church, who did all sorts of things that easily put them in the "outcast" box.The prisoner on the cross next to Jesus is one of my favourites stories from the bible, the prostitue story is my number one.

The speaker said " I wonder what Budda or Mohammad would have said if that prisoner asked them to remember him when they get to their kingdoms" Mohammad probadly would have said " have you made your pilgrim to Mecca? and Buddah would have said " how far are you in your journey of spiritual enlightenment"

Our Lord and Saviour, did not ask these questions, he simply said instantly "TODAY, YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE"

TODAY being the key word... how awesome is our saviour!
He did not waste a minute pondering over religious and spiritual practises, nor did he contemplate how the religious followers and leaders would say about such undeserving mercy.. instead he delivered and saved a prisoner who did all kinds of things unimaginable to man..

unlike Man, Jesus did not say "wellll...i donnnnoooo, you have been pretty bad, and your past is way to colourful for heaven, just hang in there and ill go speak to my father and see what he says, or welll...that guy who went to church everysunday asked first" Jesus did not hesitate, he didnt need to pray about it, nor did he need to sleep on it....HE SAVED that one person because that person mattered to him.He loved that ONE person, the same way he loved me and you and carried that cross and died on it! so that he can say to us "TODAY you will be with me in paradise"

the speaker then went on to say "this prisoner is hanging off the balconys of heaven, encouraging us and cheering us on,,,saying " it happenned to me, it can happen to you, he saved me, so he can save you..no matter what you have done"

the Lord loves us so much, the bible says " there is a celebration in heaven when ONE sinner repents"

I want to bring that ONE sinner to christ...it was more confirmation for me that ONE person is as important to the Lord as a 100, that one person is my ministry, that one person i must make a decision to LOVE, to invest in, to sacrifice my time and energy for, to die to myself for...that its not the numbers the Lord looks at, nor will he ask me when i get to heaven "how many people did you bring to christ zella?"

instead he will ask me "did you love my sheep?"
and I would love to say "YES, I DID LORD"

Thank God I am not a short, fat, balding, asian-looking, aboriginal muslim woman!

Great sermon on the weekend...and key points I picked up were:

• love
• love your enemy
• love those who are different
• It's hardest to love those who are different
  

Jesus crossed a sea to find one person who society had rejected - in order to love them. He calls us to do the same.

do you want to know what God's will is?

do not confirm any longer to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

This is one of my life verses. People read this and immediately recognise the patterns of this world as worldly behaviour - immoral, sexual, material, self-centred behaviours.

Yes these are patterns of this world BUT I sometimes wonder if people recognise these patterns within churches, within christian tradition and religious behaviour...for me worldly patterns include christian practices which have lost their real meaning.

How can we test and approve God's will if we don't know what we are meant to NOT conform to? How is an ordinary salt of the earth Christian suppose to recognise what is God's pattern and what is this world's pattern? How do we know what we are meant to conform to OR not conform to?

For me it's simple:

• you need a personal relationship with the LORD. There is no way around this. The LORD is not interested in lip service or doing churchy stuff because it's what good christians do...he's interested in having a life changing relationship with each of us. Is your life changing?
• are you doing it because you want to, and the LORD has led you to this decision? OR are you doing it because everyone else is doing it and it's expected of you?
• are you doing it out of a desire to know the LORD more, to have a personal relationship with him, to put him first? OR are you doing it to please others, because you want a relationship with other people firstly and foremost?
• do you feel guilty if you don't? OR feel guilty if you do? Guilt is not from the LORD. Guilt is Satan trying to condemn you. It feels very different from the LORD convicting you. SATAN CONDEMNS YOU = GUILT.......... GOD CONVICTS YOU = SET YOU FREE, LIFTS YOU

The great thing about the LORD is that he gives us plenty of practice - so if we get it wrong, we can surrender it to him, and try again.

