A True Worshipper

It's been a really long time since my last Blogpost! This is for a bunch of reasons such as supreme business with the taking on of many cool projects in  Trowbridge over the last couple of months. With the end of school term, a level of quiet has entered my life meaning I can do things like plan a wedding and write a blogpost! That's not to say that I haven't had anything to say-there are many subjects which I have learnt about this last few months with working on a Community Mentoring Program among other things, but for now I will pick a topic from what I learnt at our church weekend away last weekend. What specifically spoke to me was: worship.

I think it is evident in our daily life that humans are all worshipful beings. You just need to go to a football game to realise that we love to worship! Chanting, singing songs about the team, jumping up and down when the goal is scored, clapping and even crying if it doesn't go your chosen teams way-the passion! Even if we aren't football fans, there is always something in someone's life which we elevate to number one importance in our life. We obsess over it, think about it all the time, change ourselves and our lives in order to fit around this thing we worship. This could be academia, music, a girlfriend/boyfriend or even something as simple as being liked by those around you. All these things in themselves are not bad-personally they are all important to me-but they should not have the role in our life of being worshiped. Famous theologian A.W.Tozer states in his book 'Whatever Happened to Worship,' 'What happens when people lose God? They find something else to worship?'
So what is it that we should be worshiping? Well I think that is probably an answer that all of us know inside ourselves- In Romans 1v 20 it states: 
 'Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both eternal power and his divine have been clearly seen, they are perceived in the things that God has made-so there is no excuse at all!!'
Basically what this passage is saying is that all around us in God's creation-there is God. It is difficult to deny a creator, and most people believe in something bigger- a greater power, but are not sure what that power is. Where does this feeling of a greater power and purpose come from? It comes from God himself, who placed it in all created beings so there is no excuse! So who are we to worship? God. As A. W Tozer states:
'The chief role of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.' Furthermore, Jesus states in Luke that if no human would to worship him even the rocks would cry out worship! (No excuse not to worship ourselves- rocks are mch happier being silent... and it's much less creepy if we do it!!)

So we know we are worshipful beings, we know who it is who we are supposed to worship- so how do we worship? To aid us in this topic, I have split it down into 7 areas conveniently (and purposefully!) spelling worship. 
W is for Wholeheartedness. The best example n the bible for wholehearted worship is David. hen the Ark of the Lord returned to Jerusalem, it states that David danced with all his might! Even when his wife nagged and scowled him, he states ' I will come even more undignified than this!' 
David didn't give a monkeys what he looked like- the more important thing was worshiping God with his entire heart. Another way David does this is through incredibly emotive Psalms which come straight from the heart. 
Psalm 63 says: ' My whole being desires you, like a dry, worn-out and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you.'
David doesn't just go through the motions of worship- he is real and gives his entire heart to it.  Which ls us on to:
O is for ourselves. God has made us all individually. God has made you, you and there is no point than you worshiping as anyone else other than yourself.  As I've said before, David was always incredibly real with God and in the book of Job, God honours Job for being honest to him. It is important to come to God as we are, but also be open to changing through what he has to say to us. However, always remembering that God thinks you are worth more than many many sparrows! As Tozer says: 'Worship is a completely personal love experience between God and me.'
R is for Rightness (I really wanted Truth but unfortunately worship isn't spelt wotship..)
When I lead worship at my church, the most important thing as far as I'm concerned is making sure that all the songs chosen are biblically sound. It is important that we worship God in Spirit and in truth. We are worshiping God, not singing songs for ourselves, whether that be dressed up as worship songs or not. The primary focus is God,not the Holy Spirit and not saying: 'bless me, bless me!' If we look to the Psalms we see chapter after chapter of stating truths about God aloud for all to hear. We all like to hear about how great we are- God is infinitely greater than any human- so we need to tell him so. 

S is for Spirit. In John 4 it states the importance of worshiping in Spirit AND truth. The Holy Spiirt is there as a helper for us to communicate with God. He is a tool for the equipment of the church and can be used to help us worship. We can follow him prompting, listen to his voice and be open. Tozer states in his book:
'When a person yielding to God and believing the truth of God is filled with the Holy Spirit, even their faintest whisper will be worship.' What a beautiful picture of how important the Holy Spirit is in our worship.

H is for His Son. When I want to praise Gaz for the good things he has done, I ry and work out exactly how he would like me to do it. Maybe I buy him his favourite beer, or tell him I am proud of him. Either way, I work out exactly what I think he would like the best. God's favourite thing in the whole world is his son Jesus. In the Gospels he states on numerous occasions, 'This is my son whom I am well pleased.' The best way to worship God then is to give him his son-to say how fab Jesus is and to use him as the intercessor that he is. 

I is for In Gratitude. Psalm 118 states: Give thank to the Lord, for he is good his love endures forever.'
This is quite an obvious and easy point- how much do we like to be acknowledged by a simple thank you? How much more does God? 

P is for personal. There is not one way to worship God, however it does involve ourselves. IN Psalm 150 
it shows many ways to worship:
'Praise God in his Temple. Praise his strength in heaven. Praise him for th mighty things he has done. Praise his supreme greatness. Praise his with trumpets. Praise him with harps and lyres. Praise him with drums and dancing. Praise him with harps and flutes. Praise him with cymbals. Praise him with loud cymbals. Praise the Lord all living creatures!' 
What a lot of different ways to worship God-and you can choose what is your chosen way!I'm not brilliant at playing the lyre- but I love to worship God with my voice. The most important thing is that you are giving of yourself and the best way you can do that is by physically using your body whether by playing a musical instrument, singing or dancing.

In conclusion, we should all be aware of the need to put God first, to worship him in our lives. We need to worship him wholeheartedly, in truth with the spirit, bringing his son to him in gratitude in our own way which we prefer. Don't just go through the motions-let's get this right and give God all the glory.

