Tag: story

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

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

Forever blessed…because of Him

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‘What’s so good about Good Friday?’ asked my young son after first reading about the suffering of Jesus for himself.

In most religious imagery Jesus is depicted as blood stained & thorn crowned- suffering & in anguish. We need to look beyond the narrative using the wide angled lens of God’s eternal perspective to see the ultimate good in Good Friday.

On that day eternity’s plan & Satan’s schemes intersected. Heaven & hell collided (not by chance but by Grand Design) On the cross wrath & mercy mingled like Jesus’ sweat & blood. And as love & grace flowed painfully, yet freely, the course of the cosmos shifted for all time & eternity .

On the cross we
‘See God’s salvation plan
Wrought in love
Borne in pain
Paid in sacrifice’
(Keith Getty)

The cross dissects history in two-before & after Christ. At the centre of history stands Jesus on the cross for, ‘in Him all things hold together’ (Colossians 1:16,17)

The cross is the pivotal point of the cosmos- everything in history & eternity revolves round Jesus who was there in the beginning with God & is God (John 1) It hinges on the fact that Jesus, the Lord of the universe & Lord of all was the Messiah-the Chosen One. Jesus was the Lamb of God- born in a manger & slaughtered on the cross.

He died that we might live.
He suffered that we may be healed.
His body was covered in midday darkness – so we could walk in His light.
He was separated from His Father God (Matthew 27:46) so that we don’t have to be.

He took our sin that we would have his righteousness. In this unthinkable exchange ‘God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’ (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)

‘Jesus was made sin, not a sinner but sin-a sin offering & a sacrifice for sin’ (Matthew Henry)

The wide angled lens of God’s sovriegnty captures all the pathos of the day – the awful, awesome, shocking fact that ‘God Himself gave Himself, to save us from Himself’ (John Stott)

Read that profound truth again:
‘God Himself
gave Himself,
to save us from Himself’

There are no words to follow on from that profound truth.

If we truly grasp the outrageous grace & audacious love of God, we are speechless:

‘Undone by mercy & left speechless
Watching wide eyed at the cost
May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross’
(‘The Wonder of the cross’-Vicky Beecher)

The cross symbolises the immensity of pure grace and the dimensions of God’s amazing love. Its breadth flows from one nail pierced hand to the other. Its height stretches from earth to sky-from hell to heaven.

Yet,
‘We live our lives & never really know
How loved we are, or how far love will go’
(Andrew Peterson)

So,tonight,
‘I pray that you may have the power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ’ (Ephesians 3:17,18)

And that you would respond to the amazing love in faith.

For, we are forever blessed because of Him, because of what He has done.
And that makes today & everyday truly, deeply Good!

Amen!

Blessings,

Ruthx

San souci {no worries!}

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Last summer we strolled around the grandeur of San Souci- in Potsdam outside Berlin. San Souci was the summer palace of Frederick the Great (King of Prussia)It’s just a short carriage ride away from his New Palace where he could showcase his wealth & power to the world.

Sans Souci is a French phrase meaning without worries or concerns. King Frederick planned to reside here carefree -leaving worries behind.

If only it was as easy as that! You & I know that worries can cling to us & fester in our minds -whether at home or on holiday.

Wherever we are, worry can overwhelm us & strangle our growth – as Jesus said in the parable of the Sower:
“The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.”
(Mark 4:18-19 MSG)

Worry can unsettle & distress us. We can be tossed & turned by the storms of life. Jesus knows us so well & still loves us.

He gently asks,”You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:26)

When we’re stressed by worries, we can forget that the Controller of the cosmos is so close. With just a word He calmed the chaos:
“Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”
(Matthew 8:26)

The One who quietened the waves can quiet us:
‘He will quiet you with His love’
(Zeph 3:17)

‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.’
(Isaiah 26:3 NIV)

We can breathe deeply & declare:
‘You are with me’
(Psalm 23:4)

Trusting in Him, we can live sans souci:
‘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)

In contrast to the smothered seed, we can be nourished & flourished:
‘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)

So,
‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.’
(1 Peter 5:7 NIV)

‘Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.’ (1Peter 5:7 MSG)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Run YOUR race

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Originally posted July 2017

This year my word for the year is Run – literally & metaphorically!

In the past week, despite the craziness of work I’ve ran 3 firsts:

Last Saturday I ran Ireland’s flattest half marathon at Clontarf for the first time. It was flat but the vital detail of 4 miles running on beach was omitted ! I didn’t get a PB but almost (Those who know me best will know I am disappointed with 2:02) Maybe next time!

It’s the first HM that I’ve been given doughnuts after – & they measured the distance in km rather than miles just to confuse me!

