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Back soon!

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We have a coffee table that needs painted. But until we agree on the colour (limegreen versus brown or cream) we’ll cover the worn parts with books & magazines.

We have the Indie coffee guide & coffee map. There’s the Rolling Home inspiring Van life. Lagom sits where Hygge used to be.This Danish book was relegated it to the bottom shelf after a torrential downpour in Copenhagen washed away any hygge I had!

VWt & Star Wars covered Empire magazines are scattered- along with freebies from Tescos & Boots with ideas for Christmas gifts.

But the most thought provoking magazine cover on our coffee table so far in 2018 has to be Insight with its ‘Back Soon’ sign

This edition of our church magazine refers to the fact that Jesus is coming back soon.

‘Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!’
‭‭(Acts1:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

I don’t think about this truth often enough. These words were spoken by an angel over two thousand years ago.

‘But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’
‭‭(2 Peter‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

In God’s timescale a long weekend hasn’t even elapsed yet! But:
‘The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.’
‭‭(2 Peter‬ ‭3:9‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

God’s mercy, grace & love are entwined in the perfect timing of Jesus’ return.

‘However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.’
‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭24:36‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

There’s a boulder at the edge of Strangford Lough beside the Portaferry Road. Painted on one side are the words:
‘Prepare to meet thy God’
‭‭(from Amos‬ ‭4:12‬)

One day we will all meet our Maker (whether we believe in Him or not)

A wall beside Portavogie harbour proclaims:
‘The fool hath said in his heart, “There is no God.”‘
‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭14:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬)

We can fill our homes, our barns & our lives with things- but not consider our God.

‘Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.’
‭‭(Luke‬ ‭12:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

‘That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.’
‭‭(Luke‬ ‭12:21‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Today, if you havent thought about it, prepare to meet your God.

‘If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?’
‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭130:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’
‭‭(Romans‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

We can bring our sin to God, asking for forgiveness & receive His grace. Then, living by faith we’ll be ready to meet our Maker.

As He said,”Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
‭‭(Romans‬ ‭14:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’
‭‭(John‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

On the other side of the boulder by the lough, there’s just two words- ‘Eternity where?’

The difference between heaven & hell, being judged or being saved- is in Jesus:

‘God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.’
‭‭(John‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

He’s coming back- not as a newborn baby or as a suffering servant.But as Lord of All & King of kings.

If we’ve trusted Him for forgiveness, then we’re waiting for our Good,Good Father to take us Home.

No-one knows when – but its closer today than yesterday.

When I was in Sunday School we used to sing ‘The countdown’s getting lower everyday’ It’s closer today than yesterday.

In this broken,groaning world where it seems no news is good news, we have hope. We have an anchor for the soul.

And it’s in the One who one day will return:
‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’
‭‭(Hebrews‬ ‭13:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

And He’ll be back soon.

*Perhaps today*

Blessings,

Ruth x

*I heard the story of a retired pastor who wore cufflinks. On one was engraved ‘perhaps’ On the other ‘today’ It was a visual reminder of the truth that He’ll be back soon.

What a difference it would make if I lived like I really believed this truth!

Calm for the anxious mind

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‘Anxiety’s like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far.’
(Jodi Picoult)

I know worrying doesn’t get me far , but still I sit & rock.

‘Worry pretends to be necessary, but serves no useful purpose.'(Eckhart Tolle)

That’s true too. But it’s hard NOT to worry isn’t it?