'In the image of God he created them. Male and Female he created them.'

This morning I watched a very interesting preach via my podcast by Greg Boyd on the roles of men and women. For me it made complete sense and as most of you know, I am a feminist and am excited about anything which builds up and empowers women in any way so am very keen to share on my Blog the findings that Boyd, a very respected theologian, found on this subject.

To start with I think it is necessary to identify what exactly a 'feminist' is. A feminist in the truest sense is not someone who attempts to degrade or pull down men. They do not aim to discourage or bully men and they are not there to upset the family unit. Feminists are simply interested in the empowerment of women and the improvement of equal rights and opportunities for women globally. Now you may argue that we have reached this equality and a woman can be anything she wants from a plumber to a ballerina. It is true that this country has seriously improved equal opportunities for men and women in terms of voting, working and property ownership. However, a person need only look at page 3 of  'The Sun,' to realise that women are unfortunately still sexualised and seen as objects which I believe is against God's plan for each man, woman and child. Further afield, and still underground in our country, oppression of women still very much exists in terms of human trafficking, female circumcision and the global problem or aborting/abandoning female children in preference for their male equivalents.

Personally, I think you need only look at Jesus' interaction with the woman at the well, a woman who had been married 5 times and was now having unmarried relationship, a huge deal in this time, who he spoke to as an individual with compassion and was the first person he revealed himself to as the Messiah. Or the woman who had committed adultery, who according to the law should be stoned, Jesus publicly forgave her and again, treated her as an individual. I believe firmly that the empowerment of women, AKA feminism, is still very much required in this society and that we are called to encourage and build up, like Jesus did.

1 Thessalonians 5v11- 'Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are doing.'

Furthermore, Boyd discusses verses at the conception of Adam and Eve that show that God's plan was for male/female equality.
In Genesis 2v18 it states: Then the Lord said,' 'It is not good for the man to live along. I will make a suitable companion/helper for him.'
The key word in this verse is 'companion/helper' which in the original Hebrew is 'Ezer.' In the past, largely male theologians have translated 'ezer' as 'servant,' 'subordinate.' Either way, the word 'ezer' in this context is seen as a negative connotation, that women were created to serve men. However, later in the Psalms, 'ezer' is used again to describe God as our helper. The same word 'ezer' is used in the place of 'helper.'
When you look at the translation, 'ezer' means 'a necessary, complimentary helper,' or elsewhere described as someone who completes and individual. Either way this certainly appears to be an elevated and important role which requires a form of equality NOT subordination... unless you're saying God should be subordinate to you? (Nahhh didn't think so.....)

Further on in Genesis 2 Adam openly  declares about Eve,
' This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.'
This part of the bible describes marriage as 'one flesh.' One solid unit, placed together and not broken. This declaration of love from Adam shows a one flesh reality, that he sees Eve as an almost mirror image of himself, a completion. In the truest sense here, being one flesh leaves no room for one individual being the boss, as there are no individuals in this one flesh! Being one flesh shows absolute commitment, absolute submission to each other but also, absolute equality.
Genesis also states that both men and women were created in the image of God,
 'In the image of God he created them. Male and female he created them,' that God inhabits both male and female characteristics and both men and women have the potential to be like Jesus. Boyd also mentions that the instruction of ruling the earth and all in it, is given to both Adam and Eve, not just Adam, which shows equality and working together as a unit, not just individuals.

One verse in Genesis that is often used out of context and for largely negative reasons is after Adam and Eve do what they shouldn't have. With God having given them the choice to opt into the awesomeness of Eden or not, Adam and Eve pretty much spit in the face of God and choose their own way. Because of this there are consequences (often spoken as curses) which happen as a result. One of these is to Eve which states:
'Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you.'
In the original Hebrew, 'desire' is better translated as manipulate or attempt to control and the word 'rule' is often used in verses to describe tyranny. Either way, manipulation and tyranny is generally not what God wants. Whereas many previous theologians (all men of course) have said that this is a prescriptive of what God wants in marriage, recent theologians have discovered that this is sadly a description of what is going to happen. God is not condoning the tyrannical rule of men over women, but is instead showing how this beautiful gift of marriage and soul mates that God has given the world, can be changed into a power struggle between manipulation and heavy handedness, which I think can be seen in many relationships we know. If anything we should be striving against this power struggle, instead striving for God's perfect plan and gift of marriage which as Corinthians describes is patient and kind.

Of course this argument of equality is not just over gender. It is important that it is applied to all walks of life. Hopefully, these verses in Genesis and the actions of Jesus have challenged you to think- we are all equal. There is no room for 'bosses' and no room for prejudice as we are all created in God perfect image. Whether the Queen or the homeless person on the side of the street, God knows and loves them and we are called to do the same.

As stated before, I am not for the oppression of men or the dissolution of the family unit, but simply encouraging people to think in a new way about the love Jesus has for both men and women. At the end of the say, Jesus died for both genders!
In general, we should also all strive to act as Jesus did which is so aptly described in Philippians 2:

'Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.'

Why Light on a Lamp Stand?!

'No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.' Matthew 5 v 15

This verse from Matthew is where I derived my Blog name from. This week the leader of Maranatha, Jeremy Francis, spoke about this verse and how it can be true in each of our lives and I realised that I had never truly explained why I had chosen this name for my Blog! So here's a Blogpost on the reason why!

Jesus spoke largely in stories, proverbs and parables as a way for the everyday man and woman to understand what he truly meant. To a group of uneducated farmers he spoke in terms of sheep and shepherds or sowing a field with seeds or working in a vineyard. These were all pictures which represented bigger aspects of faith, but became approachable due to the metaphors. The lamp was a daily aspect of life, due to the obvious lack of electricity, the lamp would often be the only source of light for a family for a long night. Jesus really shows how ludicrous it would be for a family to light their lamp and then hide the light- plunging their household into darkness but also chucking a lot of fuel and money down the drain. Instead, the family would place the light in the most prominent and obvious place in the room, allowing all people in the room to see what's in front of them.

