The Potter's Hands

“O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand."

Jeremiah 18:6 (New Living Translation)

I find that this is a really encouraging promise, yet a very challenging one. We are but the clay, and that is all we were made from and God molded and created us. Now He continues to mold us, break us, rebuild us. When a potter goes wrong, he does to throw the clay away and say 'This clay is useless, I cannot use it.' However he places it back upon wheel and rebuilds it into something that the potter is happy with.

So it is with God, when we mess up and get it wrong, God does not write us off, but He starts again. Rebuilding us slowly until He is happy with what He has made. That may never happen on Earth, but one day we will all be God's finished product. Someone whom He is well pleased with.

But until that day, we must have open hearts to change and receive. We must allow God to mold us and change us and fix us. Without an open heart we become like dried out clay, hard to use. For God does change and bless those who do not want to be changed and blessed.

We must come to the Potter and be like clay. Open hearted and ready for God to mold us, break us, fix us, rebuild us.

Passion and power

As I sit here, I have been in deep thought about the ministry that I lead. I have been thinking and praying about some of the issues I am facing, the salvation for families and children, that we would see miracles and come expecting God to show up.

As I thought and prayed about this I found myself realising, that for a while I haven't expected God to show up, I haven't even presumed that He would.

What good is that? What example am I setting to my team? I turn up on a Friday or Sunday, I set up and get on with it. If God comes wow and I'm surprised, but I shouldn't be I should have expected it and longed for it.

However for a couple of weeks now we have spent some time in prayer, before God, before most of the children turn up and it has set the tone that we need to continue with. It reminded me why I was here, who I was doing this for and what the point was.

GOD and from that He has set my heart on fire, full of passion.

As I sat here praying, my passion took over. I long for these families to be saved, to let Jesus into many of their broken lives. I prayed and prayed for many things from deep in my heart but they were all about Children's ministry.

There is power in prayer and when we come to God, just as we are, with raw passion for His work, He listens and He is with you.

When I prayed with passion, I hope that God will answer with power.

The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!

James 5:16-17 (New Living Translation)

Longing to...

When God calls you there is always a longing to do what God has called you to.

In some ways that is both a true and false statement. I have spoken to so many people who regret that they never fulfilled or responded to God's call, however big or small. Many people say that even before they acknowledged the call they feel some longings every now and then to go and do what God has said. Then they realise God has been saying it all along...'What a good plan, shame I didn't think of it first!'

However there are some callings that we have warm to, get our heads around, before we even beginning to understand why. But does that mean that there is no longing to do those things before we ave heard or understood the call?

However much she loves the job,

there is still a longing

to work for the church!

I was talking to a friend who I work with today, who is a christian and is going for ordination. The one thing she said to me that stood out, was however much she loves the job we do, there is still a longing to work for the Church.

This much I know that when God called me I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to accept it, but at the same time I had a longing to do what God had called me to. However small that longing was, it grew and grew until know I know I long to keep going on God's path.

You never let go!

Disapointed by the Harvest

When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. "What a huge harvest!" he said to his disciples. "How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!"

Matthew 9:35 (The Message)

Jesus noticed that the harvest was plentiful, but there were not enough willing people to bring in the sheaves.

How often do we do this now. The harvest is still plentiful, the seeds have been sown and the crops have grown, but they begin to fail because no one is willing to bring them in.

The few that are can't harvest everyone. We don't have combine harvesters to bring in the harvest in a day.

When Jesus saw how much a harvest was needed, He demanded that His disciples get on their knees and prayed for more harvesters.

Are we doing that? Are we harvesters? Do we come on our knees, lifting up holy hands, asking God to renew our servant hearts? How often are we giving the harvest to God? How often to we get down and plead God to help bring in the harvest?

The reason I'm asking these tough questions, which are for me as well, is because our harvest celebrations didn't seem to harvest anyone... At Kingdom Kids (children's ministry) we pushed this weekend, we offered extra points, prizes etc... if they came along. I know that a few of my team were really, praying on their knees that God would bring them in. However there weren't enough 'harvest hands' bringing the children in. That saddens me, if fact I have been very tearful, because some people don't come with me and don't get on their knees and plead God for more harvesters.

I know that this ministry has such potential and God has shown me two pictures, one of what it could be and one of what it will become if people don't commit. That effects the whole church. It could be amazing, exciting time if we allow God to lead us, if we begin to harvest for God, so many miracles could and will happen.

My hope and my prayer is that God will send we more harvest hands, 100% committed to God's vision. I pray that God will give me the drive and determination to see this vision become reality and that the team will take ownership of the vision, off the children, of the harvest and start walking towards God's plan.

Please pray with me on this.

People will let you down...

People may let you down... People will let you down... The world may let you down... The world will let you down... You may let yourself down... You will let yourself down... GOD MAY NOT LET YOU DOWN?... GOD WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!!

So many off us feel let down by people, by the world, by ourselves. I feel let down by people, my friends, my family, people who should let me down, but they do. The world lets me down, everyday someone is hurting, someone is in pain, 'but that's the world we live in'. Everyday I let myself down. I don't do want I should, I do something I shouldn't, I hurt people, I let others down.

But you see the most wonderful and great thing about God is he isn't like anybody, He isn't like the world and He most certainly isn't like me!!

GOD DOESN'T LET US DOWN. HE DOESN'T LET ME DOWN. HOWEVER MUCH I LET GOD DOWN, HE STILL LOVES ME!

God is amazing that He is so Trustworthy! He is 100% committed to us even when we forget to be 100% committed to Him, or when others let us down, when everything lets us down.

That what I really love about God is His complete and utter commitment to loving me!

In fact today I have been let down by some people and it has annoyed me, angered me and in that I let God down. The ministry I lead at the moment needs leaders and team players to buy into the vision God has for it, to own it and to be 150% committed to it. But people let you down, people let me down and I still need to love them, I need to forgive them, just like God forgives me when I let Him down.

When it feels like all the world is against me God isn't. When I feel the world is full of injustice God shows me justice. When my heart is broken, for how children and young people are let down by the people who should love them but in fact hurt them, ruin their young lives, God shows me hope.

If all I have in this world that is constant and trustworthy is God, then I am in a better place then many.

If all you feel is being let down, then let God hold you up!

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

Hebrews 6:18-19 (New Living Translation)