What can we do instead? When we read our Maker’s Handbook it tells us:
‘Don’t worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need,
and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.’
(Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Turn worries into prayers & God’s peace will displace our anxieties:
‘Don’t fret or worry.
Instead of worrying, pray.
Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers,
letting God know your concerns.
Before you know it,
a sense of God’s wholeness,
everything coming together for good,
will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.’
(Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

We can bring our concerns to God:
‘Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.’
‭‭(1 Peter‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

‘Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.’
‭‭(1Peter‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

His love can dispel our fears {if we let Him} for:
‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.’
‭‭(1 John‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

We have a powerful God to turn to -Who is greater than all things:
‘You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world'(1 John 4:4)

We need to focus on God rather than our problems. For:
‘Anxiety & fears are like baby tigers. The more you feed them the stronger they grow’
(Billy Graham)

We need to tune into God’s whispers rather than our insecurities:
‘When the cares of my heart are many, thy consolations cheer my soul’(Psalm 94:19-KJV)

‘Whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.’
‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭1:33‬ ‭ESV)

‘Forget about self confidence- it’s useless –
cultivate God- confidence’
(I Cor 10 MSG)

There’s plenty to worry about – but worry doesn’t diminish any stress. We don’t have capacity to deal will anxiety- but God does:
‘For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.’
‭‭(1 John‬ ‭3:18-20‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

In this world there will always be trouble. Bad things happen to good people. We are living in a broken world where it feels like no news is good news. But no matter what,we can place our confidence in God.

‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.’
‭‭(Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

We can place our hope & confidence in God & thrive rather than just survive:
‘But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.’
‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

‘Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.’
‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7-8‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

I like that phrase- serene & calm – though often I’m the opposite. We can gain calmness by being rooted deep in Him.

Often we worry about things that haven’t happened & that might never happen. When we do, we’re just sitting on that rocking chair getting nowhere!

‘So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.’
(Matthew‬ ‭6:34‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

‘Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.
God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.’
‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6:30-34‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

‘Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.'(Charles Spurgeon)

We have choices to make to maintain a tranquil mind:
‘Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.’
(Henry Ward Beecher)

If you’re like me, it’s not just the tomorrows you worry about- it’s the yesterdays. Overthinking what’s already happened is futile. We need to leave it with God who understands our situations & forgives us quicker than we forgive ourselves.

Take heart:
‘The Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.’
(CS Lewis)

So, be present:
‘Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up.’
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Keep looking up:
‘Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow;
the same Everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day.
Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace then,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations’
(St Francis De Sales)

‘Trust in the Lord forever, for the LORD, the LORD is the Rock Eternal’ (Isa 26:4)

Blessings,

Ruthx

Just three words

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I used to love listening to ‘Just three words’ on Radio 2 drive time. Listeners texted snippets of their news into the radio station in just three words. eg:

School Play Tonight

Broken finger ouch!

Yummy Birthday Cake

Peppermint tea please

Brand new puppy

Homework’s all done

Although the above three words are about relatively minor life events, it got me thinking about the power of words. Just three words:

God is love

If you ever land in Dublin airport, you’ll see those words on a steeple as you walk out of the terminal. The Bible declared it first in 1 John‬ ‭4:8‬: ‘God is love.’ The essence of God is love. At the heart of God there’s love- true love.

God loves you

I read this on a handmade wooden sign hung on a tree between Ballywalter & Ballyhalbert last week. And it’s true. We may feel unlovely or unloveable but we are never unloved. We are loved by the One who knows us best- our Creator God.

‘Knowing God is love is not the same as knowing God loves you’ (Ann Voskamp)

‘You are loved. Rest in your God-breathed worth’(Sarah Bessey)

God so loved

‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’
(‭‭John‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

God so loved that He gave. He gave His One & Only Son.

Love came down

God,
whose very essence is love,
sent His Love down to our little planet &
wrapped Love in flesh & swaddling clothes.
Love walked earth’s dusty, well-trod paths.
Love grew and gave.
Love brought hope to the hurting,
total healing to the sick,
sunsets and rainbows to the blind,
walking & leaping to the lame.

Love gave,
and kept on giving
to a world dying to know true Heaven-sent Love.

When Love’s God-appointed Day arrived,
Love gave Himself for us-
Love nailed to a cross,
yet held there by Love-
that we, the unlovely,
would know that we are truly, deeply loved by God.

But,
even brutal crucifixion could not kill Love,
for, Love rose with the sunrise in the garden,
and returned to heaven in a cloud.

