Musings of a man in search of a deeper revelation of true love, true surrender, true humility and true worship. A compilation of thoughts to inspire and to challenge.
Having just finished work at 4.30 am i get some down time where i get to think a lot and relax. i've had few chances to do this recently and i realise how much i miss it, the quiet refection that these times bring, i love it. I often think about work and how the world and its offspring seem to gravitate to the late night here in lancaster that i happen to work at, i sometimes feel sorry for the people who go out every night of every week, get drunk, go home, sleep. wake up and start again... i have started to realise how blessed i am, blessed that i have a purpose, blessed that i have a hope and a future, blessed that a God who looks on me with eyes of love counts me as righteous, sees me as unblemished.Wow!! sometimes life doesn't make sense, there are highs and lows, there are walls and rivers, i'm constantly aware that what we do here is just the beginning, we are a part of a story thats unfolding, to always love, to stretch further, to push through the wall to swim the river. thats doing what needs to be done in order to dwell.. to come back to a place whereGod is not just King of Glory but is Prince of Peace, My Prince of Peace
Well, sometimes my life Just don't make sense at all When the mountains look so big And my faith just seems so small So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace And I wake up in the night and feel the dark It's so hot inside my soul I swear there must be blisters on my heart Surrender don't come natural to me I'd rather fight You for something I don't really want Than to take what You give that I need And I've beat my head against so many walls Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees And this Salvation Army band Is playing this hymn And Your grace rings out so deep It makes my resistance seem so thin You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace
Wow so much to say, so much going thru my head at the moment, Guide me o Thou great Jehovah being one of them, anyway great epic songs aside there is a real reason why i'm writing this blog (at 2.30 on friday morning) its about hope and encouragement and to convey my view on whats going on at the moment... as most people know with me songs mean a lot, at the moment i've been listening to a band called Addison Road, they did a song called "what do i know of Holy" i guess you could say this has been the soundtrack of my life for the past 6 months and indeed even now in some respects, i have attatched a link to youtube so you can hear it for yourself, but hear are the lyrics anyway
I made You promises a thousand times I tried to hear from Heaven But I talked the whole time I think I made You too small I never feared You at all No If You touched my face would I know You? Looked into my eyes could I behold You?
What do I know of You Who spoke me into motion? Where have I even stood But the shore along Your ocean? Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful? What do I know? What do I know of Holy?
I guess I thought that I had figured You out I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about How You were mighty to save Those were only empty words on a page Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees
What do I know of You Who spoke me into motion? Where have I even stood But the shore along Your ocean? Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful? What do I know? What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy? What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame? And a God who gave life "its" name? What do I know of Holy? Of the One who the angels praise? All creation knows Your name On earth and heaven above What do I know of this love?
What do I know of You Who spoke me into motion? Where have I even stood But the shore along Your ocean? Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful? What do I know? What do I know of Holy? What do I know of Holy? What do I know of Holy?
at the moment church is really exciting (am not saying its been boring the rest of the time) we are on the edge of something that i really dont want to miss out on, from chatting to a few other people this isnt just the church in lancaster but the church up and down this country, there seems to be a real move of God just waiting to burst into our lives and i dont want to miss it. this song has the line "...where have even stood but the shore along your ocean?".. and thats just it i feel i've been on the edge of His promises, dipping my toe in, maybe even going knee deep but never experiencing the depth He is getting ready to unleash on this country, where the water gets too deep to walk in, too much to rely on or services and structures, routines, music then preaching then notices, too much for us to comprehend, I Want to know about holy, I long to have the slightest hint bring me down to my knees, if i'm honest with you i'm scared, i fear i've made him to small, i try to hear from heaven but i talk the whole time, if he looked into my eyes could i behold him,if he touched my face would i notice, i guess i thought that i'd figured him out, i knew all the stories and i learned to talk about how he is mighty to save, but they were only words on a page, thats me, that song is me but i want to be like the army in Ezekiel 37 that God breathes life into... on their own they were utterly useless nothing in them, but God... BUT GOD... he breathed life he made muscles and bone marrow and formed them into an army... not just a rag tag bunch of mercenaries but an army... a people for purpose, what God pours out on us is going to be for purpose, its going to be for his Glory, for his kingdom, i'm really really really excited about that..... in the same breath i dont want to miss out.... i dont want to be left behind standing with my knees covered in water... i want to swim...i long to be immersed in him and what he has planned
Now he brought me back to the entrance to the Temple. I saw water pouring out from under the Temple porch to the east (the Temple faced east). The water poured from the south side of the Temple, south of the altar.He then took me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the gate complex on the east. The water was gushing from under the south front of the Temple.He walked to the east with a measuring tape and measured off fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was ankle-deep.He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water waist-deep.He measured off another fifteen hundred feet. By now it was a river over my head, water to swim in, water no one could possibly walk through.
