Tag: life

Believe

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Believe
verb– accept that (something) is true, to have confidence in the truth

‘Be who you are, and not who you think you cannot be.’
(Claire Díaz-Ortiz, The Better Life: Small Things You Can Do Right Where You Are)

Maybe you are different to me & made of stronger stuff. But my mind gets clouded quickly.I can forget easily.

I mean, I can accept this as fact on a mellow Sunday afternoon:

I am a child of God. Abba’s child.

But the truth can evaporate quickly when the reality of a Monday morning kicks in before my coffee does. Or when I’m triggered & my short fuse blows. Big time.When I’m the worst version of myself. When I fail even by my standards. When can’t even love me- let alone anyone else.

Yet, even when I think I’m doing well, my efforts will never be good enough- ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬) ‘We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags’
‭‭(Isaiah‬ ‭64:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

The only thing we bring to the equation of salvation is our sin.

But God… {perhaps the biggest BUT in time & eternity}:
‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’
(‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NIV)

‘It’s not about our character- it’s about His’ (Michele Cushatt)

We need to preach this Gospel to ourselves- often.

‘God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be.’ (Brennan Manning)

‘God’s love is not based on you but placed on you’
(Lysa Terkheurst)

Thankfully our relationship with God is based on His eternal love, amazing mercy & audacious grace.

Not our feelings & failings.
Not our best efforts.
But God stepping in with love,mercy & grace.

I am His & He is mine

Fully known yet forever loved

I am a child of God.

Abba Father, I do believe. Help my unbelief.

For, ‘faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances.’
(CS Lewis )

Abba Father, we trust in You. It’s all about You:
‘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 ‭3:23&24‬ ‭MSG)

‘Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power].’
(ROMANS‬ ‭5:2‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

We are truly loved by God‬‬. If we began to grasp & believed the enormity of this truth, it could make all the difference in the world.

‘Sooner or later we must distinguish between what we are not and what we are. We must accept the fact that we are not what we would like to be. We must cast off our false, exterior self like the cheap and showy garment that it is .We must find our real self, in all its elemental poverty, but also in its great and very simple dignity: created to be the child of God, and capable of loving with something of God’s own sincerity and his unselfishness.’
(Thomas Merton)

‘You have stories worth telling, memories worth remembering, dreams worth working toward, a body worth feeding, a soul worth tending, and beyond that, the God of the universe dwells within you, the true culmination of super and natural. You are more than dust and bones. You are spirit and power and image of God.’
(Shauna Niequist)

‘You are who God says you are’
(UCB)

‘In your greatest moments,
you are never more than a sinner embraced by the love & mercy of God, forgiven at the expense of the death of His Son.
And in your most broken times,
you are never less than a daughter of the king,
a chosen child of the Father,
& an inheritor of every blessing in Christ’
(Valerie Murphy)

And in the good times and the bad, our Abba Father draws near:
‘He comes to me where I live and loves me as I am.’
(Brennan Manning)

Jesus said, “Make yourselves at home in My love”
(John 15:9 MSG)

Abide
Dwell
Remain in His love

Feel at home in this love.

Home is where the heart is

Believe in your heart, not just your head.

Believe you are who God says you are.

‘You were only meant, created, commanded to be who you are’
(Shauna Niequist)

‘I’m not looking for a better version of myself, but a truer version of who I have always been: loved, cherished, beautiful, strong.'(Alia Joy)

I am a child of God. Abba’s child.

Believe:

‘It is enough & everything to belong to God & know it’
(Dale Hanson Bourke)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Abba’s child

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‘One of the tragedies of our life is that we keep forgetting who we are’
(Henri J M Nouwen-Here&Now)

‘Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is an illusion’
(Brennan Manning)

Many of us struggle with identity- who we are & where we fit in this planet. We can become distracted & develop spiritual amnesia, forgetting who & Whose we really are

If we have turned to God & trusted in Him for forgiveness, we are now a child of God:
‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.’
(‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

‘See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are!’
(‭‭1 JOHN‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

Back in Easter 1988 I trusted in God as my Saviour- I was adopted into the family of God, along with countless others who have called to God in Jesus’ Name through the years:

‘But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.’
‭‭(Galatians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

We can call God our Father in heaven. Or “Abba!” (Daddy) We are adopted.

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
(‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“I have called you by name- you are mine!”Isaiah 43:1)

Adoption was once a somewhat abstract concept to me. But this Easter changed that- as I met for the first time three children adopted into the Canez branch of the Coulter family tree!

