For His Glory

The Little Pink Dots of Life

2010-08-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

I sit here on my semi-empty bedroom floor opposite a white wall, covered in lots and lots of little pink dots.

We are moving house next week, and this morning has been spent packing the things in my bedroom into boxes - including the various things that were blu-tac'd onto my wall. They were actually pink-tac'd; fluorescent pink-tac'd. This is where the little pink dots came from. As hard as I rubbed the wall with my finger, the pink-tac left a stain in the paint that just wasn't going to budge. Which got me thinking.

The Little Pink Dots reminded me of life - of memories, of significant and insignificant events that have shaped who I am today. No matter how hard you rub, no matter how often you repack the boxes in your brain and attempt to forget their existence, you can't. You can paint right over them, but they are still there. But do we ever want to forget about them? Really? Even the bad ones? Because each and every one is a little part of who we are, of the way we think and see the world, of what makes us tick.

One day, I hope to meet a nice guy with lots and lots of Little Blue Dots, so that as we start a life together, we can begin making lots and lots of Little Purple Dots.

So go and start making some dots. Whether they are pink, blue or purple - make them, because nobody else will make them for you, and it would be an awful shame to get to the end of your earthly life Dot-less.

Personal Evangelism...

2010-05-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have an exam on the above subject tomorrow morning. Soo... Instead of studying it, I thought I'd blog about it ^_^

How often do we as Christians share our faith with those around us? It's something I've been feeling quite challenged about recently. Especially to my non-Christian friends. What I find difficult to determine is at what point you should confront them with their need of salvation - on a friendship level, are you a witness through the way that you live your life and then a verbal witness when the opportunity arises? Or should we be more forward in creating verbal opportunities? Much prayer needs to be given in seeking the LORD for opportunities - we cannot create an anxious thought in a soul out of Christ... It must be the work of the Holy Spirit.

Do we have faith that God can answer our prayers concerning bringing those we love to Himself? Do we pray believing that He will hear and answer those prayers, believing that we will have families united in Christ, and that our dear friends will one day know the Dearest of Friends?

Food for thought indeed.

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

“I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.”

2010-05-25T13:25:00.001-07:00

^^ Pretty much sums me up! =)

So, today I read a quote by Ms. Hepburn, and subsequently "googled" it and found a whooooole page full of them! Some of them just hit the nail right on the head. Inspiring =)

“Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm, as you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others.”

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.

“People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.”

If I get married, I want to be very married.

It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it.'

On Insecurities, etc.

2010-05-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

It's strange the way certain things happen to you that make you remember the past. For instance, today I remembered how insecure I used to be, and apparently still am - although not to the same degree. I think it's a girl thing, not to be happy about the way you look or to feel inferior to pretty much every other person you know. There is so much pressure to look *just* right. If you don't fit the requirement, sorry, you're out.

But I was thinking about it in the light of Scripture... We are each one fearfully and wonderfully made... Why do we let others affect the view we have of ourselves, when we are made righteous in Christ, and have eternal security through Him with God?

It's true that man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.

As discouraged as we might get about other people judging us by our looks, as worried as we might feel that others might not accept us, we ought to remember that God cares about our hearts, and whether we are upright before Him - it doesn't matter whether we fit the "perfect" category in looks, we need to fit the "perfect" category in heart, mind and soul. We can only do that through Christ, and the help of the Holy Spirit.

My desire is to live a life that is glorifying to God and honouring to Christ, no matter what others think. I know that in my head and my heart, but I now need to pray about not caring so much about what other people think...

"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." Proverbs 29v25.

The Hiiiiillls Are Aliiiive..... (8)

2010-05-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

I feel so LIBERATED!

Apart from my liberty in Christ of course :-)

I came out of my Greek exam approximately 3 hours ago, and boy was it a GOOD feeling! I don't have another one of those bad boys to worry about until Christmas. It wasn't necessarily the feeling that I had done well... More the freedom you feel when you realise you don't have to religiously memorise vocabulary tables, conjugations of verbs and declensions of nouns during every spare moment the day sends your way...

I just want to SING!!!

I think there are 10/11 more exams to go, so maybe I'll save the singing for a while.

There isn't a great deal about my life that's bloggable at the moment, what with college, exams and studying etc.

I have a few posts that I'd like to work on, so maybe there will be something intellectually stimulating on here soon :-) I'll let you know how it pans out.

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

2 Corinthians 12v9-10

Excuses, excuses...

2010-05-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said I would blog "tomorrow night"? Well, that would have been Saturday. I had good intentions, honestly.

However, by the time I arrived back at college, the internet had gone kaput. It remained MIA for 4 days. FOUR WHOLE DAYS. Without facebook, or e-mail access! Just me in my lonely college room in the middle of nowhere... Feeling sorry for me yet? ;-)

So there is my excuse for not blogging *that* time. I think it's fairly acceptable.

The praise service was really good - Lovely Friend and I watched Oklahoma on Friday night... Weird, weird musical. Give me Calamity Jane any day... *sigh*

Then on Saturday, we watched the ENTIRE 4 hours of North and South, with this guy ^^^^ as the leading man... A picture speaks a thousand words, so I'll leave you to consider which 1000 would go with him ;-)

My Greek exam is on Friday afternoon - please pray for me :-/ Mrs. W keeps saying "The LORD won't do for you what you can do for yourself." and as much as I know that that is true, I need a Divine miracle over the next 36 hours to help me remember all of the stuff I'm supposed to have remembered!

The light at the end of the tunnel turned out to be just that :-) praise the LORD for answered prayer, however long it takes! He continues to provide, and is faithful to help in time of need!

Some particularly encouraging verses that have comforted my soul this week:

"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps... Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

"The LORD hath given, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

What a comfort! To know that the LORD is Sovereign over all - to know that whatever happens to me is in the purpose of God, whether it is to encourage, to comfort, to chasten or to draw me closer to Himself :-)

I'm excited about the future. I'm excited about now.

A Mini-Mishmash

2010-05-14T02:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the words "blogging" and "epic fail" are pretty much synonymous with me right now...

The past 6 months have been pretty rough, I've got to be honest. But the light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger! Which either means that it'll all be over very soon, or I'm going to be squished by an oncoming train in the near future...

Let's be optimistic, shall we :-)

So, tonight I go to the Lisburn Annual Praise Service, and stay over at one of my loveliest friends' houses. Excitement!! Greek exam in one week, and counting. Words cannot describe how I'm feeling about this, so we'll suffice with a keyboard mash:

"hwfguifg;isud;cgi;gfwduhsu'gwUFIDSGHBDFCXHIOEV qhfvdsf"

There you go.

Right now, I'm going to go for a cycle! Six miles of hills? I say bring it on!

Tomorrow, I intend to blog properly for the first time in a long while, and hopefully I can keep some sort of discipline to it :-/

booksneeze.com

2010-02-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

^^^ I have just joined this website. Free books! All you have to do is review them on your blog once you've read it. I figure it will help me read more consistently, and blog more consistently! So now to choose my first free book....

Alcohol and the Christian

2010-02-02T11:28:00.001-08:00

I am currently reading the autobiography of John. G. Paton, Missionary to the New Hebrides (modern-day Vanuatu). In his younger days before he went out to the mission field, he was involved in missions work in Glasgow among the poor and destitute. He had a large ministry among former drunks, and held a weekly Total Abstainers’ Meeting. I though that his words concerning alcohol and the professing Christian were very apt, and ones with which I agree:

“From observation, at an early age I became convinced that mere Temperance Societies were a failure, and that Total Abstinence, by the grace of God, was the only sure preventative as well as remedy. What was temperance to in one man was drunkenness in another; and all the drunkards came, not from those who practiced total abstinence, but from those who practiced or tried to practice temperance… It has all my life appeared to me… that the only rational temperance is Total Abstinence from them [alcoholic drinks] as beverages… as they are deceptive and deleterious poisons of the most debasing and demoralizing kind. I found also, that when I tried to reclaim a drunkard, or caution any one as to intemperate habits, one of the first questions was:

“Are you a pledged Abstainer yourself?”

By being enabled to reply “Yes, I am,” the mouth of the objector was closed; and that gave me a hundred-fold more influence with him than if I had had to confess that I was only “temperate”

For the good of others and for the increase of their personal influence as the servants of Christ, I would plead with every one who wishes to work for the Lord Jesus in the Family, the Church and the World, to be a Total Abstainer from all intoxicating drinks and beverages.”

Mr. Paton goes on to express his disapprobation to the use of tobacco, but that while it is injurious to one’s health, the evils that flow from it are not to be in comparison to the “unutterable woes and miseries of intemperance.”