Now Love dwells in the hearts of those who believe in faith

God’s love speaks

God tells of His love in His Word- the Bible.

He has given us everything we need for life & godliness- His great & precious promises. (2 Peter 1:3&4)

‘Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.’
(2 Timothy 3:17 MSG)

Grounded in love

We can be secure in God’s love ‘rooted and grounded in love’ (Eph 3:17) & begin to grasp its vast dimensions.

Love makes everything grow! (Including us!)

Impacted by love

‘If we were all to live as how we are loved – everything would change’
(Sarah Bessey)

Love one another

‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.’
‭‭(John‬ ‭13:34‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

‘Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out’
‭‭(Hebrews‬ ‭10:24MSG‬‬)

‘Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.’
(1 Peter‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

I Corinthians 13:4 reminds us:

Love is patient

Love is kind

True love is more than words, for:

Love’s a verb

‘Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.’
‭‭(1 John‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

I’ve been listening to audiobooks by Bob Goff. The titles speak volumes Love Does & Everybody, Always about becoming love.

Love lives here

This is the title of Bob’s wife Maria’s book, about love at home.She wrote:
‘We all don’t need to do big things, but we can do equally important things.’

Love builds up
(1 Cor 8:1)

Love never fails
(1 Cor 13:8)

Love never ends

I watched the new purple gliders ‘glide’ through Ballyhackamore as I took my morning caffeine.

Just up the road at Stormont Presbyterian they’d created an acronym on their purple billboard:

God’s Love Is Deep Everlasting Redeeming

There’s great truth & forgiveness in the redeeming, never-ending, eternal love of God.

‘So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.’
‭‭(1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:13‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Always remember- no matter what else you’re thinking on this journey called life:

You are loved

Blessings,

Ruthx

My bothy

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–A refuge for the troubled mind

I’d completely forgotten the word bothy until we discovered Bothy Coffee this summer.

In Scotland Bothy means a small hut that walkers can shelter in eg Ernie’s Bothy in Balmoral Estate or closer to home Salt Island Bothy on Strangford Lough is accessible by canoe

I like the idea of a bothy- somewhere to shelter in the mountains or by the Lough as we discover & explore the wilderness!

I like the thought of God being like a bothy.

A refuge. A haven. A shelter.

‘The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.’
(Nahum 1:7 ESV)

‘You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.’
(Psalms 119:114 ESV)

And His Word is trustworthy:
‘This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.’
(Psalms 18:30 ESV)

‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”‘
(Psalms 91:1-2 ESV)

In this bothy, our Father God is so close that we are under His shadow & we are shielded by God Himself.

A bothy is not for glamping . It’s a simple hut to protect from the elements.

And so with God our bothy. In troubled times He has promised to provide needs – not our wants.

He gives comfort rather than keeping us comfortable.

He gives shelter in the storms of life. Sometimes He calms the storm & sometimes He calms His child- tear-stained & heavy-hearted in the bothy.

‘You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not recorded in Your book?’
(PSALM 56:8 AMP)

The One who scattered the stars collects our tears. He knows our name & He knows our hearts. And He still loves us.

We can’t go back to change events that caused the storm. We can’t erase our mistakes or undo our past. But we can come to our God & find shelter in the difficult days & peace in the dark chapters.

We can share our heart as we pray to our Maker. We can trust Him at all times, through all our days.

‘On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah’
(Psalms 62:7-8 ESV)

Blessings

Ruthx

*Photo – Mountain Hut in Lauterbrunnen taken by Rob

In Christ

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I’m grateful for another surprisingly sunny day (right at the end of summer) spent in this area of outstanding natural beauty-in the middle of the Ards Peninsula! A good place to be & great position to be in!

But our position is more than:

our GPS co-ordinates on this planet,
our location as posted on Facebook,
our step on the ladder or social class,
our status, or branch on the family tree.

It’s better than our rank in the race,
in the company,
or where we are in life
and love.