One photo taken to celebrate their adoption contained a chalkboard with four words written on it:

*Wanted
*Chosen
*Loved
*Adopted

The Bible uses these words to describe our relationship with God:

‘just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will– to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ].’
(‭‭EPHESIANS‬ ‭1:4-6‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

We need to read & re-read these deep truths & embed them into our hearts & minds.

‘So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.’
(‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:15-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

We are no longer a slave to fear- we are children of God. Speak this truth to yourself again & again.

The only Perfect Parent is God our Heavenly Father. He can be trusted. He is a Good Good Father. He is love & He loves us.

‘For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. 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)

Yet, we can forget Whose we are. Over years, our close relationship with God can drift.We can turn away from Him & chose to go our own way.

Many of us are prodigals. Of course, we’re still our Father’s children – nothing can change that. But we’re certainly not close to our Father- we’re living in a distant land, far from the Father’s house. We’ve squandered His riches, freely given to us. We’re missing out on the privileges of His children – we’re searching for scraps in the pigsty when we could be feasting at His table.

Maybe today, we need to come home, to return to our Father’s house, to feel the warmth of His embrace and the unspeakable joy of a restored relationship. There’ll be no anger, or awkward questions, just His tender voice saying, “Welcome home” and His deep unconditional love- the love that He’s been aching to show us while we were apart. And we’ll wonder why we were away so long – away from our Father’s house, but we’ll realise that we were never, never away from our Father’s love.

‘You may go through seasons
Of sun & wind & rain.
You may tread the desert
And in out of pain.
You may run through years
Wondering if you’re good enough,
But you will never run too far
That you’re outside of His love.’
(Morgan Harper-Nichols)

We may be unlovely at times but we are never unloved!

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

‘How glorious the splendour of a human heart that trusts that it is loved’
(Brennan Manning)

Blessings,

Ruthx

PS ‘Abba’s child’ is the title of a book:

*Abba’s Child:the cry of the heart for intimate belonging- Brennan Manning 1994

Photo by Liane Metzler on Unsplash

Easter 1988

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Easter 1988. It’s over 30 years ago now, yet happy memories are etched forever.

Fun & fellowship at the Immanuel Church Easter Youth Weekend.

There was friendly banter & deep chats. There were campfires on the beach under star studded skies.

And on the Sunday night our speaker- Gerald Titmus spoke. I don’t remember what he said but as he spoke, the Spirit moved in at least eight lives.

One thing I recall was Gerald saying that in God’s eyes there were just two categories of humans- those who are trusting in Jesus to forgive their sins & those who are not. Race, colour, gender, religion & good works are irrelevant in the big picture. Just going to church wasn’t enough. We were all sinners in deep need of a Saviour.

Instantly I realised which category I was in & I wanted to change it. I prayed a simple prayer- & asked God to forgive my sins & come into my life. And He did.

The next day our youth leader Ivis shared this promise with me:
“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)

It’s a beautiful picture- Jesus knocking & waiting for us to respond to His offer of forgiveness. Yet, He also said:
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last”
(‭‭John‬ ‭15:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

‘None of us is the leading character in the story of our lives. God is the larger context and plot in which all our stories find themselves.’
(Eugene Petersen)

God is at work in our broken sin-stained lives. He is our Creator & Recreator when we turn to Him in faith:

‘GOD made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him’
(‭‭Psalm‬ ‭18:20 ‭MSG‬‬)

‘God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.’
(Psalm 18:24 MSG)

For me, responding to Jesus’ invitation that night was like a light switch. For others the realisation of truth is more gradual- like the sunrise. The dawning of the truth of knowing. God rather than merely knowing about Him. This makes all the difference in the world -for time & eternity

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
‭‭(John‬ ‭17:3‬ ‭ESV)

Before we left Ballycastle to go back to ‘normal’ life in Belfast, Ivis shared another verse. Another promise from God:
“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)

God is our Help & Strength through life-no matter what.
Before He died,Jesus promised a Helper within:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,”
‭‭(John‬ ‭14:16‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

As believers, we have the Spirit of God within. So,
‘What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.’
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

At the campfire we praised the Creator of the ocean crashing on to beach beside us- the same One who had scattered those stars above us. We worshipped our Heavenly Father who sent His Son to die in our place & gave His Spirit to endue us with everything we need in this journey called life.