It also helps to remember that the LORD treats us as unique individuals, so what works for you might not work for someone else. That's why we need to have a personal relationship with the LORD, he made us and he knows us better than we know ourselves.

confirmation plus

I heard someone today who had the same heart as me - a guest speaker at church. Everything he said was like the LORD saying to me 'yes, daughter, you are doing what I want, you are who I want you to be'...In December I made my latest big life changing decision because I was starting to drown in things which were not me. Since then I have had lots of confirmation that I made the right choice. Today was confirmation plus.

love God, love others...love is God's answer, real love that listens and cares about people in their every day lives, in their insignificant moments and spending quantity time, must spend time with people, building people is more impt to the LORD then a building, God is about relationships, speak the truth in love, God cares more about what's on your heart, then what you do (the sinner on the cross next the LORD who was saved without having lived a 'good' christian life), God cares about the one lost person that the world rejects (the crazy man who the LORD healed), God's hands and feet to the world etc, etc, etc...

I love the way the LORD knows exactly who you are and exactly what's right for you - there is no set formula for being a christian - we don't have to be sheep that follow each other around, actually God wants us to follow his voice - he's the shepherd, keep our eyes on him and whoever he wants along side of us will be right there. He's the great master planner.

LORD
thank you so much for loving me. I am grateful that my greatest teacher has always been you and your word and not a church or denomination or family. So I recognise and know the truth and I am not afraid to be different, to take risks, to be honest with you.

it has taught me so much about real love, about real unity, about loving difference and valuing others for who they are - good and bad. because I know what it really means to be saved, to be forgiven, I am able to forgive others and myself.

all my life I owe to you. when I think of who I could have been it's extremely humbling. I know the joy of my salvation and I will never forget the price you paid to change me.

I love you Lord and it's true because you first loved me.

your daughter.

family relationships update

Had some good wins on the "relating with my family" front. This week I bit the bullet and shot off some emails...a total of around 5 i think (regular daily emails to Duncan don't count). I sent two emails to everyone, a couple to mom and one just to dad.

Not a bad effort for a slack bum like me!

My daily prayers for the salvation of my family have really kept them in the forefront of my mind...and reminded me how much I love them.

And now I have set up my laptop so that starting an email with one or all their email addresses is just one click. One of the things that stopped me emailing before was finding their email address. The Lord has solved this issue for me. All praise to the main man!

God appointments

ha,ha, what does satan know anyway...hes full of lies, he is so full of lies he doesnt even know what the truth is anymore!!!

Well done miss Tali, i thinkthe only reason why God gave me this JOb is so i can go to sleep at night....he only has one daughter to deal with then :p

AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME IS OUR GOD!!!

on a different note, something small but great happenned today..and it lifted my spirits to the heights where i found myself walking on clouds..no it wasnt Nick calling to tell me he loves me, i aint that much of a romantic...it was a God appointment that i have been meaning to keep for sometime but kept procrastinating..today it happenned, and the Love of God filled me to tears...
If I were to tell you what it was, you would look at me and think "is that all?" but it was a special moment between just the Lord and I...and in the middle of a busy street full of people and traffic i heard nothing but the still voice of God.I think i have just received further confirmation for my purpose and my passions...where my heart truly lies....

today my work officially began!!!!

Thanks Lord.....

just woke up

it's 3:18pm in Sydney and I just woke up. I did wake up earlier but after wondering around and sitting on the internet for a bit, I went back to sleep. I said to the LORD as I first started dozing off 'Lord, I'm doing absolutely nothing today except sleep, wake up at 3pm and go to the gym, I know that sounds terrible but I just feel like sleeping and I'm not going to feel guilty about it'

Every now and then I could hear the phone ringing but not enough to wake me...until about 3pmish, the phone rang loud and clear and I automatically picked it up to find my man on the line. Apparently he has been ringing me. Just put the phone down and Claire rang. Sitting here now, just had my Uncle ring me to say he's coming out of hospital today!

I had so many missed calls on my mobile, one from a number I don't recognise (could have been Claire's work or Uncle's hospital number). You know the weird thing is I feel like with all those missed calls I spoke to everyone I was meant to speak to just after 3pm!!!

It reminded of something I learnt through my University days - the LORD honours people who are honest with him. It's almost like he says to me 'ok daughter, because you're being honest with me, I will pour my grace on you and get the people I want you to speak to just to ring back at 3pm.' (NOW THIS IS ME USING MY IMAGINATION, THE LORD DIDN'T ACTUALLY SAY THIS - WILL DO ANOTHER POST ON HOW THE LORD REALLY SPEAKS TO ME)

Now if that was someone else I know he would storm off in a huff and than deliberately wake me up in the morning to annoy me! And he has every right to do this, because he's sick of me being awake till 3am or later. But our thoughts are not the LORD's thoughts and his love for us is soOOOOoooo out of this world that he can pour grace on us when we deserve our butts smacked.