So what does this metaphor actually mean to us in our daily lives?
'Don't hide your light under a bushel,' is one phrase often said to someone who may be quite shy and reserved meaning - 'don't hide what you've got to offer!' I think the British are possibly the worst people in the world at accepting a compliment or saying positive things about themselves. I think possibly some people feel the need to remind people how awful they are and that some how that makes them more holy! Feeling rubbish about yourself is not what God wants. According to God we are a new creation, we are 'fearfully and wonderfully made,' we are chosen and there doesn't need to be this negativity about ourselves. Part of putting the light on the lampstand is confessing who we are in Christ and that is not a negative thing- that is very, very, very positive!

Secondly, it is not being ashamed of Jesus. Jesus said: 'I am the light of the world,' so what greater light to put on a lampstand than him. As Jeremy said this week, it takes more effort to attempt to cover a light then it does to just allow it to shine. As Galatians 2:20 says, 'it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me,' if we allow him he can take up shop within in us and we can just let him flow through our everyday actions. This will help us to love that homeless man on the streets who needs a cup of coffee, or speak to the lady on the bus who obviously needs someone to talk to. If we attempt to stop and squash this light within us not only does it require a huge amount of energy, but it isn't the best thing for us. Just allow him to work through you and as the Christian band Delirious once sung:

'I'm not ashamed of the Gospel, I'm not ashamed of the one I love!'

It's about relationship and allowing Jesus to use you for good and great things.

 


The reason I have 'Lightonalampstand' as my Blog name is because I really want this Blog to shine out what is within me. I don't want to hide the fact that I am a Christian and have a relationship with Jesus and one of the best ways to tell people about this in a way which is approachable and not scary for both parties is to share via the massive world that is the internet. Hopefully these Blogposts challenge you to look at the world in a slightly different way, and if just one person does this then job done as far as I'm concerned. Keep seeking. Peace out. <3

'The Holy Helper' :)

John 14 v 15 'If you love me you keep my commandments and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans.You will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.'

What an incredible promise! Not dependent on if we keep his commandments but on our love of God, relationship. So who/what exactly is this Helper which Jesus promises those?

The Holy Spirit is arguably the most neglected or misunderstood part of the divine trinity. As we see through this passage, the Helper AKA the Holy Spirit is both the presence of God and inward dwelling. It is like God in us, that small, still whisper which speaks to you in your thoughts. In cartoons, the Holy Spirit would be like the little angel on the person's shoulder, helping them to make the right moral decisions. If you look at the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was given to specific people for a specific role. However, look to the New Testament, you see those who have a relationship receiving the Holy Spirit and keep on receiving it. It really is a 'ask and it shall be given to you,' no matter who you are, if you have a relationship with God, you can receive his Holy Spirit. As Acts 2v38 states: 'Repent and you will receive God's gift, His Holy Spirit,' and what a cool gift to receive :)

So what role does the Holy Spirit play?
Well as previously mentioned, the Holy Spirit can be your conscience, that little angel sat on your shoulder helping you to take the correct path. As Ephesians 3 v 16-17 states:' he may grant you his spirit in your inner being so that he may dwell in your hearts..being rooted and grounded in love.' The Holy Spirit can really be that tool to help you remain grounded in love.

The Holy Spirit also helps us how to pray. Sometimes, I just completely run out of words and can get hugely distracted. One moment I'm 100% focused on Jesus, the next I'm thinking about what slice of cake I fancy with my cup of tea (Gaz's parsnip cake is all I can usually think of .) However, God has given us our Helper! In Romans 8 v 26 it states: ' For when we do not know how to pray, the spirit himself pleads with God for us.' So when we are struggling with prayer we can just ask the Holy Spirit to help us! Awesome.

The spirit also helps us to live more like Jesus. 'The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,' (Galatians 5 v 22-23) What amazing qualities to possess and I can't think of anyone who more inhabits these then Jesus. If we have the Holy Spirit living in us, these should just be by-products, but again if we are struggling with any of these (I often struggle with patience! Which is very important when working with children and young people!!) we can ask the HS for help.
Lastly, the Spirit equips us with different gifts in order to glorify God's name and to empower his church of which I will go into more detail.

Ok so we have established that the Holy Spirit is the presence of God in us, a member of the trinity he is God but in a different form, like with water you get ice, water and steam, with the trinity you get God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. However, I think it's important to briefly mention what the Holy Spirit is NOT.

The Holy Spirit is NOT a spiritual vending machine! It makes me feel really uncomfortable in meetings etc when individual's are solely focused on what they can get from the Holy


Spirit. Recently, people have spoken to me saying 'Let's get drunk/mashed on the Holy Spirit!' The Spirit gives gifts for equipping the church. The spirit encounters individuals to help them change for the better. The spirit is NOT there to help people have a fun Saturday night and he is NOT there for individual's to hunting experiences.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit is NOT something to be scared of. Receiving the Holy Spirit and encountering him in your life is an intensely personal thing. Personally, when I receive the Holy Spirit it is more of a sense of peace. I have a friend who every time he receives, he falls flat on his back! God knows you. He knows what you would find too weird and what you would find comfortable and the Holy Spirit is never going to make you scared and confused. He is described as a counselor, a friend, not something to be feared.

