Guide me

Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer Hymn

Guide me, O thou great redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
Hold me with thy powerful hand;
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through:
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer;
Be thou still my strength and shield;
Be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell's destruction
Land me safe on Canaan's side:
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee;
I will ever give to thee.

Patience

Tune your anxious heart to patience,
Walk by faith where sight is dim;
Loving God, be calm and trustful
And leave everything to Him. (Chambers)

Patience means awaiting God's time without doubting God's love.

[God] Himself has said "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Trust

Isaiah 26:4 NLT

Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

Bid my anguish fears, goodbye

Land me safe on Cannan's side, bid my anguish fears, bid my anguish fears, goodbye.

Guide me o thou great Jehovah.

Dear refuge of my weary soul.

1. Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel

2. But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust

3. Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner's prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there

4. Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet.

1 John lessons

Believe-Jesus is God, came to die for our sins.
Repent-turn from your sin and say sorry.
Follow-live a life of obedience born out off love for what Christ has done.
Love others-out of love for God, love His people and strive to be sacrificial in your love towards them.
Be assured that Jesus has overcome the world and that you have the power to overcome whatever you are facing.

Trust & Pray

"Faith looks across the storm-it does not doubt
Or stop to look at clouds and things without.
Faith does not question why when all His ways
Are hard to understand, but trusts and prays." anon.

The perfect wisdom of our God

Why? Is the question I've been asking God a lot recently. For many different things that have been going on. I have been feeling blind and helpless and that my prayers are hitting the ceiling and bouncing back, unheard, unanswered. Life is hard at the moment with personal issues, Samuel being out of routine, the lost of more church family members and the churches future uncertain. I love God, I trust God but that does not stop the pain and sorrow that I'm experiencing at the moment. I see my Christian brothers and sisters struggling to deal with some of the same issues I am, I look to them for strength and they have none to give, they are in the same boat as me! Struggling to stay a float with their own pain and problems. I struggled with this for a while, then realised what the Bible's been telling me all along only Christ is my strength when I have none, He is the Rock. I know that! I've believed it, sung it for years, but to actually HAVE to depend on it in a way I never have had to before is quite amazing!
"When life is good we will believe-even praise- God, but when trouble comes we may struggle dreadfully..... You don't love God simply because all your prayers are answered and all your dreams are fulfilled. You love Him anyway!" "Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crops fail and the fields produce no food... Yet I will rejoice in the Lord" I know to love God like that is hard, and I have doubts and fears, and sometimes worry my love isn't strong enough. But do you see how precious love like that is to Him? One powerful example in Daniel is the verses "if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve IS ABLE to save us from it.... But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods!" Their faith in God was not based on always getting what they wanted; they had learned to trust "if not".

God is awesome and can do anything! But not all illnesses are healed, all hurts mended, all prayers answered they way we wanted. For even Jesus had His prayer in the garden unanswered "Father... take this cup from me"

Hebrew 11 filled with great heros, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham " but others trusted God and were tortured, some mocked, others chained in dungeons.." The stories of the "if nots"

We have to stop thinking God doesn't love me cause x, y, z is happening or a,b,c wasn't answered or so and so has what I wanted! Love God anyway! He sent His own son that's how much He loves you! Look at the cross and you cannot think of anything else but Gods love for His children. Believe it! Live it!


The perfect wisdom of our God
Revealed in all the universe:
All things created by His hand,
And held together at His command.
He knows the mysteries of the seas,
The secrets of the stars are His;
He guides the planets on their way,
And turns the earth through another day.

The matchless wisdom of His ways
That mark the path of righteousness
His word a lamp unto my feet
His Spirit teaching and guiding me
And O the mystery of the cross
That God should suffer for the lost
So that the fool might shame the wise
And all the glory might go to Christ!

"O grant me wisdom from above,
To pray for peace and cling to love,
And teach me humbly to receive
The sun and rain of Your sovereignty.
Each strand of sorrow has a place
Within this tapestry of grace;
So through the trials I choose to say:
“Your perfect will in Your perfect way.”

Move Mercy Me

I'm not about to give up
Because I heard you say
There's gonna be brighter days
There's gonna be brighter days

I wont stop, Ill keep my head up
No, I'm not here to stay
There's gonna be brighter days
There's gonna be brighter days

I just might bend but wont break
As long as I can see your face

(Chorus)
When life wont play along
And right keeps going wrong
And I cant seem to find my way
I know where I am found
So I wont let it drag me down
Oh, I'll keep dancing anyway

I'm gonna move (move)
I'm gonna move (move)
I'm gonna move (I'm gonna move)

Ive got to hold 'er steady
Keep my head in the game
Everything is about to change
Everything is about to change

This hurt is getting heavy
But I'm not about to cave
Everything is about to change
There's gonna be brighter days

I just might bend but wont break
As long as I can see your face

(Chorus)

No matter what may come
Gotta move to a different drum
No matter what life brings
Gotta move gotta move to a different beat (x2)

