Sunday, November 29, 2009

Deep in our hearts

Looked up Romans 8 (about Life in the Spirit) after tonight's sermon. Tonight I was reminded afresh that through Jesus' resurrection we have an amazing hope for the future... we look forward to being in heaven with God! No more tears, no more crying!! We will be given new life! I was also reminded that it's God's Spirit who convicts us of the truth of Jesus' death and resurrection, who helps us understand God's promises, not just in our heads, but also in our hearts.

I love verses 16-17 in my NLT, "For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures - for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."

I'd love these verses even more if that last sentence wasn't in there... oh to have God's view of suffering!! But as the verse says earlier, we will share His treasures, He's given us His Spirit, we are His children! What a great God!!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Dead trees

What happens to dead trees? Seriously, I was thinking about this today as I was looking at a tree that Mum suspects is dead in our new backyard. It looks just like a tree in winter, only it's spring so it should have flowers (says she who has a brown thumb, not a green one!). That's of course if it's a tree that has flowers. But it doesn't even have any leaves. It's a beautiful tree even though it does look dead, I'm guessing it'd be even more beautiful with leaves and flowers. How sad if it has died.

Will the branches eventually fall off? Or will it just stay like it is and never have leaves again? Guessing there's no way to revive it?

While I'm thinking of dead plants, at my old work, I worked on "Level 21" with the executives for a few years and our chef (yeah thankfully times have changed!!) gave me a cactus for my desk. I told him it wasn't such a good idea as I'm not good with plants, but he assured me it's not possible to kill a cactus. Unfortunately I proved him wrong. Only took a month or so and the cactus died. I think I might have over-watered it at one point. Oops.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

A New Morning

A few months back I blogged about the morning, as referred to in Psalm 30:5. The verse says that rejoicing comes with the morning.

We've just moved house, and it feels like a new morning. It feels like God's moving me, and the girls, into a new, exciting season... another season in which I can see His faithfulness and in which I can sing:

"Blessed be your name in the land that is plentiful, where your streams of abundance flow blessed be your name... every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise, when the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say, "Blessed be Your name!" Matt Redman

Thank You Father God for a new morning!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Top 5 books that have impacted me

A friend listed the five most influential books in their life (aside from the Bible) on their blog recently, and asked what ours were. So here are mine:

The Wounded Healer by Henry Nouwen
I read this book when I was studying a few pastoral care subjects at Morling (our lecturer, John Reid, often referred to it!), and really loved what Henry had to say. He has helped shape my thinking in terms of suffering and how God can use this for His glory, that my woundedness enables me to help others with similar struggles and to share with them the lessons God has taught me amidst my own suffering.

A Heart Like His by Rebecca Manley-Pippert
A friend from Texas either gave me this book or suggested I get it when she stayed with our family about 15 years ago. I loved it - it's very easy to read, it's encouraging and challenging. It's real. She talks about David's realness and how he deals with the struggles of every day life and brings everything to God, questions and all, yet still trusts in God's faithfulness amidst it all. I think it might have contributed to my love of the Psalms.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
I was loaned a copy of this a few years ago and it made me see God's love in a new light. Until then I hadn't read the book of Hosea, and it inspired me to read it. I was shocked and baffled that God would expect Hosea to marry a prostitute and continue to love her despite her unfaithfulness. But the book helped me to see that THAT is just how amazing God's love for us is. Despite our continued 'unfaithfulness' and disregard of Him, He still loves us.

Esther by Charles Swindoll
I loved this book about the character of Esther. I enjoy Charles' writing - easy to read, challenging, inspiring, practical, insightful. It made me want to be like Esther, a woman of strength and dignity. But when I say a woman of strength, that's the strength that God provides me with - nothing of my own. The Bible tells me that in my weakness His strength is made perfect.

Charles also wrote a book on David which is excellent too.

Perfectionism: A Sure Cure for Happiness by Drs. Lorraine and J. Clayton Lafferty
Lorraine, our HR Manager, loaned me this book when I was her Personal Assistant at AGL about five years ago. She knew I struggled with wanting to do everything just right and said I needed to read this book. I remember reading it and identifying some actions to stop being so perfectionist... can't remember now what they were specifically, but remember it was really helpful for me at the time.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Gutsy

Two themes seem to be emerging from my blogs over the last little while as I've been reflecting on different passages and verses from the Bible:

1 Waiting on God
2 God's promise to be with me through the fire


Tonight I was reminded that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego also walked through the fire, and that God was with them. They refused to bow down and worship the huge image of gold King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, so the King ordered that they be thrown into the furnace and that it be heated seven times hotter than usual. Even the guards who took them to the furnace were killed from the heat! Yet Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were unharmed! The passage even says that no hair on their head was singed, nor did they smell like fire.

These were three gutsy guys, who said, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

They trusted God completely, they knew He was (and still is) all-powerful, and they worshipped Him alone. They refused to worship any other god. They were prepared to stand up for what they believed in regardless of the outcome. That's what I call gutsy!

One of the interesting things about this passage is that God chose to allow these three men to be thrown into the furnace and to go THROUGH it. It reminds me of God's promise to be with us when we walk THROUGH the fire (Isaiah 43:1-4).

Why did God choose to allow them to go THROUGH the fire? He could have put the fire out instead, or come up with some other rescue plan. Why did He choose to keep them safe the way He did? Whatever the reason, in the end King Nebuchadnezzar realised that God alone is the all-powerful God who saves. As a result, he wanted to worship God, and God alone, not an image of gold.

What an amazing God, mighty and all-powerful. What an amazing God who promises to walk with us through the fire.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Music Refreshment

Today I listened to my iPod shuffle while I was cooking and cleaning. If only I'd discovered sooner how relaxing it is being able to listen to music on an iPod while you work around the house! I feel like my perspective was renewed a bit too as I listened to and sung along with some of my favourite worship songs, and Mary Mary's "What a Friend we have in Jesus". Some of the words from Mary Mary's "Can't give up now" particularly resonated with me:

"Nobody told me the road would be easy, and I don't believe He's brought me this far to leave me. Never said there wouldn't be trials, never said I wouldn't fall, never said that everything would go the way I want it to go. But when my back is against the wall, and I feel like all hope is gone, I'll just lift my head up to the sky and say help me to be strong. I know You didn't bring me out here to leave me lonely. Even when I can't see clearly I know that You are with me."

Yes, God is with me. What a promise! When I feel hope is lost, I'm forgetting the hope that God has given me for eternity, and that He is WITH me. What an awesome God.