Pay Attention to the Signs

Something I noticed this week that made me laugh and sigh...at the same time...

There are major roadworks in the area I live....they have been ongoing for over a year and will hopefully be finished sometime this year...

On Saturday there was a sign stating "Expect long delays", preceding a "Detour" sign. I couldn't believe how many cars ignored the Detour sign and got stuck in the warned 'long delays'!!! There had also been signs up all week suggesting this.

We took the detour, knowing it would be much quicker, even if it was longer....and halfway through, I could see the cars in the far distance, all banked up with nowhere to go....because they ignored the signs!


Needless to say, we were not at all delayed, and went on our merry way... we've lived here long enough to know better :)

Got me thinking....how many times in life do people ignore the warnings....and get caught up in the mess, because they ignored the warnings and the suggested way out/through/over/under....

How many times in life do we suffer the consequences of our own actions....when we should have known better.... when the way to avoid the mess was clearly in front of us, but we chose to ignore it...

Something to think about today;) 

Intercessors who leave the arena...

My heart is saddened... people who knew the 'fullness of joy' have traded it for a 'worldly life'. People who were fighting hard in the arena of intercession...listening to God's voice... obedient to His will....with such a childlike faith, they believed anything was possible... and suddenly, one person or one circumstance changed everything.

Their world was shaken. They stumbled in the arena, and instead of continuing to fight, they gave up.
....it sounds like such a simple thing to do. To just give up. But it's sooooooo much more than that!!!

Once you have been in the arena, you are changed. Even if you turn your back and walk away, the arena stays in the deep places of your soul...whether or not you choose to remember....it is there.
It will continually call you back....in that still, small voice.... like a long lost friend you never intended to abandon... it will keep calling until you acknowledge it's voice.

The battle continues without you, but it would be so much better if you were back in the arena...
You know who you are... you can't forget what it was like to be in the arena... to be broken and stripped raw....and to feel all the gaps and hurts filled with the tender love of your creator. He brought life into the dark places...

He is calling you....tenderly and gently...he won't force you back, but he will never give up on His princess...
I just want you to know I love you and will not give up on you either! We may not speak much any more....but you will never leave my heart, beautiful girl.  I pray you do not make decisions you will later regret....

Alien

I am sooooo not of this world... but neither are the most important people in my life :)
I love you all - the strangest, funniest, most caring, wisest, chosen people who just can't fit the boxes the world wants us in...and wouldn't want to fit in them anyway! :)

God's heart surgery...

Lately God has been showing me how far I have come from who I became 10 years ago....how I changed because of circumstances....how my heart was broken and I felt God had abandoned me in my biggest time of need...

...but he never left me for one second. No, I wasn't able to feel his presence, and I felt my cries for help were echoing against the wall...but he simply allowed me to experience something he knew I could handle....and he knew I would later see he did not abandon me. He was there all the time...but he allowed me to experience the consequences of an innocently made bad choice... and just when I felt I could take no more, he suddenly showed up and ended it.

It's funny when you remember a time of being on one side of a fence....and you yearn so badly to be on the other side... and then one day you realise you are on the other side! It took a long time to get there, a lot of 'heat surgery' and just crawling into God's lap and letting it go... but it came. It was hard work. It was tough. It took a lot of courage to get through.... but I did it :)

Now, I see a friend going through the same kind of 'heart surgery' I had to go through... different reasons, but the same God who wants to strip away all our hurts and pain....because he knows it will make us stronger, and we will feel so much better for it.

My friend is so beautiful, with so much to offer this world. She is a real treasure, and I really want to see her get to the other side of the fence like I did. It's not a fun time to be in God's presence, having parts of you stripped away, but when you look back, it is one of the most precious memories in your life....a time when you were so close to God... a time when you could let go and be totally raw....and know he would help you get out all the black stuff in your heart...be a child cradled in his arms, protected 'under his wing'...  believe it or not, your journey has been encouraging me by bringing back memories of places I have been, but have now left behind.

So, if you're reading this, beautiful friend - I do know what it's like to be stripped raw... I feel so blessed to be able to pray for you and just be there for you. I know how hard it can be - but you can do it :) You have already come so far :) You are strong! Don't let the enemy tell you you're weak because you are a Child of God! He has already gone before you and knows what is to come - he will not let you walk a path, or go through a door unprepared :)

Be Joyful :)

My last post was a while ago. Much has happened since then; little has happened since then.
We live in an amazing world....and it's sad that so many souls have not yet experienced 'pure joy'. So many souls are yearning for what they do not know... others are yearning for what they have known, but somewhere in their path was lost. There is so much to be joyful about....and so many people who simply don't know how to be joyful.

Some people lost their joy because of something others did to them...
Some grew up afraid to experience joy in case they were punished...
Some people have so little, yet have so much joy.
Some know how to make millions and live a lavish life....but these people also don't know how to be happy...

EVERYBODY has the ability to feel joy. It is we who prevent ourselves from feeling.

