Post-it Note Promise

I should be in bed.

But since I'm not yet, i'll write a quick post :)

Just reflecting on my day (as one does, at half past midnight..) and I updated my facebook status to:

"today my day was beautiful, sunshiney, fun, long, tired, blessed, nerve-racking, exciting, filled with friends, surprising, God-given, emotional, busy, abundant, adventurous... all glory and thanks be to God :):)"

That just about sums it up.

Today has been filled with both a number of challenges and also many wonderful things. Things which I have thoroughly enjoyed and embraced and would do again in a heart beat, and things that could not be avoided but were necessary and will inevitably have caused me to grow, even though I would never choose them if given the option.

And therein lies one of the beauties of life.

The element of surprise!

Who (aside from God) knows what tomorrow is going to bring?

Every day I wake up and start my day with God, and I rarely know what's gonna come but I always know He's gonna be there with me.

And for that I praise Him.

For the past few months, I've had a post-it note that sits next to where my phone and keys live, and it reads:

"I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you. I will sustain you and rescue you." Isaiah 46:4

The honest truth is, with all that is going on right now, I should be a mess. And perhaps I am to some extent.

But I know full well, that I am not doing this in my own strength. If I was, I would have already given up and gone home (and would probably be in bed already).

But Father God has made a promise, that He will sustain me.
And He is doing exactly that.

2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

Here I am, boasting in my weakness. Knowing that most of this is a lot too big for me. And so I rejoice in the fact that Christ's power is made perfect in my weakness and He is quite happy to use me anyway, despite how little I am.

Are you feeling weak lately?

If so, rest in the fact that His power is made perfect through that very weakness.

His grace is sufficient.

Hallelujah!

Bitter Sweet

I'm sat at my laptop this evening, watching Do the right thing, a Spike Lee movie from the early 90s. (We're studying it in my New York class next week, I didn't just randomly choose to watch it..)

I can't believe how shocking it is.

It's about racism in Brooklyn and at first I wasn't sure what to expect from it coz it started off pretty funny.

But by three-quarters of the way through the movie, when the fight scene broke out, I realised that there was no way it was going end happily.

Probably not one I'd recommend but it definitely makes you think about the state of our world..

This quote roles up before the closing credits.

On a lighter note though, I'm currently reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and I have officially caught the travelling bug.

I suppose that my time in Canada, and ventures to a few different states in the US already mean I'm prone to catching said bug.. but in the book, she spends three months in Italy simply because she wants to learn to speak Italian.

Quiero viajar a España porque quiero hablar mejor español..

I'm not sure if this is how they would say it exactly. But (translated) 'I want to visit Spain because I want to speak better Spanish'...

I've been thinking about it for a while, and I've also fully accepted that there is no way (well, not no way*, but you get me!) that this will be possible this year.

Now, I've been to Spain a few times before, but quite obviously, tanning by the pool all day, walking along Spanish beaches during the evening, even shopping til we drop in Barcelona and whatever else ensues on two-week family holidays, hasn't seemed to help me much with learning their language.

No, I mean, one day, maybe, I think it would be nice to spend some time there (I haven't figured out how long yet), away from the tourist attractions, out in the country somewhere, immersed in the culture, eating proper Spanish food and getting a real opportunity to speak the language..

Ahh, one can dream, right?

:)

Buenas Noches, mis amigos.

*Luke 1:37 - For with God, nothing shall be impossible.

New brothers :)

I got a text from my friend the other night saying:

"woahhh the amount of Christians I know on campus just doubled!"

Sadly not because 40 people came to know Christ that night, but because he got introduced to another group of Christians on campus.

Tonight I had the same experience.

Enter, Jesus Jam.

Never before have I seen such energy and passion for the LORD, in praise and worship and through study of His word in a student setting.

And my brothers and sisters here welcomed and embraced me, and taught me how to high five / low five (whatever) properly!

But before I go further, let me start at the beginning of today.

As I prayed and spent time with God this morning, I text some of my JJ (Jesus Jam) brothers with a verse and told them I'd be at their meeting tonight! One reply I got was 'Amen.. and God willing, we will see you tonight!"

:)

Praise the LORD for His will. I hoped I would make it!

At that point in my day, though, I didn't realise that today would be one of the most difficult and exhausting days of my Uni experience so far.

But my God is good. And in all I do He sustains me (Psalm 3:5).

After everything, I was so blessed by being at the JJ meeting this evening.

I am so thankful it was God's will!!

And I am thankful that God was truly at the centre of all aspects of this evening.

I saw love and encouragement in everyone there. We had fun together and the words shared were edifying and we spent time in prayer and pouring over pages of our Bibles soaking in the scriptures.

They don't have words up during praise and worship so I didn't know the lyrics to most of the songs but I remember one of the lines we sang declared (something like) "Even when trouble comes my way, You will be with me. Almighty God, You are my all in all."

There was so much truth in those couple of sentences. I saw that truth earlier today. Trouble comes, yes. But my God is Almighty and He is with me and He is all I need.

After the meeting, as they packed down, they sang in harmonies, more praise to God. Everyone helped out. And a bunch of my newly-found-family even walked me home.

When the body is in working order, it is so beautiful to watch in action, and it's so beautiful to be a part of it.

"..God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.." 1 Corinthians 12:18

Thank You LORD, for the family of believers that is here at Keele.

May we continue to work as a body, in unity and for your will and purposes!

Don't let us hide our light, don't let us keep your love to ourselves.

But may the love we have for you and each other, overflow and spill out on everyone we see through out the day.

Amen.

(and goodnight!)

Setting Sun

I went for a short walk this afternoon, before it got dark.

To get some fresh air and to watch the sun set.

And to spend some time outside and alone with God, without distraction.

I walked and took pictures, and got really excited that the daffodils are already starting to bloom!!

It was cold out, but with the sun on my face, I really didn't mind the temperature.

And I decided to turn back early, so I could find an ideal spot to watch the sun setting..

Whilst walking to find the perfect spot a thought occurred to me.

It's one thing to be 'where the light is', it's completely different to be 'living in the light'.

(that is something I'd like to expand on when it's not gone 1am in the morning.. but this was quite a significant thought for me today..)

So, anyway. Other thoughts.

Ideal spot, found.

I stood and watched the sun go down, until it was hidden behind the horizon.

I thought of God, and what it's gonna be like when Jesus comes back, or even in Heaven. I think it will look a little like the sunset I saw today.. definitely more splendid and awesome.. I prayed that Jesus would come back soon. (Not because I don't like living, just coz I feel like "to live is Christ and to die is gain" - what Paul was saying in Philippians. But so often I don't feel like I'm doing a great job at the 'living is Christ' part, and I don't want to die necessarily - but I do wanna be where God is everything, where He's at the centre, getting all the glory, and where I have no worries and stresses but I can just be. And so if Jesus returns soon, before I die, then yeh.. all will be well :) complicated thought process perhaps but in my head it makes sense..!)

I also thought of Japan, and how fragile our world is. I prayed for Shizuka and Kaori, my two friends that I lived with in Canada, who are living back in Japan. I prayed that God would be strong, for them and for everyone who is being and has been affected by this terrible disaster.

As I started walking back, I crossed paths with a new friend of mine, who was also out walking and praying and was just going to watch the sun set. (Thank you LORD for your timing!)

We talked about our thoughts, about church this morning, about Japan and about our great God who is steadfast and strong.

She encouraged me in a number of things, and when we talked about the earthquake and how I had been praying specifically for the girls, she reminded me that we can't fully rely on the earth we live on, and that it is not the ground that is holding us up - it is God, by his mighty hand.. She talked about how creation is revealing God to us all the time, and yet even creation isn't a full image of what God is like, we get an incomplete picture. Yes, God is in the beautiful sun set that illuminates the sky and warms your heart.. But the earth is fallen. The earthquake and tsunami that have killed hundreds in Japan is not reflective of our God.. (Although, they do fulfill prophesies in the Gospels when Jesus warned that in the last days these things would happen...)

All in all, a lovely and thought-provoking conversation. And what inspires me most about this friend of mine, is that she views all things through a godly perspective; God is always on her mind and she can see Him at work all the time.

I pondered on those thoughts for a while as I walked back to my block.

I began to feel the chill of the cold air as the sun found its way out of our sky for the day and the temperature started to drop rapidly.

I walked quickly.

Home in no time.

Keele is such a beautiful place to live.

So much nature, so much of God's creation, right there, practically on my doorstep.

I hope to take advantage of more sun sets like that.

And I hope to see more of God, in more things as I go about my days.

Hallelujah.

Today was a Fairytale

Today I had the most productive day of my 2011 so far... (not quite a fairytale admittedly, but it's a catchy title..)

I'm not sure if this is something that will interest you - yes, you - hello there reader :)

And I'm also not a major fan of hanging all my emotional laundry our for everyone to read about... But when walking back from doing my actual laundry this evening (and thinking in facebook statuses as I so often and unfortunately do) I wanted to tell the world exactly how full and amazing my day had been.

And perhaps I'm boasting a little, but perhaps here I can also give the glory to God since I have asked almost every praying person I know to be praying for me recently because I have been having a shoddy few days.
However, my God is bigger than 'shoddy' days and too much work and not enough sleep / proper food, monthly hormones etc.etc.etc.

Yes He is.

And I'm more than certain He has been answering a lot of those prayers.

And so upon waking up today (and wanting, more than anything in the the world, to go straight back to sleep and hide from everything and everyone) I sat and pondered for a while and then began my day.

