24:1 (being with God 24:7)

This weekend we had a 24:1 prayer event. We held one 2 years ago and it was a success, so Flame youth group (who organised the first event) decided it was time for our church to do this again. I want to Thank Rachel and Ellie for organising this.

It was an amazing time and for me especially as I looked around at the young people and others who were there to take time out with God, I saw an Acts 2:42 community church.

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

We prayed together, we ate together, we praised God together, we studied His word together and we slept together. (well at least some of us slept- well done Ian for praying for 24 hours and not sleeping)

I was amazed at how God made the Church to be like this and how we had managed to do this without even trying. This is how God meant His Church to be!

God meant us to not be independent of everyone, 'no man is an island unto himself'. God made humans to be in a relationship with Him first and foremost and to be relationships with others. We must become interdependent, we must be able to rely on each other and others need to be able to rely on us. We must love one and other and give up our all for one another, because that is how God planned it and God's plan are always best.

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

John 17:20

(NIT empathises added)

Whiter than Snow

It always amazes me that when snow falls, it covers everything. It makes white, there is nothing that is left untouched. It has been snowing all day in Ashford today and my brother and I had so much fun playing in it, building a snowman and walking our dog. Bob the Snowman

Our dog is a west highland terrier, which is a little white dog, however when we were walking him, he didn't look so white. Against the snow Charlie (our dog) looked an off-white colour, because the snow is such a pure white.

I wonder if that's what we look like to God, against Jesus, we are off-white, because Jesus is so pure and so holy.

7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7 (New Living Translation)