So if you've never given the Holy Spirit a go, he is a wonderful tool, a great friend and an amazing gift from God- invite him into your life today!! Peace out! :) xx

Prayer

Recently, prayer has really been on my heart. In Trowbridge we recently did a 24 hour prayer day at Bethesda Baptist Church and I lead 2 slots, one for youth and one for Maranatha and it really rekindled my love for prayer. Why is it always seen as boring? Isn't it often seen as a chore? Why is that?

So firstly, what is prayer? 

Prayer is the communication with a divine and holy God. A God who is above us all. 

Luke 9 v 42 says: ' They were all amazed at the mighty power of God.'

In the Old Testament, only the very select could speak to God on a one on one basis. The priests who were special men from a special family from a special tribe from a special people were the only ones who could intercede between God and man. The priest would have to go through many sacrifices and cleansing ceremonies in order to be worthy- talking to God in the old testament was a HUGE deal. 

However, since Jesus became human, he has become our intercessor between us and God. He petitions for us and we can now have a constant relationship with God through the use of prayer. Isn't that amazing? Do we sometimes take for granted the fact that we can talk to God so freely? Makes you think twice about prayer doesn't it!!

So, Why should we pray?

There are two main reasons why we should pray to God on a regular basis. 

From a solely logistical point of view because God told us to  

Ephesians 6 v 18 says: 'With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.'

God can't answer prayer unless we ask. The bible says 'knock, and the door will be opened,'  yes God already knows what we are going to say but he needs us to ask for it! I am always reminded of the parable in the bible of the persistent widow, who asks and asks and asks and asks the judge until he eventually gives in! What a brilliant picture of what our prayer life should be like!! ( Though we should always ask-your will be done God, sometimes it's not God's will for us to win the lottery unfortunately!!)

From a more fundamental point of view, prayer builds relationship with God. 

Have you ever built a friendship or relationship without having some form of conversation?

It's pretty impossible right? So how can we have a relationship with God if we don't talk to him?

In John 15 v 7 it says: 'If you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like and it will be granted!' Pretty awesome promise...

So how should we pray?

Like talking, everyone has a different way which they find praying comfortable. There is no certain 'holy' posture. In the bible people pray in many different ways. In 1 Kings 8:54 Solomon knelt down, in Matthew 26:39 Jesus prayed flat on his face. In 1 Kings 8 v 22, Solomon prayed standing. Some people prefer to have their eyes closed, I quite like praying with my eyes open. Any which way, pray how you feel comfortable, don't feel that God will only listen to you if you get into a particular body shape!

Importantly, prayer is about your heart. In Mathew 6v7, Jesus tells his disciples about the importance of avoiding praying to look good to your peers. He states, 'when you pray don't babble on!' Praying isn't about making your words sound poetical or posh, it's about talking to your heavenly father. Remember how holy he is, but also remember you have a relationship with him! If you were talking to your Dad you wouldn't use as many posh and long words as possible would you?

So what is needed to make a successful prayer? What do you need to check before you begin to pray!

You have to WHORF! (Ok it's a rubbish acrostic word.. but it's the best I can do!!)

You must have:

Wholeheartedness- In Jeremiah 29 v 13 it says: 'You will seek me and you will find me, because you sought me with your whole heart.' 

As I said previously, God is all about the heart. He cares about what your thinking and how your feeling.The best way to work out whether you are wholehearted, is to be the opposite of halfhearted! Put your all into prayer, focus solely on the activity of prayer and don't be distracted by Facebook or your phone or whatever. Also,be real with God- say what you are feeling! Some of the Psalms are so heartbreaking and are really crying out to God, but God appreciates you just being you. He made you the way you are... so of course he's going to like it!

Next- is Humility! In 2 Chronicles 7 v 14 it says: 'If they call to me and turn away from their sins,then I will hear them in heaven.' As I said previously, being praying to a huge, mighty and divine God is such a privilege and praying to God with that level of respect and seeing him as having the authority is so important! Let's not pray to God with a list of things he can do, but thank him for all he has done. Thank him for this horrible rainy  day as he still made it!

O is for obedience.1 John 3 v 22 says: 'We receive from him because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.' One of God's biggest commands is... forgiveness. In the Lord's pray it states, ' forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.' Is there anything we need forgiveness for? Now is the time to ask for it!

R is for righteousness, James 5 v 16 says,'The prayer of a good person has a  powerful affect!' Righteousness is being right with God. One of the best ways we can be right with God is being right with other people. Before we pray we should apologize to anyone who needs to be apologized to. We should think if there's anyone we aren't 100% happy as larry with and sort that out! Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone, knowing there's something stopping you from being honest with eachother? Let's forgive other people and be right with God before we speak to him!

F is for Faith, Mark 11 v 24, 'When you pray and ask for something, believe you will receive it and it will be given to you.' There is no point asking for something if you are half expecting it not to happen! If you struggle with faith..ask for it! 

 Now these qualities are what makes a successful prayer... but the most important thing to do is pray! If you can't do all of these pray! If you can't do any of these... pray! Let's just really commit to praying as much as we can and let's see how our relationship with God and those around us improves. :) Peace out! <3

"It's God Almighty, Not God All-matey" (Rory Cropper)

Since my last Blogpost I have bought a wedding dress- hooray! When not shopping at a shop with a ridiculously blunt dresser/salesperson it was a really awesome experience :) How exciting! Anyway, this is SO not a wedding blog.
For my next series of Blogposts, I thought I would follow the last lot of 'S's with a series based on one of the most popular and repeated prayers of all times: The Lord's Prayer. I will be going through it line by line and seeing what is revealed, and what new elements we can learn through each section.
The first section I will be going through is:

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."

A very short and seemingly small line.

So what can we deduct from this small opening line? Well I have felt that four 'S' words have really stood out for me with what can be learnt from this opening line which first and foremost puts God where he needs to be.

1) Servility- (a very posh word I used the Thesaurus for- it needed to start with an S!) 

