April Fools???

We seek revenge instead of compassion 

We seek justice instead of love 

We want control of everything we do but not the consequences for everything we do 

We want people to care for us 100% but do we care for others 100% 

We want money, careers, cars and huge televisions but we do not want to give this up if it means the world becomes fairer. 

We want to receive but we only give if there is a benefit 

We want others to be open and honest to us, but we use the past to be closed and deceitful. 

We want selflessness from others but for them to ask for nothing in return. 

We want...we just want. We only ever want. 

Shouldn't we be giving more than receiving?

And no wonder He cries for us.

The Rock

The other day I was walking along a beach and came along a rock. Only a small one, perhaps measuring roughly 10cm (4 inches) x 4cm (1.5 inches). It was incredibly smooth and light, and looked like it had been sitting in the sand for a long time. In fact it looked as though it had been on the planet for millions of years. A lovely turquoise colour, to match that of the ocean close by, I immediately had a thought.

This rock, small as it was, the colour it was, had endured good years and bad. And yet it survived when all around it, literally, had turned to sand. And it reminded me of this scripture:

"And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;" 2 Samuel 22:2.

I had been told that God would speak to me this trip away. And He did. I realised that I needed to keep my relationship to God strong, my priority Jesus. For if I do not then I may turn to sand, and not endure like a rock. And like the rock I need the ability and strength to withstand all weather, good and bad. But the weather also shapes me, as it has done to the rock. And like the rock, I can use that weather to become more resilient, Jesus to strengthen and guide me when the years are long.

For if I do not have a strong relationship with God then perhaps I will become just like the sand, and get blown anyway and drift but without any ability to withstand any bad weather and to enjoy the sunny skies.

Through His creation that day on the beach I know that His purpose for me is being slowly revealed and regardless of what the future has in store, good or bad, Jesus will be my rock.

Thanks for reading and God Bless.

Getting There...

In life, we struggle as individuals. This is not a negative. On the contrary it is a positive. Why? If we learn from these struggles then they have not been in vain.

We can overcome so many things. We just need to know that we can. Life is a journey but it is also a live action game where we have no replay or pause button. We have to learn or else we are bound to repeat the past.

I am getting there in many, many ways. God teaches me something new everyday. That in one day you can enjoy the valley on one thing and the mountains on something else entirely different.

Never take life seriously. No one gets out alive anyway. This is what we should live by. To see the positive and not the negative. To embrace life, to seek it out, but to know too that we will fall, but that we can also rise and rise again.

I am afraid of some things in life. Like magpies swooping on me in spring. Terrifying. And I used to be afraid of the fire. Not anymore. If the fire is to come, then it always brings new life, new growth, a transformation into the brightest green and renewed energy and vigour. For when the fire has passed then it is time to achieve.

I always knew that 2010 would be big. And yet even I don't know how big yet. None of us do. So if you think 2010 is turning out to be your worst one yet, think again. The fire may be there, but so is the one and only God. You are not alone. You never have been. I understand your journey. I am on your journey. For you and I are living and breathing life.

So reach out, be proud of who you are but never be ashamed to say sorry and try better for we are always better people when we say we are wrong.

Thanks for reading and God Bless.

To my brothers and sisters

To my brothers and sisters in arms

Where would I be without you, my brothers-in-arms. I thank you my brothers and sisters. I walked through fields of fire and you did not desert me. As the battles raged around me, and my suffering increased, you stood next to me, unafraid and unashamed to call me brother.

I have fallen, and yet you have picked me up. You carried me when I was too weak. You prayed for me when I needed hope. When others turned away from me, you turned to me. When I sinned and was broken, you showed the way and spoke words that lifted me up. When I was alone, you gave me fellowship.

When I was slow to learn, you showed patience and tolerance. When others showed shallowness, you showed me the richness of life led with Jesus. You have no ego and no pride, but you have showed me the meaning of honour and respect.

When I was convicted you stood up for me. You love me as He does. You shouldered my burden when no one else cared. You cried with me when I failed and felt so small. You made me feel belonged, when others pushed me away. You spoke about the future when others just wanted to remind me of my past. You invited me into your home when others locked their doors to me.

You shed blood for me in battle, and showed me what happiness is all about. You always have time for me even if I have no time for anyone. You believed in me when no one trusted me. You always speak kindly to me, when others speak of my failings.

On this day, on all days, for these reasons I am proud to call you brother and sister. I give thanks to Jesus for you.

Thank you for reading and God Bless.


This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Shakespeare, Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3.