It’s been a hectic few weeks, alot of meetings, hardly a nite in, and often I find myself running from pillar to post without taking time to catch a breath. It’s kinda a love/hate relationship with busyness and me : I love being busy and having lots on, but at the same time I hate it when I fail to have time to catch a breath and simply chill. Today has been a welcome calm amidst the chaos as I had the day off work, and have had a little time to just chill and reflect. So whats been going on and whats coming up………….

• Celebration Of Hope - was involved in the counselling/encourager team at the event on the Friday and Saturday nights. Incredibly well organised event, great response on the youth night, appropriate means used to communicate the gospel through dance/song/testimony and proclamation of the biblical truth
• Meetings - involved in a number of church committee’s, trying to gradually bring about change and rock the boat abit in our traditional, comfortable, highly frustrating church setting. Hoping that the community outreach mission planned for October 08 will re-focus our attention on the taking the gospel outside the 4 walls of church building. Hope to building bridges into a community that has become distant and uninterested in what the church has to say, meeting people where they are at with the unchanging gospel using appropriate means to establish this connection through which the gospel will flow, and God willing reap a mighty harvest.
• Reachout Prep - planning for Reachout 08 begins tonight, with the week hopefully happening at the start of August. Trust God will continue to grow this ministry that he has birthed, and use it for his glory, impacting many lives young and old in the communities we are placed in.
• Turning Point - this weekend i’ll be involved with a team of counselors, mainly guys who have been involved as leaders in Reachout, at a Christian event run for young people at Ganaway, organised through the Belfast Battalion of the BB. Really exciting event, first time we’ve been involved, but sounds like a scaled down version of Summer Madness.

I’ll be involved this weekend as an encourager at this event run at the Odyssey, were taking a busload of yound people down on the Saturday night to youth night. More info about it here, will post further thoughts later

I’ve mentioned this in a previous post, but find myself coming back to the same train of thought and it’s this : why do I allow myself to be so easily distracted with the temporary (be that pleasures, possessions or passions) rather than focusing on the eternal.  How many times do I have to follow meandering paths to nowhere, desire temporary pleasures, stumble and fall along life’s journey before I realise it’s only Christ who can satisfy my hearts desire.  His words of frustration to his disciples long ago ring true in my ear

Matthew 17:7 “What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? “

And I come back to the same conclusion, I need to discipline myself to keep my focus on Christ, the author and perfector of our faith, the one who has dealt with my sin and shortcomings at Calvary, and has paved the way for me to experience newness of life in him.

Hebrews 12:1-3 “1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.“

This easter time may that be the focus of my reflections as I consider the once for all sacrifice of my saviour who endured the suffering and shame of Calvary for my sin, and by whose blood I am cleansed and set free.  And may I take up my cross daily, keeping my focus on him, filtering the rhythms of the culture that consumes me through the lens of his word, and seeking to flesh it out in my journey through life.  Holy Spirit, help me keep focused on Him……………

Watched The Passion (Mel Gibson’s version) yesterday, incredibly moving representation of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the final hours leading up to his crucifixion.  Pretty moving representation on film, very graphic in conveying the brutality of the cross, but pretty accurate to the biblical text.  Really brought it home the suffering Christ endured for my sin, sometimes we can become overly familiar with the cross and the suffering Christ endured, but having watched the brutality represented on thew film, it certainly places a different perspective on suffering.  In Christ we have a Saviour who knows suffering and pain, who has experienced rejection and persecution, yet endured it so that we could experience eternal life.  And today he sits at the fathers right hand and intercedes for us : What a Saviour, What a God!!

Ruth @ ruth E has just tagged me in an attempt to keep my blogging more regular, so here goes……

The Rules

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

7 Weird Facts about me

1. I hate these kinda things because I can never think of anything to write.
2. I buy lots of books and never get round to reading them.
3. In primary school I poured juice into a girls lunchbox and ruined her lunch.
4. I also burned the hair of the girl in front of me at a Christingle service
5. I’m told I used to have an imaginary friend when very young, but have no recollection of this now and think it’s just my mum making up childhood stories.
6. I’ve partaken in a trifle eating contest to the verge of being sick, and haven’t eaten trifle since
7. I’m amazed that I’ve come up with this list, I still hate these things

Tag 7 people

This part could be difficult as I don’t personally know 7 bloggers, so if your tagged and don’t know me, Hi, i’m a reader of your blog!!

• Charlie
• Mark
• Paul Bowman
• Debs
• Paul Coles
• Brian Heasley
• Ruth

Feel free to carry on the tag, or not.  Got me blogging again anyway, will strive to keep the posts coming.

Find myself returning to this barren land of blog after a lengthy absence, been flat out busy and have failed to take time to reflect on the journey this past while. Until these past couple of days that is when God has stepped in and flattened me with a cold/flu type thing which has forced me to stop, and given me the opportunity to reflect.

