--
It has been so rainy, dull and semi-depressing outside recently. Somehow I think that the surroundings we are placed in can often reflect on how we respond to our circumstances... Well, for me anyway. For example, I know that when there is crap going on in my situations, and its dark and dreary outside- I find it a lot more difficult to smile and be cheery. Maybe, in a small way, it is being counter-culture: you know, beacause wearing a smile in the middle of a storm is a wee bit anti-normal.
And today I woke up and the sunlight was streaming through the windows, illuminating that which was once bathed in darkness. And as I was lying there I just listened to the birds sing, and I allowed myself to ponder on what the new day had brought forth. As I allowed what I was observing to speak to me, it hit me hard, that we have to look for the good in life.
Smack-bang right in the middle of days and days of darkness, light and life breaks open the sky. And I think it is like that in our lives. Perhaps not quite so obvious in our circumstances, but if you look- you will find it.
There is a verse in Job that says "I have decided to forget my complaints: to put away my sad face, and be cheerful."
That is so important. We need to rethink our situations... I know that so often I look at where my wanderings have taken me, I look at my family situation, I look at the desperate state of my city- and I say to myself "Can any good come out of this?: out of me?"
But I am learning to retrain my thought patterns to perceive the good through it all. So then I look at the places I have wandered off to, and instead of seeing how lost I have been, to see how great the mercy is of God who continues to search for and find me. To look at my family and instead of the first thing I see being the intensity of the bad that is occurring- to see the smiles on their faces as they treasure time we can spend together. To walk around my streets and look at the love that is being shown every time we have a shake- to see that our people have reached into thier reserves to grasp whatever tiny bit of energy they have left- to see- to actually see all that and not just be unable to get past the cracks I can see on the surface of this place.
"The faithful love of the Lord never ends!His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning."
"I will extol You, Lord, for you have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me; Lord, you brought my soul up from the grave; you have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of his, and give thanks at the rememberance of his holy name.
His displeasure may be for a moment, but His favour is for life.
Our tears may endure for a night- but joy will come in the morning."
Bless you heaps.
Much love,
Maddi
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Sometimes the answer is where you forget to look...
--
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Sometimes we just don’t have answers- but this I know: God is not the author of sickness, he is not the author of tragedy, he is not the author of disasters. And sometimes we may never have answers for these things.
Look at what Job went through: he lost his house, his wife, and all his children, all in one day. But you know the thing about Job that is so amazing? He didn’t blame God- he said, “Shall not the God of all the earth do right?” The Bible says to weep with those who weep, and mourn with those that mourn… sometimes its ok to not have answers- there is a place for it. We want to be known, not just as people of compassion, but also as people of power. Romans says “the whole earth groans in wait for the Sons of God.”
God raised Jesus, and sent the Holy Spirit and authorised us to act in His name; and as believers, we have the answers, we have authority to deal with situations in the earth that come against us that cause catastrophe and harm; the bible says that “the whole earth groans for the revelation of the sons of God.”
Some people say “where is God in all this? Where is the God of Elijah, who did mighty things?” But the earth is crying out…”where are all the Elijah’s? Where is the faith?” And I just felt God challenge me last night as I was grieving for my family- there is a place for that. I know God is a god of compassion, and I know he isn’t to blame, and I know heaven is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Do not despair in the hour of your fear
Tomorrow will come just the same
And He will be there, to watch over each care
So don’t let your heart drift away
Lift up your eyes, there is a heavenly horizon
Help will be soon on its way
He never meant for you to carry life’s cares
So don’t let your hope fade away.
Heaven is longing for the day of restoration, the day of revelation
The power of the sons of God
Heaven waits, the whole earth groans
Waiting for the sons of God
Don’t let us be offeneded at God for what is going on- if we abandon our connection with God, who would we turn to? Sometimes the worries we have get to much to bear, and we take it out on God and we get bitter, and turn away from him. But that will never solve anything... he is the one we need to get through this all.