This prayer puts God at his rightful place. Top of the list. Sovereign. Numero Uno. Not only does it state God's authority with the mention of 'Father' but it reminds us all that God is in heaven, not on earth like the rest of us, but belongs and exists in heaven. Do we sometimes forget this? I know often I place God into the 'friend' category, forgetting that actually he created the heavens and the earth and deserves to be respected.

As Rory Cropper said once: 'It's God Almighty not God All-Matey.'

Or as Revelation states: 'For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you for your righteous acts.' As the prayer reveals: an all powerful God.

2)Speech- We need to be careful with our speech. This opening line shows how important and holy God's name is with Hallowed also known as sanctified, divine, anointed, sacred. Back in the Old Testament times the name of God was so sacred that it would not be spoken and was not allowed to be written down. 

In today's age, the name of God is more than often used as a swear word rather than used correctly and appropriately. Or if not it is used as a joke. But this prayer shows exactly how God's name should be used. Not as anything other than holy and revered and certainly not anything like a curse, joke or another inappropriate function. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 141:

'Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! 

showing how important what we say is. 

3)Sin- Now we have seen how respected and almighty God is, the next reaction is to look at ourselves, and how un-almighty and unworthy we are to have such a God. Yet he still wants a relationship with us. 

In Isaiah 64v6  it states: 'all our righteousness are as filthy rags.' We all sin. I've sinned. You've sinned. We all have. And whilst simply the name of God is anointed, enshrined and consecrated we exist in all the bad things we have done as the complete opposite. I know personally that often I will think, 'ok I make mistakes, but at least I'm not a murderer,' and will often down play my sin. But when you look at how respected God you can see how awful our sin and how much we truly need a saviour. 

4)Sacrifice- However, though God's name is hallowed and he is in heaven and to be respected, he still humbled himself to become a baby in a manger and to eventually offer himself as a living sacrifice. As John 3:16 states: 'For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.' How amazingly incredible is that? Just awesome. So we need to all step into that sacrifice and accept it on a personal and daily basis. 

As the bible states: 'whilst we were still sinners, Christ died for us!'

Just a short one this week- so respect God, watch your tongue, realise your sin but accept that sacrifice!

Peace out!<3

'I have never found a companion as companionable as solitude' Henry D Thoreau

It has been a while since my last blogpost- I'm sure everyone like me has been too busy to function with the birth of our saviour 'n' all. Since my last blogpost, my boyfriend Gaz who I use a lot as examples has asked me to marry him which is very happy news indeed!! However, with that in mind, my next choice of topic seems like an unusual one, especially after engagements and the festive season. This is the idea of: solitude.

Solitude is often, like most topics I cover, a very negatively loaded word. In the great academic source that is Wikipedia it says:

'Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, i.e., lack of contact with people. It may stem from bad relationships, loss of loved ones, deliberate choice, infectious disease.'

I just love that in this definition, 'deliberate choice' is mixed up with infectious disease or bad relationships- like if you want to be alone for a while their is evidently something wrong with you! However, solitude has not always been seen as a negative entity, indeed psychologists are discovering it's necessity in today's busy world more than ever before. When the term 'alone' was coined in medieval times, it was directly correlated with inner fulfillment, with adolescents who craved being around people all the time actually taken to Doctors to be healed!

Solitude was seen as a need for any element of creativity and from a spiritual perspective, solitude was one of the only ways you could actively grow closer to God, with the heavy investment of both wealth and bodies into convents and monasteries across the country. But 'solitude' or 'aloneness' has unhelpfully instead been paired off with 'loneliness' and has since been seen in general, as something best avoided. 

For me solitude is something I struggle with. Yes, I enjoy my own company and am perfectly happy to sit in my room with a Terry's Chocolate Orange and a Studio Ghibli Animated film on by myself, but that's not really solitude. How often am I by myself with no computer switched on and no phone switched on, just spending time wholly focused on my time with God? The answer is hardly ever. A year ago Gaz went on a silent retreat in some wasteland in Wales with no talking, computers or phones allowed and I remember thinking, much the same as I think today, that sounds like my idea of hell, but Gaz got an awful lot out of it. Thankfully for me, we are not all called to go on silent retreats (though some of us are!) But we are all called to solitude once in a while. 

So why should we invest in solitude?

There are a few reasons why solitude is an important element to make as part of your routine.

Firstly, it is a direct link to God. I know that in the past I have used elements such as church worship or Soul Survivor as a go between linking me and God in a roundabout way. However, investing in solitude, spending time away from business just you and God makes sure you cut these elements out. In Matthew 6:6 it says: ‘When you pray go into your own room and pray to your father in secret.’

Secondly, Jesus often spent mornings or even days at a time in solitude with God, away from the questions and hustle bustle of living amongst his disciples. In Luke 6:12 it says ‘In these days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray and all night he continued in prayer to God.’ If Jesus had a need to go and be apart from the world and pray to his Father, I’m thinking we probably need this also.

Lastly, in the bible it speaks about the importance of meditation. In Joshua 1:8 it says: ’This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written.’ Meditation is the filling of yourself with both word and the holy spirit and allows for processing, reflecting and connecting.

One technique I recently learnt on how to meditate is known as the ‘Lexo Cavina’ (sounds posh I know but stick with it!) It breaks down meditation into 5 simple steps which I have kindly worked out as the five Bs!

Bitesize- pick a bitesized chunk on manageable scripture which you can think and prayer over

Break it down- break it down section by section and look into each part for more information

Bask- appreciate it, ask God to reveal more

Brood over it- internalise, think how this can be real in your current situation etc

Bless- thank God for this passage and what you have discovered through it.

The Lexo Cavina is a way you can begin to meditate in a practical and easy way, but solitude is necessary.