What do you think of Christians drinking? Even in moderation? Is it a practice that should be encouraged, discouraged or left alone in the Church of Christ?

Disaster!

2010-01-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

That's me ^

I keep posting on my blog, saying "THIS time, i'm definitely back" and then not blogging for weeks on end. It's not good! I was ill shortly after i posted my last blog, and then i came back to college and have been trying to get back into the old routine... It has gone better this week, but last week was just a mess. I was sooo tired that i couldn't motivate myself to do anything, which means that this week i've had twice as much to do. But i'm feeling fairly positive today - with the LORD's help i have a very productive week ahead of me... Or that's the plan!

I've just been invited to start posting on another blog (everybody say "oooooo!") which as kind of given me the initiative to get my thoughts back on virtual-paper. I have a few ideas for blog posts i'd like to consider, one being "He's Just Not That Into You: A Christian Perspective" - we shall see how that goes. I have also bought a few new books recently (No, me, buying books?!!) and am thinking that if i give a brief review each week, it may motivate me to read more.

I have also decided that blogging is a far more productive use of time than facebooking! So i'm going to slowly try and wean myself away from facebook and onto blogspot... Lol. Internet addiction is a terrible disease ;-) not that i would know...

Anyway, i have to prepare my testimony for tomorrow night, so i'm going to leave it at that for now. Hopefully i'll blog again on Monday or Tuesday - that's if Greek doesn't get me sectioned beforehand...

Just a verse to let you meditate on which has really spoken to me this week:

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3

Every blessing to one and all :-)

It is COLD!

2009-12-29T01:36:00.000-08:00

Seriously, it's freezing! Yet my mum still refuses to turn on the central heating... I am SO badly done to... Haha.

Well, this post is merely by way of introduction back into the blogging sphere... I really need to get into some form of habit when it comes to blogging. My life has slightly more structure to it now than it has had on previous occassions, so hopefully i may be able to get a routine going... However, i wouldn't recommend holding your breath... Never mind causing brain damage, you would probably die.

Sooo... I now live in Northern Ireland during term time *mini whoop* as i'm studying at the Whitefield College of the Bible, which most of my Readers will probably already know. Three months in, i'm loving it! The LORD has blessed tremendously, and despite finding the amount of work i need to do quite stressful (fitting it all in and clinging to some form of social life), it is BRILLIANT. The lectures are all focussed on the Scriptures, and i have learnt more than i could have imagined even in this short space of time. I sit listening to the lecturers, and it's as if they are turning tiny lights on inside my head... Like a series of mini epiphanies, and i am truly praising and thanking the LORD for leading me to a place that honours the truth of the Bible, and teaches all to the glory and honour of God. The LORD has helped, and it is through His strength that i go on. He is the shade upon my right hand!

I am currently home for the Christmas/New Year holidays, and have been working some shifts at the nursing home to help my finances along. I really do detest working nights, but praise the LORD for the provision of a job to come home to. I may have formulated a Biblical argument against working nights (it has the potential to be utterly weak and flimsy with more against it than for it, but it was worth a shot), see a later post for that one.

I intend to blog about thoughts (the few that i have) and things on here, but i didn't want to just jump in at the deep end after not blogging for months. So this is your blogging equivalent of "small talk".

How is the weather with you? What are you up to these days? Found any interesting blogs recently? (Other than mine, obviously ;-P)
Let me know how you are!

On Going On A Journey...

2009-04-17T04:07:00.000-07:00

Firstly, my apologies for the utter lack of blogging over the past couple of weeks. It's coming up to exam season, and i've recently realised what a ridiculous amount of work i have to do before then, whilst still making time for revision! Not fun. Anyway, i will make a concerted effort to post a little more regularly, even if it's only recommendations for listening material or other such things.

The purpose of this blog was really to share with you the following essay, written by William Hazlitt in 1822. I read it, and fell in love with it! It's beautiful!

"One of the pleasantest things in the world is going on a journey; but I like to go by myself. I can enjoy the society in a room; but out-of-doors, nature is company enough for me. I am then never less alone than when alone.

'The fields his study, nature was his book.'

I cannot see the wit of walking and talking at the same time. When i am in the country, i like to vegetate like the country. I am not for criticising hedge-rows and black cattle. I go out of town in order to forget the town and all that is in it. There are those who for this purpose go to watering-places, and carry the metropolis with them. I like more elbow-room, and fewer encumbrances. I like solitude, when i give myself up to it, for the sake of solitude; nor do i ask for

'a friend in my retreat

Whom i may whisper solitude is sweet.'

The soul a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases. We go on a journey chiefly to be free of all impediments and of all inconveniences; to leave ourselves behind, much more to get rid of others. It is because i want a little breathing-space to must on indifferent matters, where Contemplation

'May plume her feathers and let grow her wings,

That in the various bustle of resort

Were all too ruffled, and sometimes impair'd,'

that i absent myself from the town for awhile, without feeling at a loss the moment i am left by myself. Instead of a friend in a post-chaise or in a Tilbury, to exchange good things with, and vary the same stale topics over again, for once let me have a truce with impertinence. Give me the clear blue sky over my head, and the green turf beneath my feet, a winding road before me and a three hours' march to dinner - and then to thinking! It is hard if i cannot start some game on these lone heaths. I laugh, i run, i leap, i sing for joy. From the point of yonder rolling cloud i plunge into my past being, and revel there, as the sun-burnt Indian plunges headlong into the wave that wafts him to his native shore. Then long-forgotten things, like 'sunken wrack and sumless treasuries,' burst upon my eager sight, and i begin to feel, think, and be myself again. Instead of an awkward silence, broken by attempts at wit of dull common-places, mine is that undisturbed silence of the heart which alone is perfect eloquence. No one likes puns, alliterations, antitheses, argument and analysis better than i do; but i sometimes had rather be without them. 'Leave, oh, leave me to my repose!' I have just now other business in hand, which would seem idle to you, but is with me 'very stuff of the conscience.' "

Please discuss any thoughts or feelings on the above :) i would like to know what you think!

Distractions, Distractions

2009-03-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

I have a severe problem with motivation when it comes to writing essays on language issues.

Severe.

It looks like it's going to be a long night. I didn't end up getting any work done last night, as my mum was so ill the doctor told her she had to be admitted to hospital. So my grandma and i took her down to the Acute Assessment Unit, and there she stays. Hopefully she is being transferred to a quieter ward soon, as the one she is on is very busy and noisy. She is having some tests and things done and God willing, she should be home by the weekend.

It was very strange, we came home from Church on Sunday morning, and she was absolutely fine, just a little tired, so she went for a nap; by the time she woke up she was in agony with a really high temperature.

So here i am, sat at my laptop, blogging. Bah. I'm back at work tomorrow night, so that's an excuse to not get them written... But as my exams start in 6 weeks, i think i better get my nose to the grindstone =)

We had a student from the Whitefield preaching at church on Sunday. He was very good. And we have Michael Gray speaking this coming week, who is always a great blessing. I think i may stay for the day and get the train home after the evening service. I will be on my own so i can read and walk along the beach.

I love the beach. I used to walk Charlie along it every morning before we moved... And the weather has been lovely recently, so hopefully it will be nice enough for a dander on Sunday afternoon. Take in the fresh sea air and ponder life!

Apologies for the lack of substantial blogging over the past few days; it has all been rather shallow. Hoping to blog again later this week with something a little more thought-provoking.

I have had a difficult few days, but the LORD is constantly by my side. I just need to remember to stop looking at the seas of my troubles and keep my gaze fixed on the One who is in control, otherwise i'll soon be drowning in them.

I'm going to go and be all house-wifey now, i have some laundry to do and some tidying to finish. So that will keep me distracted until about midnight, when i will have absolutely no excuse for procrastinations!

My Mum...

2009-03-31T04:24:00.001-07:00

... is in hospital.

Please pray for her.

Time...

2009-03-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

... is a commodity i am currently running short of.

I have 2 essays that i need to write by the end of today, plus 1-3 essay outlines depending on how productive i manage to be.

I also have to do some jobs in town. So, after a night shift of buzzer-happy patients, i will be getting my jobs done, getting a little bit of sleep and then cracking on with my essays... Oh fun. The only thing keeping me motivated at the moment (motivation... meh!), is the thought that in 3 months, my exams will be over and done with. That said, it's also mildly stressful as my productivity levels are exceptionally low at the moment.

So, if i manage to get all my work done, i may write a decent blog post later. If i don't, you know why.

Also, as a side note... I love Puritan Paperbacks =)

Roll on pay day!

