Join us in a sing song and put some light into this day. Celebrate how he holds you, celebrate the Lord!
Monday 31 October 2011
Monday 24 October 2011
Song of the Week | Brandon Heath 'The Light In Me'
An absolutely beautiful song from Brandon Heath is this week's song of the week.
Feel God's love for you.
Feel God's love for you.
Saturday 22 October 2011
Courageous
As I did a little research into the band that brought me to Christ, Casting Crowns, I discovered that the first song taken from their new album, entitled 'Courageous' is actually inspired by a movie of the same name.
I hit YouTube & found the trailer and it really spoke to me, to the man I am, the husband I've become & the future father I will hopefully some day be.
It is a story about American police men, they work together as law enforcers but their lives are not complete. A tragedy awakens them to want more from their lives, to step up, to be the men they should be, to raise their children in a God-honouring way.
One of the lines from the trailer is 'I didn't start well, I want to end well' - my children aren't on the scene yet, but when they appear, when we decide the time is right, I want to be there from the start, being the father they deserve. One of the characters is made redundant, I wonder how many people out there in this 'economic climate' can relate to that, but he says that he feels 'like a rich man' because he knows God.
There is also a massive question in the trailer 'I want to know what God expects of me?'. Try to stop that from getting you thinking - I think that's a whole other blog post though.
Men of the world, let me ask you - What will it take for you to be awakened? To answer your calling? To be the head of the family that your family deserves?
Where are you men of courage? I believe that not every father, but every man should step up & answer the call. Join me, do what I've done, and say I will! Yes it will take courage, but we are courageous!
I hit YouTube & found the trailer and it really spoke to me, to the man I am, the husband I've become & the future father I will hopefully some day be.
It is a story about American police men, they work together as law enforcers but their lives are not complete. A tragedy awakens them to want more from their lives, to step up, to be the men they should be, to raise their children in a God-honouring way.
One of the lines from the trailer is 'I didn't start well, I want to end well' - my children aren't on the scene yet, but when they appear, when we decide the time is right, I want to be there from the start, being the father they deserve. One of the characters is made redundant, I wonder how many people out there in this 'economic climate' can relate to that, but he says that he feels 'like a rich man' because he knows God.
There is also a massive question in the trailer 'I want to know what God expects of me?'. Try to stop that from getting you thinking - I think that's a whole other blog post though.
Men of the world, let me ask you - What will it take for you to be awakened? To answer your calling? To be the head of the family that your family deserves?
Where are you men of courage? I believe that not every father, but every man should step up & answer the call. Join me, do what I've done, and say I will! Yes it will take courage, but we are courageous!
Thursday 20 October 2011
The F Word
I'm sat here watching the amazing Eddie Izzard asking the UK, Didn't We Fix Famine?
We all know about Band Aid & Bob Geldof saying 'never again'. The world thought it would be never again, we never thought we would be in the position once more. But you can see, technology these days allows us to see when a drought is imminent. The world watched a crisis unfold. Why was nothing done about it?
The crisis that is currently happening in Somalia is the first famine in perhaps a generation. Ask children, they probably have never seen these sort of imagery on live news before, I wouldn't want them to see it. Over 30,000 children have died in 3 months. Think of all those eyes, those laughs, those hearts, just because they don;'t have enough food. I sat with tears rolling down my face as a mother had to decide which one of her two children was to be given treatment and which wasn't, so basically she had to make a decision about which child would die. No mother should have to ever make that choice.
We're obsessed with our own image, with going on diets. These kids have no choice but to look thin. Buy what you need, not what you want. I know as well as anybody that our 'economic climate' at the moment is poor, it's not really improving and people are struggling. But the majority of us are still having 3 square meals a day, i'm sat on my netbook! These kids have never seen rain, never mind a computer screen!
Enriched peanut butter (£20 keeps 4 children going on this paste for 4 weeks!) is saving lives. It's not perfect, but this paste is keeping people alive. It's not a perfect ending, but less have died than could have because of aid funding, but children are still dying. Everyone should have the chance to live.
I urge you, just as we do (we sponsor 2 children but we're not perfect, we could probably do more) to give what you can. As always celebrities have put their voices behind this campaign, check out the video below.
We all know about Band Aid & Bob Geldof saying 'never again'. The world thought it would be never again, we never thought we would be in the position once more. But you can see, technology these days allows us to see when a drought is imminent. The world watched a crisis unfold. Why was nothing done about it?
The crisis that is currently happening in Somalia is the first famine in perhaps a generation. Ask children, they probably have never seen these sort of imagery on live news before, I wouldn't want them to see it. Over 30,000 children have died in 3 months. Think of all those eyes, those laughs, those hearts, just because they don;'t have enough food. I sat with tears rolling down my face as a mother had to decide which one of her two children was to be given treatment and which wasn't, so basically she had to make a decision about which child would die. No mother should have to ever make that choice.
We're obsessed with our own image, with going on diets. These kids have no choice but to look thin. Buy what you need, not what you want. I know as well as anybody that our 'economic climate' at the moment is poor, it's not really improving and people are struggling. But the majority of us are still having 3 square meals a day, i'm sat on my netbook! These kids have never seen rain, never mind a computer screen!
Enriched peanut butter (£20 keeps 4 children going on this paste for 4 weeks!) is saving lives. It's not perfect, but this paste is keeping people alive. It's not a perfect ending, but less have died than could have because of aid funding, but children are still dying. Everyone should have the chance to live.