I pray every person who reads this blog will experience a real sense of pure joy. A joy you have never known. A knowing that deep down, you have sooooooo much value. You are special. There are things in this life that you are good at - please don't be afraid to do what you enjoy - to open your heart and feel.

Be the person God created you to be!
Don't let past hurts or fears...or anything else steal your joy!
Your life is for living. Live it! Go out and think of all the things you have to be grateful about.....and enjoy this beautiful world God created for us. People are doing a good job at destroying our world and it's people, but that is no reason to not enjoy what He has blessed us with!

If you look for the bad in something, you will find it.
If you look for the good in something, you will find it! 

Thank you Jesus for the wonderful gifts you give us - the simple things we often take for granted.

Intercessors Unite!

Let me first begin by saying Generals International  is a worthwhile link for those interested in the spiritual health of our world and what God is saying to us through people like Cindy and Mike Jacobs.

Is it just me, or is this a season where God is stirring up intercessors? It feels like there is so much going on in our world, and God is readying his army for the war that is to come... intercessors like me, who haven't been in the same level of the 'war zone' for a season, are feeling stirred up. Stirred up for ACTION. Stirred up by EXPERIENCE or LACK OF...stirred up because our spirits are open to the leading of our creator....who has let us have a rest, if you could call it that....and now he is saying, "Awaken your hearts and Get ready for battle!"

Intercessors never 'sleep' in their gift, but there are seasons where we don't feel used as much. It's like I said, God gives us a rest....but we never switch off. It just seems there are times when we are allowed to sit on the sidelines while other team players have their turn in the game (war zone), before we go back in. 

Things are stirring in this world...God is moving, but he is going to move in even greater ways... people will be afraid of what is to come..but those who trust in the Lord will be saved. 

Isaiah 25:9In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” (www.biblegateway.com)

So intercessors who are on the sidelines....it's time to Rise Up and be counted!! We have a war to WIN!!!

Life Dreams

Recently I was asked a question: "What is your dream?", and  "If you had no limits, what would you do?" 

Simple questions, right? Well, 10 years ago I had good answers! But now, I'm amazed to realise that my dreams from 10 years ago have all come to pass! Admittedly, my life didn't go the way I planned, but these delays in fulfilling dreams were all part of God's plan for my life! Now, as I said, I'm amazed...I had big dreams!

So, what were these dreams? I hear you ask...
1. I wanted to find the love of my life
2. I wanted to go to Europe....London, Italy & Ireland - to discover my roots.
3. I wanted to work in ministry serving children with disabilities
4. I wanted a 'real' job.

The first of these to be fulfilled was No.3. Through God's leading and placing the right people in my path, I was able to set up a successful ministry serving children with disabilities in my local church. This ministry ran for about 6 years. It was just me to begin with- volunteering in a Tamil speaking church with gorgeous children - 1 had autism and 2 had cerebral palsy. It was an afternoon service. I was also thrown in the deep end and ended up running the Sunday school class at the same time - until a new leader was found. After a few years, I moved the ministry into the main church for morning services. The boy with autism and I were together for the whole life of this ministry - other children came and went, but he was the only one who stayed. We have a special bond....I don't think I will ever be able to forget about him :) I had some wonderful leaders join my team, which was great, but there did come a time when God said he would remove his grace from the ministry, that it was time to move on.

The second dream to be fulfilled was my overseas trip. For 10 years I dreamed and yearned to go....in the end I just took the plunge and booked my tickets! I went alone and it was one of the best things I've ever done! I arrived in London and met some wonderful people who helped me settle in. I spent a week there before boarding a plane to Rome, where I joined a 2 week tour of Italy, then I returned to London before boarding a ferry to Ireland....after 9 nights in South-East Ireland I returned home....

This is where dream No. 1 was realised! The man of my dreams was staring me in the face! He had been in the picture for 3 years, but I just wasn't ready to see it....until I was on the other side of the world!

So, of course the last dream was finding a 'real' job. I had been working casual and agency for about 10 years, and I finally found myself in a good, permanent position.

So....now....I have everything I dreamed for.... so what's next???

I have so much more than what I dreamed for...but I guess the dreams I have now are simply to have a family and pay off our house. Isn't it funny how life changes.... I never thought I'd say goodbye to my ministry, but God opened the door and requested I walk through. There was no easy way to walk out, but I knew I needed to do it - I would have been working in my own strength to keep it going.

This also gave me the opportunity to listen to God's leading us out of that church. The One thing holding me back from moving on was that ministry. Once the ministry was gone, the strings were cut....it was time to walk through the new door. What a wonderful door that was! We found ourselves 'home' in a new church. Nobody told us to go there, we just felt led there. We have been there about a year now, and have not once looked back on our decision. We are where God wants us "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).

So, that's a bit on my dreams. I can't believe, even though it took much longer than I'd anticipated, that I've fulfilled all my major dreams! Of course there are some new ones, but the biggest ones seem to have been ticked off. I know I will have more as I get older. I look forward to seeing what the future holds:)