Don’t let your heart be hardened, don’t let it drift away… it is God who we need in this hour- it is him who holds our hope; His truth that gives us the ability to stand when we fall.
Hope is described as being an anchor- it's what holds us in place when we feel like our ship is being knocked about. Hope isn’t just wishing for something to happen, it is more than that- it is a confident expectation that good WILL happen.
When we are built up in truth, it builds our hope- when we understand the truth of God and his word, it increase in us the hope that we hold. When we discover God's truth about a situation, we will always abound in hope. Whatever heartache I am experiencing, whatever situation that is looming in front of me looking like an unconquerable mountain, I will remember that God's truth brings hope. This is the knowledge that strengthens and is the anchor that holds us firm- regardless of circumstances.
So discover the truth in your situation. When you discover God's truth and perspective on situations, hope begins to rise. Once truth is planted in our hearts, once we begin to look for his truth, and to believe it; hope becomes less of a survival mode and more of a confident trust and anticipation that God is in charge. 'Cause He is our daddy- and he would never do anything that was not going to accomplish the best for us. He has our back. And he will never let you down.
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Sometimes we just don’t have answers- but this I know: God is not the author of sickness, he is not the author of tragedy, he is not the author of disasters. And sometimes we may never have answers for these things.
Look at what Job went through: he lost his house, his wife, and all his children, all in one day. But you know the thing about Job that is so amazing? He didn’t blame God- he said, “Shall not the God of all the earth do right?” The Bible says to weep with those who weep, and mourn with those that mourn… sometimes its ok to not have answers- there is a place for it. We want to be known, not just as people of compassion, but also as people of power. Romans says “the whole earth groans in wait for the Sons of God.”
God raised Jesus, and sent the Holy Spirit and authorised us to act in His name; and as believers, we have the answers, we have authority to deal with situations in the earth that come against us that cause catastrophe and harm; the bible says that “the whole earth groans for the revelation of the sons of God.”
Some people say “where is God in all this? Where is the God of Elijah, who did mighty things?” But the earth is crying out…”where are all the Elijah’s? Where is the faith?” And I just felt God challenge me last night as I was grieving for my family- there is a place for that. I know God is a god of compassion, and I know he isn’t to blame, and I know heaven is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Do not despair in the hour of your fear
Tomorrow will come just the same
And He will be there, to watch over each care
So don’t let your heart drift away
Lift up your eyes, there is a heavenly horizon
Help will be soon on its way
He never meant for you to carry life’s cares
So don’t let your hope fade away.
Heaven is longing for the day of restoration, the day of revelation
The power of the sons of God
Heaven waits, the whole earth groans
Waiting for the sons of God
Don’t let us be offeneded at God for what is going on- if we abandon our connection with God, who would we turn to? Sometimes the worries we have get to much to bear, and we take it out on God and we get bitter, and turn away from him. But that will never solve anything... he is the one we need to get through this all.
Don’t let your heart be hardened, don’t let it drift away… it is God who we need in this hour- it is him who holds our hope; His truth that gives us the ability to stand when we fall.
Hope is described as being an anchor- it's what holds us in place when we feel like our ship is being knocked about. Hope isn’t just wishing for something to happen, it is more than that- it is a confident expectation that good WILL happen.
When we are built up in truth, it builds our hope- when we understand the truth of God and his word, it increase in us the hope that we hold. When we discover God's truth about a situation, we will always abound in hope. Whatever heartache I am experiencing, whatever situation that is looming in front of me looking like an unconquerable mountain, I will remember that God's truth brings hope. This is the knowledge that strengthens and is the anchor that holds us firm- regardless of circumstances.
So discover the truth in your situation. When you discover God's truth and perspective on situations, hope begins to rise. Once truth is planted in our hearts, once we begin to look for his truth, and to believe it; hope becomes less of a survival mode and more of a confident trust and anticipation that God is in charge. 'Cause He is our daddy- and he would never do anything that was not going to accomplish the best for us. He has our back. And he will never let you down.
