Sunday, 31 March 2013
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Old CDs
You know when you have a CD in your car for just that tad too long, and you risk ruining the album because you've listed to it one too many times?! Well, this problem is happening to me.
My car has about 3 CDs in it at the moment...the new (well, no so new now actually) Mumford and Sons album, an old Coldplay album, and a Shane & Shane one I put together just before Christmas. And as much as I love these albums, I'm very bored of them. Having an hour commute to and from work, with only half of that journey being able to get a decent signal on the radio because I live in the hills, I listen to my CDs A LOT. And so I've been in a CD rut for about the past month.
Yesterday marked one whole year since I came home from Germany. (OK, lets take a moment to just dwell on this fact alone. One year. One whole year. Some how that doesn't seem right. I cant have been home that long. It feels like only yesterday since I was chilling with my Bode guys. Craaaazy!) Anyways, so yeah, it's been a year since I got back, and I got to thinking back on my times in Germany; missing the people, the community, the teaching. And then I got thinking about all that's happened this year. I feel like I've come a long way since I was there. I mean, I settled back home, I got a job, I've found a home church. Yet at the same time, I'm also in a similar position as I was this time last year. Some of those 'blank pages' that I had are coming round again, and I feel as though maybe in a year I've almost done a full circle, and I wonder where God is taking me.
One thing I'm wrestling with at the moment is learning to discern the difference between God's will, and my personal desires. Is what I'm wanting to do, the plans that I'm thinking, the possibilities that I'm facing...are these things from God, or are these things actually just me hoping, idealizing, and wishing are from Him.
(You're probably thinking where the heck are you going with this post Steph, I thought you were talking about old CDs?! Just bare with me here...)
When I was in Germany our principle gave us a lecture on 'desiring and doing the will of God'. It was one of those lectures that just sticks in my mind. I remember exactly where I was sitting, who I was sitting next to, what side of the page I wrote on. I remember it being one of my favorite lectures that we had. And I remember ordering it on CD.
So when the year anniversary came of returning home from Bible School, I thought to myself, 'hey, lets listen to a lecture', and immediately I thought of this one. I had about a 45 minute drive to my friends house that day, and knowing I was bored of all my CDs in my car I popped on Peter Reid, and I listened to his wise teaching as I drove to meet up with my friend, and as I drove home. And do you know, it was great. So often in my car I get bored, my mind wanders, and I resent driving because I sometimes feel its like a waste of time. I just want to get to my destination now, I cant be bothered with the process of driving there.
But this journey was awesome. God reminded me of some great truths that I've been forgetting lately. I get frustrated sometimes that I cant see ahead into God plans; that I don't know where I'm going at times; that my pages are left blank and He calls me just to trust Him.
Peter said in his lectures that 'God's design is infinitely greater than our understanding'. Even if God showed me snippets of his plan, there is no way I would understand the greater picture of it. '"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways" says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher that your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts"' (Isaiah 55:8-9). The Lord simply calls us to trust Him, and commit our ways to Him.
I realize this post has gotten pretty long. Well done to those of you who have made it this far!! Let me finish with a quote by Hannah Whitall Smith I have written in my notes from this lecture...
"If a leading is from the Holy Spirit 'the way will always open for it'. The Lord assures us of this when He says, 'When He puts forth His own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice' (John 10:4). He goes before them to open the way, and we are to follow in the way thus opened. It is never a sign of divine leading when a Christian insists on opening his own way, and riding on roughshod over all opposing things. If the Lord goes before us He will open doors before us, and we ourselves shall not need ourselves to hammer them down."
My car has about 3 CDs in it at the moment...the new (well, no so new now actually) Mumford and Sons album, an old Coldplay album, and a Shane & Shane one I put together just before Christmas. And as much as I love these albums, I'm very bored of them. Having an hour commute to and from work, with only half of that journey being able to get a decent signal on the radio because I live in the hills, I listen to my CDs A LOT. And so I've been in a CD rut for about the past month.