The only position that truly matters & counts for time & eternity

is our position in Christ

i.e. whether we are in Christ

or not.

Whether we are in a relationship with Him {by trusting Him for forgiveness} …or not

As Christians, our true identity, deepest meaning , & unshakable security are all in Christ alone.

In Christ is the best place to be,
the ONLY place to be,
to truly BE ,
& really live {not just exist }

It’s the difference between:

light & darkness
peace & anxiety
heaven & hell

In Christ is not always an easy place to be.

Jesus said there would be trouble(John 14)

However, He also said that He was greater than any trouble we would face:
‘I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (John 16:33 AMP)

The greatest blessing is the blessing of being in Christ

‘For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment’ (Colossians 1:15-18 MSG)

We are ‘a people whose life in Jesus’

For He said: ‘I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of’. (John 10:10 MSG)

When we are in Christ we have:

unlimited grace,
undeserved blessings,
unending love.

Indeed, day by day, we are living in pure grace (Rom 12:6 MSG)

We experience grace heaped upon grace (John 1:16)

Yet often we are unaware of the immensity of pure grace & incessant love from God in heaven above.

For,in Christ, we live a life filled with outrageous, audacious grace.

‘It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.’ (Ephesians 1:11, 12 MSG)

‘He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.’ (Ephesians 1:7-10 MSG)

‘For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.’ (Eph1:4-6)

These verses convey amazing truth, echoed in the words of this modern hymn:

‘LOVED BEFORE THE DAWN OF TIME,
Chosen by my Maker,
Hidden in my Saviour:
I am His and He is mine,
Cherished for eternity.’
(Stuart Townend)

We are brought into the privileged position of being in Christ, through grace:
‘being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 3:24 NKJV)

‘He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time’(2 Timothy 1:9NIV)

‘Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.’ (Romans 3:21-24 MSG)

In Christ, we are adopted:
‘So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith’ (Gal 3:26)

In Christ, we are transformed:
‘if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come’ (2Cor 5:17)

In Christ, we are freed from guilt:
‘Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ’ (Rom 8:1)

In Him we have all that we need!

In Him we are complete, totally complete in body, soul, mind &spirit.

In Him we have real, abundant, everlasting life.

Outside of Him,
apart from Him,
aside from Him,

we are nothing:

-a dead twig
-an empty page
-a lifeless body

‘But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.’ (Ephesians 2:13)

We are:
Chosen & called
Flawed but forgiven
Found & treasured
Redeemed & restored

We have :
Power & purpose

We are:
Beloved & blessed

In Christ!

As this popular anthem declares:

‘In Christ alone
My hope is found
He is my light my strength my song’
(Getty & Townend)

We can be
strong in His strength,
bright in His light

‘For in you I find my dwelling place
In you I find amazing grace
In you I find security
Jesus you are all I need’
(Kari Jobe –Dwelling Place)

In Christ we have ‘strength for today & bright hope for tomorrow’

If we are in Christ, we can declare:
‘Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.’ (Philippians 4:13MSG)

So,
‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.’ (Eph 1:3)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Edited from post originally published at http://www.blessedme.co.uk

Undo

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On social media we tend to project the best version of ourselves- the edited glossy digital version with a Pinterest perfect back drop

Normally, in real life things are far from perfect. If you’re like me you manage to function professionally at work- yet unravel at home.

We get stressed & take it out on our nearest & dearest who are trying to help. We walk our proverbial dirty boots all over our homes.

In moments like these we feel that we need the ‘Undo’ button for life’s mistakes.

The Good News is:
‘your God is so big He doesn’t live in boxes but your gritty grace filled life’
(Ann Voskamp)

God is with us in the middle of the messy daily grind.

Thankfully, God is a God of second chances, of third, fourth & fifth chances. The Risen Lord who made breakfast for Peter (after he had denied him) will meet with us in our daily lives.

‘The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.’
(Psalm 103:8&9)

God loves us when we least deserve it. All we bring to the relationship is our sin. Yet,He came to seek & save us. And when we trust Him we are forever blessed by the overflowing mercy & grace of God.

