Teach us to pray

One of the disciples ask jesus to teach them how to pray, so Jesus taught them The Lord pray..

Father, may your name be kept holy and your kingdom come. Give us every day bread for our needs. May we have forgiveness for our sins, as we make free all those who are in debt to us. And let us not be put to the test.

This was a pretty good general pray and is still a great basis for all our praying today.

But then Jesus explained about prayer saying that if they went to a friends house late at nigh and asked to borrow some bread but the friend shouted "go away I'm in bed" but you kept knocking on the for and asking eventually because of your persistence he will get up and give you all the bread he has.

If you child asks for fish for dinner, do you give him a snake? No because you know how to give good gifts to your kids.

How much more then will god give to us if we keep asking. This is explaining that when we ask and ask again in prayer god will answer for we have shown faith.

"Even though"

In this Lowe and hardest time of my life it's starting to sometimes feel that God is moving me forward only to knock me down.

The weight on my shoulders seems to slowly lift only to then get give a whole new bigger weight to carry.

Talking with a friend tonigh she told me about a hard time in her life she told me how at the hardest time she read Psalm 23. You know the one, "the lords my shepherd"

She told me how two words stood out to her in verse 4.

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me".
(New International Translation)

She pointed out it says "Even Though". It doesn't say everything will be trouble free and all hunkidory, it say EVEN THOUGH.

Even though we will feel pain, even though people will hurt us, even though we will lose loved ones god will guild us and be there with us. Just like a shepherd with his sheep.

Psalms 23 is one of the most well know, and there's 150 of them. Why don't you read it yourself. See what it says on verses 5 and 6 and find the faith that good will come.

Which WAy?

Theres a story in the bible about a talking donkey.... strange I know but hey why not after all there was also a talking bush. 

The Donkey belonged to a guys called Balaam and while on the way to somewhere God dint want him to go the donkey spoke to him. Read about it in Numbers 22: 28.

Even Jonah tried to run from a place that God wanted him to go. Got swallowed by a ''big fish'' that spat him back on the beach where god was trying to send him. Read it in Jonah 1: 1.

Ever get that feeling you should be doing something different. Maybe life just isn't what you think it should be, or feel it should be taking a different direction. Well when we stop and think about what God wants, and even ask him what he wants, life can take a turn in a better direction.

If your hearing one thing from God and another from people around you, which one is right?  and how can we be sure its actually God and not ourselves telling us the way forward.

Im a great believer in Listening and learning (something I've never been good at in the past) If your going to pray and speak to god, we assume he is listening. So its only right to listen to him. His answers may not be always easy to hear, and his will may not always be easy to swallow. But he does listen and he does answer.

OH its so hard doing the right thing. Does god speak through others? does he talk directly at you? Does he stick a big sign up for you to see on you way to work saying ''THIS WAY''.

Well I guess all of these are possible its just knowing which to look for I guess. So many things are giving me so many directions It really hard to go in any direction/ But then maybe that's what he wants ''WHO KNOW?''

I guess if we choose the wrong direction and trust in him, like Balaam and Jonah he will direct us back or if not back he will keep us on the right road as long as we listen.

 

News Nov 2012 - Don't Panic!!! Don't Panic!!!

The sad new last week of the death of Clive Dunn (AKA Corporal Jack Jones) was one of those times that you cant help but smile when you remember the work of Clive Dunn.  Best known for his part in the TV show Dads Army Jack Jones could often be heard shouting ''Don't Panic!'' while running around like a headless chicken as everyone around him stayed calm.

Don't worry. this isn't a tribute to Clive Dunn but I did get me wondering what reaction people would have when I die. And trying not to be morbid or anything but just a thought of how important are others to us.and what felling would we be leaving behind.

Like my friend Mark Versey, who left us all with such a legacy from how he lived for Christ, Like Clive Dunn, who's name when you hear it just seems to bring a smile to your face, some people will leave a mark in your life by how they lived theirs and what they did with theirs.

Maybe sometimes we have to look at our lives and ask questions like, How will we be remembered? are we going to leave a legacy of any worth?

With other new in the last few weeks The BBC is under pressure as allegations started to emerge of one of their much loved past presenters may well have be a peadofile and left with children on a regular basis.

Now then, the legacy left by this man was one of greatness, TV work, Radio Work and a massive amount of work for charity and even a knighthood left a memories of respect and maybe even inspirational. Only he left with a few stones unturned and over night seemed to have gone from a respected (if not a little eccentric) to a sad old crazy man that (it is reported) has had his Head stone removed be the family.

What will you be remembered for? is it something you have done or is it something your going to do?

LEARN

I may have Jumped the gun with the blog about The Rapture. It seems there could be a slight clash of Opinions in the Bible on this subject.

I guess its another learning situations for me, and I may have looked at some information that was... I wouldn't say wrong... maybe... not the whole truth.

when I got home that night I started thinking about how scary the Rapture thing was. And seeming I was ready to got to heaven then what did I need to do?

It all seemed like something from a horror movie that I didnt want to be a part of so I needed to look into it all a bit more. To think that only a small part of the church was ready for heaven I wondered how many of my church and friends where ready.

It says so many other things in the bible ''He that believes in the lord shall never die but have eternal life'' however I think I've worked out that its more than just believing in God, its living with God that makes the difference.

Please don't think The Rapture is a threatening ''if you don't go to church your doomed'' type of thing, its not. and I believe the God I serve just wants us to put all our trust in him and do the best we can to keep him at the center of our lives and to be the best we can be.

I guess what Ive learned from this is that we need to check stuff out for ourselves, our ministers, people on TV and the internet can say what ever they like and different people will have different views on different subjects. So do we trust those people more than God?

We need to check it out. just like I did. I had something in my mind telling me what I learned just didn't weigh up something telling me to seek the truth for myself. I'm not sure I'm any clearer than when I started looking at the subject, but what I can say is I'm not in such a panic about getting ready because if I took the teaching I had on Friday as 100% true then I don't think ill ever be ready.

I just wanted to share this story too.

Earlier on in the year when most of this stuff was new to me I sat and watch THE GOD CHANEL. Yes Yes I know it seems a little sad. Anyway there was an american on saying how god reformed his life when he had no money.

He said how he got $500 and then within a day he had given that $500 to the church and to the poor people (he said this was an order from god.He said how he became rich and made his money back a hundred times over.

Suddenly after a great and inspiring story from the flamboyant American guy the program changed it to what I can only describe as a Telefon (you know the kind of thing) The where asking people too ''SOW SEEDS'' and promising great wealth to those who did.

Now considering my new faith and and the fact I was struggling with all aspects of my life at the time there was a point I reached for my wallet, but it just didnt seem right to give to this TV program.

Deciding not to give $500 to this ''Seed Sowing Church'' I looked into it and when reading and asking others about it I realised I had done the right thing by not giving.. Had God stopped me from throwing away $500 0r am I not as gullible  as I thought

Thje bible says ''be aware of false profits'' I think the church on God TV where making fulse profits in more ways than one, So If you heard something dont just assume its correct.... look it up and learn more..