I am having some chill-out time with my two younger boys at this beautiful secluded little beach...
"But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:7-8 NCV).
In Biblical fellowship, we should experience authenticity.
Authentic friendships are more than superficial, surface-level chit-chat. They involve genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing.
These friendships develop when we get honest about who we are and what is happening in our lives. They develop when we share our hurts, reveal our feelings, confess our failures, disclose our doubts, admit our fears, acknowledge our weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.
Unfortunately, this level of authenticity and intimacy is the exact opposite of what we find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, we often become involved in pretending, role-playing, politicking, superficial politeness, and shallow conversation. We begin to wear masks, keep our guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in our lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship.
It's only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, "If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other . . . If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves" (1 John 1:7–8 NCV).
The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in God's light, we can bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are.
Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again.
Why would anyone take such a risk?
Because it's the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed" (James 5:16 MSG).
[I am posting this here because this issue is very verrrrrry close to my heart. Will write more on this later]
We have arrived in Devon. It was agonising saying goodbye to friends, and it seemed to go on forever! That, coupled with the relentless task of sorting through our 'junk' and packing it up into boxes, made the couple of weeks leading up to the move fairly traumatic and exhausting.
But.
But that was over two weeks ago...
And we made it!!!
We're here!
In one piece.
The pain of leaving beloved friends behind is easing a little, I have to confess Facebook has been a lifeline...as has texting and calling. As has arranging our home, driving the kids to and from school, and being loved by my darling Mark.
Although it still feels alien and weird I'm beginning to love it here.
And life in the Westcountry is going to be good, I can just about see that now :)
This is just a quick quick note, to say we are FINALLY moving, on Friday...!!!
It has been a roller-coaster.
I am not really ready, and don't particularly want the upheaval, or the heartache that comes with goodbyes.
But it is CLEARLY God's next step for us.
Which means I have to obey. And follow. And TRUST.
Next time I post here will be from our new home :)
Please would you pray for us? There has been MUCH opposition to this move, and we need protection as we finish off up here, and travel down there, and settle in; etc...
Thank you friends xxx
My beautiful Thomas has turned 7 today. I am so proud of him.
So I had a birthday. In May. Yeah I know, that was nearly half a year ago!!
On this birthday I unashamedly (and 'officially, I suppose...) reached middle-age.
And Mr Wibbs and I decided a day-trip to the Queen's hometown was in order.
Spiritual Habits of Effective People: Tithing
(by Rick Warren)
“Bring this tithe to eat before the Lord your God at the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of your flocks and herds. The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives” (Deuteronomy 14:23 LB).
We develop spiritual fitness when we honor God by giving him a tithe every week. Tithing is the spiritual habit of giving back to God the first 10 percent of all I make. If I make $100, I give $10 back to God; if I make $1000, I give $100 back to God. I get to keep 90 percent but I give 10 percent to him.
Why would anybody have to do that? Because God says so and that’s reason enough. If you don’t do it, you’re disobeying God. But there’s more reason. The reason I tithe is to draw me closer to God.
Jesus says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:21 NLT). If I put my money in a boat, that’s where my affection goes. Wherever I put my money, that’s what becomes important to me. If I put God first when it comes to my money, it says, “God, you’re first in my life.”
If you show me how you spend your time and how you spend your money, I’ll show you what’s important in your life. No matter what you say is important—show me your schedule and your checkbook stubs and I’ll tell you what’s really important to you.
Deuteronomy 14:23 explains that, “The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives” (LB). If I say, “God, I want you to be number one in my life,” but he’s last place in my budget, that’s a contradiction.
The Bible teaches that giving is an antidote to materialism. The materialism of the world says, “Get, get, get.” The only antidote is giving; we do just the opposite of what the world says. As I learn to hold things with an open hand and return the first part to God, it breaks the grip of materialism in my life. It helps me develop the characteristics of God because “God so loved the world that he gave” (John 3:16). If you want to become like Jesus, you must learn to be a giver.
What can a girl do when she is awake in the middle of the night...? Pray? Yes I will, but also reminisce about earlier months of this year. Just because I have some cool pics to post...
So lets see now.