We sang:
‘Jesus my Saviour is alive
And I can feel His power
He guides each step & holds my hand
And I know He understands’

And those words are as true now as they were then:
‘For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.’
(‭‭Psalm‬ ‭48:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Glimpses of God

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It’s felt like a long winter. But now, there’s daffodils in the vase, tete a tete on the doorstep & crocuses creating colour on local roundabouts. It’s that time of year when new life bursts from the dark ground & seemingly lifeless twigs.

In spring,more so than during other seasons, creation tells our Father’s story. For,

‘Our Lord has written resurrection not in books alone—but in every leaf in springtime.’
(Martin Luther)

The Greatest Artist’s brush strokes are majestically displayed at sunrise & sunset- from dawn to dusk.

In our simple daily life, God is closer than we think. Closer than we realise. As close as we want Him to be.

One night last year, sleep had eluded me. I was trying not to be anxious-especially as the preacher had proclaimed that worrying is a sin. Yet, as is often the case, God met me in my weakness, & gave me grace for that moment.

I looked up above through the velux window. The clear night sky was scattered with stars- the Milky Way twinkled right above our house!

I stargazed for a moment, & recalled a quote:
‘Don’t wish up on a star- pray to the One who made them!’

I smiled, grateful for the reminder.
‘He counts the stars and calls them all by name.’
(Psalms 147:4 NLT)

He also knows our names, our story, our joys & our troubles.

We have glimpses of God when we need strength, when we calm our troubled souls enough to see.

Two years ago I attended the Kingdom Women Conference at Willowfield Parish. Sunlight cascaded through the stain glass window as we began to praise. Powerful words that were new to me retold the familiar story & I caught a powerful glimpse of the God of Easter:

‘I cast my mind to Calvary
Where Jesus bled and died for me.
I see His wounds,His hands, His feet.
My Saviour on that cursed tree

His body bound and drenched in tears
They laid Him down in Joseph’s tomb.
The entrance sealed by heavy stone
Messiah still and all alone

O praise the name of the Lord our God
O praise His name forever more
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord, oh Lord our God

And then on the third at break of dawn,
The Son of heaven rose again.
O trampled death where is your sting?
The angels roar for Christ the King

O praise the name of the Lord our God
O praise His name forever more
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord, oh Lord our God

He shall return in robes of white,
The blazing Son shall pierce the night.
And I will rise among the saints,
My gaze transfixed on Jesus’ face’

{O Praise The Name (Anástasis)-by Hillsong}

Anastasis is the Greek word for resurrection – the audacious truth that Jesus died, trampled death, rose to life & will return one day soon.

Our God is God of life & death, Creator of resurrection & rebirth, Giver of Truest life- turning even the darkest winter of the soul to spring eternal

When we catch a glimpse of God, when we gaze into the truth of His Word, we find hope when things seem hopeless. We can grasp God’s unending love, no matter what:

‘And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—
not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—
indeed, nothing in all creation
will ever be able to separate us from the love of God
that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
(Romans 8:38-39 NLT)

Blessings,

Ruthx

The path less travelled

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I’ve been mulling over the thought of wandering along a path that’s less travelled since I read these words:

‘The road not taken

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.’
(Robert Frost)

The concept of choosing between two paths in life is not a new one:
This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”(Jeremiah 6:16 NIV)

Jesus Himself spoke of the narrow path to true life:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV)

On Jesus’ authority, there’s only one way to enter this narrow path that leads to eternal life with God:
‘Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”John 14:6 NIV)

The difference between the busy highway through life & the narrow path is the difference between trusting God & doing our own thing. It’s deciding to please ourselves versus living for God. This makes all the difference in the world ( & the next)

The most important decision we can make is the faith-filled declaration:
‘I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back!’

Of course we won’t always stay on track. We may go off the narrow path- wandering astray at times like sheep. But our Good shepherd will get us back on course.

He will guide us through lush green pastures & verdant valleys with pleasant vistas to the mountain tops where we gasp at the grandeur of grace.

It is not an easy path. It can be strenuous & challenging at times. It can lead to deep waters & fiery trials (Isaiah 43) & even through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23) At times we may not like the path at all. Oftentimes, we wouldn’t have chosen to go this particular route.

But,’Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations’ (unknown)

‘God takes us where we did not intend to go to produce in us that which we could not produce on our own. It’s called uncomfortable grace.’
(Paul Tripp)

Daily as we walk this narrow path, we need to channel our energies in their God-intended direction. We need to ask the Good Shepherd to guide us. For, there are questions that Google can’t answer, & places that sat. nav. can’t lead us to!