‘Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”(Luke 5:31NIV) Now, that’s a slogan for  a poster in our waiting room!

Jesus continued, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32 NIV)

We all need the Great Physician’s healing touch on our lives, for according to Romans 3:23, we have all sinned. There are no exceptions.

One morning in church the sermon was based on these verses:
‘Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.’
(1 Timothy 1:15-16 NIV)

When we come to Him for forgivness, our God can undo our sins:
‘For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.’
(Psalm 103:11,12 NIV)

God’s love is deeper than our failings, flaws & shortcomings.

‘The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.’
(Tim Keller)

Ann of Green Gables said, ‘Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it’ (yet!)

Everyday is a new opportunity to experience the faithful love & inexhaustible mercy of God:

‘The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.’
(Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT)

‘Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.’
(Psalm 32:1 NIV)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Edited from original post at http://www.blessedme.co.uk

Created to create

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A favourite family pastime is visiting new independent coffee shops. One recent discovery was 5A in Stranmillis, Belfast.

As you know from this page I love collecting quotes. In one of the magazines in 5A ‘The Duncairn’ I read this:

‘Creativity belongs to the artist in each of us. To create means to relate. The root meaning of the word art is ‘to fit together’ and we all do this every day.

Not all of us are painters but we are all artists. Each time we fit things together we are creating – whether it is to make a loaf of bread, a child, a day.’
(Corita Kent)

I liked the quote more when Google told me that Corita Kent was a nun- who created pop art!

I love that idea that we are all artists.

My daughter is truly creative. I can just about draw a stick man while Caris achieved A* in GCSE Art.

Few of us can draw or paint masterpieces but we all have the imprint of our Creative God on our lives.

His handiwork is displayed in the awesome brushstrokes across the sky at daybreak & sunset. In star-studded nights. In fingerprints & heartbeats.

And we are made in His image.

‘For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.’
‭‭(Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

The Greek term here translated ‘masterpiece’ or ‘workmanship’ (poiema) is the word from which we get our English word ‘poem.’

‘Being his workmanship doesn’t mean we are all poets. It means we are all poems, individual created works of a creative God. And this poetry comes out uniquely through us as we worship, think, love, pray, rest, work, and exist.’
(Emily P Freeman)

C S Lewis said “We are a divine work of art.”

And we are God’s masterpiece, not because of anything we have done. But because of God & His gift of grace:
‘God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.’
‭‭(Ephesians‬ ‭2:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

In the Old Testament God used artisans to build the tabernacle. Bezalel was ‘filled with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze,in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. ‘(Exodus 31:1-5)

Today we ‘are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.’
‭‭(1 Peter‬ ‭2:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬) We don’t just go to church- we are the church.

As living stones we are all different. Our individual creativity is unique. But we are created to create good things designed by God the creator of all.

What are you created to create?

*Nourishing food

*Melody & harmony

*Words that build up souls

*Small group encouragement

*Childrens’ programmes

*Barista coffee & artisan cake

*Photograph memories

*Pastel paintings

* Space in your schedule to listen

*A welcoming home

*A happy childhood

‘There’s no way to be a perfect writer, painter, birthday cake maker but there’s a million ways to be a good one.’
(Holley Gerth)

So be you & do your thing!

It’s liberating to ponder that life is more than following rules. It’s about being & becoming who we were created to be!

‘For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.’
(Philippians‬ ‭2:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

We create not just in our day jobs but in the margins of our days:

‘When our days aren’t filled to the brim, we have more capacity to feed our creativity, be present with others, tend to our own souls, and be attentive to God being with us.

May God renew your spirit, bless you with creativity, and give you a zest for life as you seek out small spaces to find inspiration.’
(Katherine Butler)

‘No moment is useless, no day void, when shaped by the creative power of love.’
(Sally Clarkson)

So, ‘Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.’
‭‭(Colossians‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Consider ‘What’s in your hand?‘

Ask God what He has prepared for you to create with Him today.