So here goes: life has been busy and the months have passed me by, but life is good, though somewhat hectic. HAve been going along to the Christian Life and Witnessing Courses in preperation for the forthcoming Celebration of Hope event planned for the Odyssey at the start of April. Has been refreshingly good, solid teaching, a real sense of anticipation of God moving in a big way in coming months on these shores, and a great opportunity to get involved in some small way in Gods kingdom work through this ministry.

Youthwork’s been carrying on, continuing to work through the Sermon on the Mount with the youth on a Sunday Morning at Breakfast in the Book, sharing in fellowship around the breakfast table and then feasting on the Word of Life, and Jesus call to follow in his Upside Down Kingdom. Youth Club and BB are ticking along, would love to do things abit differently with them, but time constraints limit this : if only there were more hours in a day!!

Committee commitments in church have also been eating into time recently, a mixture of frustrations and small steps of progress, but I guess change doesn’t come without its frustrations. Planning ahead for a mission in the community this autumn which will God willing focus our attentions on those outside the 4 walls of the church and challenge us to connect and build bridges with the godless community on our doorstep.

Thats pretty much life at present, somewhat mundane and hectic at times, but all is good. Still trying to keep to the Bible in a year challenge, hard work but immensely benneficial and something i’m trying to discipline myself to do. Also working at removing the areas of sin that i’ve constantly struggled with in recent years, the stumbling blocks Satan uses frequently to trip me up, often when i’m tired/frustrated and failing to spend time with God. It’s about being aware of my areas of weakness and times when Satan will attack, and fleeing from the situatrions which lure me into sin. Still working at it, stumbling along the way, but by Gods grace, and with His Spirits help, i’ll get there.

“Life is a rollercoaster just gotta ride it”, or so the lyric goes as belted out by Irelands own Ronan Keating.  And i’ve gotta say thats been my experience of this Journey of Faith i’ve been on since making a commitment to Christ some 5/6 years ago now.  There have been some high’s, some low’s, some twists and some turns as I have stumbled my way along the path God is revealing to me, seeking to become more like the Saviour who has has paid the price for my sin-stained life at Calvary.  Often I go after selfish desires rather than sacrificial service, pursue life as I think best rather than following Him.  Like the Children of Israel of old I am more often found wandering in the wilderness, rather than worshiping at the alter.

Thanks be to God for his Amazing Grace that saved a wretch like me, who comes alongside me and picks me up when I fall, who never allows me to fall from his grip of grace, and who raises me on the wings of eagles  so I can attempt to run again without growing weary (Isaiah 40:31)

This is something that has been brought to mind alot recently as I have stumbled and fell through these past couple of months in my Journey of faith. The times when I fall are the times when I allow myself to be distracted by worldly temptations, and loose my focus in life. During Jeses temptations, he resists the Devils ploys by responding with the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and thats what i’ve got to get into the habit of doing, building Godly disciplines into my life and cutting out the sinful addictions that distract and hold me back on this journey. The words of this song have reminded me of the scandal of his Costly grace that saved a wretch like me, the least I can do in response being to live a life of worship.

A THOUSAND TIMES I’ve failed,
Still Your mercy remains.
And should I stumble again,
Still I’m caught in Your grace.
Everlasting,
Your light will shine when all else fails.
Never ending,
Your glory goes beyond all fame.

……………

In my heart, in my soul,
Lord, I give You control.
Consume me from the inside out, Lord.
Let justice and praise
Become my embrace,
To love You from the inside out.

Joel Houston, A thousand times (from the inside out)

Well as always I find myself at the start of another year somewhat apologetic for the lack of posting, but with a fresh desire to become more regular (in the postings!!)…  2007 saw a change of host for the blog, moving to wordpress back in August , and a somewhat sporadic series of musings since then.  Every intention to attempt to improve upon this in 2008, watch this space I guess.

2007 has been a somewhat frustrating journey at times, some highs, some lows and much busy-ness.  Don’t really know how far I’ve moved on in my faith this year, have been some big hurdles and struggles, but much joy and peace also.  There have been frustrations, some failures, some successes and some achievements.  But I guess thats life and the high’s and low’s it brings, I thank God that his Grip of Grace never loosened on my life despite my wanderings and times of falling away from him.

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. “

So my resolution for 2008 is to try and remain close to Him who saved me and has given me this New life in Christ, saving me from my sin-dead life and offering me life that lasts forever.  I’m gonna attempt to use Robert Murray McCheyne’s Bible Reading calendar for the year ahead which will hopefully keep my focus on Him through 2008, with the help of His Spirit.

So here goes, the journey continues …………………………

Been a barren land again the blogfront, something that’s been a common theme so far in this journey.   Sometimes life, work, the church even can bleed you dry, and you find yourself being swept along, like a bottle in a raging current.

I need to regain my focus on Christ, re-connect to the living Saviour who came to give life in all its fullness, and re-ignite the flame of passion for Christ that the Spirit brought into my life those 6 years ago that I found my shore in Him.

So it’s my hearts cry as we come to the time of celebrating the birth of our Saviour, that I can use this time to pause, reflect and re-connect with the life giving Saviour who through his death has given me life.

 ”Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”                                                             Matthew 11:28