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Ponderings...
---
I was driving to the airport to pick up a friend this morning, and as I got closer, the mountains got bigger. They are so beautiful today. Freshly deposited snow is covering them from top to bottom... they are pure white- so big and majestic. Near the top of them there is fluffy white cloud, and the summit is peaking out from above it. Seeing glory like that takes my breath away- I get overcome by the beauty and my heart begins to burst with awe. I can’t help but going “WOW Lord!” It amazes me. He is so beautiful. Everything around me screams his name. I look out at the creation around me, and my whole being resonates with a wonder that cannot be quenched.
I was driving down a tree-lined avenue...the trees like strong arms reaching towards the heavens, clothed in a splendour that is not of this world. The leaves are golden, orange, deep crimson....they speak to me. The gold reminds me of the heavenly purpose that God has created me for; the orange of the all consuming fire that is the unconditional love of God; the crimson of the Blood that was given for me. The wind picks them up and sends them in whirling flurries around the street, and to me it was a picture of what I want to be like... I want to speak to people of the heavenly purpose that each of us are destined for- I want to be a vessel of his Love- I want to be a reflection of his Blood: the grace and mercy that it represents.... I want to be like the flurries of leaves, dancing around and bringing beauty and joy to the world, swamping everything in their paths with reminders of who God is.
I am reminded of the passage in Luke 19 when the people were worshiping Jesus as he rode in to Jerusalem on the donkey, and the pharisees told him to rebuke them: but Jesus told them that if he were to silence the praise of the people that the very stones would begin to cry out. To me, it seems like they do that now...
The rain is pouring down my window-pane, and I am sitting here, watching the rain rush down the drainpipe and FLOOD the ground beneath it. I wanna be like that. I want God to flow through me like a winter storm, so that his love will burst out of me and be a torrent that goes far and wide in my circles of influence. Picture when you grab a rock and throw it into a lake with all the strength that you possess: your highest aim in that situation is to make the biggest splash possible... I want to do that in my life. When I walk into people's lives, I want to make an impact. I want to be one of the instruments that implements a tsunami of the knowledge of how much each of you are loved....
I want to be used. I want to be a blessing. I want to be me.
Much love,
Maddi
I was driving to the airport to pick up a friend this morning, and as I got closer, the mountains got bigger. They are so beautiful today. Freshly deposited snow is covering them from top to bottom... they are pure white- so big and majestic. Near the top of them there is fluffy white cloud, and the summit is peaking out from above it. Seeing glory like that takes my breath away- I get overcome by the beauty and my heart begins to burst with awe. I can’t help but going “WOW Lord!” It amazes me. He is so beautiful. Everything around me screams his name. I look out at the creation around me, and my whole being resonates with a wonder that cannot be quenched.
I was driving down a tree-lined avenue...the trees like strong arms reaching towards the heavens, clothed in a splendour that is not of this world. The leaves are golden, orange, deep crimson....they speak to me. The gold reminds me of the heavenly purpose that God has created me for; the orange of the all consuming fire that is the unconditional love of God; the crimson of the Blood that was given for me. The wind picks them up and sends them in whirling flurries around the street, and to me it was a picture of what I want to be like... I want to speak to people of the heavenly purpose that each of us are destined for- I want to be a vessel of his Love- I want to be a reflection of his Blood: the grace and mercy that it represents.... I want to be like the flurries of leaves, dancing around and bringing beauty and joy to the world, swamping everything in their paths with reminders of who God is.
I am reminded of the passage in Luke 19 when the people were worshiping Jesus as he rode in to Jerusalem on the donkey, and the pharisees told him to rebuke them: but Jesus told them that if he were to silence the praise of the people that the very stones would begin to cry out. To me, it seems like they do that now...