I just might bend but wont break
As long as I can see your face

(Chorus) x2

Christ in me

Jesus, Youʼre the hope I cling to

Tower that I run to

Saviour ever near

Radiant, light within my darkness

Faithful in my weakness

God who strengthens me

Lead me, take me ever deeper

Show me all the riches of this mystery

Christ in me

My hope and my glory

My certainty

My heart bows down

Surrendered in worship

To my God and King

Jesus, Youʼre the holy promise

Poured your blood out for us

Rose again to life

All my sins are now forgiven

And my life is hidden

Saved through Jesus Christ

Jesus when I stand in glory

With your throne before me

Iʼll be found in You

Christ in me

My hope and my glory

My certainty

My heart bows down

Surrendered in worship

To my God and King

My hope is built, On nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness

I dare not trust my feeble frame

But wholly lean on Jesusʼ name

Christ in me

My hope and my glory

My certainty

My heart bows down

Surrendered in worship

To my God and King

My hope is built, On nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness

Lou and Nathan Fellingham and Gary Sadler

Copyright © 2009 Thankyou Music & Paintbrush Music/

My God cares!

The pain is real but my God cares!

LIFE'S NOT ALWAYS AS IT SEEMS
A different route from A to B
And the plans you’ve made come tumbling down
When you’re questioning the why
And it’s hard to see the light
And you’re praying for the wind to change

And though the pain is strong
And it’s hard to carry on
I know that this is true
My God cares for you
All hope has disappeared
And you’re running out of tears
I can tell you He is near
For my God cares for you
Yes He cares for you

When no answers can be found
As the waves come crashing round
And you find you’re driven to your knees
When you’re overwhelmed with fear
And it feels like it’s been years
You’ve been asking God please rescue me

Don’t you know that His arms are strong enough to carry you
Lift you up, in the safety of His love
Just hold on, He will come, The Lord our God will comfort you
Give you strength enough to see you through the storm


Lou & Nathan Fellingham and Gary Sadler
Copyright © 2009 Thankyou Music & Paintbrush Music

Family

To many people Church is a building where you go to worship God, at certain times of the year, to do your bit, so you can tick the I've been good today box.

To me Church is something very different. Although I strongly believe that Church on a Sunday is a good place to go praise and worship the living God. I take that part very seriously. I truly believe Church is about so much more.

Church to me is the people, people I love and care about most in the world, (like an extended biological family) its what I want to spend my time being part of, helping and encouraging others to love God and serve Him with the gifts He has given them.

Church to me is not just Sunday, its Monday to Saturday too, which means supporting the Church through the week, spending time with others, going to house group, meeting for coffee, shopping for stuff that is needed, visiting the elderly and sick, the list could go on.

My whole life at the moment is devoted to God, my family and His Church. So when I write FB status about people leaving and my friends don't understand why I'm upset, its because the people in my Church are my family, it feels like I'm losing part of me when they go. Its hard to explain. The Bible says that the Church is a body (among other things) so when your arm falls off you miss it right! Not just in a "oh never mind, my arm has gone" way. In a deep passionate real sense of lose. I know they have not gone far, but it still is not the same. People who I love and respect the most have left and are leaving in the future. These People have been and are an inspiration to me and I don't know if my faith is strong enough to stand without their support.

I know that Christ is my Rock and if everyone else fails and lets me down, I'm still firm on solid ground, but God designed us to live in community and support and love one and other "it is not good for man to be alone". So when the community is breaking down through disagreements and people leaving it is hard to bear.

Now the people leaving are leaving for good reasons, new callings, God choosing them for another part of His plan somewhere else, but it leaves me a little daunted by the change. I fully support them and continue to pray for them in their new adventures.

I love my family and I want it to grow and bring God glory.

I don't think I have explained this very well and its not meant to make my biological family, think I don't love them because I DO VERY MUCH. That's why I am torn so much between Cambridge and here!

Where your treasure is....

Reading John Piper, The Dangerous duty of delight, I can't help but be blown away by his passion for Christ.

He challenges me to "make much" of Christ and to live a life where Christ is prized and treasured as my greatest gain!

I want to treasure Christ in my heart so that I can say with the apostle Paul "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" and to "count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ"

I want the all satisfying treasure Christ. Only He can fully satisfy our very lives. He is magnified as a glorious treasure when He becomes our unrivalled pleasure.

In a world where we seek to fill our lives with meaning and satisfy our desires with stuff, sex, drink, drugs, and anything that is NOT God. (Even as Christians!) We will always fail to fill that longing in our hearts. We will never be completely satisfied, we will always want the next big thing, latest craze, most fashionable items until we make Christ the thing that we long for! Then and only then will we find full and complete satisfaction. If we make Him our treasure, our hearts will find rest from the turmoil that life throws at us and we will be able to say with confidence "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain!"

Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a AUTISM - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. Michelangelo's David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

God made Holland and Italy and He give the gifts to enjoy both.

Hard Pressed

I'm going through a Lou Fellingham phase! but this song really just describes my life at the moment! My head is all over the place in regards to many things. But God is good and faithful. He has given me strength, peace and Grace to cope with the stuff going on in my life. He is amazing and most definitely my Rock!