Lastly, it is important to note that though solitude is important for re-connection with God, it is not something we are all called to do. Even Jesus had to come down from the mountain after praying to continue his work and continue being with people. If you are like me, I love being around people, but hopefully this blogpost can give you ideas on how to make alone time count for your walk with God in a real and practical way, but the role of solitude is often to equip us and enable us to continue to be Jesus to everyone we meet.

Peace out <3

The Power of Surrender.

The next 'S' word in this series of spiritual practises is 'Surrender.'
Often a hugely loaded word with visions of white flags flying and failure. Thoughts of Winston Churchill's speech of never surrendering with even Dido singing 'I will go down with this ship. And I won't put my hands up and surrender.' Indeed, one dictionary definition drips with the negative connotations associated with surrender, defined as:
'to stop resisting an opponent and submit to their authority.'
. Let's face it- British people are hard as old boots and after 2 world wars of the 'we-will-never-surrender' attitude (Amen!) it's not surprising that society has come to loathe the word  and concept of surrender.
 Furthermore, 'surrender' can be backhandedly used for oppression, suppression and belittling, of course I mean here my favourite topic of women's rights, with the word surrender being wrongly thrown into women's faces as the appropriate way to act, ie becoming a cleaning, cooking, baby making machine. Of course in a loving relationship you care more about the other's well being then yours so any idea of oppression however manipulative or subtle is not love, but that will no doubt be discussed in a separate blogpost.
Though 'surrender' has been lumped with these negative connotations, I would argue that surrender is not always a negative quality, that sometimes the strongest, most mature and indeed necessary thing to do is to hold up your hands and surrender.

So why should we embrace this idea of surrender in such a dog-eat-dog world?
*Because we cannot control everything.
I wish we could control this hurting world: but we can't. Do I despair of that or surrender myself to the fact that God has this world in his arms?

*Because Jesus did it
Jesus said, from the Lord's prayer: 'your will be done' and had many temptations and opportunities in his 3 year ministry to try things out his own way. When Lazarus was dying, the temptation to go to him would've been unbearable, but instead Jesus surrendered to God's will and Lazarus was raised from the dead- not bad!

*So that we don't have to worry.
Matthew 11 v 28 says: 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.'
To come to Jesus and throw your hands in the air and say 'you've got it, I don't.'  By relinquishing control to an almighty God who has the world in the palm of your hand. That's when worry starts to evaporate and burdened hearts are lifted. I know I regularly struggle with the concept of not worrying but it is something I am w
orking on!!

So how can we do this surrendering malarky on a day to day basis?
Well I have come up with 3 aspects I have learnt and are still learning that I need to surrender to a greater power, namely God, on a daily basis.

* Give up on doing it alone
Today's society is obsessed with pushing yourself forward. In reality programmes like 'America's Next Top Model' it's all about being the best and stepping on anyone who gets in your way. But as humans we are made for relationships. Being in any kind of relationship whether friendship, marriage or a relationship with a relative requires vulnerability and surrender. If we are vulnerable and surrender to our worldly relationships surely we are also called to surrender in our heavenly relationship with God.
Even Jesus checked everything out with God, relying on him acutely.
In John 5:19 Jesus says:
'Truly, truly I say to you, the son can do nothing of his own accord but only what he sees the Father doing.'
Can we honestly say that on a daily basis we surrender each of daily choices to God? Are we in constant prayer and communion with him?
Often when I am making a decision I talk to my Mum about it, then Gaz my boyfriend, then my Dad, then
my friends, then my acquaintances and THEN God. By surrendering to God in a relational way and being vulnerable, our relationship can really improve.

*Give up on perfection.
How many times have you heard people say: 'I'm such a perfectionist!' 'It all has to be perfect!'
What an impossible level to try and reach!! One of the year threes in my class recently said to me: 'Miss Ross everyone makes mistakes and that's ok!' This seemingly random interjection really took me by surprise but by the looks of his face it seems like this was a brand new revelation to him!
The bible says that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3 v 23.) Jesus said even if you think about sinning it's like you've sinned- we don't stand a chance! So sorry to break it to you folks but you can't be a perfectionist... as you can't achieve perfection!
Does this mean we should all sulk in our room and beat ourselves up about being sinners? No! The only way you can be washed as white as snow is surrendering to God's grace, accepting that by our own strength we don't amount to much and realising that his sacrifice on the cross was more than sufficient. Keep trying to strive for perfection ourselves will get us nowhere. Accepting and surrendering that through God's grace that it is ok if we fail will help us all progress as individuals.


* Lastly, give up on your five year plan.
I have always, always had a five year plan, looking at where I want to be in the not-to-distant future. When I was 14/15 my five year plan was to be married by the age of 18 and have my first child by 21. I am now 21.... no husband and DEFINITELY no children. Then I had plans to be Paolo Nutini's trumpet player.... and that didn't happen. I had plans to be a gospel singer, ethnomusicologist, housewife.. you name it! None of these plans are yet to become a reality and whereas I could look to the sky and ask God 'why?!' I can instead realise that these are not my plans for my life.
In Jeremiah 29 v11 it says:
For I know the plans I have for YOU declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you. To give you hope and a future.'
God has awesome plans for everyone, and when we step back and surrender our plans to him, asking him what he has for our lives that is when we can step into fullness of life. I am currently living in a state of uncertainty, unsure of where God wants me and Gaz to be. Where I could throw a strop for things not going my way, instead I choose to daily surrender my plans to God as I know he has much bigger and better plans. It is when you surrender control that life stops becoming worrying and starts becoming exciting.