On 4th July I ran my first virtual race- 7km at 7 am for Tribe #run for love for human trafficking. I know I am truly an upholder as per Gretchen Rubin’ s four tendencies. I completed it in pouring rain through huge puddles with soaking feet ( & absolutely no one was watching-thankfully!)

On Friday I ran the Round the Springs 10k at Greyabbey. It cleared my head for sure – & there’s a vey unflattering photo of me on their Facebook page to prove I did it!

I’m not going to break any records or reach the podium!

I run so I can keep calm & carry on

I run so I can eat more chocolate!

I’m not expecting to run an ultra run or 100m sprint anytime soon.

But I run my race

As I’ve been pounding the pavements, I’ve been thinking about ‘Run your race’

With emphasis on your:

Run YOUR race

I first read this phrase on Claire Ortiz-Diaz’s blog

The phrase appears in the New Testament:

‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours!’
(‭‭1 Corinthians 9:24‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

We need to run our race not others. We can’t compare our race to others & we don’t have to run like them- we just need to run the best we can with the ability we’ve been given

We need to focus on where we are at, our stage & season of life, and :

‘Run the mile you are in’
(David Willey)

‘Run your race. Do your work, not someone else’s. Don’t allow envy, spite, ego, or greed to derail you.’
(Todd Henry – Accidental Creative)

We need to get rid of any thing that hinders our race, holds us back or distracts us.

‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.’
(‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:1&2 NIV‬‬)

‘You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience?’
(‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:7MSG‬‬)

We need to focus on Jesus who began & finished our race. He is like a pacer guiding us through the race:

‘To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.’
(‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

During races, runners are aiming for Personal Bests – the best time that they have ran for that distance. In this ultra race of life we need to do our creative best:

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. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
(‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:4-5‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

As we run, we need a positive mental attitude:

‘Clear your mind of can’t.’
(Samuel Johnson)

‘You must do the thing you think you cannot do.’
( Eleanor Roosevelt)

Or as the Bible says:

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
(‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose–I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”
(‭Philippians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

‘We were made to run’
(Jen Hatmaker)

‘So I run with purpose in every step.’
(‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:26‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruthx

A gift to your future self

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It arrived in the post last month- a welcome surprise on a dull Monday via Amazon. It was a gift to my future self- a book I’d pre-ordered months ago. (God space by Keri Wyatt Kent)

I first heard the phrase ‘gift for my future self’ on Gretchen Ruben’s Happier podcast …& I liked it. The idea of doing something now to help your future self is appealing.Like pre-ordering a book. Or starting to exercise.Or making overnight oats for breakfast the night before.

‘But that’s just being organized!’ my sister-in-law Linda exclaimed. And it is!

But a gift for your future self sounds less ordinary & more whimsical!

My teenage children still tease me about my overnight oats as a gift to my future self!

Recently I’ve been thinking about gifts I should have given to my future self years ago, when those teenagers were small.

Back then, I had two children under two- both in nappies. Caris was just a toddler when Ethan was born in Nov 2002. His birth was straightforward- but there was an eruption of stress in the days before his birth. I didn’t sleep at all in the days before or after delivery. My mind was on over-drive filled with crazy, racing thoughts. After a week I was diagnosed with postnatal psychosis.

Postnatal psychosis is a tsunami in the mind that creates chaos in everyday life – the aftermath takes years to settle.The happy celebration of new life in the family morphs into a life-altering nightmare.My sleep-starved deluded self existed in a world that made sense initially but disintegrated as thoughts clash faster & faster.The fabric of daily life unravelled beneath me into tangles & we’re free falling from the life we love into the abyss of depression & psychosis.

Medication meant that the racing thoughts subsided relatively quickly, but months of depression followed. Chances are, statistically speaking, that more than a few of you reading this will know what I mean- when I talk of days of living in black & white rather than colour. Days of existing without truly living. Doing life with the joy squeezed out of it. Having ‘eyes without sparkle’ as one writer put it.

Just getting through the day felt like a momentous achievement.

But I did get through those long days & seemingly short years. This Thanksgiving I felt blessed & grateful for good mental health.

And as another birthday approaches, I think of the dark days less than the years before.

So what gifts should I have given myself for my future self then?

*Time

It would have been reassuring to know back then that things would get better with time.

It does take time to recover from mental illness -an unquantifiable length of time. But gradually, painstakingly slowly,you will get better.

Your baby won’t actually remember those days & with time your own memories will fade into the background.

In the middle of the mayhem,take time out doing whatever helps.Whatever works for you.