Yesterday marked one whole year since I came home from Germany. (OK, lets take a moment to just dwell on this fact alone. One year. One whole year. Some how that doesn't seem right. I cant have been home that long. It feels like only yesterday since I was chilling with my Bode guys. Craaaazy!) Anyways, so yeah, it's been a year since I got back, and I got to thinking back on my times in Germany; missing the people, the community, the teaching. And then I got thinking about all that's happened this year. I feel like I've come a long way since I was there. I mean, I settled back home, I got a job, I've found a home church. Yet at the same time, I'm also in a similar position as I was this time last year. Some of those 'blank pages' that I had are coming round again, and I feel as though maybe in a year I've almost done a full circle, and I wonder where God is taking me.
One thing I'm wrestling with at the moment is learning to discern the difference between God's will, and my personal desires. Is what I'm wanting to do, the plans that I'm thinking, the possibilities that I'm facing...are these things from God, or are these things actually just me hoping, idealizing, and wishing are from Him.
(You're probably thinking where the heck are you going with this post Steph, I thought you were talking about old CDs?! Just bare with me here...)
When I was in Germany our principle gave us a lecture on 'desiring and doing the will of God'. It was one of those lectures that just sticks in my mind. I remember exactly where I was sitting, who I was sitting next to, what side of the page I wrote on. I remember it being one of my favorite lectures that we had. And I remember ordering it on CD.
So when the year anniversary came of returning home from Bible School, I thought to myself, 'hey, lets listen to a lecture', and immediately I thought of this one. I had about a 45 minute drive to my friends house that day, and knowing I was bored of all my CDs in my car I popped on Peter Reid, and I listened to his wise teaching as I drove to meet up with my friend, and as I drove home. And do you know, it was great. So often in my car I get bored, my mind wanders, and I resent driving because I sometimes feel its like a waste of time. I just want to get to my destination now, I cant be bothered with the process of driving there.
But this journey was awesome. God reminded me of some great truths that I've been forgetting lately. I get frustrated sometimes that I cant see ahead into God plans; that I don't know where I'm going at times; that my pages are left blank and He calls me just to trust Him.
Peter said in his lectures that 'God's design is infinitely greater than our understanding'. Even if God showed me snippets of his plan, there is no way I would understand the greater picture of it. '"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways" says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher that your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts"' (Isaiah 55:8-9). The Lord simply calls us to trust Him, and commit our ways to Him.
I realize this post has gotten pretty long. Well done to those of you who have made it this far!! Let me finish with a quote by Hannah Whitall Smith I have written in my notes from this lecture...
"If a leading is from the Holy Spirit 'the way will always open for it'. The Lord assures us of this when He says, 'When He puts forth His own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice' (John 10:4). He goes before them to open the way, and we are to follow in the way thus opened. It is never a sign of divine leading when a Christian insists on opening his own way, and riding on roughshod over all opposing things. If the Lord goes before us He will open doors before us, and we ourselves shall not need ourselves to hammer them down."
Sunday, 17 March 2013
-
"Jesus Christ is your true Prince, the one who gave His very life just to be with you, the one who can rescue you from the dungeon you are in, the one who can transform you into a radiant princess, the one who can carry you away to His beautiful land to cherish you forever. His is the only one who can meet your deepest longings; He is the only one worthy of your entire heart, life, soul, and body - all you are and all you have. Jesus Christ is the Prince you should passionately pursue with all your heart.
"He is the Lover of our soul. Our true Prince. The one we have been longing for, searching for, and dreaming of since childhood. The one who will love us the way no one else can love us; the one who will cherish us forever; the one who will transform us from a hopeless girl in rags to a beautiful, confident radiant princess. He is the one who makes us ready for true, lasting, human love. And he is the one who meets our deepest needs when human love falls short."