The rain is pouring down my window-pane, and I am sitting here, watching the rain rush down the drainpipe and FLOOD the ground beneath it. I wanna be like that. I want God to flow through me like a winter storm, so that his love will burst out of me and be a torrent that goes far and wide in my circles of influence. Picture when you grab a rock and throw it into a lake with all the strength that you possess: your highest aim in that situation is to make the biggest splash possible... I want to do that in my life. When I walk into people's lives, I want to make an impact. I want to be one of the instruments that implements a tsunami of the knowledge of how much each of you are loved....
I want to be used. I want to be a blessing. I want to be me.
Much love,
Maddi
Thursday, April 14, 2011
You think of me HOW MUCH?!?!?!
---
I was reading Psalm 139, and I came to verse 17 and 18:
"Precious are your thoughts of me, O God!
So great is the sum of them!
If I counted them, they would be more in number than the sand of the ocean..."
Which got me thinking. I am a very visual person, I need to picture things to take them in. And I just could not imagine what a number like that looked like. So I started to do a little bit of research and math (and when my mind got too overcome to add, I passed it over to a genius friend of mine...)
So it goes like this....
There are 1000 litres in a cubic metre (1 litre occpies a space of 10cm cubed), and 1 TRILLION litres in a cubic kilometre.
The World Ocean (The World/Global Ocean being the interconnected system of the earth's oceanic waters, and comprising the bulk of the hydrosphere) has an approximate volume of 1,347,000,000 cu/km {1.347 billion km(power of 3)}.
Therefore 1,347,000,000 x 1,000,000,000,000 = 1.34700 x 10 (power of 21) litres of water.
Another way of saying that is 1.35 SEXTILLION litres of water in the oceans, which is also 1.35 trillion-billion.
Every litre of seawater has approximately 35grams (1.2oz) of dissolved salt. There is 47.25 sextillion grams of salt in the ocean (472,500,000,000,000,000,000).
There is 6grams salt in a teaspoon. approx 40,000 grains of salt in a teaspoon. (200,000 grains in 35grams).
472,500,000,000,000,000,000 / 35 * 200000 = 2,700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.'
That means there is approximately 2,700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 grains of salt in the World Ocean. That is 2.7 septillion/quadrillion grains of salt.
I barely even know how to SAY that number....
After I worked all that out I realized that it said grains of sand as opposed to grains of salt. But apparently there is even MORE grains of sand than salt in the ocean, and God isn't gonna be picky about the numerical difference between sand or salt.
So get this... the amount of times God thinks about you is MORE than the grains of salt in the entire ocean. He thinks of you more than 2,700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times. And that is a low estimate.
I can't comprehend that.
Just think about it.
He loves you.
Perhaps all that math and rambling means nothing to you, but to me it was huge. Like something heavy hitting me at an intense gale-force.
I really pray that God would give you a revelation of how much he loves you... He'll show you in a way that means something big to you.
Dancing in puddles of loooove....
Maddi.
I was reading Psalm 139, and I came to verse 17 and 18:
"Precious are your thoughts of me, O God!
So great is the sum of them!
If I counted them, they would be more in number than the sand of the ocean..."
Which got me thinking. I am a very visual person, I need to picture things to take them in. And I just could not imagine what a number like that looked like. So I started to do a little bit of research and math (and when my mind got too overcome to add, I passed it over to a genius friend of mine...)
So it goes like this....
There are 1000 litres in a cubic metre (1 litre occpies a space of 10cm cubed), and 1 TRILLION litres in a cubic kilometre.
The World Ocean (The World/Global Ocean being the interconnected system of the earth's oceanic waters, and comprising the bulk of the hydrosphere) has an approximate volume of 1,347,000,000 cu/km {1.347 billion km(power of 3)}.
Therefore 1,347,000,000 x 1,000,000,000,000 = 1.34700 x 10 (power of 21) litres of water.
Another way of saying that is 1.35 SEXTILLION litres of water in the oceans, which is also 1.35 trillion-billion.