‘In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.’ (Proverbs 16:9 NIV)

I love the prayer of King David’s heart written centuries ago, as he walked the path of life:
‘Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. (Psalm 25:4, 5, 17 NIV)

And God’s promise in response applies as much to us as we seek to walk with God today:
‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.'(Psalm 32:8, 9 NIV)

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. (Psalms 32:8 NLT)

If you feel as though you are standing at the crossroads of life today, the easy highway stretches in front, & the narrow gate may seem insignificant.

Although, ‘Normality is a paved road’ (Van Gogh),please, ‘Don’t squander your precious life’ (Proverbs 8:33 MSG)

If you decide to follow God’s Way that involves ‘A long obedience in the same direction’ (Eugene Petersen) you will be overtaken by blessings:
‘And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. ‘(Deuteronomy 28:2 ESV)

You will have the blessing of having your sins forgiven, & the assurance of a God who walks the path of life with you.

And the goodness & mercy of God will pursue us along the path:
‘Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, forever. ‘(Psalm 23:6 NIV)

At the end of the path we will be welcomed into everlasting joy in our eternal Home by our Heavenly Father, the Good Shepherd:
‘You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.’ (Psalm 16:11 NIV)
‘and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ (Psalm 23:6 NIV)

As we travel along the path of life day by day to our destination,
‘The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.’
(Psalm 29:11 NIV)

Blessings,
Ruth x

What’s in your hand?

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Moses was going about his usual day to day business,looking after sheep at the ‘backside of the wilderness’, when God spoke directly to him (Exodus 3& 4)

After God told Moses to go to Pharaoh, & promised that He (the Great I AM) would be with Him, God asked, “What is that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2)

“A staff,” Moses replied.

God told Him to throw the staff on the ground & it became a snake. And so, the shepherd’s crook Moses used everyday, became a sign & wonder that He could take into Pharaoh’s court, as he stood before the most powerful man in Egypt on behalf of God & His people.

So,today “What is that in your hand?”

-A pen?
-A hammer & nails?
-A stethoscope?
-A bottle,a toy & a blanket & 101 other items recently gathered from the four corners of the house?
-A pile of laundry (clean or dirty!)?
-A mouse? (ie the sort connected to a computer rather than a fast furry ‘friend’!)
-A box to pack out on the shelves?
-An iphone/Samsung Galaxy/ Macbook/lap top?
-A handful of coins or a fistful of dollars?
-A Bible?
-A textbook or two?

God can take those objects & how we use in our everyday life, as a sign & wonder to point others to Him, when we offer our lives to Him. If we can give ourselves first to God, He can use us to bless others.

‘You can invite the glorious into the mundane’
(Christy Nockles)

Yet sometimes we are so busy waiting to do some big, great thing that we miss God-given opportunities in {seemingly} small things.

‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

Though we are saved through faith, there are good works planned for each of us to do.

It’s all about giving- first to God, then others.

As Winston Churchill said:
‘You make a living by what you earn
You make a life by what you give’

‘You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ‘(Acts 20:35 NLT)

It’s a matter of wherever & whatever:

‘Wherever you are, be all there!’
(Jim Elliot)

‘Whatever you are be a good one!’
(Abraham Lincoln)

‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might’(Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV)

‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord’ (Col 3:23)

So,
‘My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him.’ (Colossians 2:6MSG)

‘So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: 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, 2 MSG)

And,
‘Make today your masterpiece’
(John Wooden)

Blessings,

Ruthx

Be a good one!

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As you may recall from my post ‘Be all there’ I collect quotes. Another of my favourite quotes is:
‘Whatever you are be a good one’
(William Makepeace Thackeray)

Note the words read ‘Whatever you are‘ – not whatever you do.

So,what are you?

At a fundamental level:

‘You are more than dust & bones
You are spirit & power & image of God
(Shauna Niequist)

We are designed by God & carry His imprint in our daily lives.

We are His workmanship:
‘For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship),
recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew]
that we may do those good works
which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us
[taking paths which He prepared ahead of time],
that we should walk in them
[living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
(Ephesians 2:10 AMPLIFIED)

Being good at what we are does include our occupation- those jobs that take up the bulk of our time & use most of our energy.

