Audience of One

So this morning I was completely caught of guard not realising it was Josie's nursery performance today. A few songs to all the mummies and daddies to mark the end of the year and of course the big move to P1.

I have to say a big hand to the teachers who try to co-ordinate 4 year olds to do anything in sync. Giggles and lots of waving had us lost in the moment as our little ones did their very best to perform.
As all the kids where completely distracted every 20 seconds - there was one little boy whose whole posture looked different to the rest of the class. He was standing offset - not facing the front but angled in my direction and he wasn't breaking eye contact with his
Daddy who I was sitting beside.
Here was a kid - it didn't matter what everyone else was doing, he wasn't singing to the room, he was singing to one person and one person only.
It was a beautiful thing to watch and then the killer - he pointed to his eye, then his heart and then his dad and I was gone trying to hold back a few tears.

As I watched this little boy I remembered a song from my teenage years about serving an audience of one. I realise that so many times we can get so distracted in the play, our part alongside the rest of the cast, the people who are watching, getting it right and yet miss the point that it's simply entertaining for the director to watch us enjoy what he has so cleverly written and created for us to enjoy.

I'm reminded today that this is all about Him. I'm blown away that his gaze is on me the whole time because he simply loves me.

Be blessed!

Held by Him

I had the great privilege of speaking in church just before christmas on trust. Such a simple word that we all know and yet it's the foundation of our relationship with God. Trusting in His perfect love is where it all begins.

Children are the best examples when it comes to demonstrating trust. Jesus himself said that we need to become childlike to see Kingdom and all that it brings. It's being like a child and simply believing Him and taking Him at his word. Particularly young children don't tend to ask how things are going to happen - they just go with it. They take us as their parents at our word.

I had an incredible sense this week of being held by God. It got me thinking about what that actually means. A lot of lovely newborns have been added to our church family recently and of course everyone wants to hold them. No-one is going to drop them (well in theory) they're secure, at rest and aren't even wondering "I hope they're holding on tight." That thought doesn't even enter their little heads - they relax and enjoy the fact that someone has got them.

However something instinctively changes as we get a bit older. Even my girls who are not 4 & 6, when I'm holding them, you can be sure that they've got a fist on my clothes and are in turn holding for grim death onto me. I'm not going to drop them, but yet they instinctively hold on to me too.

I honestly felt challenged this week by God to let go of my grip on Him, He's not going anywhere. He has got me. Why is this a big challenge??

It's takes trust to let go and believe that he's holding onto to me and I can relax.

There is an incredible rest and freedom that comes from knowing that we are held and have the attention and affection of our creator. There's nothing we can do, but like a newborn, snuggle in, relax and know that we are indeed Held by Him.

KINGDOM

So we started a new series in church today KINGDOM: Healer
Needless to say it started with a bang and was incredible.
I can't tell you how excited I am about this series. Our God is so incredible, faithful and true to his word.

I've realised how easy it can be to simply chase his benefits and yet somehow miss him. The idea of chasing the healer and not the healing was the line that stood out in today's sermon.
There is such a fine line between trying to muster up enough faith to get it to work - we all know there is an element of faith involved. But when our faith is not placed on His goodness, His faithfulness, His grace, His words - then it's not biblical faith.
It has nothing to do with us and everything to do about him.
We don't have to work or get our faith to a certain level - we simply need to trust him.

Faith is always involved: but recently I've been seeing faith more as trust as opposed to this abstract thing that I can't really seem to explain but know I need.
Trusting in the goodness of God, trusting that he is true to his word and believing that He will do what he says he will do - that's faith!

The teaching at Church in the last few weeks has been incredible. A great foundation for understanding Kingdom and kingdom living.

Let's not be people who just take things as they are, but lets be forceful men and women who expect to see the kingdom of God invade our broken world and change it.

GOD IS FAITHFUL

Isaiah 55
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Psalm 103
² Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

Time to let go and let God :)

Visit www.exchangechurchbelfast.com and link this series

Exciting times...

I am actually horrific at blogging these days.
My obsession with twitter and facebook status updates has taken over. I need help!!
It's probably best at times I limit what I say lol - this blog gets me in trouble.