In time I would see the therapeutic value of writing. And reading when concentration improved.And running. Someone wrote ‘Running is the washing machine of the mind’ – I should have used it sooner!

Make time to go to Mother & Toddlers- even if you don’t feel like it. Even if it feels awkward initially.

*Help

You need to accept help.Trust those who know you best & love you most. If they suggest you need professional help- you probably do!

Your Community Midwife,Health Visitor or GP can all help. It’s what they’re there for!

During your Postnatal Visit with your GP, they’ll want to check your mental well-being. They may ask if you been bothered by feeling down, depressed,or hopeless over the past month. Or if you have had little interest/ pleasure in doing things. They are relying on you telling the truth & will offer help & support if you do.

*Faith

Going through the dark days, I had some faith. I wish I had more.

‘I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.’
(Philip Yancey )

As I look back I know that I never walked alone – I was carried by God (as it says in the Footsteps poem)

You may not share my faith, but TBH I just can’t fathom how you make it through life without God

‘Does that make my faith a crutch? Maybe. But what does a crutch do? It helps you stand and makes you stronger. So, yes, when I face overwhelming odds, I need a bit of that.’
(Bear Grylls)

When I was most unwell, I could only read a few verses at a time.These verses meant a lot to me at the time, & would even more to my future self:

God said,
“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”
(‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:1-3‭MSG‬‬)

‘He heals the broken-hearted & binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars & calls them each by name. Great is our Lord & mighty in power-His understanding has no limit’ (Psalm147:3-5)

I would remind my future self that in the messy middle of our story, the Author of life walks through our dark chapters with us.

If you are still there in the messy middle, stressed out but struggling through, pause & give your future self the gift of time,help & faith

(I say future self for when your mind is messed up & everyday life is disturbed, your current self cannot see any benefit to doing anything!)

Time. Help. Faith.

Blessings,

Ruthx

http://www.blessedme.org

PS

This was originally written for Lindsay who campaigns for Maternal Mental Health & blogs at Have you seen that girl. Find resources collected by her HERE

Find support on the Aware website or at Best Beginnings . PANDAS is a foundation supporting pre & postnatal depression.

The bottom line is it’s ok not to be ok – even when you’re pregnant or if you’ve just had a baby. Speak to someone about how you are feeling.And give a gift to your future self!

Story-telling in the Land of Smiles

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Twenty years ago I  spent a summer in Thailand for my medical elective in Manorom Christian Hospital in Central Thailand with Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) I was inspired by the inspirational skill & devotion of the doctors serving God there. I also have happy memories of  running along paddy fields, visiting markets, eating tropical fruit, & of the warm hospitality of missionaries. This country captured my heart & for a significant time I believed I would be back there as a medical missionary.

In April 2017 it was eventually possible for me to return to Thailand again. I’d been in Singapore & I had the opportunity to visit Thailand just for the weekend.

It was a short visit just after Thai New Year. Just after Songkran- the national water festival. Just after a week of challenge, education & encouragement at OMF headquarters.

Just a weekend, but it was long enough to see spirit houses & temples – a reminder that ‘To be Thai is to be Buddhist’

Long enough to see beautiful Thai smiles & hear ‘sawadee ka‘ (‘Hello’)

Long enough to hear what love sounds like at House of Grace orphanage.

Long enough to feel the tropical sun in the hot season & the sand beneath my feet as I walked along Crystal Beach.

Long enough to recognise how stressed I had been & to sense the blessing of this weekend that was just what I needed.

And most importantly, long enough to hear Alan & Maelynn’s story- a story of following God’s call across the globe in the days when travelling to Thailand meant embarking on a three week journey to Asia by boat!

They married in South Thailand & worked as missionaries there. Soon Alan & Maelynn had 5 children under 4 ( including 2 sets of twins!)

There followed years of ministry in South Thailand & Bangkok. Then on World AIDS Day in December 1990, God challenged them about the 300,000 Thai infected with HIV. In 1992 ,Aids Care Education & Training ( ACET) Thailand was born- an opportunity to show God’s love in action.

Now in their late 70s, retirement isn’t really on their agenda. As long as they remain healthy, & there’s work to do- they’ll remain here in Thailand.

I listened to a chapter of their story in their home nestling among banana & papaya trees near Chantaburi. I thought about how stories have been described as social glue- the substance that binds humanity together. I was also deeply challenged by the fact that Alan & Maelynn’s  story was actually all about telling His story

Just the week before in Singapore I’d sang ‘May our lives tell your story’

(from Shine on me by Graham Kendrick)

What a prayer: May our lives tell your story!