In our employment we are to have a good attitude that is counter-cultural:
‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord’
(Colossians 3:23 NIV)

‘The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.’
(Martin Luther)

To be good at our our vocations, we need to focus on our audience of One.
‘Integrity is doing the right thing when no-one else is watching’
(CS Lewis)

We will also have a lofty aim:
‘The smile of God is the goal of your life’
(Rick Warren)

But being a good one goes beyond our formal employment to reach into our multi-faceted lives, including our relationships. We are to be good wives, mothers, friends,encouragers,writers & members.

And especially today on UK Mothering Sunday, we need this reminder:
‘There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.’
(Jill Churchill)

I’ll admit there are many days when I don’t feel good at anything at all- & on those days I feel blessed to remember that I am not trying to earn God’s forgiveness by being good. Rather I am trying to walk worthy of my calling, in a life of gratitude for the forgiveness He has already given.

With God’s help we can be the best version of our imperfect selves- becoming all that He created us to be.

These words encourage me:
‘You can be much more for God than ever you know by just being yourself & relying on Him
Keep praying & playing & being yourself’
(Oswald Chambers)

Be yourself! Be the best you that you can be (with Your Designer’s help!) We don’t have to contrast our efforts to other’s attempts at being good ones (though comparison is our default setting)

‘We do not and will not all look alike. There is no cookie cutter mould for how we as women will serve our God. We each have our own story from where we came, where we are today and where we are going tomorrow.We are journeying together in this thing we call life.’
(Courtney Joseph)

We cannot be good at everything & we are not expected to do everything. We are called to do our best & be good at those things God has gifted us to do & planned for us.

Although we are different, we all have this in common:
‘We all have 168 hours in a week and one life to live.’
(Jessica Turner)

One life to live.

‘You don’t have a public life and a private life, you have one life, and it’s to be found in Christ’
(Christine Caine)

There’s no split between sacred & secular. In God’s eyes our life is undivided & unbroken. There is no segregation. He has given us the gift of one life, & the opportunity to live it well.

As we live to be good at what God created us to be, contemplate the words of A Worker’s Prayer:

‘Before You we kneel, our Master and Maker;
Establish the work of our hands.
And order our steps to seek first Your kingdom
In every small and great task.
May we live the gospel of Your grace,
Serve Your purpose in our fleeting days,
Then our lives will bring eternal praise
And all glory to Your great name.’

(Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Jeff Taylor, and Stuart Townend; © 2012)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Be all there!

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‘Wherever you are be all there.’

I collect quotes- & this is one of my favourites! It was written by a young missionary  named Jim Elliot- in the 1950s. It was written before mindfulness was a trendy concept, before digital distractions & social media.

He exhorts us to be fully engaged in the moment wherever we are, whatever we’re doing.

This very moment is where past, present & future intersect! Moments like these weave together to make the fabric of life.

If we aren’t ‘all there’ we can become oblivious to the important things in life as it rolls by. We can miss the daily blessings of the longest days & shortest years.

‘The past is frozen & can no longer flow. The present is lit up with eternal rays’
(CS Lewis)

How can we be ‘all there’?

We need to stay tuned in.
Focused.
Undistracted.
Engaged.
Intentional.

It’s relatively easy to think of examples when we aren’t all there:
*When we check & re-check our smart phones when we’re out for coffee/dinner with friends or family.

Nowadays we are always switched on & never unplugged!

The average smart phone user checks it 186 times a day. I read that checking our phones is as contagious as yawning!

*When we’re not really listening when someone is talking because we’re planning how to interject with our news at the next pause

*When we scroll down Facebook/Twitter/emails while our child talking is talking to us

Chances are, we won’t remember what we were reading but our child may recall later that we weren’t listening & how we made them feel. We need to give undivided attention to our children –especially when they interrupt us

*When we think about week ahead sitting in church rather than focusing our minds on meeting with God.

We need to train ourselves to block these distracting thoughts & listen to what God is trying to say

*When we ‘dual screen’ – eg scroll through e-mails or social media while watching TV.

Just focus on the story line & enjoy the movie. You’ll feel less frazzled!

To be ‘all there’:

*Don’t let the urgent squeeze out the important

*Don’t let the trivial impact the important

*Don’t let digital displace reality

To fully engage in this adventure called life we need to unplug, get off line & ‘out of office’

We need to appreciate the moment & savour the little things. For sometimes little things are actually big things in disguise.

And, you never know the last time you’re going to see a person or place.

‘We have this moment to hold in our hands
and to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand;
Yesterday’s gone and tomorrow may never come,
But we have this moment today.’
(Bill & Gloria Gaither)

Where ever you are :

*Pursue beauty
*Embrace grace
*Find joy
*Shine light
*Show hope
*Share peace

‘Wherever you are- be all there!’