Ahh, the joys of books!

2009-03-26T03:33:00.000-07:00

I just love them. Seriously. I cannot *wait* until June 19th. I'm going to sit and read a whole book in one sitting, no matter how long i sit up, and not feel in the slightest bit guilty for not studying =)

I got 4 new books this morning, i ordered them from Amazon in one of my random "book-buying" modes. I still have one more to arrive, but it's an improvement on last time, when i bought 23 books, none of which were remotely beneficial. Novels are better than television (in most cases, definitely on an intellectual level, just not necessarily on a moral level), but if you are going to invest time in a book, it should be informational at least.

At the moment, i can't really justify reading more than one book at a time due to the *VAST* amount of studying i have to do... I have about 6 essays that are well overdue. It's not great. But my book-of-the-moment is "The Secret Key to Heaven" by Thomas Brooks. It's about the importance of private prayer, and i'm finding it very challenging. I will be posting a brief outline of some of the points when i've finished it.

My next book to read is "Desiring God", and then "Young, Restless, Reformed"...

I should really be reading "Revision Guide to A-Level English Language" and all things associated with the aforementioned, but where is the fun in that?

The LORD is Good =)

2009-03-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

I'm so tired. Really. It's quite phenomenal. And i have to work again tonight - sad face-

But despite this near exhaustion, i'm greatly encouraged. Las night was the children's meeting at our church. Recently we have started doing two meetings so that there is one for the over 13's and one for the younger ones. Last night, as opposed to 3 children, we had 8 children total! I had 3 teenage girls i nmy class, and my mum had 2 girls and 3 boys in her class.

Although it was encouraging, it was also mildly nightmarish... My class were ok, and showed interest in the lesson i was teaching. My mum's class on the other hand... Ouch.

All the kids that come are from a really rough council estate, alot of them don't have a male authority figure in their lives and i think this leads to "worse" bad behaviour, especially on the part of the little boys. One of them started shouting and throwing chairs around the rooms, then proceeded to storm out of church and pull down one of the wire grills that are up at the windows of the church. The girls (one of whom never misses a meeting) began being very badly behaved, and they were all generally uncontrollable!

Discipline is almost impossible, they know that you can't do anything to them apart from scold, and then they just laugh in your face.

Our nation is bringing up a generation of children who lack respect, education and moral values. All in the interest of "rights" and "political correctness". What about the "rights" of those people who have to put up with this bad behaviour?! I speak of the General Public.

We need to get on our knees and pray. We need to pray for these children, whose parent's don't care about them enough to make sure they are clean and well fed. Pray that they would be exposed to the Gospel and that the LORD would work in their little hearts. We need to pray for the parents, that they would come under the sound of the Gospel, and under conviction of their sins. We need to pray most of all for the LORD to raise up people who will work for Him, who will be zealous for Him, and who will have a heart for these people and their children. We need to pray that this nation would be brought on her knees before God.

Ooooo FACE PAINT!!!! How fun!

2009-03-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

Quite frankly, my cousin is awesome. She painted my face as a butterfly (it's kind of an abstract butterfly, if you squint you can kind of see it...), and it still had minor tinges of blue on it until yesterday. Fun times.

So we painted faces, and then we played (a form of) football in the garden, and then we went into the "magical forest" on a bear hunt, and got chased by a swarm of bees... It was a very busy day!

I'm thinking tomorrow may involve some similar elements to Tuesday. I like face painting. Not the make up kind, the "paint-my-face-like-a-dalmatian" kind. It's fun.

Are our hearts for Him?

2009-03-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

I recently listened to a sermon by Al Martin on the heart of man. It was very good, so i've attached the main points with my own ponderings.

(NB: I realise that "ponderings" may not be a word, but it serves my purpose.)

I speak to myself in these things before i speak to any of you.

As Christians, we should make it our constant aim to draw near to Christ in heart, not just in mouth. It's far too easy to "talk the talk" but show no evidence of Christ in our day to day lives. If our heart's are not in Christ, we will eventually slip up. A pretence can only be kept for so long. We must be in Christ and of Christ, He is to be our everything, we should be consumed in Him. To "pretend" to be in Christ, is, suite simply, blasphemous.

"A man's mouth is the echo chamber of his heart."

Basically, a man's mouth indicates the true state of his heart. Even if man cannot see when we are whited sepulchres, God sees that we are "full of dead men's bones". Is keeping up appearances worth risking your eternal soul for?

We should not worry what men think of us. We should be concerned only with what the LORD thinks of us. A truly pure heart is evident by the God-pleasing life that springs forth as a result of that purity. We must be all for God, we cannot serve God and mammon. We must choose our ground.

Our heart's are spoken of much in Scripture. Proverbs 4v23 tells us "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

A heart sincerely in God must be:

Constantly Guarded

We cannot be too careful with our hearts. When we are saved, our hearts become God's, they are His by rightful ownership. This does not mean, however, that our hearts will not go astray, therefore we must watch with all diligence for things that could take us away from a close walk with our Saviour; we must watch for our heart, that we do not leave our First Love. The devil is as a roaring lion, and young Christians are his prey. If we are walking on with the LORD and serving Him as we should, we are actively attacking Satan. This will not go unnoticed, and we will no doubt face trials and temptations on a daily basis. To overcome these, we must pray for strength and guard our hearts, that the fiery darts of the wicked one do not penetrate our souls.

Continually Tender

Our hearts are not to be slow, hard, or evil. They are to be tender. The more tender our heart, the more responsive we will be to the word of God. The more tender our heart, the greater our burden will be for the lost, and the greater our compulsion should be to evangelise. Of all the things a Christian should possess, i would argue that a tender heart is one of the most important qualities to possess. Our hearts can only be softened by God, but once they are softened, we must continually immerse ourself in Scripture, and spend much time in prayer, that they would not become as stone again.

Increasingly loving, responsive and vulnerable

Vulnerable to God. Responsive to His Word. Loving to Him, appreciative of the work He has done in our lives, loving to the lost. We must be tuned into Scripture, we should begin the day and end the day in the Word, referring to it continually throughout the day. Through it, God speaks to us, and we must heed it. The less time we spend with God, the less responsive we will be to His Word.

If we claim to be His, He must be our everything. Our lives *must* be centred *fully* around God. In all things, we must seek to honour Him. This is true, and most Christians will accept that it should be so, but to what extent do we actually apply this to our lives? Is God our everything? Do we lean on Him, and Him along, for *all* things?

Personalized Bible Affirmation, anyone?

2009-03-17T03:33:00.000-07:00

Is there no end to the things Google comes up with?

"Click Here For Your Free Personalised Bible Affirmation"

So obviously, i clicked. Just because, i have a curiosity that plagues me like a thirst in a hot desert.

"The PERSONALIZED BIBLICAL AFFIRMATION TOOL

This scripturally sound and uniquely innovative tool will help you appropriate and apply a Life-in-Christ dimension of living. You will instantly receive, on demand, a printable Biblical Affirmation, personalized with your name. It will contain an Affirmation and scriptures that precisely support the Affirmation.

Your complimentary Affirmation provided by THE SURE FOUNDATION THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE is waiting for you. The instant you enter your name and submit, your printable Affirmation will resolve to your screen for you to print. We believe you will sense the power and presence of God's Spirit and Word by simply reading it aloud daily."

So now i am here. Speechless at my keyboard.

Feedback is welcomed. With open arms.

I don't like boys.

2009-03-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Well, i don't at the minute. They are stupid. I realise this is a completely unbiblical standpoint to take, but it will pass.

May i clarify that this is not all boys, just some of them.

It annoys me that people don't listen. I would go into more detail but this is a public domain and i don't want to come across as bitter, or twisted, or intolerant, or all of the above.

But i kinda am. Right at this moment in time i am anyway.

In fairness, listening isn't my strong point. I'm a good listener when people have problems they need to talk about, but if someone is telling me something, i have trouble remembering what they've said for any length of time after they've said it. Sometimes it just falls right back out of my head again. I maintain that this is due to my head injury (i can use that excuse for at least another 2-4 months). So i guess my problem is memory rather than listening.

Anyway, whatever the problem is, i tend to be able to remember very important things, where money is involved. Especially other people's money. I also am very good at listening/remember when that other person is, i don't know, on the end of some form of communicational device.

But hey. I'm getting into "bitter and twisted" territory so i will leave my little rant at that.

I'm still annoyed. Possibly even a teeny bit angry.

BOYS ARE STUPID.

(But not all boys)

Where are all the men and women?!