You know why? Cos he knows who we will be like in the end of our lives. He knows that I will be set free from my out of balance nite owl ways. Right now he's waiting for me to honour my part of the agreement - and go to the gym. And I will. Now if I didn't go to the gym...he might just have to discipline me.

When I spoke to Claire she said something like...you don't know when to go to bed. She's right. The LORD let me have my way, but she was the perfect example of the LORD...no pressure, just a simple statement of truth, no guilt. But I recognise it and know I have to change.

Can anyone see how different Satan works from the LORD???? Satan would be all about making me feel guilty. But the LORD is the exact opposite - he poured grace on me, made allowances for my weakness, and then spoke TRUTH to me. And instead of feeling condemned that I'm so crap - I realise that's the real problem not that I'm a nite owl, that's the way he made me, but that I just don't know when to go to bed! How cool is that, the LORD is so right and now I'm going to the gym with a great attitude. OUR GOD REIGNS SUPREME!!!!

ps thanks Ms Claire for perservering and ringing me still just to speak a simple word of truth into my life and you didn't even know you were doing it - that's God! Have an awesome trip and I look forward to reading a blog entry about your adventures!!!

all done!!

my move went pretty smooth.. all set and getting settled now, but i still have to get used to being on my own in a huge unit all by myself............one day aye? :p

its been great to have my own little quiet time, love playing host,tho i know its going to get quieter as all the 'first visits' come to an end. Was attacked by satan on my first night as he put doubts and fear in my heart about my move, but with faithful prayer partners and a commitment to see the devil defeated in my life, the Lord came to my rescue that night and delivered me from the lies of the evil one! it wasnt a pleasant experience but as the scriptures say "What satan meant for harm, the Lord turned into GOOD" He saw my heart, and funny enough, there was a conflict between my soaring spirit and my easily deceived mind.

My spirit was saying " stand up you warrior woman of God and tell that satan where he stands in your life, and my mind was saying " oh Lord help me, Oh lord help me, I cant, I cant, I cant over come this fear" If i could I would reach over my head now and slap my brain silly!!!

Psalms 91 did an awesome job of filling my heart with Gods love for me...i was also amazed at the revelation of prayer in agreement that night.Though i know of it and believe in it, it was a revelation that night, and only God could do that!

I called Tali to pray for me as soon as it happenned and the feeling i felt as soon as she said the Lords name was a feeling I will always remember but not fear, i saw all around me the spiritual battle between the Lord and his enemy as our God fought for my heart and soul and it was a heavy struggle! I imagined him screaming at satan saying "Hey!!! She is mine...she belongs to me, she chose me and you have no right to touch her !!!

Praying in agreement is an awesome thing..."For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I AM with them"

Our awesome is our God!!!

Talk about confirmation of his promises!!

After that i put on a Jesse Duplantis (one of the coolest evangelists i know) tape at about 3.30am and the first thing he said "If you want to make a change, you need to get out of the boat, because if you stay in the boat you will only meet disciples... if you get out onto the water, YOU WILL MEET JESUS"

I WANT TO MEET JESUS !!!!

The enemy is trying to use my past against me..trying to keep me doubting my purpose...throwing in guilt and condemnation to hinder my mission...but boy is he in for big trouble or what!!! the Lord has perfect timming, he shows up on time all the time, never late never early...

"For the devil comes only to steal kill and destroy, I came so you can have life and life in abundance"

For whoever the son set free ... IS FREE INDEED! For so much greater is he who lives in me that the little stinkin rat that lives in this world....

Thank You Lord, for i know in your time i will be able to just skake off the devil like fluff on my clothes, im a working progress and you are not done with me yet...once again, i called and you came to my rescue..

I love you Lord

40 days meeting tonite

Hey tribe

looking forward to our planning session tonite. So come prepared with whatever the LORD has placed on your heart:

• for us to focus on as a group - to put into practice, to action, to do, to pray, to glorify our LORD
• for your own personal walk - what would help YOU put into practice the faith the LORD has given you, encouragement you need, specific prayer, etc.
• target list of all the people the LORD has placed in your hands so we can increase our prayers for them, fast for them, set tasks to achieve if need be.