For, you are created to create!

Blessings,

Ruthx

PS You might like:

You are His workmanship-Desiring God

Three questions to help you discover what you were created to create– Living by Design

When you dare to be who you are– Emily P Freeman

And if you like your indy coffee –The Independent Coffee Guide no. 2

Running toward rainbows

curlysue028

I hadn’t ran for over 3 weeks due to an injury so I was determined to lace up my ASICS & get going. The clouds over Strangford Lough at the Narrows looked threatening. Usually I feel blessed to live & work in an area of outstanding natural beauty. But that day I felt overwhelmed & annoyed at myself that I’d been clumsy enough to fall. And annoyed that I still had a niggling pain in my left shin even after 3 weeks relative rest! Sure enough the rain fell. But I didn’t mind getting wet, I just wanted to feel more relaxed!

Then, I looked up & a rainbow appeared between the clouds & rain! It was such a powerful reminder of God’s presence on a very ordinary Tuesday in August!

As you know, the first rainbow appeared after the flood, after the ark rested & the water subsided.

In the calm after the storm God said “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
(Genesis 9:16 NIV)

The rainbow is a reminder of God’s promises in the storms of life, & the aftermath that ensues. It is a visual reminder that we can hold on to hope in the worst of times.

‘His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises’
(2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV)

There are so many great & precious promises:

*The promise of adoption into God’s family, if we believe:

‘Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God’
(John 1:12 NIV)

*The promise of relationship:

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
(Revelation 3:20 NIV)

*The promise of strength:

‘but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’
(Isaiah 40:31 NIV)

*The promise of His presence:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
(Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

*The promise of His presence, no matter what:

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am GOD, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior.”
(Isaiah 43:2-3MSG)

*The promise of His presence, always:

‘God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.”
(Hebrews 13:5-6 NIV)

*The promise of sustaining grace:

‘Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.’
(Psalm 55:22 NIV)

*The promise of a future:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
(Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)

*The promise of guidance:

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.’
(Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

Which promises are most precious to you?

Whatever this week brings, run toward rainbows for:
‘His every promise is enough for every step I take’
(Keith & Kristyn Getty)

Blessings,

Ruth x

PS Edited from a post originally on http://www.blessedme.co.uk

The soundtrack for all our days

curlysue028

‘Music is the invisible sound that releases the grip of obscure emotions’

If a picture paints one thousand words then a song can evoke a thousand memories!

Pachelbel’s Canon in D is one such song. The first time I remember hearing it was when I was a final year medical student holding a patient’s leg during a hip replacement in Dundee!I’m sure that this practice is no longer allowed as much for health & safety reasons, as limited educational value! But, while the surgeon operated back then, I was enchanted by the soothing music & decided that I would walk up the aisle to that tune.

I was disappointed to learn that my idea was not an original one- Canon in D has featured in the film ‘Father of the bride’ & countless other wedding ceremonies!

I did walk down the aisle to this special melody one week after graduating. And, years later I watched my children walk down another aisle as pageboy & flower girl when Linda & Graeme got married, accompanied by string quartet playing Pachelbel’s Canon.

I wouldn’t say that I’m a melomaniac i.e. someone with an overly great enthusiasm for music. But, I can still remember my heart thumping as we rose from our seats during the Hallelujah Chorus in the Waterfront Hall one Christmas BC (Before Children)

I can clearly recall deep feelings of gratitude that welled up deep inside as Casting Crowns sang ‘Praise You in the Storm’ at a concert a few years ago in Belfast. Similar feelings were evoked when I heard Rend Collective sing ‘Finally Free’ at their home church in Bangor.

There’s truth in these words:
‘Music is a piece of art that goes in the ears & straight to the heart’

‘Music is what feelings sound like.’

Last Christmas, a Spotify subscription helped bring flash-backs over 20yrs to tunes from the 80s & 90s.Aha & the Pet Shop Boys were streaming through the air waves at the touch of a screen!