2009-03-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

"A man must partly give up being a man

With womenfolk"

Robert Frost's "Home Burial"

I found this blog entry from 2007. I was studying the above poem at the time, and the quote amused me slightly, hence posting it. Reading back, it saddens me slightly. Although taking the poem completely out of context, it made me think of how society continually emasculates men. "Boybashing" as my brother calls it.

We need to pray. Pray for a return to Biblical manhood and womanhood within Christian circles. Maybe then non-Christians would take us more seriously. What kind of a witness is it to an unbeliever when our home lives and family relationships are no different to theirs?

Our roles as men and women are clearly outlined in the Bible, what is our excuse for flouting God's commandments concerning those roles? Men need to stand up and be men, strong leaders for Christ and not sops who let their women walk all over them. Men need to put their trousers back on! And Christian women need to stop idealising careers and "family planning", and return to Biblical femininity. Being in subjection to our fathers/husbands doesn't make us weak, it makes us strong. Strong in Christ, in our created place. Home-makers, rearers of children, supporters of our husbands. Witnessing through our modesty, meekness, gentleness.

There is *nothing* wrong with women being in subjection to the men in their life, be it father or husband. It is what the Bible teaches. It doesn't make us subordinate, or used, or badly done to. It is where we are strongest. I know many women who are proof of this, Godly women.

Just because we are not married, doesn't mean we should be out pursuing the world. We should be pursuing God. Pursuing a knowledge of Him so that we are better enabled in whatever He has in store for our lives.

I will be pursuing God, pursuing Biblical femininity, and trying to encourage my Brothers in the LORD to be real, Biblical men.

Some musings that interrupted my English Language essay...

2009-03-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good at keeping motivated with my studying. I'm currently supposed to be in the middle of a "Language Investigation" studying the linguistics of 5 shampoo bottles and their effects on their targeted consumer groups - whoopee.

In the middle of my attempts to distract myself, i started thinking about my Christian walk. What it means to be a Christian. Why did God choose me, and what did He choose me for, when i continually fail Him? I mean *CONTINUALLY*

I have no idea. It's by His grace alone that i am His. A fraction of the enormity of what God did for me, and how unworthy i am to receive His blessing came over me. Jesus died for me. For me personally, and now my name is graven in the palm of God's hand.

I have been so worried about what the Summer and September will bring, that i had semi-forgotten God.

I've reached the stage now where i know need to stop worrying about the future and what it holds, because i know God has His hand on my path, and He will keep me and direct me. My only prayer is that He will use me to His glory and honour, and that my life will be useful to His cause.

After all, man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Oo, Second Blog In A Week!

2009-03-09T14:15:00.001-07:00

Well, i can't promise any profound thoughts, but it's a start! =)

I've had a very busy couple of days. Few days. Few months... Anyway, the way my shifts fall at work, i work one week and am off the next. So this is my week off from work, but week on for tremendous amounts of studying =)

I've discovered that sat on a cushion against the radiator in my room is the best place for me to study. If i sit at my desk, i daydream out of the window or find something to tidy (which i'm never short of in my room!); if i sit upstairs in the kitchen, i talk to my mum instead of study!

I'm in quite a mellow mood tonight. I feel quite alot better in my walk with the LORD, i feel closer to Him. Life is good, stressful but good =)

Church was *fantastic* on Sunday morning. It was a real blessing. Robert Palmer = powerful speaker. I really enjoyed it. We're only getting to church once on a Sunday at the minute, because it's nearly an hour to drive there and staying all day is really cold and uncomfortable at the minute, last night we were going to drive back but my grandma is ill so we're looking after her =)

Well, i can't really think of anything else to write at the minute, i have trigonometry on the brain... So i'll write again soon, God willing =)

As they say in Turkey, kendine iyi bak!!

It's official... I'm the worst blogger ever!

2009-03-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

I'm still alive.

And currently supposed to be writing a piece of coursework. My mum will flip when she finds out what time i go to bed... Ah well.

I really need to get back into the swing of blogging, i enjoy it, i just struggle to find time in which to blog. You know, in amongst my time wasting activities =)

Been struggling a bit recently, i won't go into details. But the LORD is gracious and never leaves me =)

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom i will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

He really *has* been my strength recently. He has shown me just how weak i am without Him, completely useless. A worm. But through Him i am strong =)

My memory is still really bad =(

I'm looking forward to the Summer.

That is all. Profound thoughts to follow later =)

Oh dear...

2009-01-21T04:54:00.000-08:00

I'm really rather rubbish at keeping up with this blog malarky!

Just after my last post, i had a little accident which kind of interrupted any blogging i may have been inclined to do, as i fell off my godmother's horse and spent 5/6 days in hospital... 2 of those in ICU on a ventilator! I banged my head and had a really bad concussion, which has in turn knocked what little short-term memory i had into oblivion.

Anyway, the memory thing is starting to get a bit better now and i'm ridiculously busy with studying and working. I no longer work in McDonald's (thank goodness for that O_o), as i now have a job in a care home. I'm really enjoying it.

I'm also doing 4 A-Levels, which is very stressful i might add. Too much work, not enough time... So i really shouldn't be sat here blogging!

Hope my teeny tiny, probably non-existent, reader base is ok...

I'm back... I don't know if that's good or bad ;)

2008-09-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been 10 months since my last post... I decided that was a *teeny* bit too long, so i'm reviving my blog! I wonder if anyone will read it this time round =)

Alot has happened in 10 months... I'll give a brief review...

- November 2007, R.I.P Sadsac. Our little black Lhasa Apso was knocked down in her prime by a boy racer, in fairness she ran into the road on an apparent sugar high... But she is no longer with us.

- February this year my Turkish Grandma passed away unfortunately, my dad had to go Turkey for the funeral, we were struggling financially....

- The LORD graciously provided and we sold our house in Bridlington just before we went bankrupt and moved to Hull in late March...

- We sold our business in Bridlington in June-ish, and my father is currently preparing to open a new business in Leicester, we intend to move there next year God willing...

- I got a job in McDonald's (euk!) in June and am currently looking for part-time employment elsewhere whilst i finish my last year of exams...

- In the meantime, i met an amazing, Godly young man called Kyle and after 3 months of prayer and lots of e-mails, we decided to start a relationship in...

- Dundee, where i went on outreach for a week at the beginning of July, it was a very encouraging week and the LORD mightily blessed! Which brings us concisely back to now...

- When i am stressing out over an exam i have to take in 3 weeks and 6 days.

Turns out that i'm absolutely rubbish at revising! I get distracted too easily. I'm quite concerned about this as if i don't get lots of studying done over the next few weeks i may fail miserably. I really need to get my act together.

Since moving to Hull, it's been difficult getting to church every week, which has been discouraging at times, but sermonaudio has been a real blessing! And the live webcasts are great.

Ok, so that'll do for now, i need to round up some readers for my blog again... I intend on keeping it up this time because i quite enjoy it, and i like writing... But i shall write more soon. Lucky you ;)

"I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom i will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." Psalm 18v1,2

...

2007-10-19T02:15:00.000-07:00

A man must partly give up being a man
With womenfolk.

Robert Frost's "Home Burial".

Just a quick blog...

2007-10-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

I just got home from Birmingham, and had a few minutes so thought i would post an update on life on Planet Menekse...

I've been at JoT's birthday party this weekend! It has been SOOO good! Really encouraging, and was great to see everyone. We had a really wonderful time of fellowship, there's nothing quite like sitting down at 1am in the morning and having a good theological debate :D i really miss everyone now though!

We had a lovely evening on Friday, watched Phantom of the Opera and then talked until 3.30am... And then on Saturday we went for lunch to a Chinese buffet, where we had the rather amusing pleasure of watching Josh attempt to eat rib/s, and Tim attempt to eat jelly, with chopsticks! Then it was Nic's baptism, which was really great, she did SO well giving her testimony, it was really encouraging to hear! In the evening we went bowling which was good fun, Georgie and i finished the "night out" with a bash at the dance machine... But we couldn't understand the scores so we were both winners :D

We played a couple of games of Articulate over the weekend... LOL. Seriously, that game is so good. The confusion that ensued when Nic and i were describing together -

Me - "Ok, it's like the railings that go up stairs"
Nic - "It's like a bannister"
Me - "No Nic, it IS a bannister"
Nic - "It's like a bannister you know, like a bannister"
Me - "IT IS A BANNISTER!!!!"

