I often enjoy time alone to think and one of my favourite places to spend alone-time is the beach.
The North East has some beautiful beaches and I like the opportunity of just gazing out to sea.
It reminds me of childhood summers - going to Germany on the ferry, holidays with my family and many freezing cold days eating chips & ice cream with the wind blowing my hair & sand into my food.
I recently had an afternoon to myself so I went to Tynemouth and sat at the top of the cliff looking at the beach below. It was a windy day but sunny & around 2ºc. Needless to say people were wrapped up against the cold!
As I looked below I saw a surfer paddling out to sea with his surfboard. I immediately wondered how ridiculous he must be to be in such freezing water and then I just waited and watched.
He seemed to be enjoying himself with the waves in the shallow water. Every now & then he caught a small wave & spent a couple of seconds riding it.
He spent quite a while splashing about and then as I looked beyond him I saw huge waves just out a bit further from where he was.
I noticed that he was so busy with the small waves and yet the fun, big waves were just a little ahead. If he had pushed through the small ones he would have had the fun big ones to play with!
How often do we busy ourselves with the small things of life that we neglect the bigger things ahead of us. We can get distracted by the not-so-important things of life that we neglect the important things!
Don't get me wrong, we do need to go through the small waves to get to the big ones, but we cant ignore the big waves in life & think the little waves are all there is!
For me, this often looks like me pottering around the house all day thinking I'm busy but then realising how little I have really accomplished because my pottering was fussing over insignificant things!
I also had realised that from the top of the cliff by the beach I had a different perspective than the surfer & maybe he genuinely didnt see thie big waves just ahead of him.
From my perspective there was lots to be gained from pushing through the small into the deep.
We need to realise that God has a different perspective from us and sometimes the things that attract a lot of our time & attention are actually disctractions from the real stuff of life, yet we dont know it!
I challenged myself by thinking that the prime minister of England has the same 24 hours in a day as me, he just uses it differently!
How many things have we put off because it seems just a bit too risky or it makes us feel uncomfortable because it's just too big or too much?
How many times do we wish we had just pushed through a pain barrier to the bigger more rewarding things?
In the great words of a popular sports brand, "Just do it!"
Sunday 24 February 2013
Friday 11 January 2013
One of life's little sacrifices
I often love the process of planning projects more than the actual project. Take for example Christmas, I love the preparation, planning & cooking so so much!
I also enjoy painting and usually enjoy the process of painting more than looking at the finished masterpiece.
As a teacher I remember observing a small child painstakingly paint a lovely picture of her house & family only to then paint all over the top of it with black paint. She loved the act of painting and was learning so much from the process of it. The only issue for me was then explaining this black splodgy soggy paper to her parents when she gleefully said "I did a painting of my house!" At home-time.
One process I could really do without however is cleaning my bathroom.
I enjoy having a clean sparkly bathroom but not the process of getting it that way. As I write this my nostrils are filled with the smell of bleach which usually takes half a day to fade away.
After a twitter conversation with a friend this morning I got thinking about this in a new way.
It's a sacrifice for me to clean my bathroom...
...I don't like the process but I learn from the process.
I've blogged before about the importance of being diligent with the little things in life, but there's another lesson to be learned here.
In life we must sacrifice things in order to have something we want.
In order to afford a nice holiday we need to sacrifice the odd Starbucks here & there... (and usually other luxuries too)
In order to enjoy a morning walk with my dog I need to get up that bit earlier...
Sacrifices big & small are annoying, but we're willing to go through with them if we can see the prize waiting on the other side.
Proverbs 29v11 says that without a vision/revelation, people cast off restraint / or people perish (depending on the translation)
Yes, we have to sacrifice from time to time but keeping our eye on the prize keeps our focus where it should be... ahead.
When we have dreams & desires for our lives they're usually in seed form within us. The sacrifices we make along the way to realising them are like the fertilizer that ensures their growth.
Fertilizer smells and its a nasty job using it (thinking of my toilet here) but the results are amazing!
SO, the next time you clean your bathroom think about what lesson you can learn in the process.
:-)
Wednesday 11 January 2012
tax returns...
I’m sitting at my desk with music pumping, singing along... and surrounded by receipts.
My baby is safely napping upstairs and I’m getting as much done as I can before he wakes up & insists on playing with all my little bits of paper!
Since as long as I can remember I’ve held on to receipts. EVERY one! This is the first time we’ve been asked to do tax returns & I wouldn’t have thought that keeping those receipts would have become so useful!
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating hoarding and I certainly try hard not to hang onto things when my tendency is to not throw things out.
BUT this exercise is making me reflect on how many times in life we have to do something repetitively that we don’t see the fruits of till somewhere down the line.
For example…
Fitness. You don’t get fit by going to the gym once. It’s the regular, repetitive moments. It’s carrying on when you can’t see the immediate benefits…
Cleaning the fish tank. Changing water when it seems to still be clean stops it from getting dirty…
Eating a healthy breakfast instead of grabbing a buttery croissant…
Dusting...
Reading your bible reading plan every day...
All the little things that don’t seem to be much at the time, add up to future benefits.
