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Wednesday, October 26, 2005

The things we say...

Some of my favourite things people have said over the last week...

Tim:- "I'm not your average boy!"

Hannah:- "Lands End to John O'Groats...That's UPwards, it must be so much harder!"

Tim:- "We can compare cats!"

Tim (AGAIN!):- "Cross stitch is a nice relaxing hobby..."

Isaac:- "It is, I would fully agree!!"

Restless

This is silly, i can't even enjoy a pleasant walk through campus anymore!

I'm restless. Every time i see another person i wanna scream at them how much Jesus loves them. I want them to know the glorious message of the gospel.

And that's why i can't enjoy a nice walk - coz there are people everywhere! Seriously, every time i walk past someone at the moment i'm SO conscious of the fact that they need Jesus. I feel such a burden for complete strangers, never mind friends and family!

I don't just want to exist. I don't just wanna live. I wanna LIVE. I want Life with a capitol L. Anything else is meaningless. Meaningless, meaningless.

And Life is found only in my Saviour. I don't just wanna live. I wanna be Living for Him, through Him, in Him. I want to Live in light of the Life that's coming. I want His Life to be radiating out of me wherever i go.

And that's why i'm restless. I can't wait for Life. But at the same time i'm so conscious that so many people on this campus, in this town, in this country, in this world, don't have Life. They simply have life. And i want them to have Life!!! I want them to experience the joy of knowing they're loved, completely, utterly, wholly. I want them to share my immense hope for the future - a real, certain hope, not a dream or a wish. I want them to understand the amazing message of the gospel. I want them to have Life.

And i want them to glorify God, instead of ignoring Him. I want them to run into His arms and sing praises to His wonderful, worthy name. I want people to give thanks and worship to their creator.

I want God to be glorified in me. More. And more.

Welshie's Wanderings!

Check out my new blog:- Welshie's Wanderings!

Set it up mainly so i could talk about all that i've been up to this summer. sorry it's in reverse order! But things are broken down into separate entries so you can read as much/as little as you want, if you want, when you want!

Hope you enjoy and find it beneficial!

This will remain my main blog!

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Beautiful Simplicity (Part 2!)

Wrote this before I went to bed last night...

Beautiful Simplicity

Beautiful simplicity
Which brings a sinner home;
Brings me to my knees
As you say, simply, 'Come'.

Beautiful simplicity-
Your blood upon a tree,
Drops you shed for me,
So eternal life is free.

Beautiful simplicity-
In grace alone I stand,
Bought by your wounds, your hands,
Not in works, by me.

Beautiful simplicity-
I scarcely dare believe,
Yet in your word I see
Beautiful simplicity-
"Ask, and you'll receive".

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Beautiful Simplicity!

Isn't the gospel message beautiful?! Amazing, astounding, compelling, wonderful, fantastic...i could go on.

But so simple too!

'Ask, and it shall be given to you...'

We want Jesus in our lives? We simply ASK! We want eternal life? We simply ASK!

Nothing could be simpler.

And yet, we make it hard. In our disbelief that something that amazing could be that simply free we make it difficult. We make it complicated.

We try to earn our way to God. We repeatedly ask for forgiveness for the same thing, never quite believing God forgot it when we first repented. We become proud. We become hypocrites. We push a wedge between us and our loving heavenly Father.

WHY?! In reading through Luke 11 -12:12 tonight I was struck by a number of things. The thing that's struck me most whenever i've read that passage before is how plain stupid the crowds and the pharisees appear! They frustrate me so much, by completely missing the point! JESUS, the son of God, is standing before them and still they just don't see it! They don't see the simplicity, they don't believe he's who he says he is.

But tonight what struck me was how often i become like one of them. How often i forget the beautiful simplicity of the gospel. How often i completely miss the point. The amazing grace with which i'm saved. Grace which is from God. Not works which are from me. Grace. Plain, simple, but AMAZING GRACE!!!

Praise God. He is SO worthy to be praised! Oh may i continue to live in Grace, never forgetting it, never making it more complicated than it has to be, and always giving glory to my father in heaven.

GRACE!!!

Friday, October 14, 2005

Grace

Reading a book called 'The blessings of obedience' by Andrew Murray. He says this:-

"The law tells us what we should do, regardless of whether we can or not. Grace points to what we cannot do, and offers to do it in us and through us."

God's grace is amaaaaaaaazin'!

'Nuff sed.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Excitingly excited!

I'm excited!

Which at the moment, to be honest, is nothing new. But i'm especially excited. I'm bubbling over with excitedness. I'm loving life. I'm loving God! I'm loving what He's doing and i'm loving the fact that so many of my friends at the moment can feel God working in their life - whether they're down and God's picking them up, or whether God's doing stuff in them they never imagined or whatever - God's doing big stuff!