SO funny. We wasted most of our appointed time laughing! But hey, it's the taking part that counts... Although winning is nice too :D

We stayed up really late on Saturday night too... Talking about intelligent subjects, and generally having a great time... Sunday was sad because everyone else went home in the afternoon, not before we had a walk in the fields near the airport and a good posing sesh! Georgie is making a video out of the pictures, so will have to get her to upload it to youtube.com or something so we can make it famous :D

Well... This was only meant to be quick, and i'm going to the Bible study soon, so i better get going... Got a load of maths work to do later, got my tutor coming tomorrow and i've done very little this week :S too many distractions...

Will blog more later in the week... For now i leave you with this... Something that was mentioned over the weekend...

"But exhort one another daily, while it is called To Day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." - Hebrews 3v13

Do we exhort our brothers and sisters in the LORD to flee temptation and sin enough? It's so important, and something we don't do enough! I know i don't anyway... But how are ways we can encourage one another in that way? Asking what one has learnt about the LORD that day is quite a good one... Any other suggestions?

I think i'm going to try and make the "thought" bits a bit more interactive, i like reading other people's suggestions and thoughts... It's my blog, i can dictate if i want to... :D whether you listen is a whole other story ;)

Blog to you later, have a blessed week :)

NOW it's the second newest one ;)

The Sound of Music...

2007-09-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

Or the writing of a blog in this case :)

Been in Hull today, watching The Sound of Music at the cinema... One off special, so my auntie came through and went to it with my mum and me... My 3rd birthday outing! Haha :) SO good! I forgot how much i love that film! And Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are AMAZING! I'm going to be singing songs from the soundtrack for the next 3 weeks haha.

I had my first session with my Maths tutor this week, went really well and i found it very useful! Gave me a bit of a confidence boost, as i "caught on" quite quickly once i had had certain things explained to me... I think sometimes it's hard home schooling, only from the point that if you are doing a subject that you're parent/s aren't really very knowledgable about, and you're figuring it out for yourself, it can be hard to get past the "sticking" points, well for me anyway. Only really in Maths though... I think because of the nature of it, when you get to a more advanced level, it's alot more difficult to learn the concepts and things than say it would be to study English or History more in depth... I'm just not very confident with numbers though haha, i guess everyone learns differently, and i have no idea if this is making much sense, but hopefully you get my drift! :D

On another note... I was reading Matthew 23 in my devotions yesterday... And i thought i would share a few thoughts with you (as it seems to have become a bit of a tradition to do in the quiet world of Blog) on it, because it really challenged me :) and i speak to myself here before i speak to any of you, dear Readers...

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." - Matthew 23 v 27

The Pharisees were so concerned with how they were perceived by people, that they had become so preoccupied with "keeping up appearances", they no longer cared about what God thought of them and their heart attitudes. I wonder whether once upon a time, these men genuinely loved God and wanted to serve them, or whether the only thing that attracted them to the position of Pharisee was adoration by the general public?

In man's eyes, these men were hyper-godly, wise, knowledgable, etc. etc., yet in their hearts they were hard-hearted, cold and sinful, full of "dead men's bones".

If we truly love God, and are striving to walk more closely with Him, and be more Christ-like in our every day lives, we won't care what man's opinions are of us, as long as we are pleasing God. The Bible tells us that we will be persecuted by the unsaved, we are called to be a peculiar people, but are we willing to give in to that persecution, and forsake God for a few years of peace on earth? Or are we going to stand up for our most precious Saviour, and remember that God's opinion of us matters for eternity?

". . . . for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."

If we are seeking to be Godly, holy, obedient to God, we will have a Godly beauty that far outshines any "whited sepulchres", a beauty that shines through into our every day life, a Godly beauty in our characters that has far more effect than mere words to a lost soul. Telling people of the way of Salvation is very important, but we must walk the walk as well as talk the talk, our actions are just as much of a witness to people as our words!

So the question that remains is this, are we whited sepulchres, only wanting man's good opinion of us, and full of dead men's bones, or are we truly seeking after God, waiting for His leading and walking in close communion with Him? Is God our number One priority, or just a "hobby"?

I hope, dear Reader, that i am an encouragement to you, as the few of you who read this, are to me :)

I'm back!

2007-09-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

I hope!

It's been SO long since i last posted, i feel so guilty! But this post is by way of reviving the Blog, and using this to let people know what i'm up to. I'm about to delete my Bebo page, it's just such a waste of time, and i have little enough as it is without wasting it on a site that has no spiritual or educational benefits at all!

Alot's been happening with me recently... Drama, drama! But hopefully life will quieten down now, and i can just get on with studying. I've had more than enough excitement, i can live without it! But i shall blog about that slightly more in depth later, it's one of my rants unfortunately for you, dear Reader.

I've just started AS-Levels, i'm doing maths, english literature and history. I wanted to do politics as well, but i'm doing the coursework etc. via correspondance, through the Kilskeery Christian Independant School, and they don't have politics as an option. Rather disappointing as that was the subject i most wanted to do, along with history, but i may do it at night school when we've moved...

On that note, we have buyers for the house, and we find out next week what's happening, so i'll let you know how that goes! My dad still hasn't mentioned anywhere yet... I don't think people realise just HOW much we live life on the edge, not out of choice but because it's forced on us by my dad refusing to make plans for anything that is more than a week away!

Anyway, this was by way of getting back into the "blogging" mindset, and as it's rather late, i'm going to leave now. I'm going to try and blog again before the end of this week, and then hopefully i will manage to blog at least once a week after that. I'm going to use the time i would spend on Bebo to improve my piano playing skills, hopefully i should be much improved within a couple of months. I want to be able to play hymns well, so that i can play in church when our pianist isn't there!!

Anyway, i shall leave you now, i have a pooch to walk! Blog to you later ;-)

All Better, Just Crazy Busy!

2007-05-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

Hello! Long time no talk!

I apologise for the lack of posts recently... Ahh, life has been so hectic, but i really do need to start posting a little more regularly again.

I had tonsilitus for 4 weeks, which was the original cause of my disappearance, but since then i have been really busy with work, visitors and studying. I get my tonsils out soon, which is a blessing, i had a date, but then the hospital cancelled it so i'm just waiting for another date!

So, how is everyone? I wonder if i still have a reader-base? Haha, i will have to start publicising again.

Erm... I don't really know what else to put... This was by way of me getting back into the swing of the blogging sphere, and that done, i have nothing else to say for now, so i think i will say ta ta and blog again later =D

God bless, talk soon!

My Testimony...

2007-04-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, i know i haven't written for aaaaaages, but i'm just home after a few days in Liverpool, where, last night, i gave my testimony at the YPF in the Free P church there... I'm now fully recovered, and will post an update asap :) hope everyone is well, and that you haven't abandoned my blog without any hope of anymore posts within the next millenium... Hehehe :)

So as i have typed out my testimony, i thought i would put it up here for you to read, if you're interested at all :D

"Before I begin I would like to share with you a few verses of Scripture:

Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created into Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

1 John 4:9-10 – In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

My name is Menekse Inan; I’m a 16 year old, home-educated, born again believer seeking God’s will for my life. I have had the blessing of a sound, reformed, Gospel preaching, Bible teaching church in my home town, also known as **** Free Presbyterian Church!

My parents… My father is a Turkish Muslim (hence the funny name!), and although not a practicing Muslim, he is very Islamic in his world view. He knows that I am a Christian, I’m not sure if he takes it in as my own choice or he thinks it’s because my Mum has “brainwashed” me, and thankfully doesn’t have a problem with it, although I know a few people who’s fathers would disown them over it.

My mum… Was saved about 14 years ago through the witness of a lady in the local charismatic church, they promptly left that church after a lot of studying and praying, and shortly after that the Free Presbyterian’s came to ****. So I have attended that church since a very young age! My mum is such an amazing person, I don’t know what I would do without her wisdom and guidance in matters, even if I don’t listen to her the first, second, third or fourth time of telling me!

I was saved at the age of 7, in my grandma’s house in Turkey. I realized that I was a sinner, and that without Christ I was doomed to an eternity in Hell. And so my mother led me to the Lord on the end of her sofa bed in the upstairs living room. I can quite safely say that it was the best, most life changing, important decision of my life, and I cannot comprehend how God could love a sinner like me, but I’m so glad that He does!

I have a younger brother, Meric, who is almost 15, is also saved, although backslidden. We have been home-schooled together for 8 or so years now.

I went to a Roman Catholic school for the first year of my official education, but then transferred to a small village school a couple of miles away from home when that year finished. My brother came to that school with me, and we continued there for 20 months, until one day, my grandma came storming through the corridors, grabbed us both by the hand and said “We are leaving and not coming back, so hurry up.” – My family thrives on drama. We then discovered that my mum and dad had been looking into home schooling for quite a while, intending on beginning at secondary school age but then, due to various reasons and a lot of prayer from my mum, believed that we would be better off at home and away from the influence of our peers.