God has dealt with your past, He’s in control of your future & He’s given this moment as a gift. Now is the present.

So,
‘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 6:34 MSG)

Blessings,

Ruth x

PS Jim Elliot also wrote these powerful words:
‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot loose’

He was martyred by Auca Indians in Ecuador in 1956.

One page at a time!

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This is a year where I plan to do less scrolling & more reading!

Yet I’m so guilty of tsundoku – the act of buying a book & leaving it unread- often stacked with other unread books!

Although I read a lot of posts and articles on the web, I was very disappointed with myself having only completed 10 books last year( especially since there’s plenty more still on the bookstack!)

Many find time to read so much more:

Claire Diaz-Ortiz can read 100+ books a year as well as looking after 3 tiny kids!

Of the books I read in 2017:

*My favourite non-fiction was Simply Tuesday by Emily P Freeman followed by Present over Perfect by Shauna Niequist

*My favourite fiction was All the light we do not see– a beautifully written story of a blind girl &Nazi boy in war-torn Europe.

The most difficult (though inspirational) read was The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts ( A young mum of four diagnosed with breast cancer- now at Home)

Out of sorts – making peace with an evolving faith by Sarah Bessey struck a chord with me.(And she’s speaking at the From where I stand conference in Bangor NI next month!)

I abandoned my Little book of Hygge after I almost cried in the downpours in Copenhagen last summer! I switched to Lagom -the Swedish art of balanced living. Just the right amount of everything!

The most enlightening book was The Road back to you – a painfully accurate path to self-discovery using the ancient wisdom of the enneagram. I’m a type 1 on a good day rapidly morphing into a badly behaving type 4 on a bad day- desperately hoping to become a better version of myself in 2018!

For inspiration of what (& what not) to read this year:

10 Fantastic books – Emily P Freeman

Best books of 2017 – Michelle Cushatt

The rights of a reader– illustrated by Quinten Blake

Reading better than before – Gretchen Rubin –

10 rules to read more books this year– Joel J Miller

How (not) to read next year-Jon Bloom

‘I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading. How much sooner one tires of anything other than a book!’
(Jane Austen)

‘You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.’ (CS Lewis)

So lets read through 2018 one page at a time!

Blessings

Ruth x

PS What’s on your book stack?

Be You!

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Another Royal Wedding is just around the corner. An estimated 2 billion people around the world watched the best of British pomp & ceremony when Prince William married Kate in 2011.Several commentators remarked that Prince William’s bride walked up the aisle as a ‘commoner’ -Catherine Middleton, but emerged as future Queen of England.

One thing that struck me, was the opening quote during the wedding address by the Bishop of London:
‘Be who God meant you to be & you will set the world on fire’ -St Catherine of Siena

Powerful words for anyone, on any occasion!

Powerful words because they are true, echoing several Bible verses:

‘Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t’ (Rom 12:6 MSG)

‘Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself.Don’t compare yourself with others.’ (Gal 6:4 MSG)

Yet, so often we DO compare ourselves with others- & we are so pre-occupied with trying to be like them, that we are not doing what God has designed us to do.

We are hand-made with love by God, & ‘It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for’ (Eph 1:11 MSG)

And when we think of who we truly are in Christ, we realise that we are no longer ‘commoners’, but children of the King of kings (Wow!)

Often I get frustrated by myself – when I look inside, I am not who I want to be & fall short of what I hope to be.

‘We are all a little broken. We don’t need more varnish. We need a carpenter’ (Bob Goff)

‘God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be.’ (Brennan Manning -Ragamuffin Gospel)

So, ‘Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion. God’s love for you and his choice of you constitute your worth. Accept that, and let it become the most important thing in your life.’
(Brennan Manning)

Blessings are ours because we are His!

So,‘Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can do with your own life’ (Gal 6:5 MSG)

‘Be yourself-everyone else is taken!’ (Oscar Wilde)

‘Be you- the world will adjust!’

‘Be who you are, and not who you think you cannot be.’ (Claire Diaz-Ortiz)

Let’s be who God created us to be.

Let’s be focused on that truth rather than getting distracted by damaging comparisons to others!

Why?
Because ‘the smile of God is the goal of your life’ (Rick Warren)

‘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.’
‭‭(Ephesians‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

‘How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.’
‭‭(Ephesians‬ ‭1:3-6‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruth x