Pray for us

Hello friends. I don't often do this, but we need your prayers. Kim's brother, Barry was tragically killed in a car accident today. He leaves behind a distraught family, including a young wife and an 8 week old baby girl.

We have no words or prayers, so please pray for us.

Living in grace
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What are you living with?

What are you living with...?

"If you live with constant criticism, you learn to condemn.
If you live with constant hostility, you learn to fight.
If you live with constant ridicule, you learn to hide.
If you live with constant shaming, you learn to feel guilty...

BUT

If you live with encouragement, you learn to be confident.
If you live with praise, you learn to be appreciative.
If you live with tolerance, you learn to be patient.
If you live with trust, you learn to live by faith." - Leonard Sweet

Choose how you will live today.

Living in Grace
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The blessing in prayer

I have taken the liberty of sending you all a prayer today. It was written by William Temple (1881-1944). May it bless you.

"God of Love, we pray that you would give us love in our thinking,
love in our speaking,
love in our doing,
and love in the hidden places of our souls;
love of our neighbours, near and far;
love of our friends, old and new;
love of those whom we find it hard to bear,
and love of those who find it hard to bear us;
love of those with whom we work,
and love of those with whom we take our ease;
love in joy,
love in sorrow;
love in life and love in death;
that so at length we may be worthy to dwell with you,
who are eternal love,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
forever and ever."

"Prayer is related to our inborn hunger for God. Prayer is not for God's benefit, but for ours." - Robert and Debra Bruce

Please take the initiative and pass it onto others who may need a prayer today.

Living in Grace
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David and Lance Armstrong

Here is a deep question for you?

Are someones words declared null and void after they have been caught out by their sin?

Think first of King David: He said these words a long time before he committed adultery with Bathsheba:
"How great are you, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you - there is no other God." (2 Samuel 7:22) These words remain true to me, even though David's life erupted like a volcano!

Now think about Lance Armstrong. He said these words, long before he was found out for cheating:

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. That surrender, even the smallest act of giving up, stays with me. So when I feel like quitting, I ask myself, which would I rather live with?”

For me, these words still speak some kind of truth, despite Lance's character being exposed for what it is.

Here is my dilemma - Is "truth" able to withstand the character of our humanity?

I believe it is able too, but would love to know your thoughts.

Living in Grace
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Right?

"Right action is better than knowledge; but in order to do what is right, we must know what is right." - Charlemagne

How can we know what God wants us to do, if we don't spend time reading his word? If we want to know what is 'right' and what God's will is, then we need to be disciplined in understanding the truth.

So, how is your reading of the Scriptures going?

Genesis 4:7 - "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Living in Grace
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Love is a temporary madness

I am going to be using this quote on Love at a wedding later today. It is taken from Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two." - Louis de Bernieres

I feel that many people follow Jesus in a moment of decision, but struggle to persevere in that decision, especially over the long term. That is what being in a "committed" relationship with Jesus Christ is about.

Are you in 'love' with Christ for the long haul?

Living in Grace
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Quotes to inspire you

“It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” - Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
― Emily Dickinson 

  “If you're reading this...
Congratulations, you're alive.
If that's not something to smile about,
then I don't know what is.”
― Chad Sugg

Be blessed by these quotes today.

Living in Grace
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Don't wait

"We are saving it for a rainy day!"

This is a familar saying, which implies that we are preparing/saving for a day in the future - a day when we may need to do something.I enjoy this saying, but perhaps it can lead us down a road of procastination. If you are waiting for a "rainy day" to give yourself to God, please don't. Likewise, if you are waiting for a the perfect moment to do something, think again...

"Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest." - Ecclesiaster 11:4

Seize the moment God has given you.

Living in Grace
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When the lights goes out

Last Tuesday our electricity went out at home, during a huge storm. We rushed around looking for torches and candles - we eventually managed to get enough light to finish supper and the kids homework.