Couldn't find the video :-(

Hard Pressed

I am hard pressed on every side but Iʼm not crushed

I feel pulled to pieces but inside I know Iʼm not

Feels like the worldʼs caving in, find it hard to breathe

The water is rising, wonʼt you come and rescue me

Iʼm on my knees

O God please come to me

I fall into Your loving arms

You wrap me up, and Iʼm secure

Patiently You whisper to me You have a plan

To hold on it wonʼt be long and you understand

Sick inside again today, Iʼm struggling to pray

And my head is spinning, cause I cannot see the way

Iʼm in need of direction, everything seems so unclear

O my God are you out there, or is this falling on deaf ears?

Iʼm on my knees

O God please come to me

Miracles You will do, as I come and put my hope in you

Lou & Nathan Fellingham and busbee

Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music/The Livingstone Collective/

kingswaysongs.com

Build this house

All I have and all I am is Yours

Thereʼs nothing that I have on earth that doesnʼt come from You

I lay aside my pride and worldly worth

To serve You is the greatest thing that I could ever do

For unless You build this house

I am building it in vain

Unless the work is Yours

There is nothing to be gained

I want something that will stand

When Your Holy fire comes

Something that will last

And to hear You say “Well done”

Giving Glory to You Lord

Glory to You Lord

So easy to desire what others have

Instead of seeing all the gifts that you have given me

So help me fan the flame, which You began

And burn in me a love for You that all will clearly see

Lou & Nathan Fellingham and busbee

Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music/The Livingstone Collective/

kingswaysongs.com

My Angel

We have recently been informed that there is a strong possible that our son has some form of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). This had lead me to some really dark days although in one way it comes as a relief, now I will be the first to admit that I am not a perfect or even good parent, but I thought that I had done something really wrong either during my pregnancy or while he was growing up. I spent countless hours racking my brains trying to think what I had done so differently with him, why was he like this? why didn't my son know how to talk, why didn't he understand what I was asking him to do, why wouldn't he play with the others, and why was he so unsociable at playgroup?.

Part of me still is in denial and thinks he'll grow out of it, that I can some how fix it by interacting with him more, reading more stories, talking to him more or giving him a stricter routine.

Then part of me accepts him as he is and thanks God for His "good and perfect gift"

It's a roller-coaster of emotions at the moment!

The 2&1/2 year old!

Characteristics of a two and a half year olds behavior.

• 2 1/2 year olds are rigid and inflexible. They want exactly what they want, when they want it. They cannot adapt, give in, wait a little while. Everything has to be done just so. Everything has to be right in the place they consider proper. For any domestic routine, they set up a rigid sequence of events which must always follow each other always in exactly the same manner.
• They are extremely domineering and demanding. They must give orders. They must make the decisions. If they decide, “mummy do”, daddy cannot be accepted as substitute. If they decide, “Me do it myself”, then no one is allowed to help them, no matter how awkward or incapable they themselves may be.
• 2 1/2 is an age of violent emotions. There is little modulation to the emotional life of children this age.
• It is an age of opposite extremes. With no ability to choose between alternatives (it is almost impossible for 2 1/2’s to make a clear cut choice and stick to it). Children of this age shuttle back and forth endlessly between two extremes, seeming to be trying to include both in their decision. “I will – I won’t”, “I want – I don’t want it”, “Go out – stay in”. If someone doesn’t cut into this back and forth shuttling, it has been known to go on for upwards of an hour or more. The decision of what clothes to wear may ursurp a whole morning for a conflict-ridden 2 1/1 year old.
• Another characteristic of this is age is preservation – that is, the children want to go on and on with whatever they are doing. Not only right at the moment but from day to day. If you read four stories before bedtime yesterday, they want four stories – and the same ones, too – today. It is very difficult with many children this age to introduce new clothes, new pieces of furniture, new things to eat. They want things to go on just the way they have always been or at least hold on to the old as new things are added.

So how do you then manage the behaviour of the two and a half year old?

Managing a two and a half year olds behaviour.

• Working around the behaviour characteristics of two and a half is often much more successful than trying to meet them head on.
• Streamline all routines, limit choices and avoid situations where the child takes over.
• Great patience, a real understanding of the difficulties of the age, and a willingness to use endless techniques to get around rigidities and rituals and stubbornness will help get through through the time till the difficult 2 1/2 year old turns 3.

I found this on another blog and decided to remind myself!

Its Friday, Sundays coming!

It’s Friday
Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter is denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s a comin’
It’s Friday
The Romans beat my Jesus
They robe Him in scarlet
They crown him with thorns
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And His spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The world’s winning
People are sinning
And evil’s grinning
It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise Him up
Next to criminals
It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The disciples are questioning
What has happened to their King
And the Pharisees are celebrating
That their scheming
Has been achieved
But they don’t know
It’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
He’s hanging on the cross
Feeling forsaken by His Father
Left alone and dying
Can nobody save Him?
Ooooh
It’s Friday
But Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields His spirit
It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered
and Satan’s just a laughing
It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place
But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!