Away

Hi friends

I am away for a few days, so there won't be any posts for a while. I am trying to Sabbath from the computer and internet - not sure how I will cope. Pray for me!!
Look forward to sharing some thoughts when I get back.

"Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13

Be blessed!

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Miracle

Five years ago we were enjoying a bit of leave at the beach - building up our energy before our second child was due. Little did we know that our holiday would be cut short by a week, as Nathan arrived a month early. Expecting a baby is one thing - but when they decide to arrive early, your stress levels shoot sky-high!

Nathan's first few days of life were traumatic - being premature he had to be in high-care and on oxygen. We couldn't really hold him for days as he was in this special 'machine'. The doctors told us that it was a miracle that he was alive. Our prayer life increased 100-fold in those few days.

I am blessed to say that on the 24th September, our boy turns 5. He is doing great and has not looked back since his initial struggles. He is exactly like his name sake from the Bible - full of courage and adventure; always willing to 'speak out' and certainly has tendencies to ruffle a few feathers. He could yet be a Prophet!

I thank God everyday for my kids and for Kim.
May we all be grateful for the special people in our lives.

Touched by Grace,
D3LM3

How STRONG are you feeling?

"Are you feeling strong?" This is a weird phrase that has crept into our modern language over the years. If you were learning English, you would be forgiven for thinking that it has something to do with physical strength. However, it normally refers to how 'well' we are feeling. Technically, we should ask "Are you feeling well?"

So, let me ask us again - "Are you feeling strong?" No matter your answer, here is a verse which speaks of the promise of Godly strength...

"The Lord gives strength to his people;
The Lord blesses his people with peace." - Psalm 29:11

May you know God's strength and peace today.

Held in the 'strong arms' of Grace,
D3LM3

Change

"Change is a constant and an unavoidable part of life." - George Barna

We use the word 'Change' in a lot of different ways today. When we pay for something at the shop we may be lucky to get some 'change'; when we go on holiday, we take a 'change' of clothes with us; if we have a flat tyre, we 'change' that tyre. Change is all around us.

Most of the times we link the concept of 'change' with replacing concepts, ideas, styles and people. If we perceive that they have served their purpose, then we tend to think that they are disposable.

Agreed, there are some things that simply must change (computers, for example), but there are others (like people) that should never be discarded, even if they stubbornly resist change. If I choose to treat people like I would my old 386 computer, then I am heading into dangerous territory.

Jesus believed that everyone had potential and that if given a chance, we could all change for the better. The Rich Young Ruler, the Samaritan Woman, the Leper, and even the Disciples. Jesus gave them all a chance - some accepted his Grace and Mercy and they were changed forever. Others stubbornly resisted and probably lived to regret their actions.

How do you handle change? Being a Christ-follower means that we have to accept that the Holy Spirit wants us to change all the time - God wants us to be shaped into the perfect image he has in mind for us. Resisting God's promptings, means resisting change - we get to choose!

If I look at my life, I can see that I have changed in many ways - yes, I am far from the finished article, so I must brace myself for more change. Change will be hard, but it will be good.

Read what Jesus says about our need to change...

Matthew 18:3 - "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Being changed by Grace
D3LM3

Missing part!

What kind of joke is this? Who makes you put something together and then doesn't include every part?

What I didn't tell you yesterday was that when we were putting Nathan's bike together we realised that there was a 'nut' missing from the saddle. At first we looked all over the floor, in the box it came in, under bits of packaging - basically, we looked everywhere. Nothing! So where do you go to find a missing 'nut' - especially when it is late at night? Trouble loomed large...

...thankfully we scratched around in the garage and found a nut on the old saddle. God is good - it was an exact fit! Whew - that was a close call. I was just picturing Nathan riding around the garden on his bike with no saddle - not a cool thing to do on your 5th birthday.

When God shapes us into the people he has in mind, there are no missing pieces. God knows exactly what we need and the Spirit has every 'piece' to make us whole. God doesn't scratch around looking for a 'nut' or 'bolt' to make us the complete article. God has everything in his storehouses.

Psalm 135:7 - "He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses."

Made complete by Grace,
D3LM3

Some Assembly Required...

The dreaded words loomed large in front of me ... "Some Assembly Required!" I nearly cried. Why can't you buy a bicycle without having to build the thing yourself? Why do they have to make us pay for the bicycle and then watch us struggle to put the bike together? It is a conspiracy!

For Nathan's birthday we decided to buy him a new bicycle and the only one we found (that suited him) needed some assembly. In the end we managed to put it all together without to many headaches and I felt proud of my skills. Nathan has ridden the bike and it has not fallen apart yet - hallelujah!

Being a Christian is sometimes like receiving a gift that has the words 'Some Assembly Required' on the side of the box. When we choose to follow Christ we are not the finished article yet and we need to allow the Spirit to work in us - making us into the image of Christ. If we resist God's work then we run the risk of being put together the wrong way.

God knows how we will work best - we must trust the master craftsman.

Ephesians 2:22 - "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Grace changes us,
D3LM3

Peace to you

For this is what the Lord says:
"I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like a flooding stream..." - Isaiah 66:12

May you know the peace of Christ in your life today.

Overwhelmed by Grace,
D3LM3