I hope this blogpost has made you re-evaluate the concept of surrender, it was definitely a difficult one to write! Embrace it folks.
Peace out <3

Daily Spiritual Habits :)

I have just got back from 'Youthwork Conference 2013,' a weekend of training for youth workers all across the United Kingdom, set in sunny Eastbourne (yes youth doesn't exactly come to mind when I think of Eastbourne either!) My next few blogposts will no doubt be heavily influenced by what I learnt over the weekend and one thing which was discussed in a seminar I went to, was the view of daily spiritual routines- elements to help you connect with God on a daily basis. In the seminar these were described at 'The Three Ss.' These three elements are - Simplicity -Surrender and -Solitude. In this Blogpost I will discuss what is meant by simplicity and how it can have a positive impact on our personal and spiritual lives.

Simplicity

Defined as the state or quality of being simple and can be used to imply beauty, purity or clarity. According to St Thomas Aquinas God is 'infinitely simple' and the Franciscan order of the Roman Catholics and Anglicans strive after simplicity in all areas, following the example of St Francis

So what does simplicity look like in a person?
I cannot think of an individual who represents this quality of simple spirit more than Mother Teresa. An individual who left home at 18 to become a nun, who often had to beg and go without food, shoes and shelter in order to serve those people in Calcutta that were at the very bottom of the heap pile. She gave up everything, thrusting herself into extreme poverty. She is also arguably the best example of Jesus there has ever been, apart from Jesus himself of course!

The life of a monk or nun has never appealed to me. Living in a secluded area, with no personal possessions and/or personal identity seems to me, an extroverted people person, like a complete nightmare. Though I think the life they lead is very admirable I've always thought, absolutely not my cup of tea! Whilst this remains true, perhaps these men and women who simplify their lives down to the barest essentials and live in communion with God and to serve others have something that can be passed onto all of our lives. We live in a period of history which just LOVES material possessions! How much 'stuff' do we own? I know personally I am a huge fan of clutter, and having posters and nicknacks all around my room makes me feel cozy and safe in my room. But if I think about that for a second...how ridiculous is that?! Do we have a tendency to place our emotions/self-worth/moods/feelings on our material possessions instead of trusting in God?
Does this also transfer into a less practical means but also our spiritual lives? What junk needs to be cleared out and does anything need to be simplified?

As it says in Matthews 18:4 when Jesus discovered the
 'Anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.'
What elements of simplicity does a child have which we as autonomous adults might be able to adopt into our daily lives?
-Being Thankful. 

In my opinion, children are always very appreciative and often the smallest present is like THE coolest thing in the world. I know often I begin to take for granted everything that is given to me by God. 
Yes, an individual prayer of mine hasn't been answered yet BUT do I thank God on a daily basis for the air I breathe or for my family or that I am healthy and happy?
In Psalm 92:2 it says: 'Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song,' but do we earnestly do that on a daily basis? Or does prayer tend to become a wishlist of what we would like to happen next? 

- A clear sense of purpose. 
Children are very goal focused. Teaching the trumpet has taught me this. If my pupils have a grade or a concert to aim towards their practise and commitment to the trumpet sky rockets. If they have no immediate reason to commit, they will often avoid the trumpet or go off and watch The Simpsons instead. 

Do we also have this ability to forget our purpose?
In Philippians 3:14 it  says: 
'I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.'

Do we always remember we need to keep running and not stop? Or do we sometimes see an interesting shop on the way and go and have a look? 

I know recently I have decided on clear manageable focuses in my relationship with God. Maybe I want to improve my knowledge of the Psalms or I want to pray for a situation until something changes. Either way,a clear purpose to my daily walk is so important.

-The need to be focused.
Now, I volunteer for a local primary school year 3 class and I know that in order for any of the children to do a good amount of work they NEED to be focused, much like with our walk

of faith. However, like adults these children will often find a few distractions to be able to focus on instead of their work. One of the children in chatting about seeing 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2' or one child is kicking their chair, whatever it is vying for their attention, if they do not focus work slowly slips down on their agenda. 
Do we also have the ability to be distracted in our daily lives?
What vyes for our attention?
It says in Psalm 121, 
'I lift my eyes up to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from you maker of heaven, creator of the earth.'
Are our eyes fixed on the mountains or do they look around us and get distracted by what's going on around us?

I have found when I have started each day with a small prayer asking God to help me focus on him through the day this has kept me focused on his plan and purposes for my day and life. 

Hopefully this has helped you explore the aspect of simplicity and given you a few practical ideas to keep your focus on God and not on what's around us. I know I am the worst for being distracted by what's around me and I continue to try and zone in and listen to the divine not the world.
Peace out. :) <3 

What Happens When You are Flung Out of Your Comfort Zone..

This is taken from a talk I did about my time in China at a International China Concern information evening last week :)

In April 2012, my boyfriend Gaz and I stepped out of the airport and into Hongkong to start our new adventure with ICC. We were both very anxious  as we had never done anything like it before and I remember telling the team of all ages,from me being the youngest at 19 to Christine who was 67 that I was very scared about the prospect of having a human being solely dependent on me. I also told Gaz that I was particularly worried about having a heavy, large child who I couldn’t lift or one who was unresponsive, so we prayed that night that we would both receive the child that God had in mind for us and that he would help us to be able to know what to do. On the first day in the welfare centre, I was handed an absolutely beautiful, small girl called Junjun who loved nothing more than being cuddled and being sung

too. All the team commented on a special bond that we appeared to have from the beginning and the whole experience of looking after her was a complete joy. My favourite memory is one day when we went outside. We had a lovely time feeling the grass, going for walks in the fresh air and even meeting a local pet dog- all very new and exciting. Suddenly, it started to rain and I mean torrential downpour. So I quickly bundled her in the buggy and started to run back inside whilst we both were getting soaked! As I was running along I could hear screaming from Junjun so I stopped to reassure her but as I looked I could see she was squealing and laughing her head off at this brand new sensation of wind and rain, a very special moment.

