As we start yet another year with His blessings

Lord, behold us with Thy blessing

Once again assembled here;

Onward be our footsteps pressing

In Thy love, and faith, and fear;

Still protect us, still protect us

By Thy presence ever near.

For Thy mercy we adore Thee,

For this rest upon our way;

Lord, again we bow before Thee,

Speed our labours day by day;

Mind and spirit, mind and spirit

With Thy choicest gifts array.

Keep the spell of home affection

Still alive in every heart;

May its power, with mild direction,

Draw our love from self apart,

Till Thy children, till Thy children

Feel that Thou their Father art.

Break temptation’s fatal power,

Shielding all with guardian care,

Safe in every careless hour,

Safe from sloth and sensual snare;

Thou, our Saviour, Thou,our Saviour

Still our failing strength repair.

As we say goodbye to 2009

 

"Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing,

Thanks for mercies past received;

Pardon all, our faults confessing;

Time that’s lost may all retrieve;

May Thy children, may thy children

Ne’er again Thy Spirit grieve.

Bless Thou all our days of leisure;

Help us selfish lures to flee;

Sanctify our every pleasure;

Pure and blameless may it be;

May our gladness,may our gladness

Draw us evermore to thee.

By Thy kindly influence cherish

All the good we here have gained;

May all taint of evil perish

By Thy mightier power restrained;

Seek we ever, seek we ever

Knowledge pure and love unfeigned.

Let Thy father-hand be shielding

All who here shall meet no more;

May their seed-time past be yielding

Year by year a richer store;

Those returning, those returning

Make more faithful than before."

And last of all......

"at this season of the year we should think of - of - ourselves. We should look into our - our accounts. We should feel that every return of so eventful a period in human transactions, involves a matter of deep moment between a man and his - and his banker."

The season's books to read - Dickens

If you really don't have anything to read at this time of the year or something to get you into the mood that prevails at this time of the year,

I believe I can assist

For the holiday that just passed, I suggest you read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

For the new year that's about to come, read with me another Dickens- the Chimes

And if you still want more of dickens heart warming stories, read The Cricket on the Hearth

No investment necessary if you've got a pc as the books are available for free on the net

Quickest place I can think of if Project Gutenberg & Free-ebooks.net

(My apologies no links as I'm doing this from mail as blogger seems not be working from my pc today & I don't have time to insert hyperlinks- will do so later)

Why this prompting?

I happened to be reading The Chimes for the umpteenth time and I just had to let someone else know that Dickens is readable and has some real life views and occurrences  which are still seen in this day and age even though these books were written just over a century ago

My prayer for today is - Lord, keep my memory green.

I didn't start all this....

The kettle began it!

Let go and live love again

There’ll be sad songs to make you cry
Love songs often do
Then there are some songs you don’t want to listen to, not right now
Maybe later, but not now
There are just too many memories associated with some songs
Here is my problem
We all have to let go
Sometime
We have to let go of past loves
Some time, we have to let go
They were sweet hearts
They were our first love
They were our soul mate
They were THE ONE
But they left us for another
We just couldn’t get along
We just didn’t see eye to eye on fundamental issues
They lied to us
They cheated on us
They just stopped calling
They didn’t see us the same way we saw them
They didn’t want to commit as yet
They felt we were too demanding
They found someone they loved better
Someone swept them off their feet
Our best friend stole them from us
Their friends made them leave us
They didn’t love us the way we wanted to be loved
They didn’t change like they said they would
They just couldn’t stick to one partner at a time
They were not ready
They didn’t see the fuss with being committed
They just………
The list is endless…..
Bottom line is that we are alone once again
We cannot see how we can live without them
Life just cannot be the same without them

Wake up!!!!!!!!
Wake up, dearly beloved
Life will never be the same without them
Life will be better without them
If only we let go and start living once again
Life is for living and living is for loving
Lovers come and go
It all happens so that we learn about life
Sometimes we learn the hard way
Many of us learn the hard way
We’re the one left standing all alone in the cold
Life stops for us
How could they do that?