Eugene Peterson wrote an article ‘Living into God’s story’:

‘The Bible is basically and overall a narrative, an immense, sprawling, capacious narrative. Stories hold pride of place in revealing God and God’s way to us.’

God’s story contains the overarching themes of His faithfulness, redemption, sovereignty , eternal love, deep mercy & amazing grace.

His story is eternal:

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT)

His story involves:

*Blessing

‘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. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.’
(Ephesians 1:3-4 NIV)

*Saving

‘But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,’
(Titus 3:4-5 NIV)

*Calling

‘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 1:9 NIV)

*Encouraging

‘May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.’
(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NIV)

Yes, may our lives tell His story.

After all, He is the Author of life, the healer of hearts & the Saviour of souls.

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

‘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)

‘Lord write your story on the pages of  my life that I may bring glory to You’
(Leah Dipascal)

‘Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.’
(Isaiah 25:1 NIV)

‘Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts.’
(Psalm 145:4 MSG)

Blessings,

Ruth x

A life less ordinary

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Perhaps, if you’re a  like me, you  yearn for a life less ordinary. Especially when my mood is as grey as an Irish Summer, when days blur together & weeks merge to months consumed by work & responsibility. Perhaps we feel life is being survived in black & white, rather than enjoyed in an array of colour.

When the best of our awake time is spent on things outside our control, & we want to travel lightly but we feel the weight of the everyday grind, we just want to step off the wheel.

Our perspective is altered by pressure & our days seem bland.

Beige.Vanilla.Ordinary.

It’s God’s love that brings colour to our lives- indeed God’s presence brings us truly to life! It is He who breathes ‘extra’ into our ordinary.It is our relationship with God through Jesus that makes all the difference.

“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)

Jesus said,”I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
(John 10:10 NIV)

Jesus said,“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”
(John 10:10 MSG)

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

It is knowing God that makes life less ordinary ..from here to eternity!

It is God who created each of us for a unique purpose in His Grand Design. He placed us where he wanted us to be in time & space:

‘From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’
(Acts 17:26-28 NIV)

Living a less ordinary life requires us to seek God & reach out to Him though he is not far from any one of us. We need to choose the life He offers:

“Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life.”
(Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV)

When we do, He has promised:
“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 NIV)

“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)

These words are more than nice sentiments to put on a bookmark. They are a truth to hold onto when ‘ordinary’ life feels difficult. It is a promise given  by God to His people at the worst of times.

On the Sunday morning I attended church in Singapore,the Anglican Minister preached from this verse & expanded its meaning in a way I’ve never heard before.

The Hebrew word for ‘plans’ is hama-ma-ha-sabat . It means exquisite design rather than technical plans. The same word is translated ‘ways’ in the following passage:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
(Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)

Our life is less ordinary because our lives are the exquisite designs of our Creator God. God’s plans may be different to our ideas:
‘We can make our plans but the Lord determines our steps’
(Proverbs 16:9)

But ultimately His plans will transform our ordinary lives, to bring  Him glory.When we grasp this truth, we can thrive in the mundane, & cope with the challenges of everyday life on planet earth. We can have hope in the dark times.

We can live our ‘ordinary’ lives in an extraordinary way with the help, grace & love of our Awesome God.

As we go through this week, consider:

‘What if you stepped into all that God created you to be?’
(Dr Jennifer Barnett)

‘Quit trying to fit. Why try to squeeze all your extraordinary into ordinary?’
(Ann Voskamp)

‘The Lord is the strength of my life’ (Psalm 27:1)

Blessings,

Ruthx

Brewing some perspective…one coffee shop at a time

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No blogging. No running. No unwinding. No margin. All work & little play is rarely a good combination.

A trip to the North Coast before the end of summer was a welcome pause. Caris & I walked along the path by the Atlantic from Portstewart Promenade to the Strand. It brought back memories of walking the same path with my Granda Murphy many years ago.

We started with a coffee to go from the new hipster Three Kings coffee shop. As a collector of quotes I noticed what was written behind the coffee machine. As the barista crafted my cappuccino, I read:
‘Be awesome you’re a hand of the king’

I’m not sure where the quote came from (even Google couldn’t help!) but I liked the sentiment. Striving to be awesome, being a hand of the king.The King. Doing things wholeheartedly. For the King.

As I walked along the Port Path I thought of William Makepeace Thackeray’s words: ‘Whatever you are, be a good one!’ As we walked passed the convent, I thought about Mother Teresa’s words: “Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.”

In subsequent weeks things went from bad to worse. I thought about what can be done when you’re feeling too awful to try to be awesome. When you’ve been under stress, overstretched & are feeling spent.