So how was I impacted by my trip to China?

When we arrived in the Welfare Centre there was a big sign on the wall declaring, ‘we have potential too.’ Getting to know a disabled child on such a personal level really opened my eyes to how cherished they are by God and how we cannot say what potential they have. This really made me cherish the sanctity of life and the fact that God looks after and values each abandoned child, though the state may have given up on the them. When Gaz and I left the welfare centre for the last time, I felt an overwhelming feeling of peace, that Junjun was in the best of hands and that God had got her. This made me evaluate that I should treat every individual I meet on the daily basis with the same idea in mind, that God values them all and so should I regardless of status or disability.

 It is amazing that I have heard about abandoned children in China for many years but it wasn’t until I got to know one individual abandoned and disabled child that I realised what this means. Each child abandoned has a personality, likes and dislikes and most importantly is cherished and loved by a saviour who gave his life for each one of them. If Jesus were in China today, I have no doubt he would be cuddling and spending time with these children which society has apparently given up on. As Jesus is no longer physically on the earth, I was heavily challenged about the fact that God needs us, it falls to these broken clay jars, you and me to be his hands and feet in this world. Gaz and I are hoping once we finish training and when we are specifically called by God, that we can go out to China for a longer period of time and try

Even 18 months later, my background on my computer is a photo of me and Junjun, to help me remember that all are cherished and loved by Jesus but also to challenge me to strive to practically show this love to those who many need it. So I would encourage you, if you are thinking about going to China- just go for it and embrace the transformation! If you aren’t thinking about going to China, start thinking about it!

Here is the website of the charity I went with International China Concern who do amazing, continued work with abandoned, disabled Children in central, urban China.

 http://www.chinaconcern.org/

Neither Male or Female for we are all One in Christ

“Sometimes the hardest part of the journey is believing you're worthy of the trip.” 

(Glenn Beck)

This Youtube clip is currently the newest video to go viral with many of my friends on Facebook sharing it around. The video deals with the idea of female self worth including a man telling all women who watch that they are cherished and smart. It is of course a great video and obviously will speak truth and light to many situations but I have to ask myself this question.

How did it get to the point that cheesy, wonderfully American videos have become the form of self-worth for women across the globe? Is this honestly helping the problem?

I am not a negative individual and I am the last person to discourage anyone- but there are aspects of this video which I not only disagree with but which really annoy me! Whilst the sentiments this gentlemen shares are obviously from the heart and are the truth- he is essentially a good looking guy telling women their great qualities starting with 'you are beautiful' (why women's best qualities seem to always be seen as their outward appearence baffles me) I know from experience that whilst growing up, I would often gain my self worth from being loved and cherished by boys, thriving on any compliment or positive thing they said about me. Whilst encouragement is SO important, encouragement from human sources should not replace the self worth you can gain in Jesus and filling that hole with human entities is going to end in disaster. I certainly worry that the fact this is a good looking guy telling women they are cherished is treading on thin ice. Why not a female? Why not an older gentlemen who could play the role as a grandfather or father figure? Why an aesthetically pleasing young and attractive male whom many young girls watching these videos would want to gain approval from? You should not look to others to build your confidence but look inside you to see the treasure within.

But that is enough of moaning! I believe that simply the nature of the person of Jesus and many aspects of the bible are sufficient for all women to gain complete self-worth!
Many people would argue that the bible, Christianity and subsequently Jesus are degrading of women. At face value, women do seem misrepresented in the bible, with the 12 disciples being male and Paul saying some interesting comments about women in the church (Many of which I and many others would argue is due to specific churches and not as the 'church' as a whole but unfortunately that is a completely different rabbit hole to go down and would take far too much time to debate on this blog post- watch this space if it interests you!!) However, I would argue that if you read into the nature of Jesus, you can see an individual who deeply cared for and cherished women as a gender.

This is a separate post from one about feminism, which I am incredibly passionate about, but more emphasis on female self worth. Whenever I feel particularly down trodden simply due to my gender I go back to my namesake, 'Lydia' seller of purple cloth which was one of the first leaders of a the early church and she was....dun dun duuuunnnn... FEMALE. Or the pure epicness that is Deborah in the bible who heard directly from God and lead the most awesome battle against some pretty nasty people leading the entire of Israel to victory boldly proclaiming,' ' By the glory of God Sisera (nasty man) will fall at the hands of a woman!' Or Esther who saved the entire Jewish race through bravery or Rahab, a prostitute who helped Hebrew spies and thus became part of the lineage of Jesus.

The fact that some women were Jesus' most loyal followers and never deserted him when his disciples, being the last to leave him whilst he was dying on the cross. A group of women were also the first individual's Jesus revealed himself to after his resurrection, with Mary Magdalene having an incredibly touching and personal encounter. The woman at the well was the first individual Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah to and Jesus would take a lot of time to teach women such as Mary (Martha's sister) and later Martha on a personal level, which in the day in the times Jewish men would daily pray, 'Thank You God I am not a gentile, not a slave and not a woman,' is incredibly powerful.

Jesus used stories about women to explain theological concepts such as the woman with the lost coin and even describes himself like a mother hen wanting to gather together her chicks. In general, women  have a very special place in the bible and are treasured by God by the fact they are used and pinnacle to the plan of Jesus. But most exciting of all is that most women in the bible are treasured for their bravery, intellect, confidence NOT just outward appearences which so annoys me about self worth videos like this today.
Fundamentally, Jesus, the perfect son of God, died on the cross for all women across the globe and that is something to grab hold of and treasure.

I will no doubt come to this topic again and again as I believe it is so important, but in regards to this video- ladies- look within yourself, at the person of Jesus and in the bible and that is where your self worth inhabits NOT random American boys telling you are beautiful!

Peace out :) <3