Although people argue that you lose out on vital socialization when you are isolated from those around you, that is not an issue for us, we are perfectly able to socialize with people from babies to pensioners, unlike our peers that we see now in our home town, who look to the ground as soon as anyone speaks to them and are unable to maintain eye contact and a decent conversation for more than 10 seconds! We have been grounded in our faith, and taught our education from a Biblical perspective - it is one of the most precious things in the world. I don’t judge anyone who is at school or who sends their kids to school, I just know that it was the best possible thing my parents could have done for me to home-educate me!

Although I was getting a good education from my mum, being taught about the Bible within my curriculum as well, when I got to about 11 I became backslidden. Part of this, I believe, was my lack of trust in God, and the fact that I was worried about being alone.

I soon became obsessed with having friends, to the point where it took over my life. Until I was 14, it was friends, friends, friends. My mum would often tell me that the Bible did not put any emphasis on having friends, but I did not listen. I felt really lonely, because we are in such an isolated place, and there are no young people in our church other than my brother and me, and that became all I focused on. I thought that if I had friends, the feeling of loneliness would go. I did not realize that I was filling that loneliness with the wrong things, instead of leaning and trusting in the Lord, I was trying to trust in myself and the people around me.

In the end, I became so reliant on friendship from those around me, that the Lord removed those people, in a way which was very painful at the time, but it brought me to my senses and made me see what an unhealthy attitude it was to have, and that I should be trusting in the Lord, and walking with Him, and serving Him first and foremost in His life. At High Leigh, August 2005, there was a series of messages that seemed aimed at me, about Joseph and his brothers, and how we should apply it to our relationships around us, since then I have an ongoing mission to get along with my brother!

Although I was so revived after High Leigh, I seemed to soon forget what I felt the Lord was teaching me. Too often do I know that I am in the wrong, yet ignore God and carry on in my own sweet way, and always regret it! But I fell away from the Lord, and 2006 was a year filled with sorrows and regrets, as I look back now, my life was a wasteland through that time, I was of no use to the Lord, and that saddens me greatly. But December 2006 I came back to the Lord, through His grace and mercy I am trying to grow and become a Godly young woman, an encouragement to those around me, and on fire for the Lord, willing to serve Him in whatever small way I can.

Over the past 5 years, it seems the Lord has been teaching me a lesson when it comes to being alone, we may be alone with what seems like no friends around us, but we always have with us the friend who sticketh closer than a brother. And yes, I have friends now, but they come way down the list that has my God and Saviour at the very top of it! I don’t know what the Lord has in store for my life, I know He has His hand on me, and I just trust and pray that if I am walking with Him as I should be, then He will open and close doors according to His will. I still have difficulties with different things, I am not by any means perfect… I’m a work in progress! I would ask you to remember my family, and the church and work that is going on in **** in prayer, It would be much appreciated thank you and amen."

... iLL ...

2007-03-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm really ill. So i will blog to you when i'm better. I have really bad tonsilitus :) but i thought i better let you know i haven't forgotten about you :)

This cheered me up though. You HAVE to watch it... And let me know if you found it as hysterically hilarious as me...

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama.php

I will blog to you as soon as i feel up to it, meant to be going to Northern Ireland this weekend, hopefully i will be better! Talk soon!

A Little Post... I Think...

2007-03-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

OK, so i haven't blogged about anything substantial for a while (if at all :P), but i have been so busy this week. And i am so tired now i could cry. But i thought as i was checking my e-mail, i would write a little blog with a few of my not-so-deep thoughts in it, so that i know i'm still capable of thinking more than anything else :)

It was the children's meeting at church tonight, my Gorgeous Cousin came, she's only 2 and a half, but she really enoyed it, she did (or attempted to do) all the actions to the choruses and made friends with one of the little girls who comes. We also had one new little boy and his sister who has been once before, so that was encouraging.

Anyway, in the story my Mum mentioned Leviticus 11:45, anyway i looked it up and it struck me... I will explain.

Lev. 11:45 "For i am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for i am holy."

Also, on the subject of holiness, 1 Peter 1:16 "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for i am holy."

It isn't really on the matter of OUR holiness that i am writing about, although i am sure it will pop up in the future... But about unredeemed man's attitudes to God's holiness.

It's astounding to me, when you ask a non-believer (and some believers) about sin, and then go on to ask how many of the 10 commandments they have broken and they respond with something along the lines of (e.g.) "Well i've never killed anyone, and i only tell white lies and they don't count... And not shopping on a Sunday is out-dated..." yet the person/s in question STILL think that they are good enough to get to heaven when they die, to be in the presence of Almighty, Perfect God without asking for any type of forgiveness.
Adam was given one commandment to obey, and as a result of him disobeying it, he was banished from having perfect communion with God on earth and thrown out of the garden of Eden... Among other things... And that was just from disobeying ONE commandment ONCE. Why, WHY, do people think that they are somehow "good" enough to get to heaven by works? My conclusion is that those who do not know Him simply cannot grasp just HOW holy, perfect and all-knowing God is. And i think that we as believers can sometimes forget it as well :)

I have no idea if that was random or not, or if it made sense. I will probably read it tomorrow and think "What was i on?".
The answer is, a 2 year old. Pure exhaustion. Although i am partly to blame, however hard i try i can't seem to get to bed before midnight. Oh well :D

If you read this, can you please leave me a comment and make me feel loved? I like getting comments from people :) haha, blog to you soon! God bless :)

Laughed So Hard I Cried...

2007-03-12T08:14:00.001-07:00

Before you read this, i have a very strange sense of humour. I found a quotes page, and i have cut and paste some of the funny ones in here, too funny to miss!

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. (IMHO: The funniest!)

My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."

If you can't fix it with duck tape you haven't used enough.

"I didn't lose my mind, I sold it on ebay."

Eat Right, Exercise, Die Anyway.

Honk If Anything Falls Off.

I Do Whatever My Rice Krispies Tell Me To.

" WARNING: in case of rapture, this car will be driverless. " (NOTE: I don't believe in secret rapture but i just found this amusing :D)

Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

Only Five Days!!!!

2007-03-12T03:45:00.000-07:00

Until i go and meet up with Jo and Hannah for the day! Lock your doors, barricade your windows, we will be... UNCONTROLLABLE!!!

I currently have a large amount of energy in my system. It's making me feel very happy :)

This was a slightly random blog entry, i will blog more seriously later :) God bless!

A Quick Post...

2007-03-09T05:06:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share a verse... I have been so busy this week that i haven't really had time to sit and write a blog that i could think about. SO i will share this with you and then i have to go and finish my jobs :)

Matthew 6:25 - 32 - "Therefore i say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet i say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

I read that this morning, it was a Word in season, i worry far too much about the future when i need to remember that God is in control of everything, i need to keep my eyes heavenward. Feeling a bit down today... I just have to remember that i have nothing to feel down about, i'm saved, i'm going to Heaven and God loves me :D

An Article Before Bed... More Like A Rant!

2007-03-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

I am very aware that the more i blog, the further down my post on the AV goes, so if you are reading this and have not read the AV post, then please make sure you do :)

I was reading The British Church Newspaper earlier on, i don't know if any of you are suscribed to it, but there is an article on the front page that is clear proof that absolutely NO Christian who calls themselves reformed or is serving God with a passion should be involved in the Ecumenical movement. We are called to be seperate and that's what we shall be, how can we have fellowship with those who have a completely different concept of Salvation and Calvary than we do, putting all other matters aside, Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?". If you are not yet convinced then read this:

Anglicans and Baptists Hear Talk from White Witch - exclusive - by a correspondent.