- Leslie Ludy
Friday, 15 March 2013
A letter to myself
This week something kind of weird happened to me. I've been half expecting it for a while now, I knew it should be coming the end of this month, but it arrived earlier than I expected, and kind of took me by surprise. 'What is this weird thing' I hear you asking!? Well, this week I received a letter off the March 2012 me. Yeah, weird.
OK, so a a year ago I was finishing off at bible school and getting ready to come home. Our principle gave us the option of writing a letter to ourselves which the school would then post to us a year later. And so I did. I wrote this 6 page letter to myself which this week I got to read as I sat in a coffee shop in town.
As I read I laughed out loud, I cried a little, and laughed some more (....the 2012 me was a pretty funny lass I'm not going to lie!!). Most of all though, I seriously encouraged myself. I read all the things that I'd written to myself, things that the 2012 me didn't want to forget, things that I knew I would need reminding of. And it was so awesome. There was so much in there that I needed to read.
God is so good, he knew exactly what the 2013 me would need to hear, and so he'd put it all on the heart of the 2012 me to write down. Literally everything that I'm struggling with right now, the 2012 Steph covered. I was reminded of all the things that I learnt during my time at Bodenseehof; verses that had challenged and encouraged me during those 6 months, lessons that God had taught me, principles that were based on His truth that he placed on my heart. His planning never ceases to amaze me.
I got thinking to all that's gone on the year that I've been back home. Firstly I cant really believe that its been a whole year already...where does time actually go!?! But yeah, I thought back to what He has done for me the past year, how He has provided for me. He reminded me through this letter that He is my provider, and he wont ever stop being my provider.
I'd also put in this letter 'the best equation ever' ...
CHRIST + NOTHING = EVERYTHING.
I think we are often so quick to think that all we need in X, Y, or Z in our lives to be satisfied, or to be that little bit happier. But we are so wrong to think this. He is all we need. In Him, and only Him, can we find true satisfaction.
This letter couldn't have come at a better time, and couldn't have contained anything more that I needed to be reminded of.
Thank you Jesus.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
This is our God.
The past few week I've come across some great new worship songs that I'd never heard before. I love it when you come across a new song, where the lyrics are so powerful, just so TRUE, and just what you want to sing to God at that time; they are what your heart is longing to worship Him with, but you just couldn't formulate it into words yourself.
This song by Hillsong is one of those new songs to me. (I don't actually think it's that new in general, just to me. Maybe I'm getting behind the times slightly!). It's called 'This Is Our God'...
Your grace is enough
More than I need
And your word I will believe
I wait for you
Draw near again
And your spirit make me new
And i will fall at your feet
I will fall at your feet
And i will worship you here
Your presence in me
Jesus light the way
By the power of your word
I am restored
I am redeemed
By your spirit i am free
And i will fall at your feet
I will fall at your feet
And i will worship you here
Freely you gave it all for us
Surrendered your life upon that cross
Great is your love
Poured out for all
This is our God
Lifted on high from death to life
Forever our God is glorified
Sovereign king
Rescued the world
This is our God
And i will fall at your feet
I will fall at your feet
And i will worship you here
Freely you gave it all for us
Surrendered your life upon that cross
Great is your love
Poured out for all
This is our God
Lifted on high from death to life
Forever out God is glorified
Sovereign king
Rescued the world
This is our God
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
spring
Spring.
The time of year when you start to say goodbye to the blustery gales of winter and hello to the blue skies of March. When you winter boots start to make work way back into you wardrobe, and your summer tops start edging their way out.When colour stars reappearing in the world, and daylight starts to stick around a bit longer. When you decide that everything needs a good clean and sort out. When you can taste the excitement of summer starting to get closer.
Ahhh, spring is is here.
I'm so ready for this season. The long nights of winter are drawing to a close...finally! I'm so ready for days that don't go dark at 4:30, and 6am light that makes it that tad easier to get out of bed. I can feel new things around the corner, and I can see new life on its way, new starts, new pages, new chapters...
Spring, its good to see you again.
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