Prayer
Please Lord, continue to heal in these places
Lord, there is fall-out whenever we make a stand for your gospel
This week I posted an answer to a sermon against the ministry of women to men, on the windscreens of a church carpark
Please forgive me for not having been brave enough to arrange to see this vicar and discuss my feelings with him
Remind me of the strength I have in you, that I shouldn't do things in my own strength
Please Lord, protect my friendships - have the people with whom I differ on this point not condemn me; I am in fact their sister
I know that you love me Lord, if their love for me is now complicated because of my actions, help me to deal with this graciously
Lord you restore, build up as you tell us in 1 Peter 5 and as my girls' DVD 'Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang' is blasting into my eardrums as I sit to write this - LORD - "I only live to serve you...I do not deserve you" - wow - you amaze me - give me words to speak at every instance.
Thank you for the gift of your beloved son, Jesus Christ
To you be the power and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
There is something amazing going on at the moment with the Holy Spirit - its his healing power. Situations are getting remedied, bridges are being built. A friendship of mine which I had thought was splintering a few years ago now has grains running more smoothly; there is a trust and a love there which had at one point become a little fragile. Yesterday, another friend of mine, she knows who she is, came back to the place where she had worked and we shared fellowship with our under 5s and their mums and God was in that place at 'Nick's Chicks'. Nick Mouse our puppet ate their popcorn and made the children laugh. The popcorn was us - it was the good seed that we had looked at last week. Last week we had thrown some of it onto the grass outside the church, knowing that the birds would eat it. We rejoiced in the birds but at the same time, I think, I realised that whatever we do when we meet together in order to come into the presence of God, some of it will be eaten up and carried away on the wind, digested by other things because of our business and preoccupations. This week we were the good seed, if you like - but those tiny hard nuggets had exploded into something soft and sweet - the popcorn - due to the light of our Lord and the heat of God's love. Okay - I know comparing God's love to the effect of microwaves on popcorn nuggets can't be pushed too far!! As with any metaphor,as someone once told me, you have to know when to stop expanding on it. It's just we had such fun and as my friend left that place I sensed a healing there too - that we can move on and cater for Youth however challenging and painful that might be and she will be called to shine where she is to increase God's kingdom. A prayer station was created for Youth near the font and somehow that these two bodies within our church - the very young and the nearly grown-up can explore God's love for them over the coming months in ways that are going to be challenging, relevant and fun makes me just want to shout - thank you, thank you, thank you Lord. Let us all feel called to contribute - to do our bit - no matter how big or small a part we play, for only we rate our contribution, God knows our motives and has us contribute our giftings - so that this 'September Song' might be beautifully sung!
1 comment:
healing comes in many forms, forms that bind and forms that loose. I'm really thrilled you have found passion and convictions to stand up and let your views be known, to be a voice crying out in the desert of complacency that we often find ourselves submerged in while walking through this age. I'm also thrilled to read that you want to be more than a one trick pony, more than just a yelling voice that becomes incomprehensible with obscure knowledge and inaccessible beyond it's indignity to those not taking place in that same argument. sometimes healing can take place and as the nurse you must then say goodbye, to heal is to set free from friendships and to realise your place in the battle has come to an end. healing can be saddening as well as a rejoicing experience. you really must read The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis again and read about the church divided and the church complacent. you have had the privilege and joy to scatted the seeds, seeds that may take root and challenge that church, come September you will have the joy of new plots of land to till and weed, seed and water. I'm going to keep praying that experience will bring about as much passion and healing as this one has. (many blessings from the friend)
Post a Comment