build His house

I have come to the conclusion that the best place our heart can be, is to be passionate about building the church...  His Kingdom... 

When Mark and I first went to Bondi to begin the church we were excited at the prospects of doing something incredible for HIM...  I remember our first big event where we sent out flyers and paper advertisements etc...  and the day arrived... and we had ONE guest...  I went to the bathroom and fell to my knees and cried out (with a sob) "Lord I don't know how to build your church!"  and the answer came back so loud and clear "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" "You just keep fishing, and being faithful... and in a moment... the nets can be full" 

I have held on to this promise for years now and I realise that building through the tough times has made us determined not to give up.  If I can encourage anything in a person it would be live to build HIS church... build His house and He will build yours...  

I love the rain

A few weeks ago our daughter Bethany (with tears in her eyes) handed me an incredible book and said "take some time Mum and read this"  It is a book constructed by Rob Bell called "Drops like stars" and it deals with human suffering, pain and loss...  I sat and read it from cover to cover and found it quite breathtaking.  He states that bad news and tragedy eradicate the need for the superficial and the unnecessary.  We so need to remind ourselves of that which is important.  

As we come to the end of a decade I have an excitement as we go into the new one. It feels as though these last 10 years have contained great tragedy... but also a dryness in both the natural and the spiritual.  I am personally praying for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit... (for the times most likely wont get easier but in His strength and revelation the light will shine brighter.)  

As I sit here writing, the rain is pouring down outside and I feel that it is very significant... It sounds so wonderful... I feel that it is a sign from heaven for what is to come...

because of love

How incredible IT IS... that the the one who always WAS and IS... had a plan from the beginning... a plan of salvation - and how incredible it IS that He chose us to BE before the foundation of the earth... and how incredible it IS that when we come to Him and receive Him, He begins a journey of seeking out the weak and broken areas in our lives and orchestrating opportunities for us to overcome.  

It actually IS quite humbling to get a revelation of this most amazing, hallowed and most HOLY lOVE... 

It IS this one thing... this incredible lOVE that gives me the desire to overcome... It IS because I know that everything IS within His plan is totally perfect and wonderful and His plan IS always about freedom... 

the power of LIGHT

All of creation points to Jesus Christ, He is pure light and His light transcends into the darkest places of our lives. 

One needs to consider the power in the statement that came from the beginning and the end of eternity “LET THERE BE LIGHT”. 

When God said, this completely powerful, authoritative, glorious AND breathtaking proclamation… I am positively sure, that all of the heavens shook with the magnificence that came from I AM…

THIS FOUR WORD DECLARATION caused His presence to pierce the chaos that was over the earth. 

This declaration also gave us a picture of what was to come through Jesus Christ, and that was salvation, hope, grace, order and eternity.

 

the evidence is discipleship...

The decision to follow Christ has been the most wonderful life changing, liberating decision, that I could have ever made.  I cannot imagine life without a living relationship with the Lord...

The decision to be HIS DISCIPLE was as equally life changing and liberating...

The date was Thursday 6th September 1984 when I was at a midweek music rehearsal. I listened intently as the words COMMITMENT and DISCIPLE resounded in my heart and spirit...  I remember the moment I made that decision... 

That was it... NOT MY OWN... I have been bought with a price...

To be completely honest I have seen many a person make a decision to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour and sadly slip away... in attitude and in passion... 

But for those who make the commitment to discipleship they understand the cost... and marvelously with the cost... there is such a glorious opportunity to living close to the heartbeat of the ALMIGHTY...

who am I?

Jesus said to His disciples…

“Who do men say I am?”

Jesus was not swayed by what people said about Him. It didn’t deter Him from His course… He knew who He was and He knew His purpose! 

The Bible says that He was despised and rejected and a man of no reputation… but did that stop him, did it paralyse Him from fulfilling His destiny?

 

There are people all over this earth whose lives are ruled by what others say about them.  Can you imagine if we were that steadfast and not rocked by what others say about us… that if we set hearts and minds on the goal and we really understood our purpose?

 

We would be fearsome awesome creatures and nothing would stand in our way!

the journey of faith

Throughout the journey of faith, there is a joy that becomes evident…
The tangible evidence is that… we reflect HIS divine nature and character.
Above all else… my desire is that Christ is so evident in my life, that I continually reflect His loveliness.
Throughout life we wrestle and grapple with many things that in the end wont really matter at all.
I wonder just how much time, we actually waste on negative responses and pessimistic thought processes!
The processes of faith are made evident in the Bible and HIS WORD has the ability to transform us if we allow it.
The Bible is a map, a light; it reveals Gods character and His divine nature. It is a guide, and an instruction manual. It is our hope and it is the greatest love story that ever existed. His love is written on the pages of this incredible book!

Reflections of Joy...

True freedom is an incredible gift… AND… a gift that is freely given through a most generous and kind Saviour! 

Oh to fully live free... where we are at complete rest with our soul…

Most of us throughout our life have needed to wage war against many an internal battle.  I have learned that the answer does not lie in spending inordinate amounts of time focussing on personal issues… although strategies and skills will always help.

It is important to live life with a right perspective. 

Therefore…

Let us always continually fix our eyes on Jesus… the author and perfector of our faith.

When we look outward and upward, (to One WHO IS greater) our view will always be broader, higher, deeper, wider…

When we look inward at our difficulties, our faults and failings…  our view is lower, inferior, lessor, narrower…

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal…