Have setup a new blog over at wordpress, will hopefully get back to more regular posting again. If anyone reads this blog still you can update your links.

Wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the time

Just finished the week of CSSM, and again have been reminded of how God moves when his people serve and obey.  On a team like this your totally reliant on God for everything, and daily you see his answers to prayer as he gives you the strength and enthusiasm to keep on beyond your own abilities.  Its also an amazing experience to see God use a group of diverse yet gifted people from different walks of life who share the same common goal of serving their Saviour and proclaiming the gospel in word and deed.  What a privilege to be involved in Gods kingdom work in this way and share in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ in serving Him.

Now the preparations for Reachout begin, another fantastic opportunity to proclaim the Good News of the gospel in word and deed to the young people in our community, and through them to the wider community.

Almighty God, what a privilege that you choose to use fallen sinners like me in your kingdom work, may your name be glorified and your grace abound. Break me, shape me, mould me, use me in accordance with your will. 

North Antrim Coast

Long Time No Blog

Well it's been a while, have kinda got out of the way of blogging this past while, busy times and all that and not really taken the time to journal thoughts or musings.

Youthworks on a bit of a break at present, enjoying abit of a much needed rest for a couple of weeks there before CSSM and Reachout in the incoming weeks.  Was off work last week and it was bliss, spending some quality time with my girlfriend, taking in the beauty of creation on the North Antrim coast, and generally chilling out.

Back to the bread and butter of work again next week, but will try and get back into the habit of blogging again, I find it helps me reflect and flesh out my faith somewhat as I try to journey through this life.

My devotions of late have taken me into the book of Amos, some pretty prophetic and thought provoking stuff in there.  Got me thinking about how we perhaps need to re-learn from the prophetic voices of old who spoke in similar times as these when the Israelite people had stopped listening to the voice of God and were pursuing their selfish pleasures and greed-driven, pleasure-seeking existences.  Into this void Amos prophesied of the coming judgement of a just God who would judge the people because of their sins. 

Amos was a simple shepherd, but he spoke prophetic words of truth from God to a nation that had fallen from his standards.  He didn't compromise or water-down the message, but spoke the truth in love, using the plumbline of the word of God as his guide, no matter what the personal cost.

Amos 5 vs. 14

"Seek good, not evil, 
that you may live. 
Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, 
just as you say he is."

Quite an example, and something for me to ponder on as I seek to obediently follow God where he has called me to be in this place at this time.  As I stumble along the way I am assured that his Grace is sufficient in my weakness

AMAZING GRACE

Preparing some material for bible class today, continuing our study of James, looking at it's teaching and relevance in our lives today. Were now into chapter 2, looking at the section dealing with faith and works, where James challenges the church of his day that faith without works is dead.

Thought it appropriate to look at the life of William Wilberforce, with the upcoming release of Amazing Grace in the cinema's, and the associated The Amazing Change and Stop The Traffik campaigns. Check out the links, some important food for thought as Christians living in the world today, seeking to be a Christian voice in society, standing up for the values of Christ and seeking to follow his example.



Is our faith expressed by our works? Food for thought indeed...........

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Browser change

I'm now trying Firefox as my internet browser, blogging this using the performancing addon. Fully customisable, quicker to load than IE and pretty impressive thus far. Will post further comments in weeks to come

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Have just been listening to the funeral service of Michael Summer, Director of Agape Puppet Ministry who left this earth a year past in October. Mike was a great man, an ambassador of the faith, and someone whose godly example changelled me to faith in Christ, and showed me how to be a true man of God. The thanksgiving service for his life was a fitting tribute to the inpact of his life on many, and the vision he bore to reach children worldwide with the gospel of Christ through Agape puppet ministry.

Its got me thinking abit I guess about a couple of things :

• what it is to be a real "man" of God, something that is in stark contrast to the worlds view of "manliness"?
  

• what legacy I am leaving during my time here on earth, am I concerned with pleasing men, pleasing self, or pleasing God both here and in eternity?
  

How you live in this life matters, impacts others, and is of eternal consequence. Something for me to ponder as I consider my future, my relationships, my attitudes, my concerns, my passion.

Can I echo the words of the apostle Paul who in Phillipians 1 vs. 21 exclaims " 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

May that be my motto for living also, to live a fearless and passionate Christ centered life


 

First post of 2007

Well this blog has been a barren land of late, have become totally snowed under with work, finding I have little time for anything like writing the odd blog post. 

Working weeks have been more like 50+ hours instead of the 37 1/2 hour week I'm contracted to work recently, and hence the posts haven't happened.  But I'm off today on flexi and thought I'd get caught up on some stuff which I haven't got the time to do much.

This week was the first week of housegroups starting in our church fellowship, something which has met a fair bit of opposition from the older members who are less comfortable with this format, but I feel is necessary to develop genuine fellowship and community within the body. 

Our youth events have been carrying on as normal, becomes abit of a routine which I'm not totally happy with, but with a lack of time and other pressures it's the only way at present.  Bible class has been encouraging as we have been working our way through a study of James, just breaking into the 2nd chapter now as the 1st chapter took us from September to complete.  It has been abit of a struggle again for myself as I am preparing the material from scratch each week, trying to make it as relevant and interactive as possible.  Would be alot easier to just follow some pre-prepared material, but I don't feel it would be as beneficial for our young people, or for my personal development either.  So I'll keep struggling away at it, and try to manage my time abit better.  I know God will equip me to cope with every challenge placed in my way, guess I've just gotta learn how to trust in Him more and more, and rely on Him and not my own short-comings.