I will bring a calendar so we mark out special dates, and start ACTIONING God's plans for us.

Zella wants to meet at her place.

I am excited about finally starting. This is what we have all been working for in the months we have been meeting together. Whatever the plans the LORD has given us, big or small, be encouraged that in putting these into practice we will see where the LORD wants to plant us and where we are meant to shake off the dust and move on.

I feel like we are on the starting line after years of preparation and the LORD is saying NOW is the HOUR....don't worry about what's happening in your personal lives...this journey we all took together has NEVER BEEN ABOUT US....BUT ABOUT HIM AND WHAT HE WANTS.

SO lets keep our eyes on our SAVIOUR, REMEMBER his sacrifice to SAVE US, and let's ACT together...let's not give him our reasons why we are not ready to serve...because trust me, he knows them already...that's why he picked us. He could have picked big huge Christians with lives that are bearing lots of fruit, but he chose us to do this...5 fingers which on their own can do very little, but together we can represent the LORD's HAND to our part of the world.

We are just one of many hands he is extending to the world to save his people. So we must do our part for our loved ones and the LORD's loved ones....It's an awesome privilege that he has given.

IF HE CAN GET US TO TAKE OUR EYES OF OURSELVES AND FOCUS ON HIM then a miracle has already taken place...HE GET'S ALL THE GLORY! I don't know about you guys but I would rather focus on the LORD than focus on myself. Let's give our spirits a chance to SOAR! Let's continue our journey together and give the LORD ALL THE GLORY!

Remember:

the harvest is ready but the workers are few.....

I dare you to take a risk for Jesus

My wife and I were chatting in the car the other day and came up with a line "I dare you to be happy". We had a giggle about saying that to people.

And then the sermon on Sunday (for those who missed it) included the line "if you don't know Jesus, you are less likely to take a risk for Jesus".

So, here's a challenge "I dare you to take a risk for Jesus". Get to know him, take a risk.

Slogans for Jesus

Our dear cousin Tim sent us an email to a joke 'slogan generator' which takes real advertising slogans and changes them based on a word you choose. So, thinking Jesus could use some updated slogans, used the word 'Jesus'. Some great slogans got generated!

• Things Happen After a Jesus.
• A Day Without Jesus is Like a Day Without Sunshine.
• What's in your Jesus?
• Hand-Built by Jesus.
• Come Fly The Friendly Jesus.
• Gee, Your Jesus Smells Terrific.
• Go to work on a Jesus.
• Splash Jesus all over.
• A Smooth-Running Jesus is a Relaxing Experience.
• Nothing Acts Faster Than Jesus.
• A Jesus Is Forever.
• Designed for Jesus, Engineered to Last.
• No-One Does Chicken Like Jesus.
• Top Breeders Recommend Jesus.
• It Needn't Be Hell With Jesus. (I kid you not!)
• I Liked The Jesus So Much, I Bought The Company!
• You've Got Questions. We've Got Jesus.
• The Future's Bright. The Future's Jesus.
• Tonight, Let It Be Jesus.
• Maybe She's Born With It, Maybe It's Jesus. (my fav)
• The Non-Sticky Sticky Jesus.
• For The Jesus You Don't Yet Know.
• Gonna Be a While? Grab a Jesus.
• Don't Forget The Jesus, Mum.
• I'd Walk a Mile for a Jesus.
• Double the Pleasure, Double the Jesus.
• Have a Break. Have a Jesus.

Jabez's Prayer..my prayer

so guys, im moving house this saturday!

im a little nervous but more excited at the change of being on my own...its time to leave the nest and venture out, spread my wings and fly!

I know i cant do this without God, his love, guidance and protection...theres a little reservation about my balcony being too low but i have to trust that my big God is surrounding me with his angels at all times. The devil cannot penetrate the blood of Jesus pleaded around my flat.
Its going to be a new life and new way of living, but i have come this far and im sure the Lord will not forsake me and abandon me now especially when i need him the most.
Pray for me as i start my new adventure, that my moving out of home will bring glory to his name, that i will not lean on my own understanding but rely on him with all my heart.Pray also that my flat may be used for his purposes and not my own, that it will be used to bless others.
That i will always have an abundance of food to feed all my family when they come visit and may it always be welcoming and full of love for who ever enters!