I’ve blogged before about valuing the little things as they make up the big things when all put together, but let me just encourage you, put the little things in place now at the beginning of 2012 that you will see the benefits of in 2013 and beyond.
When you can’t see the results immediately be encouraged, lift your head from the ‘now’ and remind yourself of this time next year.
You’ll be glad you did!
Tuesday 8 November 2011
Seasons of change
It's safe to say this is an 'interesting' season we're in at the moment.
When pressure is applied to something whatever is inside comes out (sounds a bit yucky) Thinking about it this way, if you squeeze an orange the juice comes out.
Over the last few months we have been going through some difficult pressures, both in our family and in our church family. Amongst other things we've negotiated some interesting venue issues and one of our beautiful young girls in church graduated to heaven.
What Jon & I have seen is a community of amazing people who we dearly love rise up and show what true gems are inside.
We have seen people come together to fast and pray, we've seen people meet needs practically through cooking meals, sharing financially and blessing people in other practical ways.
We've seen the strength of our church family in action and the pressure that has been applied has shown the glory of God.
By no means is it over - quite the opposite. Whatever challenges each season holds equips us for the next, which equally has it's own challenges. That's the nature of growth.
As this season continues I can honestly say I have known nothing like it but I can also honestly say I've never been more proud of my husband, my kids and my church family and never had more to thank God for than right now.
We obviously need strength for whatever is to come. Here's to an incredible future! Bring it on :-)
When pressure is applied to something whatever is inside comes out (sounds a bit yucky) Thinking about it this way, if you squeeze an orange the juice comes out.
Over the last few months we have been going through some difficult pressures, both in our family and in our church family. Amongst other things we've negotiated some interesting venue issues and one of our beautiful young girls in church graduated to heaven.
What Jon & I have seen is a community of amazing people who we dearly love rise up and show what true gems are inside.
We have seen people come together to fast and pray, we've seen people meet needs practically through cooking meals, sharing financially and blessing people in other practical ways.
We've seen the strength of our church family in action and the pressure that has been applied has shown the glory of God.
By no means is it over - quite the opposite. Whatever challenges each season holds equips us for the next, which equally has it's own challenges. That's the nature of growth.
As this season continues I can honestly say I have known nothing like it but I can also honestly say I've never been more proud of my husband, my kids and my church family and never had more to thank God for than right now.
We obviously need strength for whatever is to come. Here's to an incredible future! Bring it on :-)
Thursday 23 June 2011
Hope when it seems hopeless
Being in a room full of baby incubators with newborn babies in them is usually meant to be exciting & wonderful. Being in such a room in Africa is another story.
This week I've been with a group of European pastors visiting Watoto church in Uganda. The Bulrushes baby home is a place where they take in babies that have been rescued from horrific situations.
One baby I'll never forget...
This baby was taken into the baby home after being found newborn, thrown away into a latrine toilet full of chemicals. Her face and head were so badly burned by the chemicals that she was blind. She was brought to Bulrushes and recusutated several times before becoming stable.
She is now growing & putting on weight but is very much disabled from her injuries.
We prayed with some of the children while we were there and Marilyn Skinner who is the co-founder of Watoto encouraged us that God has a plan for each and every baby that is born into these situations just as much as he has for other babies. We prayed for healing and restoration and understanding that we need hope!
In desparate situations we always need to remember the 3 things that last forever - Faith, Hope & Love.
God is a faithful God & He loves His children.
Hope helps us to believe that God has a plan that is eternal, whether that time is spent here on earth, or with Him in eternity.
Love helps us to bring God into situations that would normally leave us in peaces with no answers.
We know that the need is huge. We know we can't save every child or every person. We know it's hard. We know it's emotional.
If we know all that then we can realise that every child saved, every mother equipped, every father empowered is a life that is able to show God to another life.
The only way we can make a difference when the need is so great, is to look at every life saved and give God the glory. That gives us the hope to carry on. That gives us the faith to believe that God is on the throne & in control. That gives us the love we need when ours runs out.
I know that if these situations are happening in Uganda then they are happening in Tanzania....
Please pray for NCLC Mwanza as we start church in an area that is going to be equally difficult for us do deal with but with Christ very much at the centre!
xxx
This week I've been with a group of European pastors visiting Watoto church in Uganda. The Bulrushes baby home is a place where they take in babies that have been rescued from horrific situations.
One baby I'll never forget...
This baby was taken into the baby home after being found newborn, thrown away into a latrine toilet full of chemicals. Her face and head were so badly burned by the chemicals that she was blind. She was brought to Bulrushes and recusutated several times before becoming stable.
She is now growing & putting on weight but is very much disabled from her injuries.
We prayed with some of the children while we were there and Marilyn Skinner who is the co-founder of Watoto encouraged us that God has a plan for each and every baby that is born into these situations just as much as he has for other babies. We prayed for healing and restoration and understanding that we need hope!
In desparate situations we always need to remember the 3 things that last forever - Faith, Hope & Love.
God is a faithful God & He loves His children.
Hope helps us to believe that God has a plan that is eternal, whether that time is spent here on earth, or with Him in eternity.
