Up in the air

By now the memories of hot cross buns, Easter eggs and more importantly what Easter signifies to the Christian faith have fallen to the back of our minds. For those of us who have dared to allow our soul to venture to the dark place the cross embodies, have risen past the joy of the resurrection and for the most part settled back into life as normal.

I'm sure it was no different for the disciples. Jesus betrayal and death had left them mortified and and in shock but His resurrection on the third day quickly eliminated their fear and dismay and they accepted Jesus back into their lives with a renewed joy and boldness.

Jesus time of teaching and fellowship must have been so surreal and just when things had settled down He takes them to the mount of transfiguration and His true glory is revealed. With His final words, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations,” He ascends into the skies and out of sight.

Once again the joy of His presence is removed from them and they retreated to the upper room. Fear reappeared and their faith must have been shaken once more, but they had one last command, “but tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until you are endowed with power from on high.”

Totally unsure of what this power was, they waited....until Pentecost.

Have their been times in your life when God seems near and then far and then near again and it leaves you a little confused? If so you are not alone and you are in good company. Wait upon God and have faith in Him and He will endue you with power.

Out with the knots

For most ladies getting a monthly back and neck massage is a pure luxury. In my life its a medical necessity. Its the only way to keep those nasty head aches at bay. For the most part it is actually quite painful to try and work those nasty knots out and we usually won't get them all out in one go.

Do we ever get our relationship with God all in knots? I think that is entirely possible, but how does it happen? Well its a small white lie here and a mean word there and a few skipped church services later and you are wondering if this faith thing is even real.

Oh, but it is, and the most wonderful part of it all is that we have a physician who knows exactly how to treat our spiritual knots and he sooths us with the oil of His annointing and the warm of His love and grace.

So if you are feeling a little knotted up, turn to God! He is and always will be our greatest healer!

Its in the eyes

We see it every day but we take it so for granted. That life that flows within us that shines through our eyes. Our eyes are not only the windows of our soul but they give evidence of that which God breathed into us the moment we were conceived.

Why is it that we take life for granted? Because it becomes so normal that we forget about it until that one moment when it is taken away.

Tonights message is short and sweet. Appreciate the life that flows within your veins and the next time you look at someone and see that little sparkle in their eyes, rejoice! It is proof of life!

Somebody's been sleeping in my bed

It's a little annoying but always a bit funny when my cats stretch out their legs to grab the side of their baskets and refuse to get in. This usually happens when some other kitty has been sleeping in their beds and they just don't smell right. This always leads to a linen change, Lol!

Contrary to this, should I leave any washing out or if the wash basket is open, they won't hesitate to get stuck into my washing and snuggle down. All this is due to a cats association with smell. My washing represents me, so therefore makes them feel close to mommy, while their own linen being dirty represents an invasion of their territory.

We tend to treat people in the same way. A new colleague at work, a new kid on the playground, a new neighbour in our complex, may all be treated with coldness at first due to our inherent dislike for new people in our space. The sad thing is that we may even apply this in Christian circles with a new member of a home fellowship group.

What does the bible tell us about how we should treat strangers? Well the parable of the good Samaritan is a good example, he took care of a foreigner. We are also told that we should welcome and be generous to strangers as in so doing we may well minister to Angels and receive blessings from their presence.

Let's welcome people into our space this week and prove the fruit of kindness in our spirit.

Highway

I don't often work late, so when the work load requires it, it is no trouble at all. Now that winter is in full swing I was taken by something quite ordinary that just struck a chord with me. Driving ahead all you could see was a highway of red tail lights. Yet looking in the rear view mirror all I could see was white head lights and a single row of orange highway lights to brighten our path.

Okay..... so what's so unique about that? Perspective. All those cars I saw were all going in the same direction, yet the view of them from my car was so different. Isn't that exactly what our lives are like. We look ahead and all we see is uncertainty and sometimes we even look at the future with fear, yet behind us everything looks so clear. In fact the norms of the road would tell you that if you were to see head lights coming towards you on a highway, that would be a very bad thing.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we are all on the same path of life and that most certainly the view before us may seem fearful and aimless, but once we have done the distance the path behind us is always clear. Of most comfort is the fact that the Holy Spirit will always be there to be our single guiding light, so take heart and trust in God!

It wasn't my imagination

I thought it was my imagination running away with me, when I actually started feeling more relaxed after lighting up some fragrant incense. That was until I saw my usually hyperactive kitties settled down without being prompted to do so.

The bible tells us that when David played his harp and sang, that his music calmed the soul of the troubled King Saul. David's worship created an atmosphere for God's peace to draw near. Our lives are so hectic and rushed that it is important for us to find ways to bring God's presence and peace near us so that we can have clear hearts and minds with which to make the important decisions of life.

We are all gifted with talents with which to feed and nourish our soul's. God placed these talents within us to give us an avenue with which to connect with Him. Have you perhaps placed your talents on the bookshelf of life viewing them as just a luxury or 'nice to have'? If so, I'd encourage you today to dust off that old guitar, open the piano or find time for the gardening or wood work you have been putting off for so long thinking it was a waste of time. God wants to use that time of relaxation to connect with you and give you strength and guidance.

Easier to watch

A few nights ago I was drawn into watching video clips about the making of the movie, "The passion of The Christ".  What fascinated me was the extensive effort they had to go to in order to replicate the wounds of Christ.  It required the use of prosthetic skin overlays as well as CGI to create the effects.

As I finished I thought to myself, "it makes it easier to watch".  Without hesitation I heard Jesus clearly say to me, "that didn't make easier to live".

Now I'm not one to say that I hear Jesus Himself speak to me personally every day.  No this was unique, it was different.  You see it is human nature for us to turn away from or not want to be exposed to the true suffering Jesus went through for our sin, but I believe that He does want us to stop and look.

Not only to stop and look at His suffering, but to stop and look at His glorious victory over sin and the grave!

I dare you to stop and look at Jesus today!