Every litre of seawater has approximately 35grams (1.2oz) of dissolved salt. There is 47.25 sextillion grams of salt in the ocean (472,500,000,000,000,000,000).
There is 6grams salt in a teaspoon. approx 40,000 grains of salt in a teaspoon. (200,000 grains in 35grams).
472,500,000,000,000,000,000 / 35 * 200000 = 2,700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.'
That means there is approximately 2,700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 grains of salt in the World Ocean. That is 2.7 septillion/quadrillion grains of salt.
I barely even know how to SAY that number....
After I worked all that out I realized that it said grains of sand as opposed to grains of salt. But apparently there is even MORE grains of sand than salt in the ocean, and God isn't gonna be picky about the numerical difference between sand or salt.
So get this... the amount of times God thinks about you is MORE than the grains of salt in the entire ocean. He thinks of you more than 2,700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times. And that is a low estimate.
I can't comprehend that.
Just think about it.
He loves you.
Perhaps all that math and rambling means nothing to you, but to me it was huge. Like something heavy hitting me at an intense gale-force.
I really pray that God would give you a revelation of how much he loves you... He'll show you in a way that means something big to you.
Dancing in puddles of loooove....
Maddi.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Love Unhindered.
--
This is a poem God gave me today....
Love Unhindered.
Chaos swirling ‘round my head
Clothed in black, tears of red
My heart confused, it knows not what-
Can mercy find me, in this spot?
Cowered under crimson shame
I hear the Saviour call my name
Timidly I take a peek, and gaze at his broken feet
He picks me up and kisses me, and makes his knee my mercy seat
I hide my face upon His chest
And pretend that I am deep in rest
I cannot bear to see his eyes-
For in them I glimpse my unspoken lies
In his voice, such sorrow speaks
I can hear his heart rend as he weeps
He sees how I became besot
He cries as he ponders what was lost
He slowly reaches through my chest
Takes the guilt, the pain, and leaves the rest
As a crown on his head he wears it all
And it disappears as the Blood begins to fall
Now he stands to pull me to my feet
I slowly lift my head, and our eyes meet
“My little girl I love you, you’ve been redeemed;
So walk, head held high- your heart I’ve freed.”
I fell to the ground, and deeply sobbed
As I realized the treasure, of which I’d been robbed
But again he lifted me up; Beloved, you’re fully restored
Just bask in my love and know you’re my jewel, whom I adore.”
He then lit up the sky with stars so bright
And showed me how purely he’d dressed me in white
He twirled me, and spun me; we danced away
Until the sun rose on the glorious mercy of a brand new day.
-By Maddi Bay
9/2/2011
This is a poem God gave me today....
Love Unhindered.
Chaos swirling ‘round my head
Clothed in black, tears of red
My heart confused, it knows not what-
Can mercy find me, in this spot?
Cowered under crimson shame
I hear the Saviour call my name
Timidly I take a peek, and gaze at his broken feet
He picks me up and kisses me, and makes his knee my mercy seat
I hide my face upon His chest
And pretend that I am deep in rest
I cannot bear to see his eyes-
For in them I glimpse my unspoken lies
In his voice, such sorrow speaks
I can hear his heart rend as he weeps
He sees how I became besot
He cries as he ponders what was lost
He slowly reaches through my chest
Takes the guilt, the pain, and leaves the rest
As a crown on his head he wears it all
And it disappears as the Blood begins to fall
Now he stands to pull me to my feet
I slowly lift my head, and our eyes meet
“My little girl I love you, you’ve been redeemed;
So walk, head held high- your heart I’ve freed.”
I fell to the ground, and deeply sobbed
As I realized the treasure, of which I’d been robbed
But again he lifted me up; Beloved, you’re fully restored
Just bask in my love and know you’re my jewel, whom I adore.”
He then lit up the sky with stars so bright
And showed me how purely he’d dressed me in white
He twirled me, and spun me; we danced away
Until the sun rose on the glorious mercy of a brand new day.
-By Maddi Bay
9/2/2011
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)