I urge you, just as we do (we sponsor 2 children but we're not perfect, we could probably do more) to give what you can. As always celebrities have put their voices behind this campaign, check out the video below.
Monday 17 October 2011
Song of the Week | Shawn McDonald 'Rise'
This song really makes me want to worship, praise his name, sings hallelujahs.
Make this the anthem of your week as Shawn McDonald gives you another beautiful song.
Make this the anthem of your week as Shawn McDonald gives you another beautiful song.
Monday 10 October 2011
Song of the Week | Aaron Shust 'My Hope Is In You'
We've been listening to this track all weekend, let me know what you think of it.
Thursday 6 October 2011
The Apple
On the day where the world lost one of it's most creative individuals in the form of Steve Jobs (RIP), I thought it would be a good opportunity to look at the apple in the bible.
We know the story in Genesis 3, the serpent tempts Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge by telling her she will be more like God if she does. The chapter is even titled The Fall as that is exactly what it is, the fall of man. All because of the devil and the fruit, the apple. It was good, pleasing to the eye, tasted incredible, however it made them realise their nakedness and ultimately they went against God's word.
Other mentions of the apple in the Bible include:
Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. - 1 Kings 4, 33
Who is this coming up from the wilderness Leaning on her beloved? Beneath the apple tree I awakened you; There your mother was in labor with you, There she was in labor and gave you birth. - 1 Kings 4:33
The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree--all the trees of the field--are dried up. Surely the joy of mankind is withered away. - Joel 1:12
Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. - Proverbs 25:11
The world sees the the apple in a positive way, it's popular due to it's beauty, fragrance, and ability to produce an abundance of fruit. I see the fruit, the apple as not only an awesome mid morning snack but as each one of us, loads of different shapes, sizes, varieties, but each with a strong core, a core which is the Lord.
I hope that Steve stepping down as chairman of a multi-billion global company a few months ago to concentrate on his fight to get better allowed him time to find God or strengthen his faith with the Lord before he passed (I am unsure if he had a faith or not).
I hope the Apple did not get in the way.
We know the story in Genesis 3, the serpent tempts Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge by telling her she will be more like God if she does. The chapter is even titled The Fall as that is exactly what it is, the fall of man. All because of the devil and the fruit, the apple. It was good, pleasing to the eye, tasted incredible, however it made them realise their nakedness and ultimately they went against God's word.
Other mentions of the apple in the Bible include:
Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. - 1 Kings 4, 33
Who is this coming up from the wilderness Leaning on her beloved? Beneath the apple tree I awakened you; There your mother was in labor with you, There she was in labor and gave you birth. - 1 Kings 4:33
The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree--all the trees of the field--are dried up. Surely the joy of mankind is withered away. - Joel 1:12
Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. - Proverbs 25:11
The world sees the the apple in a positive way, it's popular due to it's beauty, fragrance, and ability to produce an abundance of fruit. I see the fruit, the apple as not only an awesome mid morning snack but as each one of us, loads of different shapes, sizes, varieties, but each with a strong core, a core which is the Lord.
I hope that Steve stepping down as chairman of a multi-billion global company a few months ago to concentrate on his fight to get better allowed him time to find God or strengthen his faith with the Lord before he passed (I am unsure if he had a faith or not).
I hope the Apple did not get in the way.
Monday 3 October 2011
Song of the Week | Switchfoot 'Dark Horses'
This is the first single taken from Switchfoot's new album 'Visa Verses'.
What a song it is! Get involved guys & girls.
What a song it is! Get involved guys & girls.
Sunday 2 October 2011
The disciples were nobodies...
There's so much pressure out there in this world, to hit targets, make grades, earn cash, be somebody. But if we look at the 12 disciples who Jesus chose to follow him, to spread his word, they were nobodies. People who weren't looked at as high in society, those who were looked down upon, fishermen.
We are all fishermen, disciples. We aren't kings, no one on this earth is better than anybody else regardless of sex, race, anything. Respect one another, don't shoot each other down, offer a hand, a hug.
The only one of the chosen twelve that was looked at a 'worthy' was Judas. And look what happened with him.
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” - 1 Corinthians 1:27-31
Remember, we are all equal, we have nothing above or beyond anyone else, we are all talented, worthy, individual, unique. Don't let anybody speak over you, put you down, walk all over you. Don't boast about worldly goods, about yourself. Everything here is borrowed. It doesn't matter what college course you've done, what car you drive, what house you live in, how much money you have. We all come into this world with nothing and leave with nothing. But there is more than that. Jesus loves you, he picks you to believe in him and enter his kingdom after this world.
We are all fishermen, disciples. We aren't kings, no one on this earth is better than anybody else regardless of sex, race, anything. Respect one another, don't shoot each other down, offer a hand, a hug.
The only one of the chosen twelve that was looked at a 'worthy' was Judas. And look what happened with him.
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” - 1 Corinthians 1:27-31
Remember, we are all equal, we have nothing above or beyond anyone else, we are all talented, worthy, individual, unique. Don't let anybody speak over you, put you down, walk all over you. Don't boast about worldly goods, about yourself. Everything here is borrowed. It doesn't matter what college course you've done, what car you drive, what house you live in, how much money you have. We all come into this world with nothing and leave with nothing. But there is more than that. Jesus loves you, he picks you to believe in him and enter his kingdom after this world.
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