A practising witch challenged Christian beliefs at an interfaith gathering including Christian leaders in Bishop's Stortford.
Ms Sarah Daisy, a self-proclaimed "practising white witch", addressed about 50 members of "Stort Interfaith" on 20 February at the United Reformed Hall, Water Lane, Bishop's Stortford. Stort Interfaith is an association, long established, for those living in or near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.
Training people to cast spells
Ms Daisy said that there was no such personality as Satan, adding that this was a recent invention by Christianity which was junior to the more established "ancient" pagan religions.She said her group helped train people to cast spells, but that this was only "white, good witchcraft" and not "dark magic", where spells and curses were cast "without people's permission". The term "black" magic was no longer used, she explained, as it could cause offence on racial grounds.
"Fascinating insight to satanism"
During her talk she handed out invitations to a series of "pagan profile" evenings, held in Mildenhall, Suffolk, a spring equinox ritual on 24 March, and a talk on 27 March by "Chris" which it was said would provide "a fascinating insight into Satanism". A talk in May will look at "different takes on Shamanism". Ms Daisy's group holds regular "family friendly events" to encourage families into paganism and "white witchcraft". Only one mildly critical voice was raised at this meeting, despite leaders from four seperate Christian denominations being present.
Churches Together
Stort Interfaith developed from what was originally a Christian ecumenical "Churches Together" group in Bishop's Stortford, established in the 1970's. it is now affiliated to a regional grouping, East Of England Interfaith. the group is a part of the developing "Interfaith Network for the UK", whose co-chairs are Rt. Rev. Tom Butler, the Bishop of Southwark, who recently had difficulties explaining an incident following a drinks reception at the Irish Embassy, and Sikh Jagjiwa Singh.
The Interfaith Network has established strong regional associations, whose boundaries coincide with those currently used for elections to the European Parliament.
It has dozens of member bodies, including the Council of African and Afro-Caribbean Churches, The Roman Catholic Comittee for Other Faiths, The British Muslim Forum, The Buddhist Society, The Hindu Council, The Regents Park Islamic Cultural Centre, Jamiat-e-Ulama Britain (the Association of Muslim Scholars), The Muslim Council of Britain, and Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe.
Seven "religious" groups belong to the Stort Interfaith group: Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, and United Reformed, plus members of the Quakers, the Council of Christians and Jews and the Baha'i faith.

Work...

2007-03-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

This is what i have to put up with... He's a regular cutomer and the thing on his head is a pizza delivery bag... He did it with no provocation...

My New Book...

2007-03-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

I started writing a post earlier, and then somehow managed to delete the entire thing JUST before i published it, which is rather annoying to say the least. So i will start again and hopefully this one will make it to my main page, otherwise i'm just some crazy girl blogging to herself...

Before i start, i hope everyone had a blessed Sabbath :D

So, my new book... It's so beautiful! A classic, i don't read modern novels, they're written for instant pleasure and gratification, full of gossip and immoral behaviour, not at all beneficial for expanding ones mind, vocabulary etc. and they are, generally, just trashy reading. But anyway, it's The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, seen the film and the stage production but haven't read the book yet. The actual copy of the book is absolutely beautiful, published by The Collector's Library, it's hardback with gilt edges... I've attatched a picture which doesn't do it ANY justice but you get the jist :) not that i'm obsessed... Can't wait to get reading it, but i may wait until i've finished one of the 4 i am currently part-way through reading!
My favourite book (secular) has to be Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, if you've never read it then i HIGHLY recommend it :D i love Wuthering Heights as well... And Vanity Fair was excellent, although not by a Bronte sister :) I don't get along very well with Charles Dickens, he's too voluble and takes too long to get to the point (much like myself!), and i don't get "into" the story until i'm about half-way through it. But anyway haha that was quite random... If anybody has read any good books recently that they would recommend then let me know :D

I meant to blog yesterday, but we were really busy, which can only be a good thing! We had the estate agent coming round in the afternoon to take pictures and measurements for the leaflet for our house. So we got up early and spent the morning making the house look respectable enough to have it's photographs taken. There will be a virtual guide to it online soon, so i will blog the link, just because it's so cool! Haha, it's the only opportunity most people will get of seeing our house clutter-free :)

Well, i'm going to go, i'm blogging another entry quickly after this one, just so you can see what i have to deal with at work... And if i'm not too exhausted i will blog a few thoughts when i get home :D so God bless, and ciao for now! Blog to you later :)

Thankfulness...

2007-03-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

How often do we truly thank the Lord for everything He has done for us, and the mercies he bestows on us each day?

Just heading to bed, not a very long post but i'm just finishing one on why i read the AV and no other :D so for now, good night and God bless :) xXx

Strictly AV...

2007-03-02T07:01:00.000-08:00

A much debated and controversial topic indeed... So i thought i would put my two-penneth in, and let my "readers" know my beliefs on it.

Now as you know, i'm not a "bear of very many brains" and the following thoughts are one i have gleaned from studying and praying over different pieces of literature about different versions... I will put my reasons for being AV first, and then i will list the differences in texts, or lack of them in the modern versions, or some of them at least, just to prove my point. I pray that you would approach this piece with an open mind, and don't take the version you use for granted, study it and find out for yourself why you read it and what your convictions are concerning it. I hope that this makes sense, i apologise for any grammatical or spelling mistakes that may occur :)

I have been brought up using the AV, my mum came out of a wildly charasmatic church, and several churches because of their ecumenical stances, and as she came out of them she studied in-depth the modern translations and the AV (she was previously NIV). Now as i have grown up, she has explained this to me, why she changed versions etc. and encouraged me to make my own choices and decide my own convictions, which are decided upon the AV. I think to some degree, the church you belong to decides what version you will use, especially if you have been attending it since you were very little, it's just the natural course of things. it doesn't mean you stick with using that once you get older, but in my case i did and do :) My church is AV, it was set up about 12 years ago and is now a constituted part of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, Calvanistic in doctrine etc. etc., there is a link to the website on my "Escape Routes".

Deuteronomy 4:2 - "Ye shall not add unto the word which i command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which i command you."

Galatians 1:6 & 9 - "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:... As we said before, so say i now again, If any man preach and other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

I begin, the reason i hold to the Authorised Version of the Scriptures is this: i believe that it is the closest translation to the original God-inspired, infallible manuscripts, the Textus Receptus and the Masoretic Text. We are SO blessed to have God's Word in our own language, and no, i do not believe that the AV is a perfect translation, i do not believe that it is inerrant or infallible. I believe that the original texts are, but not all of us have the blessing of being able to understand Greek and Hebrew, and praise the Lord, he has provided us with a good translation of the Scriptures in our own tongue.

Where did it all go wrong then? Why don't i believe that the "modern" versions of Scripture can be trusted? As i said, although i read the AV, i don't think it's perfect, so what are my problems with the new versions of Scripture? My problem is that they were translated, either wholly or partly, using a faulty and corrupted manuscript. The corruption can be traced back to 200 A.D. when there lived one of the world's most foremost theologians whose name was Origen. He was a textual critic and is supposed to have "corrected" various portions of the original manuscript. Evidence to the contary shows us that he actually changed them to suit his own human philosophy of mystical and allegorical ideas. They consistenly undermine the deity of our Lord and cut out important verses, e.g. Act.s 8:37 and Matthew 18:11. If you look in any modern version, these 2 verses are completely omitted. Altogether there are 650 variants in the modern versions, regularly changing "Christ" to "Jesus", missing "Jesus" out altogether, and often missing WHOLE VERSES out.

The passage which struck me most was that in Luke 4:4 (concerning Christ's temptation in the wilderness), in my AV Bible it reads as follows:
"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." [emphasis mine]

In the NIV it reads as follows:
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.' "

Where is the most important part of the quote? But by every word of God. And it's completely missing. That was one of the verses that convinced me, another was this, John 5:6 (concerning the man with the infirmity by the pool of Bethesda), in my AV Bible it reads as follows:
"And Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?" [emphasis mine]

In the NIV it reads as follows:
"When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" [emphasis mine]

As we can see, the NIV clearly undermines the deity of Christ, undermines the fact that He is the all-knowing, all-powerful Son of God, becuase he had to LEARN that the man had been infirm for a long time.

Compare the following verses from the four Gospels with an AV and an NIV and make your own conclusion:

Matthew - 1.25, 4.18, 5.44, 8.29, 16.20, 17.21, 18.11, 19.9, 23.14
Mark - 2.17, 6.11, 7.16, 9.44, 9.46, 11.26, 15.28, 16.9-20
Luke - 2.33, 4.4 & 8, 7.22, 11.2,4 & 11, 12.31, 17.36, 22.44, 22.57, 23.17, 24.40
John - 1.18, 3.2, 5.4, 6.69, 7.53-8.11, 9.35, 16.16, 19.39

Now i am no great theologian, i'm not particularly clever, i rely on God's grace alone to help me understand His precious Word, but this is my conviction and i will stick with it until God shows me otherwise. I have shared with you my views as best as i can. I will leave you with this verse: "These [the Bereans] were more noble that those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

Search the Scriptures, don't take my Word for it, i'm only human.

A Few Thoughts Before Bed...

2007-03-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

I'm getting an early night tonight, due to stil not being able to talk properly and feeling generally achey and full of cold. I'm not sure how many thoughts are going to be in this blog... The sound of Charlie destroying a plastic bottle is distracting me and my head feels like it's in the clouds haha.