I said wake up
You stopped living
They carried on and you still hang on to what might have been
Hello!
There’s nothing to hang on to as ‘what might have been’ never existed
They're just memories
That's all they are and that's all they'll be
My dear, you cannot lose what you never had
They weren’t meant for you
They were part of the process of making you ready for the next person
Be warned the next person still might not be the one
I know it’s difficult to break ties but you have to
Break the ties with your past
Be warned, there’s some past rubbish which still wants to be friends
Seriously, when you throw away your trash do you keep just a little bit for the next trash day?
So why keep lines of communication open
I don’t mean that you be rude or live as if that other person didn’t exist either
Close the emotional door you had opened for them
And never do couple stuff with that person
Why
You’ll be keeping a bit of rubbish for the next trash day
And when you do that guess who’s checking you out?
Your life partner
But they won’t come close coz u’re reeking of last week’s trash
Throw away everything and start all over again
It’s painful but it’s worth it
Becoz u’ve got that smell from last week
Your THE ONE will keep their distance becoz of that smell
Perchance they might see that it’s not you who’s smelling but your baggage
But why wait for fate when you can just wait for your destiny clean?
I’ve been there, done that and had that done to me
But I’ve learnt that I still have to live whether there’s someone in my life or not
The past just distracts you from what’s ahead
The past sometimes just wants to make sure you keep on hurting
Some people have this notion that they were the one who could make you happy and cannot stand to see you happy with someone else
Becoz u broke it off they just want to mess up with your life but don’t want to be part of your life
They want to be the shadow over your life
Wake up!
The birds are singing
Smile
You can love again
There will always be regrets in love but don’t stop loving
Keep the faith and love will find you
Don’t go looking for it
Wait for it
At the right time
You’re the ONE will come smiling at you
Believe you me, you’ve never been in love with them before

It’s a new experience
Savour it
Fresh love is fantabulous
Love always and let the music play
Love on my dear
Love on.

Simple days

"Momma taught us early in life
Everybody's gotta struggle sometime

Bring back those simple times of yesterday
When a man was a manAnd a friend was a friend
Bring back those simple times of yesterday
When you said what you meant
And you meant what you said

Sometimes I sit, I wonderI reminisce,
I think of all the good times
That we had in our livesS
ometimes I can't get over
How wonderful those days were
Back in our lives
Simple days for simple times

Bring back those simple times of yesterday
When a man was a man
And a friend was a friend
Bring back those simple times of yesterday
When you said what you meant
And you meant what you said"

Many cooks

I once worked in a totally all male environment.
I was the only female
When I got there people had to adjust their behaviour
How guys behave and talk when alone is totally different to when there are females around
I say this becoz this is in the industrial areas where crudeness is the order of the day in most cases
So it’s a fix when there’s just one female who happens to be a Christian as well
So the guys were open that they had to make this adjustment and it would be hard for them
But we managed somehow and I don’t remember being offended by at any moment whilst I was at work
So today I happened to be back at that place in one of the offices
This particular office ended up being almost the community room as that’s where we used to gather when one had no work to do, felt the need to unwind or just blow some steam
In that office there’s a poster that’s on the wall that says

“ Be at peace with one another - Mark 9:50”
I remembered that I put up that poster in that office and something had happened for me to put it up
I asked the reason behind it as I had forgotten
I was reminded the story
It was an issue over how we put together money to buy the daily newspaper
There were a number of us who’d contribute money daily and the paper would be bought and it would move around the offices
If anyone didn’t contribute they’d be stopped from redaing the paper
One fine day whilst having nothing to do sitting in our community office someone added up the numbers and it came up that we were pooling together too much money daily for the paper
The question was were was the change going to
From that day it always be an item to argue over and at some point people were actually not talking to each other save when the job required them to do so
So what did I do
I came across that poster in a bookshop and felt it suited the moment
And I put it up where we gathered mostly
Somehow we managed to agree to disagree and not make minor issues be the source of divide between people who were now very close friends at work and away from work
We all made up and the poster still stands
My point?
Why can’t we all just get along?

I'd like- Freshly Ground

What would you do if I kissed you?
What would you do if I held your hand and laid you down?
Would you find me overly unkind to you? Would you call me insensitive, and say that I deserve to die?
What do I do with all these feelings tearing me up inside?
What do I do with all these wasted hours dreaming of you at night?
I' d like to call you sometime…
What would you do if you knew the truth?
What would you do if I told you the story of my life?
Would you find me overly familiar towards you?
Would you call me crude, fling me aside to the birds?
What do I do with all these feelings holding me back inside?
What do I do with all these wasted hours dreaming of you at night?
I'd like to call you sometime
I'd like you to need me one time
I’d like to call you sometime
What would you do if I kissed you?
What would you do if I held your hand and laid you down?
Would you recognize it’s a need I've been fighting for so long?
Would you recognize it’s a hunger only you can fill?
What do I do with all these feelings warming me up inside?
What do I do with all these glorious hours dreaming of you at night?
I'd like to call you sometime
I'd like you to need me one time
I'd like to have you all the time
I'd like to call you...

Prayer

This is something that we should take seriously as Christians.

When did you last pray for your family?
When did you last pray for your friends?
When did you last pray for your relatives?
When did you last pray for your spouse?
When did you last pray for those who hate you?
When did you last pray for those you don’t like?
When did you last pray for peace?
When last did you pray for your country?
When did you last pray for your leaders?
When did you last pray?

My account

Slowly I’m discovering what this is all about
Slowly as I move with care
Slowly so that I do not loose even one glimpse of what there is
I’d like to see it all
I don’t want surprises
They can be nasty at times on this kind of trip
Trip you will many a time when you look not where you step
I’ve fallen one too many times before
Still I look where step but still I want to see what is around me
Why all this need?
An absence I thought was there actually prompted it
‘Thought’ as I’ve actually discovered that I don’t need it
It’s already there
Always has been
Problem is I wanted to replace it with someone else’s
Compliment is the word
How I got there I guess it was for me to learn and appreciate life more
So as I go down this road I look around and savour all there is
How I taste it all is up to me
My account is what matters
So slowly I move along this road
Come along if you may
I don’t need the company but there’s room for many
As long as you don’t mind, I’ll keep you company
But don’t expect much from me
This is for my account.

Caution

Last week I said to someone that somehow my verse was lost in thoughts
And true to a certain extent that was
I was overwhelmed
With what you may ask
With thoughts and emotions
It all would not have made any sense
My thoughts and emotions were in conflict
On one side this was definitely what I wanted
On the other not at all what I ever expected
How did I end up in such a situation?
I really don’t know
Maybe I lie when I say that
Lie I will not
I know how I got there
By being careless
I was carefree for once in my lifetime
I say once coz that’s just what I did
I’ve never done it
So I just let go
I let loose and that’s where I ended up at
Do I regret?
No!
I do not
Ok, maybe I should take off the exclamation mark
And tone it down
No, I do not regret
Given the same situation again I would have acted wiser and choosier
LOL
I think I wouldn’t
I’d have just done what I did and not regretted it afterwards
No debate
I was just at a loss for words
Now I’m fully armed and prepared
But deep down, I’m not 100% for this approach
Why?
I like spontaneity
Actually there’s a time I loved it and I toned down when I got my fingers burnt
So I proceed with care.

I will joyfully live!!!

I will shout it out from the roof tops
I will say it out without hesitation
I will smile as I say it
I will put my name at the end of the proclamation
I will not deny it
"I am where I am because God has been merciful to me"

I do not deserve what I have
But through His mercy and love i have all I have
It is not the work of my hands
Nor is it my will
It is all grace given
"I can do all things through Jesus who strengthens me."

Learning

One day a friend said that one of the ways to know about evil is to know so much about it
I have my apprehensions and do not agree with that principle
There is a better way of knowing about good and evil
Learn from those who’ve been to the other side
Honestly, that’s my stance
What if perchance the evil entices you so much that you move to the other side
There isn’t as much as a guarantee when you go to the other side to do investigations when you’re not fully prepared
I think that’s just one of the ways we lose focus and we spend time on the unimportant things in life
Our time is stolen doing the wrong things
Our time is stolen reading about unimportant things
Our time is stolen making unimportant comments
Our time is stolen coming up with opinions
You don’t need to learn 100% from your own experiences
If that were to be so, life would be much worse than we’ve ever had it

Don’t mess with the children of God

“And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men” Exodus 12:31-33

The exodus of the children of Israel is very interesting to say the least. When Pharaoh finally let them go it was all done in haste. The last of the ten plagues seems to be the only one that posed an immediate threat to him and so he let the Israelites go. He had said that Moses and Aaron would se his face no more but he actually sent for them. He finally gave in to what they had requested. This time he did not out any conditions. He actually said “as ye have said”. What they had asked for was now being granted- verbatim.
My attention is caught by Pharaoh’s last words , “bless me also”
This is acknowledgement that the Israelites were blessed and he wanted to be left in peace. He knew all along that the God of Moses was real but he still wanted to see the power of His might. He only gave in when it came to his life being in danger. Probably he thought that death was going to come gradually, the first born , the second, third….
He just could have been a second born….

Chatting

I had quite an interesting chat with a co-worker today
It’s just amazing what people can share in so much a short space of time
It started as just a “hi, I just thought I’d pass by and say hi!”
The end was a spiritual uplift for both of us
There so many issues we keep on our minds for the whole day and don’t talk about or try to find solutions to
We keep them saying that’s the way life goes
But, guess what?
Life goes the way you want it
Well, if you’re Christian you’ll agree with me
It’s because of how we stand in the battle
I’ll elaborate on that tomorrow
For now let’s look for that chapter in Ephesians

A shout of praise

I’m the happiest girl on this planet right now!
Why?
I just cannot help it
That’s just how it works
I’m on top of my game if I may call it that
Things still look rosy
Why you still ask?
I know in whom I’ve put my trust
He’s handling all the baggage that could be excess
So I’m a free girl with no worries
It’s just so great
I cannot describe it
I thank God for all my happiness

Jerseys

So last week Tuesday I had a great time sort of catching up with a friend. He got married last year and you know that singles and married folks aren't that close unless they're family. I do know the wife but you know how it is- you can't be too close to the guy coz there just may be issues and stories making their rounds.
Back to my story.
So, we got talking about fellowship. He asked f I was still Methodist and I said I still was. Said he also still is but had wandered off at some point and came back. Right now he still sups elsewhere when he's not filled.
We both agreed that somehow coz w grew up in this church we can see when it's having problems -like now.
Right now my church's asleep. It may be just the two branches-mine and my friend's. But bottom line is that it's asleep. Not that there's no activity all across the board. Far from it there's plenty happening. My church's strength is really administration- another friend and I agree on this.
So the focus right now is not on the individual but doing what the church is meant to be doing. It's not always that way. We'll get to a point when they'll see that the people are malnourished spiritually and then they'll pick that thread up.
I call it a thread as there's a jersey in the making for every church. For mine I say it's strong in admin coz they know they've got something to show at the end. So they focus on making the jersey. Most churches do that. The difference is that some forget that the jersey needs to be finished by the end of the day and that it has to look like a jersey. At the end of the day all churches need to submit their jersey fro marking. Some will have finished, some wouldn't have, some will to be jersey but they'll be knit, I have a weird feeling some won't have anything to submit. The final decision no one will know how many will get credit for their submissions. But at the end of the day all will need to account for what they were making and to whom they've submitted their finished product. To whom as they'll be asking why they've got the result they've got. Not that that'll be in all sincerity as we all know to whom we're making our jerseys to.
And so it is with the individual.
We ought to know what we're making at that it needs to be finished for us to have a good mark at the end of the day.
No matter how we make the jersey or how long it takes to make it, it's the final submission that'll matter. I've got a creepy feeling that even what won't look like a jersey will still get credit based on the time and effort taken to make whatever is submitted at the end of the day. Unfortunately the jersey cannot be made in one day and we keep it for the final day. As long as there's breath in us the jersey's unfinished. Stitches may fall out but they need to be picked up. We may get side tracked, but we still nee to keep on knitting. We may feel the wool's finished but if we take time for others we'll discover that there's loads of wool all around us.
For the perfect jersey we need to know that the wool's free for the taking, there's variety, and what matters is the quality of the final submission and the effort put in to get the final result.
Will the effort justify the final result? Will we have something to submit?
I really love the parable of the labourers hired in the vineyard. The parable is unique to the book of Matthew.
Whatever you agreed to get when you started making the jersey is just what you'll get.

Food

Ever noticed there are many things we don’t agree on as Christians
The list is endless if you ask me
The one which I still do not understand why we still are not in agreement over is food
Maybe becoz of my view of the two testaments
I lean toward the view that the coming of Jesus came with a new covenant and laws for me
Hence my view on this issue
Paul must have had it tough with the believers in the churches
Just read his letters to them
At some point he actually sounds very agitated
Nonetheless, he still gave them guidelines on their issues
I’ll ramble on what I’ve covered so far
Oblige me, please
“But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of your's become a stumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” 1 Corinthians 8:8-13
It’s all about liberty for those who have the knowledge
I’ll assume most of us have the basic knowledge over food laws and the Bible
Now the liberty Paul talks of is for those who are stronger in the faith
Yes, the stronger ones
The liberty to eat comes when we have knowledge and understanding
But all the same he still gives guidelines on how we’re to go about it
We don’t live in a vacuum and so our actions have impact
Here he’s talking of the person who sees us eating meat offered to idols
He says it’s ok to eat it as really it’s being offered to a non-existant god so at the end of the day it has no effect
BUT
When someone believes that as it’s offered to idols it has an effect because of their faith and understanding. DO NOT EAT
Quite simple really
I extend this to all food and life in general
We live also for our brothers
We ARE our brother’s keeper
In chapter 10 of the same letter, he goes on to say don’t eat food offred to idols
Now here the context is different
It’s the actual partaking in the ritual that he say we should not indulge in
Verse 15 should be taken note of….he speaks as to wise men
He also says “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”
I may seem to be going round in circles but at the end of the day it’s quite simple really
Do all to the glory of God.

Where to?

So it’s been quite a struggle just to get a post out.
This has been bugging me for a while and I guess it’s the subject matter that’s caused the delayed posts & somehow managed to keep me busy thus far
So here’s what I’ll do
Put on my garb and fight
It’s a spiritual battle once again
This time it’s also manifested itself in the flesh
And when it gets to that point it’s quite tricky to acknowledge it at all
Only when you can acknowledge that it’s spiritual can you start fighting the spiritual battle
Winded it sounds
It’s about us Christians
I now understand about the lukewarm Christians and why they are not the desire as there’s not really a fence when it comes to believing in God
Either you do or don’t
Either you believe Him to be your Saviour or not
Either you believe Jesus died for you or you don’t
It’s the fence that keeps this battle so long
Yes it’s already won
But when you decide to see yourself on the fence
Then the doubt comes in
Are you really there?
How do you know?
One person asked someone if they knew whether they’ll go to heaven or not
For now I’ll leave it at that
Ask yourself where you see yourself going at the end of it all?
Are you prepared for that destination?
What makes you sure that you’ll go there?
I guess that’s what helps each of us at the end of the day fight the spiritual battle
When you know on whose side you’re on I believe you’ll know whose fight you’re fighting and why
Quite a mouthful but definitely what we all ought to be asking ourselves each day if we really are true to ourselves and whom we serve.

