Broken?

Feeling broken? Flawed? Useless?

God could easily take away our failings, if he wanted to. Because we are broken, many believe that God does not value us as much and cannot use us.

This could not be further from the truth. 

God finds value in us and in our brokenness. God uses brokenness. He loves to use broken people to display his love and goodness. 

So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18:3-4, New International Version

Unconditional Love

Here are the two greatest commandments: 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" ... and

"Love your neighbour as yourself."

 

Mission: Impossible?

 

Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God.’ Luke 18:27

You Are The God Who Sees Me

Our Father knows the number of hairs on our heads; He knows what we are going through; He counts our every tear. He knows every detail of our circumstances. 

The Two Most Important Things

I've got a day off today. And even more surprisingly, I'm not trying to cram my non-working day with hundreds of little jobs so I can put off the most vital part of a non-working day. To sit and rest. Push that off button and reset myself.

I did a lot of those silly little jobs yesterday. Today is a sitting and blogging day. Tomorrow looks like it'll be another running around day. Oh well...

However, today is for blogging. Serious blogging. Spending an hour or two to put my thoughts down onto a computer screen. 

And, as I like to do when I blog, I take stock of where I am personally. Not just to upload the odd graphic, to keep the feed running. Something a lot deeper. 

I've done a lot of deconstructing recently. And stocktaking. Instead of mourning the activities I had to give up after lockdown, I've been re-prioritising. Adding certain things back into my calendar, keeping other things out. Stripping my life back to basics. 

And those basics, spiritually, I've got down to two things. Two Most Important Things.

The two most important things Jesus asked us to do was 

1. to love God and 
2. to love people. 

It sounds so simple, because it is - but it’s actually very difficult. 

Point 1 is Loving God with all of my heart, soul, and mind. This means letting go of my way of doing things. In many ways it has meant re-reading familiar readings and asking myself if I have truly understood what is being said. And in many cases it has meant asking Jesus for a fresh understanding of His teaching. 

Point 2 is Loving people - which means loving them exactly as they are. It’s particularly easy to love lovely people. God asks us to love all kinds of people. Which means I have to constantly check my motivations, my thoughts, my words.

36 ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’37 Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’

Matthew 22:36-40, New International Version - UK

Let Me Be Patient ...

Selected lyrics from "Tell Him", a song by Lauryn Hill. Songwriter: Andy Colline

 

Do Not Worry

 

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Luke 12: 22-25 (NIV)

Worship with the right mindset

 

Overflowing ...

"You prepare a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

    my cup overflows."

Psalm 23:5

(New International Version)

 

Be Still ...

 

Keep On Praying!

 “Never give up praying until the answer comes.” George Müller

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”

4 ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’

6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’

Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)

Checklist

 

Do You Get The Point?

If Your Presence...

Lord, if your presence does not go with us,
Please do not send us up from here.
How will anyone know we are your people
Unless you go before us?

Lord, if your favour does not rest on us
We dare not move beyond this place,
How will anyone know we go in your name
Unless your blessing is over us?

CHORUS:

So we stand within your presence,  
And humbly seek your grace;
Father Almighty, Jehovah, Saviour,
We long to meet you face to face.
Let your glory fall upon us,
Convict, inspire, provide;
Father Almighty, Jehovah, Saviour,
Your holy presence is our guide.

Lord if your presence does not stay with us,
Please do not send us up from here.
How will anyone hear of truth and goodness
Unless your Word speaks through us?

Lord, if your presence is not love in us
How can we minister your grace?
How will anyone feel your tender mercy
Unless your heart is in us?

CHORUS

Words based on Joshua 3:5 & Exodus 33:12-19 (Music by Yvonne Field)

Learning To Say NO

And Here Is The Latest News ...

 

Who Is Welcome?

 

Travelling by car in 2023

I have found that car travel in the last couple of months to be extremely stressful. So much so that I've had to make so many changes to the way that I prepare for a long journey (anything approaching an hour in length). Here's some examples:

• I now always check my proposed route a half-hour before I start out, using Google Maps. So many times I have set out, only to find a key road has been closed due to unexpected road works.
• I then take the next half an hour to ensure I have everything I need for the day, and leaving time to allow for weather conditions. Some days I even pack food and drink just in case I am stuck in traffic.
• Before I get in the car I programme my proposed route into my Sat Nav, even though I know the way well.  This week a major road was unexpectedly closed right in front of me due to a sudden burst water main, leading to an hour and a half diversion. I wasn't best pleased.
• Useful tip 1: if you are going to a town that you haven't been to before, always double-check your destination point. Even the best Sat Navs are only as good as the data you feed into it. Even I have been sent to the wrong place on a couple of occasions (who knew there were two Tesco's in the same town?)...
• I also travel with the radio on, so I can get constant travel updates as I go. Belt and brace. The number of times my journey has been disrupted due to bad traffic, accidents, and even from the actions of a couple of protesters dangling from a bridge ...
• Keep your eyes open as you travel. In these days you can't even guarantee the road surface, and a sudden pot hole from an unmaintained road can quickly ruin your day.
• Useful tip 2 - keep a close eye on the speed limit: this is the maximum you can drive; remember it's a limit not not a target. Of course, going too slow can be dangerous too...
• Don't forget to allow time for unexpected delays. It's better to be half an hour early than to be half an hour late. 
• Oh, and don't forget that you have to repeat all of the above checks once again on your journey home.

Who said getting there is half the fun? Not so in 2023... no wonder there are so many that now prefer to work from home!

(I googled it - “Getting There was Half the Fun” was an advertising slogan used by Cunard in the 1950s as they were building up interest in their transatlantic ships)

World Introvert Day (2nd January)