It's exciting. Let's never lose that excitement. And let's keep praying for more of God in our lives. More and more and more and more and more!

And MORE!

Let's open ourselves up to be used by God completely. Let's share more with each other what God's doing in our lives. don't bottle it up. Don't avoid talking to people about what God's been doing coz you think they won't wanna know or coz you have to admit your failings in order to demonstrate what God's done (and nobody likes admitting their failings).

Let's admit our failings and rejoice that God is so much bigger, so much better, and so much stronger and works through and despite our failings. When we're weak He is strong. Hallelujah!

Let's encourage each other more! And in doing so we'll become stronger. And in doing so we'll be more eager to live for Jesus and speak for Jesus. And in doing so we'll see God working even more and the devil won't get a foothold. He won't be able to niggle at us coz we'll be so excited and overwhelmed by Jesus' love and God's mercy and grace and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Let's get excited! Excited by Jesus, living in HIS strength alone and seeing great things happen. Let's pray expecting great things to happen. Let's open ourselves up completely to be used by God. Let's pray more. Let's see revival come!

Thursday, October 06, 2005

a collection of thoughts

I'm still working towards setting up another blog specifically for things i've done this summer, but until i have such time as to do that, i thought i'd post something which better explains my Barcelona/summer experience...
When i got back from Barcelona i had about 3 hours to wait around in London Victoria until my bus home....I spent the time drinking hot chocolate and reading the Bible, and collecting my thoughts, doing some writing... part of what i wrote was what follows. It was my attempt to put into words how i was feeling, and becomes a prayer, but it explains how i felt just 2 hours after landing. Just in case you're interested...!

.....................

I've learnt SO much. Not just in Barcelona but all summer. But Barcelona represents the culmination of an amazing summer with God. I've got a lot of questions, too! But i think - i know - that this means i'm moving forward with God. It's so exciting. He's working in me and i can feel it. I don't know exactly what He's doing - at least, not all of it - but i can really FEEL Him working. And i'm tempted to be nervous, to feel worried, because i don't know where He's leading me and all of a sudden i'm not certain about my future after graduation and i'm struggling to know God's will. But why should i worry? Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God". And I can be so still in His presence, in perfect peace. And it's kinda exciting not knowing what God's gonna do next. He's done things in me this summer I never imagined. Taken me places - physically as well as spiritually!! - that I never thought I'd go!
I have much to contemplate.
But I really am filled with a glorious and inexpressible joy!
But to a certain extent Ii can express it. Oh God, help me express it! I've loved every minute of the mission and service I've been involved in this summer. And Barcelona was the culmination. I was SO encouraged by the team, the students - challenged by them too. And the family I stayed with - such a blessing!
God worked wonders and I was able to be part of that - praise the Lord oh my soul!
I was able to do questionnaires, to fully experience God working through me, to explain my faith, to reveal Jesus' love to people and to leave them with Him when I could do no more.
I was into the word, thirsty for wisdom, for more of my God, to be more in tune, to be a blessing to others.
I've made some amazing Christian friends, who have actually told me I've been a blessing....wow, praise God for that!
It's such a joy to know that having the joy of the Lord in my heart and a thirst for Him can encourage others. But it's all for and from Him.
Please God, MORE!
I don't know God's plans for me. I'm struggling with it. I have questions about what I do next year but I trust His Holy name.
Please God, your will be done, not mine. I never thought I'd have these decisions to make. God is surprising! What joy is in my heart.
I pray it continues. I pray it grows.
"Do you think you'll do mission full time?" Every question as such, every mention, every hint from people, every verse I'm given...I'm questionning, Lord. Guide me I pray. I struggle with knowing your will but please don't let me miss the obvious.
And PLEASE God can I be like this at home with my family. Please God, save them. If you can save 9,400 people in New York in one weekend you can save my friends and family. And may I be always longing for your glory. More of you, Lord, more of you. Amen.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

i'm back!

hello!

Well i've been back less than a week but it feels like forever, so much has happened! and Barcelona was AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZIN'!!!!! i think i'm gonna have to set up a separate blog for my photos and to tell you all about it coz so much happened, i learnt so much, and so this post would go on for pages and pages if i told you everything right now!

but yeah, all i can say is that it was totally amazing. when i get my computer in my room to properly connect to the internet (it's being a bit temperamental at the mo) i'll put some pics on here.

but now it's back to good ol' Reading....do you know, it's a bizarre feeling walking back onto campus after 3 months away and feeling like you never left...

and then the realisation hits that over the summer you've forgotten everything you need to know to pass your degree. think i'll be paying the library a few visits...

other than that all's good. it's actually nice to be back. it's great to see some familiar faces but also very cool to see so many people who i don't recognise, and look forward to getting to know over the coming year.

sorry this isn't really the comprehensive update i promised....it's coming...but as i said, probably have to set up a whole new blog...!

ahhh, God is great!