thanks for reading and here that link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8fSjtPLuBQ
I've been blessed recently by a gr8 lass in our congregation who opened her spare room for a whole 24 hours of prayer, it was amazing. I finished work at 2 in the morning and popped down for an hour of prayer... i shared this with our music group last night... its now like i never want to leave... i yearn for that time with God... I'm on fire when I'm near him.. I just want to climb onto his lap and sit with him. in human terms its like sitting watching the football with a mate and a beer. Now I'm not saying this in a heretical way I'm not saying that I've become overly comfortable with God that i forget who he is but that its something i now love to do... I realise he will challenge and push things that in the natural may hurt but he does this so that we can see ourselves thru his eyes. That we may see ourselves as righteous... remember the compliments people give you, forget the insults.... as we spend time with God and we become comfortable in his presence we will learn more of his voice, more of what he wants us to be. I think its important to remember that thru Gods eyes we are as Jesus, thru our eyes we are not there yet, we need to stop picking out the one bad point out of 10 good things and focus on getting right with God, it needs to change but stop pulling yourself down with it... God Love You just as you are and he will meet you right there... thanks for reading
I Recently got an email off my sister reminding me about the good times... the road trips in the old Nissan Cherry or the Austin Metro that was older than I was... I realised that we've lost touch we've parted and no longer know where each other is, in life, in health, in faith, in general... It pushed me to try harder not just with her but with other people too... my parents.. my brother and sister.. long lost friends... facebook is a wonderful thing but it only helps if you use it constantly... I've missed out in a lot over the years, I notice this on photos I feel that I've missed out on peoples lives... people I love people who have played an important part in my life... basically I'm putting out a public apology for being rubbish at staying in touch with old friends... I do love you all dearly and long for you to be a part of my life, and although I may not stay in touch I do think about you all very often and miss you all Dearly... so if you have a few minutes say hi to someone you've not seen for a while... drop a phone call... meet up with them... Love them..
Hey guys... writing to you on my birthday about the Awe factor of God, a guy called Francis Chan has a little clip on his website so this is actually his clip not mine. in Hebrews 12 verse 28 the writer writes this
"Therefore, we must be thankful that we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Because we are thankful, we must serve God with fear and awe in a way that pleases him."
I can't begin to understand how amazing God, the creator of all we are, all we will be, all we see, all we touch and experience and everything elses, still takes the time to know us, you, me, your brother, sister, mum and dad personally... longs to have a friendship with us. WOW the same god that put the stars in the sky loves me. All I have left is to Worship in awe, in wide open wonder, amazed, and as I worship I get one step closer to true worship, worship in spirit and in truth.
How many people do you know live in darkness? I don't just mean spiritual darkness but natural darkness. How many people do you know live in a total absence of Light? I would guess that you know very few, if any, the problem is that things cant grow properly without light. Now from a Churchy point of view God has called his people to be light. Matthew 5 vs 14
"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill."
Before we get to that point we need to have seen the light, we need to have been in that point where God can show us his amazing light, I don't want to be dead before I see that light, its a challenge we all must face, to deny God is to deny the light to shine. to accept and Love God is to lay down our lives for His kingdom for His light to shine through us.
This time of year is perfect for long walks under the midnight sky... its clear enough that you can see every star. At the start of 2009 i'm gonna take aday this week and go for a walk, i'd ask that you join me in marvelling upon this amazing creation, each star has been placed in its unique position, millions upon millions of stars light up the sky every night all individually created. The down side is that the majority of stars we see are so far off they are dead by the time we see the light.
Hmmm dead before we see the light... thats one for another day