What do you do when the lights grow dim in your faith? Who do you turn to?
Remember that you can always turn to Jesus - He is your constant companion - He is the Light of the World.

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." - Albert Schwietzer

Living in Grace
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Sustained

If you are needing sustenance and you look to a Red Bull or an Energy bar for your help, they will sustain you for a limited period of time. What you really need is God. God has promised to sustain us through all things. If you don't believe me, then read it for yourself...
 

•Ruth 4:15 - He will renew your life and sustain you…

•Nehemiah 9:21 - For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

•Psalm 3:5 - I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

•Psalm 18:35 - You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great.

Turn to Jesus today. Ask Him to sustain you.

Living in Grace
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•Psalm 3:5 - I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

•Psalm 18:35 - You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great.

Tired, weary, broken?

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” - Matthew 11:28-30 (Message)

Do I need to say anymore?

Jesus knows that we sometimes feel frazzled or at our wits end. He has given us an invitation to come and rest with Him for awhile. It is up to us to RSVP. If we don't reply to his invitation then we can't be angry with God if we don't feel better. 

The promise from God is "we will recover our lives" if we rest with him.

Try it...

Living in Grace
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It left a mark

This morning I brought one of the boys a cup of tea, as he lay in our bed. Later on I noticed that some of the tea had split over my bedside table and I was a little bleak. I was about to say something, but decided to hold my tongue for a second. So, while counting to ten, I began cleaning up the mess. As I wiped the tea off the table I picked up the coaster and noticed that the tea had left a mark on the table - not just any mark, but a "heart-shaped" mark.
I quietly smiled to myself. At least his mess had left a good mark on the table:)

We are all 'marked' by life - sometimes we don't get to choose the mark that is left on us, but often we can have an influence on that mark. It doesn't have to be permanent.

With Christ in our lives, we can know that the Spirit 'marks' us with all that necessary for Life. God places his Spirit in us, so that we can enjoy the fullness of Life. What marks are showing on your spiritual life at the moment?

"...So that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity." - 1 Timothy 2:2

Living in Grace
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Easy or hard?

The demands of Jesus are difficult just because they require us to do something extraordinary - Albert Schweitzer

Someone once remarked that if our Faith journey was too easy, then perhaps we had settled into a comfort zone. Christianity is tough. It has been difficult for people to truly follow Jesus in the midst of a world that ignores His voice. If you are experiencing a tough time in your faith, don't be surprised by it - "the demands of Jesus are difficult!"

But also remember that God has not left you during this time. He is nearer than we think.

Be strong and courageous today.

Living in Grace
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Finish strong

As we enter the final quarter of 2012 many people are feeling exhausted and shaken. If this year were compared with a game of basketball, we may even feel like we are losing by a long way. However we mustn't forget that games are won or lost in this final quarter. This year is not over yet - we still have the chance to make something worthwhile happen. God is still with us and God wants us to run the race to the end.

Don't give up my friends - Lift your eyes to the Lord and ask Him to give you the strength to run with endurance (Hebrews 12:2-3).

“Regardless of what came before or of what has yet to come, what matters most right now is how I choose to respond to the challenge before me. Will I lie down or will I fight? The choice is mine and I choose to finish strong.” ~ Dan Green

Living in Grace
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God will help

There is an old saying that says: "Help me remember, Lord, that nothing is going to happen today that you and I can't handle together."

Whatever you may be facing today remember that God is on your side. God will be able to help you in the challenges you face. Trust in His greatness and allow Him to do His work.

1 Kings 8:57 -  "May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us."

Living in Grace
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The Rain Effect

"Into each life some rain must fall." - Henry Longfellow

What does the rain represent for you today?

A fresh start?

New life?

A change in plans?

Hope?

Sadness?

My prayer for you today is that God will be in your rain. May the love of Jesus Christ offer you the 'rainbow' promise of Peace, Joy and Faith. May God's Spirit rain His grace upon you today.

Living in Grace

D3LM3