A few Christmases ago, Santa brought Caris & Ethan original iPod shuffles in blue & pink. The shuffles were marketed as providing the soundtrack to life. That slogan made me think:

If life is our story- which music is the soundtrack?

*There’s a song to be seen

Creation proclaims God-songs day by day. Sunsets & bluebells, seascapes & mountain peaks, starlight & snowflakes:

‘Creation sings the Father’s song;
He calls the sun to wake the dawn
And run the course of day
Till evening falls in crimson rays.
His fingerprints in flakes of snow,
His breath upon this spinning globe’
(Keith Getty)

We, as God’s forgiven children also proclaim His songs:

‘He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.’
(Psalm 40:3 NIV)

Everyday, in our ordinary lives, we are a song to be seen.

‘Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.’
(Romans 12:1-the Message)

As Casting Crowns’ pray:
‘May my life-song sing to you’

Or, as Robert Robinson wrote in 1757:

‘Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise’

*There’s a song to be heard:

If we still our souls, we will hear the song God is singing over us:

‘For the LORD your God is living among you.
He is a mighty saviour.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’
(Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)

‘The Lord will send His faithful love by day;
His song will be with me in the night-a prayer to the God of my life.’
(Psalms 42:8 HCSB)

As we listen to the soundtrack of our life, our heart’s desire should be:

‘Stir in me the songs that you are singing’ (Stuart Townend)

God’s song inspires us to sing even when we don’t feel like it.

‘A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song’
(Maya Angelou)

And our song is our God:

‘The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him-my father’s God, and I will exalt him! (Exodus 15:2 NLT)

‘My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.’
(Psalm 57: 7& 10)

Selah

Blessings,

Ruth x

PS Listen to ‘Singing over me‘ (Kari Jobe)

*Edited from post originally posted at http://www.blessedme.co.uk

Held

curlysue028

Although I’ve learned to travel light, I always make room for my running gear. I may not run long or fast or often on holiday but even if I run once I’m satisfied it was worth making the space!

The first run on last year’s road trip was in Lauterbrunnen Switzerland-the valley of waterfalls, in the shadow of the mighty Jungfrau (4158m) Apparently it was the inspiration for Tolkien’s Rivendale & the location of the North Face Mountain Festival last year.

I ran from our Campsite along the river past waterfalls. I heard the roar of the Tummelbach falls – 20,000 litres per second from Alpine glaciers! It was almost too much awesomeness before breakfast!

The sun continued to rise & bathed the rock faces in a golden glow.

As I ran I was reminded of the words of a short poem that I read long ago – in a book by Joni Erickson Tada:

‘The hands that found it nothing strange,
To carve out a mountain range
Or ladle out a sea
Are holding and moulding me!’

Our Creator God who formed the Alps formed our heart & soul. The hands that hold planets in orbit are holding us!

As I ran back toward the campsite a guy landed effortlessly in the field in front- descending from high above with a parachute holding him in place!

Our lives can go too quickly from solid & steady into freefall. God holds us in place like a parachute! His power & promises can stop us from crash-landing.

‘We who hold on to all the wrong things are held tight by the love of the unchanging, unfading, one true God.
We don’t hold tight because we’ve figured this out.
We hold tight because He holds us’
(Amanda Bible Williams-She Reads Truth)

‘I wish you knew how much I long
For you to understand
No matter what may happen, child
I’ll never let go of your hand.
(Don Francisco)

‘Sometimes holding tight will feel more like hanging on, but don’t give up. Don’t believe the lie that you should let go. God holds you. Hold tight to Him’
(Amanda Bible Williams-She Reads Truth)

‘But even though your heart itself,
Should lose the will to stand
No matter what may happen, child
I’ll never let go of your hand’
(Don Francisco)

Whatever we face, we can rest in the truth that we are held by the One who holds all things together:
‘He will hold me fast‘

‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’
(Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Blessings

Ruth x