Rare Breeds

Today was my Dad's 45th birthday and on Monday I was 20! (now I feel really old) As my Dad's birthday treat we went to the Rare Breeds farm with Ashford Salvation Army and spent the day with friends and animals.
It was a great day, but as I was walking around, ideas kept coming into my head! They were God inspired and maybe they were just for me, but maybe they need to be shared.

We are all Rare Breeds!

There is nobody else like you! God created you in His image. God created you to be completely unique and different from anybody else. You have been created by God for a special purpose. A Purpose that nobody else could do! Just for you. You are a rare breed, a one of a kind. God created you to be you and nobody else.

You don't need to look like anybody else! You don't need to sound like anybody else! You don't need to think like anybody else!

God just wants you to be you!

The person He created you to be!

Psalm 139:1-18 (Contemporary English version)

The LORD Is Always Near 1You have looked deep into my heart,

LORD, and you know all about me.

2You know when I am resting or when I am working,
and from heaven you discover my thoughts.
3You notice everything I do and everywhere I go.

4Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say,
5 and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side.
6I can't understand all of this!
Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.

7Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight?
8If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there.

If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there.
9Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean.
10Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me.
11Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over."
12But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you.

13You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body,
14and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me.
Everything you do is marvelous!
Of this I have no doubt.

15Nothing about me is hidden from you!
I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below,

16but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed.

Even before I was born,

you had written in your book everything I would do.

17Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding,

much more than I could ever imagine.
18I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach.
And when I awake, I will find you nearby.

Smile on God's face

God loves it when we speak to Him. He loves it when we just talk to Him. God wants us to tell Him everything from why today went well, why you feel down, sorry for the wrong things you have done, what does He want you today to what you need. From your deepest desires to your deepest fears. From your dreams to your nightmares and the things of your wildest imagination.

God wants to hear you tell Him you love Him. God wants you to listen when He tells you He loves you. God wants you to speak to Him throughout the day, not just at the beginning and the end. God wants to live in a relationship with you, walk in your life with you. Not just be called upon when you need something or want something. Not just a 5 minute phone call (prayer) everyday. God wants you to want to live your life walking hand in hand with Him and enjoying conversation with Him 24/7 and that includes listening to Him!

When we pray, God smiles. He smiles on us and blesses us back ten fold. And whats more, God answers your prayers.

For a long time I have been praying for a new job. I will be going into ministry within the Salvation Army in 2009 but till then I need a job to prepare me for this. I must of been praying for about a year, applying for jobs whilst trying to get on with my full time McDonald's job and my full time ministry for God. I've kept praying and had the support of others praying for me too. Knowing that being in McDonald's was not God's will anymore, so I prayed, applied, waited and listened to God.

Today I got a job as a play development worker. God smiles when we pray, He smiles when we see His answer and He loves it when His plan for our life's work out!

Make God smile today and pray! (and make sure you listen)

Don't fret or worry. Instead pray about everything. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.

Its wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.

Philippians 4:6-7 (the message//remix)

Monday mornings...

Back to work! Monday morning! That same feeling, the Monday morning feeling. I don't really know how to describe it.

Walking to work I began to pray... Thankyou God for a new, fresh day... Please, please get me through today. Please get me through my 9hours45minute shift... Please let there be nice managers, please let me get through it. Please let me get through it still showing You as the light at the end of that exhausting shift... etc...

Yet how God knows what you need. He answered my prayers. Even though I know sit here exhausted, falling asleep and with a hurting body, God still knows, He has sent me encouragement through comments on here, He has speared me on by people, by love, by seeing prayers answered.

Even though we all become exhausted and tough days, God is still there in the midst of it all.

Even though we all feel like this, we can still praise God for bringing us through them.

I will still praise God through the good and the bad for only He deserves that praise!

Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful,

where Your streams of abundance flows,

Blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name when I'm found in the desert place,

though I walk through the wilderness,

Blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name when the sun's shining down on me,

when the world's 'all as it should be,

Blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering,

though there's pain in the offering,

Blessed be Your name.

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise,

AND WHEN THE DARKNESS CLOSES IN STILL I WILL SAY:

BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD!

How I am so blessed!

I am finding blessings all over the place lately. Maybe I am more in tune with God lately or maybe I am in a positive mood where am I more perceptive towards these blessings. Whatever it is, all I know is I'm in God's hands and He is pouring His blessings out upon me more and more.

On Friday before Kingdom Kids I had prepared a challenge and then realised that I was on Games. So I decided that I would use my challenge as the starter, which had worked so well.

Ellie stuck candles on the holders that were made during points and a songs so that they were ready for prayers later.

I was so nervous about this time because it was candles, fire, burning and children. But with a great team of adults the children listened really well and nothing bad happened.

The children watched the flames and thanked God for the promise of His Holy Spirit and how it has been fulfilled. It was amazing how they all prayed, how all the children were so earnest about it. It was very power and many of the team members were emotionally touched by the children.

Then in their teams the children went around in the circle and said a prayer if they wished to. It was amazing everyone seemed to join in. God was so there and on Amen, the candles were blown out. The session was ended by worshipping God by singing May the God of Hope.

I was so amazed and blown away by the children. They had surprised me so much.

I felt so blessed and still haven't stop thanking God for them and for this Friday.
I hope that God will be there that powerfully next Friday!

Living in Awe!

God moves in very strange and powerful ways. In Job God uses our suffering and allows those things so that we can grow and our faith may become steadfast and strong. God brings us through those times too. God works out His plan and will in ways I cannot understand or ever begin to comprehend His ways. But I know that it is the Only Way to go!!

Sometimes God can make you wait for answered prayers and sometimes they are answer the moment you let God know. Sometimes God can lead you into opportunities that you don't recognise until years later and sometimes you know excatly what God needs you to do or say.

Sometimes God can just compleatly overwhelme me by a simple act, by a conversation, by a person, by a phonecall!

How awsome, How amazing He is!

I feel that I have only just begun, but I'm living in awe of this ulmighty God who is so great and huge, yet still wants a personal relationship with me... me, little me. With so many imperfections, so unworthy to even call upon His name, yet He still knows my name and calls me to be with Him!

How amazing is that!

Jesus overwhelms me and makes me want to bow the knee, brings me to tears, lets joy bubble up from my soul to spill out it laughter!

Oh how I love Jesus!

15 “You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them.