Lord im trusting in you, i am relying on your faithfulness and your grace to bless my plans as i look forward to this change. I am trusting in your divine protection to protect me at all times and resting in the peace that comes from knowing that you care for even the little details in my little life. Thank You Lord for bringing me to this point and allowing me to step out in faith confident that you have your hand out for me as i step out in the dark, knowing that I believe in the almighty God of Israel, my creator, my saviour my friend!!

I pray for my family Lord, espcially my parents that they will see your light in my life and believe that i believe in you and your unfailing love.That they will in your time come to understand that i am first of all YOUR daughter, and I must follow after the passions you have put so clearly in my heart.

I also ask Lord that, you remind me constantly of why i am moving out, and the work you have prepared me to do this year, that i never forget it was because of your leading that i found the strength to do this. May my testimony and confessions be clear to me all the time so i may not be distracted by the things of this world, that i am not too busy to leave the world behind and come into your presence to worship and spend time with you!





"oh that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territorry, let your hand be with me,and keep me from harm so i will be free from pain" 1 Chronicles 4:10

Came To My Rescue lyrics

falling on my knees in worship
giving all i am to seek your face
lord all i am is yours

my whole life i place in your hands
god of mercy humble i bow down
in your presence at your throne

i called you answered
and you came to my rescue
and i want to be where you are

my whole life i place in your hands
god of mercy humbled i bow down
in your presence at your throne

i called you answered
and you came to my rescue
and i want to be where you are
(repeat)

my life
be lifted high
and our world
be lifted high
and our love
be lifted high
(repeat)

i called you answered
and you came to my rescue
and i want to be where you are
(repeat)

thanks to Hillsong Australia

UPDATE: Just thought I would say what this song means to me (Myles). I was in my late 30's when I got saved. I was in a situation where I had no where else to go. My life of self-control had fallen down around me. So I fell to my knees to worship. I called. And he came to my rescue. He rescued me from a life of loss. So after a couple of false starts I now place my life in his hands. It's the best move I ever made. And so you can see how this song reflects my own relationship with Jesus. Give him your whole life...even the small bits...but especially the big bits - your relationships, your time, your gifts.

If this song reflects your own relationship with Jesus I would love for you to leave a comment!

change and more change

The LORD seems to be determined to change us. Just as a body naturally changes so must we. Like our bodies, we change in ways that are not good for us, that cause our bodies to suffer just like our walk with the LORD.

We enjoy things at the time and then wake up one morning look in the mirror and don't recognise who we are...but the LORD's desire is for us to know who we are and become all that we can be...who would know this better than:
the CREATOR of these bodies we occupy,
the CREATOR of this spirit that soars within these bodies,
the CREATOR of this mind which imagines so much within these bodies.

So for all those intellectuals out there - if we use less than 5% of our brain capacity, who's to say the other 95% is not unlocked when we believe and tap into all that the LORD wants us to be - miracles happen, doors are unlocked and our Creator steps into our lives and sets us free?

I wonder how many Christians, realise their potential or limit their FAITHS to the 5%? Meanwhile the LORD, who became flesh to show us what someone using 100% of their brain could achieve - heal people's bodies and spirits, raise the dead, bless those who curse you, love those who hate you, complete upside down thinking, control nature, know the hearts of people, read their minds, predict their futures....all this and still know your place is under the Creator.

I am a simple christian, and I am blessed that the LORD values simple...even the most complicated creation like our bodies is simple to him...that's why he is Creator and I am his creation.

Who really knows how much of our brains we use...but I do know when he changes me, it might seem complicated or hard at the time, but when it's over my life is simpler....

the body & the institution

I have just finished reading a book on church history...and one thing that showed itself was the difference between the church BODY and the church INSTITUTION.

We are called so many times to build the church body - in so many ways. The church as an institution has been important to the preservation and growth of faith and people's salvation. But the history showed me that the memorable good bits are where people maximised the building of the body, and either made efficient/effective or minimised the building of the institution.

It's a subtle difference. I need to ensure I follow it. Do people get it?

my prayer life

I have decided that "this year" I will focus on improving my prayer life. It's obvious this is an important part of my faith walk.

So I have started to, every day, pray for my family. Duncan, Stephen, Amanda, Mom, Graham, Dad and Jenny.