Love helps us to bring God into situations that would normally leave us in peaces with no answers.
We know that the need is huge. We know we can't save every child or every person. We know it's hard. We know it's emotional.
If we know all that then we can realise that every child saved, every mother equipped, every father empowered is a life that is able to show God to another life.
The only way we can make a difference when the need is so great, is to look at every life saved and give God the glory. That gives us the hope to carry on. That gives us the faith to believe that God is on the throne & in control. That gives us the love we need when ours runs out.
I know that if these situations are happening in Uganda then they are happening in Tanzania....
Please pray for NCLC Mwanza as we start church in an area that is going to be equally difficult for us do deal with but with Christ very much at the centre!
xxx
Monday 28 February 2011
A new train of thought
This weekend we've had Tom & Denise Rawls with us & the message in the evening service was exceptional.
Tom spoke about: "Stop listening to yourself, start talking to yourself" which is something I've been mulling over for a while now. (Get the podcast at www.mynclc.co.uk)
I'm reminded of the times Jon has been 10 minutes late home from work and before I know it he's had an accident, lying dead on a hospital bed, I'm at his funeral & trying to start a new life without him. (Sorry Jon)
OR, I've sent someone a text & they haven't replied. All of a sudden I'm trying to work out when I offended them, what I said to them last time we spoke, whether I should have made more of an effort to talk to them more often, or if I've spoken to them too much & they think I'm stalking them.
I think it's fair to say that our inner voice, if left unchecked can get us into trouble before we even realise it.
In Philippians 4, Paul says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Trying your hardest to think about positive things can be really difficult when your inner voice is shouting negative things at you. What then can we do?
In this scripture, Paul is telling us that with thanksgiving, the peace of God which transcends (rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed) our understanding will guard our hearts & minds.
Turning our attention on thanking Him turns our thoughts around.
Worrying about situations actually says "I am in this situation and I'm stuck. You can't help me". It limits what God wants to do in and through us.
Praise is a powerful thing. It says "my thoughts may say this, but you say..."
We then are open to receiving an answer.
So...
My thoughts may say I'm unlovable, but You say I'm fearfully & wonderfullly made (Ps 139)
My thoughts may say people judge me, but You say Your grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12)
My thoughts may say I can't be successful, but You say I can do all things through You who strengthens me (Rom 8)
My thoughts may say things can't possibly be this good, something is bound to happen to spoil it, but You say You have plans for prospering me. (Jer 29)
Enjoy life! Don't waste time with negative thoughts. Speak to yourself!
Tom spoke about: "Stop listening to yourself, start talking to yourself" which is something I've been mulling over for a while now. (Get the podcast at www.mynclc.co.uk)
I'm reminded of the times Jon has been 10 minutes late home from work and before I know it he's had an accident, lying dead on a hospital bed, I'm at his funeral & trying to start a new life without him. (Sorry Jon)
OR, I've sent someone a text & they haven't replied. All of a sudden I'm trying to work out when I offended them, what I said to them last time we spoke, whether I should have made more of an effort to talk to them more often, or if I've spoken to them too much & they think I'm stalking them.
I think it's fair to say that our inner voice, if left unchecked can get us into trouble before we even realise it.
In Philippians 4, Paul says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Trying your hardest to think about positive things can be really difficult when your inner voice is shouting negative things at you. What then can we do?
In this scripture, Paul is telling us that with thanksgiving, the peace of God which transcends (rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed) our understanding will guard our hearts & minds.
Turning our attention on thanking Him turns our thoughts around.
Worrying about situations actually says "I am in this situation and I'm stuck. You can't help me". It limits what God wants to do in and through us.
Praise is a powerful thing. It says "my thoughts may say this, but you say..."
We then are open to receiving an answer.
So...
My thoughts may say I'm unlovable, but You say I'm fearfully & wonderfullly made (Ps 139)
My thoughts may say people judge me, but You say Your grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12)
My thoughts may say I can't be successful, but You say I can do all things through You who strengthens me (Rom 8)
My thoughts may say things can't possibly be this good, something is bound to happen to spoil it, but You say You have plans for prospering me. (Jer 29)
Enjoy life! Don't waste time with negative thoughts. Speak to yourself!
Saturday 5 February 2011
...so what are you going to do about it then?
Those words have been rolling around in my head lately "...so, what are you going to do about it then?"
You know when you come across a frustration, or an issue that really has you stumped? I found myself with one of those lately. Nothing huge or life threatening, just one of those annoyances that leave you thinking "I wish someone would do something about it"
That's when that question has come up. What am I going to do?
It's so easy to look at issues and wish someone would provide the answer.
That’s how things go unsolved.
Walking past a piece of litter and tutting doesn’t make our environment lovely.
Noticing someone standing on their own & being annoyed that no-one is talking to them doesn’t help them get connected.
Hoping that someone will write us a cheque to solve our debt problems doesn’t take us out of debt.
When we take personal responsibility to do something about those situations that frustrate us, that’s when we change the world, person by person, situation by situation.
It starts with us.
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