Love this song!

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty

When the roll is called, I'll be there

1. When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
   And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
   When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
   And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
   • Refrain:
     When the roll is called up yonder,
     When the roll is called up yonder,
     When the roll is called up yonder,
     When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
2. On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
   And the glory of His resurrection share;
   When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
   And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
3. Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
   Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
   Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
   And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

RIP little sextuplet, Rebecca and Daniel

I can't wait until Heaven when things like this will no longer happen! It saddens me that death is part of this world and it was never meant to be like this! This isn't what God wanted! Why did we spoil His perfect world!?!? because we are sinful and selfish and this is the result, death, pain and suffering.

Gensis Ch 1 v 31

³¹ Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

People ask how a God of love can let this happen, He is not responsible for the state of this world we are! It's our sin not His!

Here's hoping Jesus comes back soon and puts everything right, like it should be.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/8698232.stm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1279971/Lianne-Smith-returns-Barcelona-flat-shared-Martin-Smith.html

Can I learn contentment in this life?

This is open for people to comment as I have no idea where to start, looking for it or obtaining it?!

But I know I want it! I really want to be content, am praying for it.

Help?!

Edit:

This might be a starting point!

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
   When sorrows like sea billows roll;
   Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
   It is well, it is well, with my soul.
   • Refrain:
     It is well, with my soul,
     It is well, it is well, with my soul.
2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
   Let this blest assurance control,
   That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
   And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
3. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
   My sin, not in part but the whole,
   Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
   If Jordan above me shall roll,
   No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
   Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
   The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
   Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
   Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
6. And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
   The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
   The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
   Even so, it is well with my soul.

Loving Jesus just because He's Jesus

Last night I listened to a very challenging sermon about loving Jesus and following Him just because. So often I feel that I worship Jesus, follow Him, just because He will answer MY prayers, he will help ME be a better Christian, I will get, I will have etc.

How about just worshipping and following Jesus just because He deserves it. Not because we (I) can get something in return, saved friends, parents, better stuff. These things He may be gracious and grant you (me) them. But do I still love Him even when He doesn't appear to be answering my prayers? Do I still follow regardless or do I get discouraged and give up because I didn't get what I wanted?

Some times I am so much like my children....crying and complaining when I don't get my own way or God says NO or even worse wait!!

I need to shut up and listen to Jesus and follow just because.

One day I will be with Jesus and my heart will fly!

I can't wait until I go home and be with Jesus! When everything that is on this earth will be made new and how it should be! God made it perfect and man messed it up! And messed it up we did! All the sin in this work shocks me, pains me, to think there is so much food yet so many die starving, children suffering abuse and harm from the very people who they are meant to be able to depend on the most. People being killed, robbed, tortured. Wars, famines, inappropriate relationships, divorce, adultery, drunkenness, and many more terrible things going on. This world is a cruel place, a hard place. For many they just want relief. Jesus offers the best relief! Relief from sin and suffering, one day may be not in this life but peace eternally with Him FOREVER! That's worth singing about! It makes my heart wanna fly! Jesus is amazing! The best part of this deal is its free! Free for us but cost Him everything. Grace is amazing! Getting something we could never deserve or earn. One day freedom from sin! Praise God! Jesus you are my King!

Jesus or Facebook?

Listening to Ben's sermon on-line tonight made me think about who I love more. Do I love Jesus or do I love other things in my life more.

What I spend my time on is what I enjoy doing, what I love doing.

Do I follow my family or Jesus? Do I follow money (or lack of money) or Jesus? Do I trust Him that He is able to provide or do I make stressing about the lack of money my God. Do I follow Facebook and its various zygna games or Jesus? What is more important that I serve the food on my cafe, harvest the crops on my farm, or that I spend time reading God's word, encouraging God's people or telling others the Gospel?

By focusing so much time on things that are not Jesus I am making them my God's not Him. I am in Stuart's words a whore! (read his blog to understand).