I pray that they will be saved. Faith renewed. To find what I have found.

I reckon this is a good start to building relationships. Every day I get reminded of them, think about them, think about what I need to do.

family relationships update

I have to admit my relationship building with my family is not going well. I dont really email or phone, indeed I have been very slack.

I have decided to pray about it.

amazing grace lyrics

sing along if you know the words...(first 3 verses only)

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come
Tis grace has brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.

God's truth...

the message bible:

ROMANS 8:5-18

Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them--living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.

Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored.

... But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells--even though you still experience all the limitations of sin--you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself?

When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!

So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it--yourself life one red cent. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us--an unbelievable inheritance!

We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him! That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. ..

Romans 10:8-14

It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God--"Jesus is my Master"--embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead.

That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!"

Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this--heart and soul--will ever regret it." It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. "Everyone who calls, "Help, God!' gets help."

Romans 12:1-4

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

God's grace...

Romans 7:14 onwards (the Message)

I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself--after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.

My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

many of us struggle to overcome all the sin that still exists in us. we think because we have the LORD in us we can overcome our sin...but the truth is if we could overcome our sin we would not need our Saviour who died for us.

so we know we're not perfect but we get trapped in Satan's secret weapon - GUILT. Because we still desire things we shouldn't, we still lust after a life we know is wrong...sin tempts us and we give in without much of a fight sometimes. Then Satan steps in and OVERWHELMS US WITH GUILT - if God is so strong then why doesn't he help you...if you believe then why are you such a walk over???

We think we are a suprise to him, so when we do bad things we ignore the LORD. Then when we remember the LORD we feel so guilty and go to him saying sorry again and again. But the LORD already knows this, he's with us when we are sinning. He knows we are going to sin before we even do it. He knows we are weak in the flesh.

So why doesn't he give up on us? It's because he knows who you are in the flesh is NOT WHO YOU ARE IN THE SPIRIT. Your spirit already knows all the LORD's promises , your spirit is set free from death because of Jesus, our Saviour. Your spirit soars just at the mention of his name, recognises his love, and is completely saved.

Satan tries to fool us in to believing we haven't changed. What's the point of being saved we're still living the same old life. But this is A LIE. You have changed. Sometimes now you think before you speak. Sometimes now you pray before you act. Sometimes now you submit to authority. Sometimes now you say NO to sin.

I am speaking from personal experience. The LORD is all about change - but in his timing. He knows you're not ready to change yet...so why waste your time upsetting yourself about how bad you are. The LORD wants to deal with how bad you are, but he wants you to keep your eyes on him....not on your messed up life...draw near to him.

The more you draw near to the LORD, the more you worship him in spirit and in truth, the more set free you will be.

The LORD's desire is to set you completely free from all that binds you in your life. But he doesn't want you focusing on this, just focus on him. Keep you eyes on him and all these other things he will add unto you.

So the good news is YES, you are saved. But it's through our Lord, Jesus. And YES you will change, but not by your own efforts but by the Holy Spirit. The LORD is changing you inside out...so he feeds your spirit, renews your mind, you build a relationship with him, and then before you realise it you are doing good without even trying. What was hard to do before will be so easy you wonder what the fuss was!

I decided to accept who I was and leave the changing to the LORD, my job was to believe and do the things I already knew how to do - praise him, pray and read his word. Some things the LORD just took away without any struggling. But there are some sins that I still do, but I know one day, they will go too.

I stuff up every single day...but I've known the LORD personally for 20 years and for some years there was little progress and then lot's of growth and then slow and then lots...now I have gotten to a stage where it always feels like lots of progress....the trials and testings are greater too. But I can handle these better than when I was young Christian.

Just remember the LORD isn't finished with you yet, and you HAVE ALREADY come a long way. God knows who you are better than you do. He knew all your sins when Jesus died on that cross so why beat yourself up about these things when God has already forgiven you.

Next time you do something really bad, don't condemn yourself because Jesus didn't. Just say: oh well, today I am weak, today I don't have what it takes but one day by the LORD's spirit I will overcome. You died on that cross for this sin and I thank you LORD for your grace which saves me every single day.