Anyhow - there are times when a word count gets annoying and you can't get to say all you really want to.
This season is life is.... how shall I put it..... EPIC, AMAZING, WONDERFUL, GREAT! Yup - that pretty much sums it up.

I am so excited for 2011.
God has been so faithful and true to his word. I've always been excited about the bible - but something is different these days. I'm not even sure I can explain it with words.
But that 'little black book' or in my case 'PINK' - is God's word!!
Sometimes we can get caught up in what is God saying now - and that is important that we tune in to that - but how incredible to know that we have a reference, a point, pages that we can turn to and find everything we need to know about our God.

The truth is - He never changes. He's the same, yesterday, today and forever.
He's not going to say something 'out of character'.

Maybe we hear God the most when we understand His character.
It should never be "what's God going to do?" We have this incredible book - a consistent God - that points us in the right direction.

This recently has been my constant!

When life can get crazy - the one thing that remains true is the word of God.
May our experiences and circumstances never have us doubting the truth of God and His word.

Apparently 2011 marks the 500th year anniversary of the bible being translated in English. I feel the need to do something to mark it.... haven't a clue what. But my brain is ticking.
Suggestions welcome lol

Lets treasure this treasure!

The great love story...

It’s the glorious time of year again that I just absolutely love. EASTER!
Nothing to do with chocolate, holidays or time of work, but because it’s all about Jesus: and not simply just about a person, but an ‘action’ that this person did that changed the course of the entire world.

What happened to Jesus on the cross was truly astounding. It’s not just a story, a gruesome story at that, but a plan that was set out from the beginning of the world in an attempt to restore creation back to it’s creator.
I love this rescue story.

What I love even more about it, is that over the last few years I’ve really understood it. The ‘completed’ work of the cross. The ‘finished’ work of Jesus. The reality that everything I need in life flows from that great act of love, the great exchange of His life for mine and that completely blows my mind.
I don’t need to try and get, I don’t need ‘more faith’ before I receive – I simply need to believe in the last few words that my Jesus spoke on the cross ‘it is finished’.
I have no doubt today, that God is urging us to see that all was provided for us at the cross. Our salvation, our healing, dare I say prosperity (controversial) our freedom.
Label me a health and wealth gospel preacher all you like – I would rather believe that the victory of my Lord on that great day, defeating EVERYTHING that I struggle with is actually true according to HIS word, not mine.
There is power in the cross. I don’t need to do anything but receive what Jesus provided.

The enemy has done a fantastic job at convincing people that they need to add to the work of Jesus. There is nothing to add, it is complete.

This Easter chose to REST in all that Jesus has done for you.

“It is done, It is won
The battle is over now
It is done”

Amen and a big THANK YOU TO MY MAN JC :)

Life as Nemesis knows it.....

A few weekends ago I went to Alton Towers with a few friends and I’d forgotten how much I love rollercoasters. Grant it, we ended up only getting on 2 as queueing for 70-80mins for a 30 second thrill really is a bit tedious.
But never the less those 30 secs where exhilarating.
There’s something exciting and scary about the unknown - I think that’s what makes rollercoasters so incredibly brilliant.

I’ve often heard life described as a rollercoaster - and in that respect I’ve definitely had my up/down moments. But recently I’ve been thinking about the future and all the possibilities that life has in store.
The last few months have been the most amazing yet most difficult of my entire life.
It feels as though I’ve stepped onto a rollercoaster - I’ve no idea what’s around the next corner, but the one think I’m confident about is that I’m supposed to be on it.
Whilst it’s turns and twists are surprising at times - it has been great.
Aaron and I have gone through some pretty big changes in life this year - it’s been refining and defining who we are and what we’re called to be.
This is definitely the beginning of an adventure. In some ways we’ve used a fast pass - and God has been so amazing and gracious and wonderful in placing key people around us and allowing that to happen.

I’m on this rollercoaster to the end. Others have jumped off already - and that’s cool. Other’s question what this rollercoaster is all about.
The one thing I’ve realised is that I can be so busy worrying about who is on, who is off, what people are saying, blah blah blah, that I actually miss the entire ride.
I don’t want to do that anymore.
I’m holding on for all it’s worth.....

We are standing on the edge of something much much bigger than us - and that’s the best thing about it.

Youth Pastor?