This month, I sat in another coffee shop with Cecilia mulling over this question. We talked about the need for rest.True rest. We need to find rest in the struggle, peace in the middle of the storm.

We find rest in Someone. We need to draw near, move close to God to find the rest we need.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28 NIV)

‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”’
(Psalm 91:1-2 NIV)

Even when we are feeling awful,
‘We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair’
(2 Corinthians 4:8 NIV)

‘We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.’
(2Cor 4:8-MSG)

Last week, as I left Ards newest coffee shop I caught a glimpse of a familiar face that is dealing with life threatening Illness & little children simultaneously. That’s taking tough to a whole new level. I realise I don’t really have the right to describe this year as hard compared to others.

I thought of the untold stories & invisible burdens carried in the lives of the people who surrounded me sipping coffee. In that coffee shop there were likely to be people dealing with unwanted diagnoses, bereavement, divorce & a multitude of other stresses as we progress along this journey called life.

This journey can take us through painful places. Yesterday I read of the Israelites pilgrimage through Valley of Baca, the vale of tears. There are beautiful words in Psalm 84:

‘Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.’
(Psalm 84:5-7 NIV)

I love that image of soft autumn rains- a season of refreshment.

The coffee shop I visited with Cecilia is aptly named Season, because of the well known Bible verse:
‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens’
(Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV)

There is a season for everything.

‘It came to pass’ & my husband’s grandmother added, ‘It didn’t come to stay!’

A Facebook added another dimension- ‘It might pass like a kidney stone but it will pass!’

Whatever tough times, difficult days or dark chapter we’re going through- it will pass

For, ‘He has made everything beautiful in its time.’
(Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV)

Beautiful in time,not necessarily our time-scale.

‘He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.’
(Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV)

But if you’re still wading through the messy middle, longing for this season to pass, remember:
‘You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.’ (James 1:2 -MSG)

Blessings,

Ruthx

Previously posted @ blessedme.co.uk

In this place

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Some days the first words we read resonate & reverberate within us- marinating throughout the day in our minds like dinner in a slow cooker! The words cause reflection & one thought ignites another.

I read a devotional based on Genesis 39 on the first 5 app. It was entitled ‘God is with you in this place.’

The story told how God was with Joseph in prison (v21)

Of course God is omnipresent-everywhere & all around:
‘We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.’
(CS Lewis)

And there are times when we are deeply aware of God’s presence. We may have an extra-special sense of God being with us in church or elsewhere during a time of worship.

I remember one Friday afternoon when the band were practicing before Focusfest, beautiful words & music filled the Waterfront auditorium:
‘We bow down & confess
You are Lord in this place’
(Viola Grafstrom)

The awesome sense of God’s presence was palpable. I acknowledged ‘You are Lord in this place’

But sometimes,like Joseph we find ourselves in unexpected & difficult places. Even in those dark,unwanted places, God is there.

Since being reminded of Joseph’s story, I’ve recalled some of the places this journey has taken me to so far:

I’ve felt under stress at work. I felt utterly spent & at the end of myself. I declared to my empty room & computer screen that I just couldn’t do this any more. Not. Even. One. More. Day.

God was with me in this place.

I’ve obeyed & gone where I believed God wanted me to go. But it was more difficult than I imagined & I felt more useless than ever before.

God was with me in this place.

I’ve had sleepless nights caused by uncertain diagnoses & worrying about precious family facing major surgery.

God was with me in this place.

I’ve been confined to the ward with devastating postnatal illness. I’ve faced the aftermath & painstakingly slow road to recovery.

God was with me in this place.

Throughout the pages of the Bible, there are many true stories of God being with His children in unexpected places:

In the flames of a furnace,
God was with Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-nego in this place.

In front of a giant,
God was with David in this place.

In the stomach of a whale,
God was with Jonah in this place.

If you are following Jesus as a child of God, He is with you in this place.

Wherever you are, He’s there too.

In this place of broken dreams & shattered hope.
In this place of grief, hardship, pressure & pain.
In this place of suffering

Wherever you are:
God is there with you & even more astoundingly within you!

This place, this unexpected, dark, difficult ,unwelcome place that you find yourself in, may be a place of blessing in disguise:

‘Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
(Blessings– Laura Story)

At times we may feel we are free-falling to this place, but we are being held by the everlasting arms of our Heavenly Father. He holds the planets in orbit in this universe & so, we can hold on to Him with trust & hope in this place.

If you find yourself in one of those places today, remember:
‘Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans,
but God is not helpless among the ruins.’
(Eric Liddell)

‘All our difficulties are only platforms for the manifestations of His grace, power & love’
(Hudson Taylor)

Blessings,

Ruthx