So if you never give up and keep doing what you know to do, you will find eventually you know how to do more....and one day you will wake up and realise that you changed without you even knowing. But maybe today is not that day for you. Accept who you are today and enjoy the LORD's grace.

daily acts of love

i was reading a little book called "daily acts of love" and i happenned to come across this little verse which made me stop in my tracks and take a whole new look at some of the things i have been facing in the past couple of weeks.Esp in my relationship with Nick.
Though i knew this already, i somehow forgot it in the midst of all the crap going through my head...anyway, i hope you find it refreshing as I did

"Someone who is meanspirited, boastful,deceitful, angry,conceited, or attacking is in fact expressing a lack of love, insecurity and poor self regard, however puffed up they may outwardly appear.
This does not mean you condone their actions.But it may allow you to regard the person with more compassion"

Compassion is why i chose to stick with Nick, tho sometimes he is one of the unlovable people Myles spoke about earlier.
He does not know what its like to be loved, to be accepted, to be understood. He was never allowed to endulge in these simple priviledges others especially I, take for granted everyday!

Laughter is not heard in his house, nor is love comfort and encouragement.

And the Lord has reminded me again of how much he needs me to love him because tho he is puffed up and thinks he is invincible..he is only trying to hide how much he craves love, affections,acceptance and understanding. It is a mere reflection of his weaknesses.This is what i see in him everytime, this is what got me here in the first place.His vulnerabilities, his weaknesses, his needs, his sorrow.

we grew up and still growing in different worlds tho we are starting to see compromises and a lot of understanding helping us love each other more

Some of the differences are :
Nick needs to ask for permission to eat anything in the fridge, i eat everything in the fridge

Nick is not allowed to use the kitchen, cook, or use any of the stacked goods to eat, I own my familys kitchen

Nick needs to ask if he can use the laundry and in the good days he will be allowed otherwise his clothes will sit in the laundry for days and he will end up washing them with his hands,bringing it to my house, I use all the washing detergent doing my washing.

Nick goes home to inedible leftovers lying on the stove if hes lucky, I go home to a special plate put aside for me by my mum.

Nick was taught not to ask for anything especially food so at times he would go to bed hungry, I pick and choose whose house I can have dinner at and what I want to eat

Nick was taught his best was not good enough, i was told i can do anything i put my mind to it.

Nick was taught failure is never an alternative, I grew up surrounded by people who picked me up

Nick was taught to be the stronger one, in my world I was/am the stronger one.

Nick was taught worth and dignity came with wealth and material possessions, I was taught to not fall for such desires but pursue humility, respect and love for others.

Nick grew up in a war torn country where he had to be self sufficient, strong, and arrogant to survive, i grew up enveloped in love, warmth, guidance, protection and freedom in a little island paradise in the middle of the pacific.

Nick would disappear for days and noone would notice, i disappear for a couple of hours and a search party is sent out to find me.

Nick has not seen his siblings and mum for over 4 years, I go crazy if i dont see my family for a day

Nick experiences all this living with his grandparents, I was at the very heart of my grandparents.

Nick cannot fathom how i can love him so much, I cant fathom how he cant fathom that i love him this much!

Tho I dont condone his ways, I do however regard him with a little more compassion and I trust God has him in his care and is working in his life.
He is just another reminder of the people I will yet save for Christ, he is my battlefield, my testing groud and at times my point of clarity!

claires last day of freedom...

claire is dreaming of being here.....

interview with claire:

hows your holiday been claire?
it's had it's ups and downs

what's been a highlight of your holiday?
relaxing on the beach and spending time with the LORD

what would you have changed about your holiday?
no relationship problems and everybody was happy

what, if anything, has the LORD taught you during your holiday?
to put all my trust in him and not lean on my own understanding.

how's that going for you?
good but hard

what was your favourite chrissy present?
my bracelet

what was the best thing you bought during your holiday?
new clothes because couldn't fit into them before and now i can

Did you drink during your holidays?
not that I remember, there could have been one night but it's escaped my memory. I was tied up and forced (tali, screams out: whatever!)

what plans do you have for the new year?
quit work and relax on the beach....
but seriously....to grow stronger in the LORD, and find out who I am in him.

what's 3 things that you CAN'T live without?
the LORD, love, laughter

what's 3 things that you CAN live without?
pain, misunderstandings, grudges

psychological test on Ms Claire:

favourite animal?
cheetah

why do you like cheetahs?
beautiful, fast- looks good, like it's style and sleekness, cunning

favourite colour?
red

why do you like red?
passionate, bright - stands out, strong

how do you feel about the sea?
calm, relaxing, soothing

Well for all of those who know what each of these represents, (and we won't say becos Lipo hasn't done the test, I don't think), is this revealing of our CLAIRE or what???

Interview complete, Claire is getting ready to leave my humble abode, moaning and groaning at the moment about her plans for today....shopping...baby clothes (for her friend)...not happy Jan! Not exactly what she dreamed of on her last day of freedom...

oh well, this is the reporter of the day signing off, to the rest of our wee tribe - have awesome days hanging out with our LORD!

40 days task

Hey fanau

I thought maybe some of you might need help with your task. The aim is to examine your life experiences and think about how it's shaped you and the lessons you have learned.

It's like in the book: 'pause to see how God has worked in the various defining moments of your life and consider how he wants to use those lessons to help others.'

You don't have to write something about each of the experiences we focused on last week (family, educational, vocational, spiritual, ministry and painful).

Just focus on the ones that have shaped you...so like Claire said last week she doesn't really have any ministry experience so there's no point her trying to find lessons from that area. Myles can't remember anything from his school days so there's no point focusing on that.

hope this helps :-)

decisions, decisions...

As a christian, it's scary making big HARD life changing decisions becos...

• it might mean choosing what is RIGHT instead of how you feel
• it might mean choosing to LOVE instead of be loved
• it might mean thinking about what would JESUS DO instead of what would you do.

Take my love life for an example....I have a man who loves me, sometimes well, sometimes terribly...I chose 15 years ago to love him and only him....SO why is it when life gets hard do I act like I haven't decided yet????

Who am I kidding? I'm not that kind of person who makes big life changing decisions and then changes whenever I feel like it. I say statements like it just doesn't feel the same, I feel like...I don't feel like...this feels wrong...

BUT I am my Father's daughter...I should know that when I make statements like 'this feels wrong'...that the only thing that's really wrong is I am relying on my FEELINGS.

LOVE is a CHOICE I made a long time ago...NOT a feeling I felt a long time ago.

This doesn't mean I can't let my feelings guide me. BUT when it comes to love, feelings are what this world uses for a guide...as for us christians...
we have only ONE choice to 1stly: LOVE GOD FIRST AND FOREMOST
and 2ndly: TO LOVE OTHERS as we love ourselves
NOT love others INSTEAD of ourselves....

to all christians please note: the Lord doesn't say 3rdly: love ourselves....because most people already love themselves way too much and need to learn how to love others ;-)

that ol' feeling

not quite sure what im meant to say or write, just feeling a bit too disconnected from everyone and everything...funny enough i dont feel like running away! The new year has brought on board new challenges already, its only been three days!!!!

not quite sure what this feeling is but i feel persecutions coming from the north,south, east and west!

i cant feel Gods peace anymore, not quite sure whether i feel him or not, its been a chaotic past weeks, filled with nothingness and everything.

heavy hearted Lord.... that same ol feeling of being the outsider has crept back in....

4 MY CHRISTMAS N NEW YEARS

It is not easy going through christmas and new years not knowing how you feel. Feeling confused and not knowing what is really going on might sound stupid but thats what my christmas and new year was like. But no one can fix it but me and I hope that with the help of our Lord, things will get to where He wants it to be.
But apart from my problems that people have had enough of hearing about, I had a great time with the family, spending time with everyone is how I've always wanted my christmas even though May and Bubba were'nt here. It was weird for me not wanting to go anywhere but having to spend time with the family knowing how I was feeling is something that was different.
I was very happy to be able to do that on Christmas and also New Years and I Thank the Lord that even through my toughest times He was always there whispering to my heart to try and do the right thing. So for my Christmas and New Years, I had a happy but confusing one.. One thing I noticed was that, even though things weren't that great, we all came together as one family and in one Heart..
This Year will be a different year, Whatever lies ahead of us, may the Lord Blesses everything and lead us in the right direction where He wants us to be..
We are not perfect and we will struggle but I pray that His power will help Lift us up and help Lead us through whatever He's already has in plan for us.
For everyone, All the best this year and may God bless you all with your walk and your plans..