07.50 - 1st Alarm goes off. SNOOZE. (repeat this like 5 times, we're getting there.)

08.00 - iPod alarm goes off (brooke frazer on the ipod. good start!)

08.17 - Still in bed, but sitting up now at least. Up at last.

08.30 - Since I chose to sleep through my devotion time this morning (I know this isn't cool, I don't this most mornings) - I simply sat and read Psalm 46, and then a bit from Matthew 4 about Jesus beginning to preach.

08.45 - Shower, Dress, Make-Up, Hair (actually did my hair properly - blow dry, straighten and even a quiff!)

9.20 - Prayed, gave my day to God and basically begged for sustenance and that He would help me survive today.

09.30 - Meeting with the CU Vice President discussing CU things that need to be discussed. Also in this time, arranged the day/time of next meeting, and arranged coffee with a friend for next week!

10.30 - Keele Christian Group Leaders Meeting ('Power Breakfast') - 2 cups of coffee and 3 pieces of toast with jam. My day was currently getting better by the minute. Good talks about Chapel goings-on and networking with the other Christian Leaders on Campus (always good!). This also included a huge amount of laughter with Kai and Dion from Jesus Jam. Those guys practically made my morning.

12.00noon - Help clear up after breakfast meeting.

12.15 - Post room (still no post, although I've been expecting 2 letters for a while now...), bumped in to lisa who gave me a little pep-talk before my debate, sent about 100 texts (slight exaggeration) because apparently i got popular this morning (that's not the reason).

12.30 - Sat in Le Cafe frantically going over my debate notes and making little changes that I felt would make my argument that little bit better.

13.00 - The debate. Cloe went first. 15 minutes later, I took the stage (as it were), and argued against the motion that U.S. Immigration Laws should be more rigidly enforced. I think it went pretty well - and I have 3 reasons for this:

#1. My side of the debate lasted just short of 15minutes (criteria met).

#2. There weren't many questions for me after the debating period, and yet the ones that were asked, I was able to give informed answers too, both of which lead me to believe that I both researched and argued my corner pretty well.

#3. I came away from the class believing very strongly that U.S. Immigration laws shouldn't be more enforced.. When I actually don't think I agree with this.

14.00 - Walked home with Maddy (who I feel I haven't seen in AGES!). Pondered some more and chilled for half an hour.

14.30 - Made a Quorn sausage sandwich (verrry good.). Washed up (5days worth of washing up isn't great..). Phoned Mom! Booked train for the weekend SPO is coming to stay, printed some stuff. Did a bit of my NY Seminar prep for next week.

16.00 - Rooibos in my Sbux flask and off to mi Clase de español. Learned lots!!

17.00 - Practise with worship band for Sunday's TEN:15 service. Learned a new song. Taught some harmonies, stayed for a short while to appreciate the choir who came in to practise afterwards (actually what I imagine heaven to sound like... So beautiful).

18.30 - Walked home with Chemistry George and talked about a whole array of fun things.

18.45 - NY Seminar Questions (complete). Spanish Homework (almost complete).

19.45 - Natter with Lisa about stuff and life and marriage lol. David joined us. Conor joined us. Natter, natter... nice little catch up!

20.30 - Applied for Student Finance for next year. Put a potato in to bake. Facebooked a little. Ate custard creams. Phoned mom (again), phoned Rich (who flies out to Dubai next Thursday!!)

21.00 - Put Laundry on. Spanish Homework (complete). Ate tea (jacket potato with cheese, and roasted onions, tomato... and frozen grapes (sort of addicted to those at the moment..).

22.00 - (approximate time) Put Laundry in to dryer. Watched '#23 week babies' on BBC iPlayer. Unreal. Cried a little. Considered the positives of being a 'custard cream' (purely for Owen's benefit).

22.50 - Went to get Laundry. Folded every single article as soon as it came out the dryer (sad affects of OCD).

About 23.30 - started blogging and still here (at 00.21am), although I'm actually in the middle of putting my all my lovely clean clothes away.

Will probably finish now, get ready for bed and read some before sleeping..

But I suppose the reason I just wrote all that is because I wanted to acknowledge that even when things aren't going massively well, God is faithful to His promises when He says 'I am He who will sustain you', or that 'I am your refuge and strength' or when He encourages me to 'Be still and know that [He] is God.' - He actually does sustain, he does give strength to those who are weak and weary and He was in every detail of my day today. I had a positive, joyful, productive day, and I have lots of people to thank for it but mostly, God.

I think it's good to get things out my system and on to my blog so I don't forget.

I thank you God for good friends, for my education, for a family who love me and look out for me, for the privilege of the leadership roles you have put me in during this season, for food and shelter and more than enough of everything I could need or want.

Thank you for every blessing.

Thank you for today.