Books, books, books, facts

There’s a book I skimmed over which had the warning that it wasn’t meant for those who cannot think on their own. Now I understand why it had that warning.
It’s just contra to what most of us know and hold true.
Not that sort of contra but it challenges what some of us hold as the fundamentals of why we believe what we do believe
At the end of the day I had a deeper insight as to why people have chosen to believe what they believe and why they feel strongly about their beliefs and ours as well
I’m just trying to be rational and not call their stance nonsense
Wow! -now I write politically
As I was saying, I now understand some written works and beliefs
It’s people who’ve got nothing better to do than poison simple people’s minds with untruths based on the vast knowledge they have
We all have some general knowledge about many things
I’m being vague
This is about religion and the Bible
Due to the sparse facts we have and the stories pedalled through generations we are all open to some sort of intellectual abuse
This is my view of how it’s done
Take the generalities and patch them together
You can patch them with what you want to also be linked to the widely held beliefs
Becoz one doesn’t have the 100% facts about their general knowledge and won’t bother to find it,
It’s quite easy to come up with what you’ll call the 100% fact book they need
And VIOLA!
We’re caught up in the web of trying to understand our beliefs and we don’t have a stand
Actually we end up not able to take a stand
There are so many of these people around with the resources to make their own facts and we end up one day coming across their work
Not many are as ‘nice’ as the ones with the book I saw and will put a warning for the reader
The whole thing about books and info now becomes a sort of “caveat emptor” issue, doesn’t it?
I ought to call this post “the grass is blue”
Tell as many people as possible that the grass is blue as many times as possible and it becomes well....a fact.

Reading

Take time to read the Bible
Read the book of Ecclesiastes

Treasure, treasure

"Be a spendthrift in love!
Love is the one treasure that multiplies by division:
It is the one gift that grows bigger the more you take from it.
It is the one business in which it pays to be an absolute spendthrift;
give it away,
throw it away,
splash it over,
empty your pockets,
shake the basket,
turn the glass upside down,
and tomorrow you will have more than ever." --Author unknown

The desires of life

I wish
You wish
I suppose
You think
I believe
You know
I need
You want
I give
You give
I understand
You comprehend
I grasp
You learn

Really, what are we doing?

Just one debt

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8
The one debt that at the end of the day we'll all have is love
My study Bible says it's the one obligation hat we cannot get done with
I don't like the word obligated coz there’s a bit of force attached to the word
You’ve got to do it even if you don’t want to
Now true love doesn’t work that way
You do it coz u just feel it
It’s not forced
It comes natural

For me it’s quite easy coz I consider myself a natural lover
Yeah!
I’ve got it in tons & all I do is share it out
I don’t have to measure how much I dish out at a time coz it won’t run out
It’s always in abundance
It lasts forever
I ‘m now almost sounding like 1st Corinthians so I’ll get to why I started here
I was reading Romans 13-14 and 1st I got to the love bit and then the wake up came along
“that now it is high time to awake out of sleep:”

I had to show some love coz that’s the fulfilling of the law.
Love ya all.

Oh, is that so?

I'm really blushing & I do feel a bit guilty
Claiming 2 still be afire yet I've been asleep. I'm now awake
Going to a faster pc & show that n 4 real

i

I muse
I wonder
I think
I hope
I trust
But at the end of the day where am I?

I ought to talk
I ought to listen
I ought to share

That I’ve done

I pray
I rejoice
I forgive
I counsel
I comfort

Now I’m smiling.