God is a jealous God, He only wants us to love Him and more often than not I don't love Him as much as I should!

I also listened to Paul's sermon on Faith, (I noticed 3 of my kids are mentioned in Ch 11 of Hebrews!) I long to be in Heaven where I will no longer sin. Where I will no longer put other things before God! Where He will be the centre of my very being. I pray I would remember every day that I'm not home yet, that I am on a journey, living in my tent. I am waiting for the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God, just like Abraham.

^{Hebrews Ch 11 v8-10}

⁸By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

I'm not perfect yet!

After blogging on here the other night about weight lose I went

to bed and opened my bible and these verse stood out!

Philippians 3 v 7-14

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,

11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Love this song at the mo play it over and over!

Who are we that You would be mindful of us what do You see that's worth looking our way we are
free in ways that we never should be sweet release from the grip of these chains like hinges
straining from the weight my heart no longer can keep from singing.

[chorus]
All that is within me cries for You alone be glorified Emmanuel God with us my heart sings a
brand new song the debt is paid these chains are gone Emmanuel God with us.

Lord You know our hearts don't deserve Your glory still You show a love we cannot afford like
hinges straining from the weight my heart no longer can keep from singing. [back to chorus]

Such a tiny offering compared to Calvary nevertheless way lay it at your feet. [back to chorus]

Weight loss

Lately I have been on a bit a of a health kick, trying to lose some of the weight I have gained as a result of 4 pregnancies and poor diet.

But while thinking about my physical health it has lead me to think about my spiritual health as well.

When your on a diet every pound off is like a mini mile stone and you can quickly become discouraged if you are not losing massive amounts at a time. You want results quickly and it not be hard work.

I feel I'm a bit like that spiritually. I want God to change me instantly and help me lose the extra spiritual baggage, I've spent years building up. Those sins I've embedded so deep in my heart. I want Him to make it easy and me not to have to work for change, I don't want to give up things I love but still want the change. A bit like wanting to lose weight whilst still enjoying large quantities of chocolate, cakes and crisps etc..

This time round I have taken a more relaxed approach to my weight lose, as I am breast feeding our son Elijah, I don't expect to lose massive amounts of weight quickly (as that would upset my milk supply, thus affecting his feeding) I am happy slowly plodding along, with the opinion every pound or half pound off is better than gaining it and those small amounts will equal bigger ones added together.

I suddenly though that maybe I should take this approach with my spiritual growth, the Bible talks a lot esp in Paul's letters about running the race, keeping on in the faith, enduring to the end. Its not always about radical change and instant results. Christ is changing me day by day making me more like Him. So instead of being dishearten that I am always making mistakes and am not growing or getting anywhere. I am thinking long term, that slowly through every day life and everyday encounters and experiences God is making me more like His Son. That's what I want, to be like Him, not like me.

I know we (I) can come to God and He will take all that baggage away, but we (I) so often pick it up again and take it with us (me). Guilt is a big problem for me! When Jesus died He didn't just take my sin He took the guilt attached to it as well. I so often take my sins to Him confess them and then take the guilt back with me.

I toil for days over one loss of temper, one unkind word, one thing I should have done but didn't esp where my kids are concerned. I shouldn't have made that promise to them, because I've broken it again! I shouldn't have said we could do this or go there and then not followed through. I compare myself to other mothers and see how well they are doing and think why can I not cope? But what I should be doing is comparing myself to Christ and trusting that if I let Him he will make me more like Him. Ultimately when I compare myself and others to Christ I find we all fall short. So we are all in the same boat. So I shouldn't feel guilty that others are better than me at being a mother, a better prayer, a better wife. I should be thankful that Christ loves me to much to leave me where I am and is helping me day by day (if I let Him) to be more like him.

"such a tiny offering (my life) compared to Cavalry, but never the less I lay it at your feet, all that is within me cries for You alone be glorified Emmanuel God with us" (Mercy Me all that is within) I added the my life part :-)