I was reading a little booklet earlier, it was about reading the Bible, and the most effective way to do it. Now i have heard people say that you shouldn't read huge amounts in one go because it can be "confusing" and you should meditate on one piece of Scripture at a time, and i have heard people say you should read lots and lots regularly to familiarise yourself with the different passages etc. This booklet basically said to do both, read as much as you can whilst taking it in, so as to familiarise yourself with it and then to meditate on maybe one or two verses a day. I thought that sounded like a logical idea... I'm aiming to read the Bible through at least twice this year, using two different plans and seeing which is the most effective.

I accepted Christ as my Saviour when i was nearly 8 years old, but i was backslidden from about the age of 9 to 15. So i'm a relatively young Christian... I have a general knowledge about the Bible, but i want to know more, and i can't read and comprehend enough to satisfy my want, so i decided i needed to find a logical plan to follow and pray that God will open His Word to me as i follow that reading plan and see how it goes. I'm not very clever, i rely on the grace of God to reveal things to me, and in secualr matters i am probably what you would describe as "blonde". I do enjoy a good debate though. But i have the Bible, it's enough for me, even if i don't understand all the complicated doctrinal terms haha i'll get there in the end.

This morning i came across John 15:13 in my daily reading, and it kind of struck me, this is what it says: "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."

Christ died on the cross for us, he suffered and died, and shed his precious Blood, all to save us from an eternity in Hell... Talk about unsurpassable love... And we have to love each other as Christ loved us, even our enemies. But if we have no love in our hearts, we can have no relationship with Christ, because we will never be able to comprehend just how great a sacrifice He made for us or why He did it. We must love those who are lost, in order to want to witness to them and win them to Christ... And love those who frustrate and possibly annoy us so that we are not un-Christian... Someone once said to me "In everything you do, be a Christian" and it's so true, we need to apply it to every dimension of our lives!

But those are the few thoughts that have been occupying my small brain today... I wonder how many people got to the bottom of this without falling asleep haha. But i will blog to you later, as now i am going to read and get some sleep! Good night and God bless to you all!

A Post of Random Little Thoughts...

2007-03-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

I blog FAR too much. You'd know, you're reading it haha. The entries will become significantly less regular when i've finished painting my room etc. but i have so much to talk about at the minute, so much i want to share with everyone, that i'm enjoying blogging "too much". I really do have better things to be getting on with, but like i said, it won't be for very much longer.

My posts are way too long, but i can't help typing fast... I think if my typing were slower, my "readers" would be spared alot of boredom. And i think more people would get to the bottom of my entries.

I discovered today that when i get over-excited, my nose bleeds. I had thought this for a while but was waiting for my next bout of hyper-activity to test out my theory. I was right. I get giddy alot, i tend to be a very exciteable individual, but just now and then one little episode occurs and then... Well my nose bleeds apparently.

I console myself with the fact that i am sensible when i need to be, and if everybody were sensible all the time, the world would be a very boring place. Like it or lump it :D

Leaving this...

2007-03-01T05:27:00.000-08:00

I was walking the dog this morning, and i had to take a couple of pictures... I had some in my phone anyway, from when i've been walking and it's just been too beautiful to miss the photo opportunity, so i thought i would put them up here so you can see how awesome it is :D every time i go out and see how phenomenal the sunset/sunrise is, or look out at the stars in the evening, it puts me in complete awe of God's creation... I will miss it for sure! And it looks like we might be moving to a city... I will have to find someplace else to admire creation and how marvellous my God is :D

Scared...

2007-02-28T06:57:00.000-08:00

Well, my last blog was short and sweet... I finished kind of abruptly but my mum was telling me to go to bed :)

To explain the title of this post... We have just had an estate agent round, and it looks like we're selling up and moving, who knows where. it's been on the cards for a few weeks, but the reality of it hadn't really hit me, i mean, my dad has talked about moving before and it's never happened. But this time we've had the estate agent round, we've got a good price for the house (35,000 more than my dad said he would sell for, i believe it's a "sign" from God to my mum and i that it's His will for us to go this time... If that makes sense, but we shall see!), and my dad is selling the shop on the Word-Of-Mouth market... The one that foreigners who own kebab shops use! Lol...

So, i'm not particularly bothered that we're moving, i'm scared about where and what it's going to be like packing up our thousands of books... But i am just trusting God. I need to get my head round it, it's just quite a big thing.

I have no idea if any of this is making sense, so i'm going to change the subject to something else!

I was walking my dog this morning (Charlie, my "brain-dead bag of bones", that says it all), listening to my iPod. It was a sermon entitled "Wanted: Women who are Modest, Gentle and Quiet" and it was a study on the first 6 verses of 1 Peter 3. It made me think... About myself and my relationship with God, and my attitudes etc. and how important it is to be focused on Him and on keeping your heart in order, rather than worrying about what people think of your dress sense. As a Christian i believe we need to be neat and tidy, modest obviously, and dressed not trendily but not like we are living in the early 1900's. If we dress dowdily, it atomatically puts up a barrier between us and any people we try to share the Gospel with, yet we still need to differentiate ourselves from the world in the way we dress as it tends to be the first thing people notice about you... If that makes sense... I'm VERY aware that i ramble on so much sometimes that my rambling loses any logic it may have once contained.

I'm also praying and striving towards speaking more gently and quietly, i can be very loud, due to having an extensive Turkish family who are *very* loud, and an English family who aren't much quieter. But i am trying to use "volume control", and also praying that God will help me be gentler towards people when i'm talking and not quite as harsh as i know i can be.

Anyway.... I'm going to go and finish moving my room round, cleaning under stuff, and painting. My mum says she doesn't know what happened to me as i actually enjoy doing housework haha, good job for someone who would eventually like to have 12 kids :D getting far too in front of myself but there you go :)

I'm going, so i will blog to you later, take care and God bless to my reader group, which so far consists of my dear mother :)

Ciao ciao!!

A Reality Check...

2007-02-27T15:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, i'm home! It made me realise that i do live in the real world after all, and that unfortunately all the home-edders can't live on a little island in the middle of nowhere, with no contact with the outside world... So i'll just have to dream haha. But seriously, it's important that we are "in" the world but not "of" the world, otherwise how can we be a witness and share the Gospel with the unsaved. And we can just content ourselves with the thought that we will enjoy the fellowship that we do get throughout the year alot more, because we are without it for the rest of the year...

Anyway, just a little thought, will write again soon but i must go to bed, still recovering from a cold and throat infection! So blog to you later! Good night and God bless xoxox

Rededicated to the Lord...

2007-02-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

The following refers to my recent weekend away with 23 other home-educated Christians in their Teens and Twenties.

What did i get out of the weekend? How has it affected my life, my feelings, and my walk with God?

I felt that the series of talks we heard this weekend were benficial for me personally on many levels. Specifically, a talk on how the Lord Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and favour with both God and man. It encourages me a great deal, as after an awful year last year (for a number of reasons i won't bore you with), i was feeling quite helpless and hopeless in my walk with God. The weekend helped me to realise what mistakes i have been making, in that i was trying to become more Godly in my own strength rather than relying on God and His grace to help me.
I also came away from the weekend with a deeper understanding of what it means to trust God wholly and completely, rather than worrying about what the future holds. Mr. Harding said something that struck me, God has already written the end of our story, and it has a happy ending. Whatever things we think may affect our future happiness, God has them all under control and things will work out for the best. We may not know what our "happy ending" is yet, but we must wait carefully and cautiously for God to reveal His will to us through studying Scripture and fervent prayer, and in the meantime, get on with what God has for us now, in the situation we are in, whatever it may be, and take our lot without complaining but glorifying our Lord in everything we do
I also realised (although i knew this to some level anyway!) that i cannot in any way, shape or form, trust any of my feelings. I need to lean on God completely.
I have given my body as a living sacrifice to the Almighty God, to use in whichever way pleases Him, to use in whichever way i will be most useful to Him. I am a shapeless lump of clay, ready to be molded and shaped by the Potter's hands. I am a sheep, ready to follow my Shepherd where ever he will lead me until he calls me Home.
I pray daily that i will be useful to God and that He will help me to develope the qualities i need to fill the role that He has for me. I pray that He will help me to deny myself, take up His cross and follow Him with my whole heart.

There are other people out there in the same situation as me, i am not alone. I have so many blessings in my life, i may be isolated but there are people who are more isolated, and it's for a divine reason that i may or may not come to find out in years to come.

I have struggled, i feel more on fire for God than i have ever done and i am striving towards a prize worth far more than anything here on earth. I will write more later... I am at my auntie's and i have alot to talk about... I'm overflowing with joy and zeal after the weekend and i want to share it with everyone!