Best – and worst – bits 07. December 31, 2007

So some of my BEST bits 07…

* a beautiful holiday in Cyprus

* banter with friends + family

*feeling like a real journo reporting from the election count

*abseiling off the top of the Europa!! go me!

*feeling God define and give shape to my dreams

*Spark encounters

*Woodvale breakthrough – highlight of the year!

*Watching my movie of the year – ‘Once’ – luv luv luv it!

*Take That concert!!

*Kate and my ‘circus’ adventures!

*Rick cooking me tea

And the worst bits 07 –

*Confusion and disappointment

*Allergies

*Work frustrations

*leadership struggles on teams

*hearing the pain of kids who want to give up on life and God

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‘My child, never forget the things I have taught you.  Store my commands in your heart for they will give you a long and satisfying life.  Never let loyalty and kindess get away from you!  Wear them like a necklace; write them deep in your heart.  Then you will find favour with both God and people.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do and he will direct your paths.”   (Proverbs 3)

***

I feel like these words have been brought to my attention as I scan back on the year that’s gone and look ahead to 08.  This year has been an interesting one in my journey – bringing with it loads of question marks but showing me like never before that God is so good - above and beyond and even in the midst of my questions. 

I’m excited about 2008…Please God will you always be the Author of my story…

Perfect timing… December 20, 2007

I’m continuing to wonder about this ability of mine to attract sagas…since in my latest incident last night I almost set fire to my friend’s house – and all I was doing was giving out Christmas presents! ***

 Anyway - I’m feeling really challenged this week about how well or not I listen to God.  As I’ve re-read old journals I’ve scared myself at moments where I’ve known God has spoken – but then where I’ve gone on to join the dots and jump to conclusions instead of seeking Him.

But through all my bumbling and my attempts to live out His story for my life I see a really encouraging theme.  My Father is promising me that His plans will come about each in the perfection of His timing.  That gives me hope, it fills me with peace and it inspires me to continually echo Mary’s words for me life: ‘May it be to me as You have said.’

Betty Flintstone etc December 6, 2007

After sentimentalising about my workplace last night it was totally ironic to come in today and have to near enough dodge the verbal bullets during a few colourful arguments! Ah well keeps life interesting I guess?  Christmas work do is on tomorrow night – it’s fancy dress which is pretty random.  I’m putting in an appearance as Betty from the Flintstones – got the complete look going on – including the hugest, itchiest wig ever!

***On a total tangent read this quote the other day which I am loving – it just seems to crystallize my life’s passion: 

 ’Morality, in the context of a relationship with Jesus, becomes the voice of love to a confused community, the voice of reason and calm in a loud argument, the voice of life in a world of walking dead, the voice of Christ in a sea of self-hatred.’  (Donald Miller)

That is totally everything that I want my life to be about.

Pro-banter :) December 5, 2007

I think banter is such an immense gift in life…Can’t believe I’m actually blogging about this!

Just in after a mega 13 hour (or something ridiculous like that) day @ work and yet I’m feeling pretty blessed…because there were really fun times in there.  I love the people in my work!  In some ways on some days they become like family – we cook meals together, might even go out a walk together, laugh at each other and mostly just feel free to be ourselves.  I think that’s pretty unique.  I’m pretty thankful for that.

 ps – Why do so many sagas happen to me??! – To be fair it keeps me with a ready supply of stories to tell! But I have always wondered this  - and how some people just seem to have it all so together …Its just because I had several mishaps day and today was just average

Heart chats… December 2, 2007

Had the coolest, most honest God conversation I think I’ve ever had with two friends of mine the other day who don’t really believe in Him…

I liked it because it didn’t feel like I had to come up with super answers – it was natural and honest and two-way.  I found it interesting to hear my friends’ questions and observations on everything from denominations to doing joints to Jesus to the idea of sacrifice.

It made me think alot and made me pray that more of my interactions with people could be that real.  It made me pray that God would keep stimulating those guys’ curiousity about Him and the Life He offers.

LESSONS FROM A NEAR-MELTDOWN… November 26, 2007

I don’t remember ever feeling so close to cracking up…I was dancing pretty close to the edge of the furthest point from peace…As I sat with pages of a talk I was supposed to give that night I felt in meltdown mode…

 All I could hear in my head were negative vibes and I was scaring myself with how quick I was being to agree and with how little faith I was showing.  With half an hour to go before I left the house it was all a disaster…the kids wouldn’t engage…I was feeling rubbish…

OK so the night itself went really differently…It was a real case of a forward step taken with the bunch of young people we’re working with.  Leads me to believe that what I caved into was a bit of a spiritual storm. Maybe even abit like the disciples experienced that time they were in the boat with Jesus sleeping…

I shared this story with the kids last night – now I need to listen up myself.  So the disciples were in the midst of this storm that had crept up on them with the elements going manic around them.  Pretty much like them I think I tried to ‘waken’ Jesus in my blind panic last night – ‘Don’t you care, this isn’t going to work!!’

Jesus’ response – to do His miraculous stuff – to calm the storm – engage the young people – and to turn to me and say: ‘Why were you afraid – Do you still have no faith?’.

turning the music down… November 12, 2007

Silence – or lack of it – has been on my mind this week.  It’s so easy to be moved by something or challenged or whatever…and then get into the car and get the music going.  Lots of times in my life I let noise kinda minimise my time to reflect/ pray/ hear from God…

So I tried it the other day.  I went for a whole 45 minute car journey to work without noise (that maybe doesn’t sound that earth shattering but its totally unusual for me- I’m regularly caught out at the traffic lights singing my heart out to the latest Sugar Babes tune or whatever!).  And guess what – I loved it!  So it was this  really dour-looking, grey day and then there was this moment I came over the hill and down towards Toome and I saw the most golden, glistening view of Lough Neagh.  It was totally gorgeous…

 It reminded me of how God specialises in turning greyness to goldness…His artistry moved me to worship Him.  And so the minus-music car journey will definitely be something I’ll be repeating.

Here’s to a new start… September 24, 2007

So it feels like the perfect time to start a brand new blog…How come? let me explain…

I’m about to take a life-changing decision which actually feels like it has already been made but as I move towards it I’m realising it’s much bigger than that decision…!

Or to put it half-way clearly – Im discovering a new vision for my life…God’s shaping it before my eyes and giving it to me…

So here’s some of my thoughts that have brought me to this point – ******************

To reach our culture for God is going to require a new language…new patterns of doing things…new stories – How are we representing God to a world that so needs Him?

Are we hiding Him in publications which sit on coffee tables in Christian homes? Are we concealing His stories in radio broadcasts which only religious heavy-heads tune into? How are we telling this world about a God who is so in love with its people?

Matthew 10:14-16 –

You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours 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. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! …

I no longer want to spend my life churning out stories deemed by society to be ‘news’, I don’t want to keep filling the world up with extra negative words – when it’s Life that we really could do with.

What if we could capture examples of God-activity on this earth, translate them into stories and DVDs and pictures and movies? And what if we could excite regular people about God by filtering these stories into the mainstream media? What if the consumers of these newspapers, radio shows or television news could catch even a glimpse of the Creator’s dynamism and beauty?

I feel the tug of God on my heart to go and be a part of this – to find and represent these stories of what He’s up to…to get people wondering and talking…and leave the headline writers scratching their heads…