Where have all the bloggers gone?....

Haven't managed my usual round-up of blogger friends recently - then when I did, I noticed that everyone seems to be as busy as me - hence no time to blog!

Have had to skip gym this week (as a deliberate choice!) simply because I'm trying to get my garden back into shape. I haven't actually touched it for a year - Chris has mowed the lawn, bless him, but otherwise, it's been completly neglected. It does mean, though, some serious demolition work - brambles fought with ( I bear the battle scars!), shrubs lopped back, small trees chopped down (they looked like huge weeds, but oh, what trunks!!) and the hire of a graden shredder for a week to deal with the growing pile of rubbish. Last count we had 16 bin bags worth of shredded garden waste, and that's only from a small section of garden! I ache in places I didn't know I had, have been bitten by something nasty on my ankle, and am longing for my bed.

Pat's Thought for the Day:
Whilst it is true that God is only ever a prayer away, if we neglect our walk with Him for too long, the stuff that accumulates within us while we're "away" can entangle so many parts of our lives. Better to "weed and feed" on a very regular basis.

Andy's exams...

Following Shasa's lead, here are the rest of Andy's exam dates - he's already done a physics practical (last week) and the two maths papers today.

June 9th - Maths (9 am)
June 10th - Physics (9 am)
June 15th - General Studies (1 pm)
June 16th - Physics (9 am), Maths (1 pm)
June 21st - ICT (9 am)
June 23rd - General Studies (9 am)
June 24th - ICT (9 am)
June 27Th - Physics (1 pm)

Many thanks for your prayers on his behalf

Re-writing the draft...

Just an update - I have now re-written yet another draft for my Accreditation, and posted it off to my Supervisor. All being well, I should get a yea or nay by the end of the week, and if it's a YES, then it's back off to be re-assessed by BACP. I know that all of this means that I should value the accreditation more WHEN (please note this word of faith) I get it back, but at the moment, it just feels like a slog.

But I was listening to Joyce Meyer on GOD TV this morning, and she made an interesting comment. She said that God requires "experienced people" to be trusted to do certain tasks for Him. I know it sounds really obvious, but there is no way to gain experience other than by going through tough experiences. And it is these very people whom God uses;

"He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."
2 Cor. 1:4 from THE MESSAGE

I remember reading something written by Joni Earekson-Tada (she is a quadreplegic, injured many years ago in a diving accident). She once wrote that she was angry at God when she once fell out of her wheelchair, in full view of a group of people, and hit her face on the road. She was angry, not that she had fallen, but rather that she had fallen on the only part of her body which could feel pain. Whilst others rallied around and helped her, she silently screamed at God that she was angry at being the object lesson for other people "yet again"

Pat's Thought for the Day:
When we test drive a car, we often use the "demonstration model". Sometimes our attitude is that it is a "used car", but the truth is, it's the one the dealer can rely on to demonstrate how good this car is. When God uses experiences in our lives to demonstrate His power, His love and His grace, it is actually because He trusts us to do exactly what He wants others to see, and to respond in a way that glorifies Him.

Can you be trusted to be the "demonstration of Jesus" today?

Thanks for the prayers...

Thanks to all those who prayed - and also to my husband, who has the most amazing "knockout prayers" when it ocmes to praying that I'll sleep....

He is also the one who not only bought me the most beutiful roses and fressias on Wednesday, but had also bought me an exquisite hand-painted rose vase, and left me a single red rose in it, in our bedroom ( dead romantic!!) He also treated me to a new MP3 player, onto which he has downloaded 8 great praise CD's, so that instead of listening to sport, politics or MTV at the gym, I get to work out to Hillsong!

As I was doing the last 10 minutes on the bikes earlier today, I had "All things are possible" on full blast in my headphones. I've sung it many times, but suddenly, in the context of a really rough week, the lyrics of "Almighty God, My Redeemer/My hiding place, my Safe refuge/No other name like Jesus/No power can stand against you" became blindingly clear.

On Wednesday evening, coming home from work, I was seriously considering chucking the whole Counselling bit, with all its associated hoop-jumping, endless training and trying to prove that I can do what I'm already doing. I was wondering what to do, and where to work - maybe I could return to my last job ( left early 2001). In the car, I was pleading aloud for God to help me; no fancy prayers here, just plain desperation.

Well, the next day I was scheuled to have lunch with two of my ex-collegues from this last job. I hadn't seen one of them for about 18 months, and it was as if God "helped" me simply be layng out for me what that job now entailed. And it would not be a good idea for me to go back. So I began to consider afresh today that I have to lean heavily on God, keep persevering, and get on with the job in hand.

>Pat's Thought for the Day:
When we ask God for help, let Him do so according to His agenda, and not ours.

Tough day...

Would value prayers - having a tough time at work again. My re-submission has come back from my supervisor, and he's not prepared to sign it off until I do more work on it. I can't find the words tonight to say how I feel - just really low, phenominally tired ( I've woken at 5 am or earlier for the last month), and I feel like packing this in. Not sure how many more times I can re-do this. Also, a high turnover of clients means a huge amount of work crammed into very little time - exhausting.

In understanding be babes...

Just spent a lovely weekend with some friends down in Kent, and stayed with them overnight whilst I spent the days manning a Chunky Garden Furniture Stand at Medway’s Garden Festival (enough of the plugs!) I was royally looked after, and it was a delight to spend some time with them.

But one thing sticks out for me; whilst we were having a cuppa at the end of a super evening meal, one of their lovely daughters started asking me questions on the interpretation and application of some verses in Leviticus. We were soon into some very interesting discussion on a wide range of questions, and all three of their children were joining in, applying the Word to everyday, real-life situations. Out came the Bibles, and we were pouring over the Scriptures. The thing is, I held these children in my arms when they were only babes, and here they were, 18 years later, debating theology and ethics with me - not from a rebellious point of view, but to ensure that their lives were in tune with God’s will for them.

I do not have daughters, and I certainly do not have daughters like these two (I sometimes wonder what I would have ever done with girls!) And their brother is as sold out for God as the girls are, and is developing into a fine young man, a true Defender of the Faith. But is was with a tinge of sadness that I realised I probably will never have the depth of conversation I experienced this weekend, with my own children. Their needs mean that they think in different ways, and this is not always easy. But in their own ways, often unique in insight, they have their own faith. And that faith is just as meaningful, and equally as valid, as if they could write a thesis or doctrinal essay.

And sometimes, it is that very quirkiness that is able to open up new areas of understanding for me. I clearly remember, soon after my father died, that Andy came with me to put fresh flowers at his grave. I wondered how he might react, as he was only aged around 8 at the time. Without prompting, he turned to me and stated, “Gramps isn’t here, Mum”. I was unsure how to respond, but he continued, “God made a new body for him up in heaven, and He’s poured Gramps into it, hasn’t he?”

Not bad theology for an 8-year old

Pat’s Thought for the Day:
Denominations may appear to divide us; religion often does. God looks at the faith of the heart, the integrity of the spirit, and the confession of our mouths. As C.S Lewis put it in “The Last Battle”, I think that on this basis, some of the inhabitants of heaven may surprise us……

Goodbye Daniel - see you in the morning....

An amazing service of Celebration for little Daniel today. As part of the congregation, it was humbling to witness two of the finest tributes I have ever heard, bar none. And to think that those speaking those amazing words were Kevin and Sarah is simply awesome. Serious respect, guys.

Such services are often mixtures of highs and lows. The whole gamut and spectrum of emotions is on display, and we also bring our biased ideas of what is "allowable" for others to see on such a day. The truth is, there are no rules to mourning - no protocol, no time frames, no rights or wrongs. There is only the moment, the experience of being, that is important.

But it also serves to bring into focus the connection between this loss and other losses, and sometimes that makes me feel guilty. I feel that I should be concentrating wholly on the person who has gone, but humanly, my body was remembering other times, other losses and other pains. I suspect others were, too, and this connectedness allows us to accept that we do not always understand, but that one day, we will.

But I got to thinking - I wonder what they'll say about me? I know that some training courses ask you to write your own obituary (!), to "understand yourself better". Not sure that this is a good idea - probably biased one way or the other. But how often do we wish to be a "fly on the wall" and listen in on what people say about us - provided that it's all good stuff, of course! I am appreciating more and more just how essential - even how vital - it is to say good things about people to their faces, to build them up here and now. For in reality, none of us know how long we have on earth. I have no guarantees that the phone call I've been thinking I'll make, the card I'll send, or the word of encouragement, will be possible tomorrow, or the next day.

So Do it now.

Without sounding morbid, tomorrow may in fact never come. All we have is today. So make a difference, and do something of purpose, in the life of someone today. Turn a negative into a positive, and allow the Holy Spirit to flow through you to just one other person, in an act of unselfish grace.

It could become contagious.....

Pat's Thought for the Day:
"We have a hope that is steadfast and certain..." - that we will see Daniel again, and that when we do, he'll probably be playing with blonde angels.....

With Towel & Basin

Found a great devotional website - check it out - www. maxlucado.com

A recent post really blessed me:

WITH TOWEL AND BASIN
by Max Lucado

It has been a long day. Jerusalem is packed with Passover guests.

The disciples enter, one by one, and take their places around the table. On the wall hangs a towel, and on the floor sits a pitcher and a basin. Any one of the disciples could volunteer for the job, but not one does.

After a few moments, Jesus stands and removes his outer garment. He wraps a servant's girdle around his waist, takes up the basin, and kneels before one of the disciples. He unlaces a sandal and gently lifts the foot and places it in the basin, covers it with water, and begins to bathe it. One by one, one grimy foot after another, Jesus works his way down the row.

I looked for a Bible translation that reads, "Jesus washed all the disciples' feet except the feet of Judas," but I couldn't find one. What a passionate moment when Jesus silently lifts the feet of his betrayer and washes them in the basin! Within hours the feet of Judas, cleansed by the kindness of the one he will betray, will stand in Caiaphas's court.

Behold the gift Jesus gives his followers! By morning they will bury their heads in shame and look down at their feet in disgust. And when they do, he wants them to remember how his knees knelt before them and he washed their feet. He wants them to realize those feet are still clean. "You don't understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later" (John
13:7).

Remarkable. He forgave their sin before they even committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it.

Pat's Thought for the Day:
I wonder how we would respond to someone we knew was about to hurt us deeply?
Walking in grace takes guts.

Tears for friends...

This week we said goodbye to two very special people.

One was a very dear saint of God, who had lived a long and fruitful life of service to God, faithful always in prayer. Florrie, we will miss you, but we know that your heart's desire was to see Jesus face to face, and be re-united with your dear George.

And the other was a wonderful little boy of just 17 months, loaned to Earth for such a very short time, who really needed a heavenly body to be able to run around properly. Daniel, you taught us so much - few people get the opportunity to inspire in the way that you did. Our prayers are with your very special Mum and Dad, that they would know God's comfort in a very real way.

Whilst it is wonderful for these two to be free in heaven, it is so very hard for us left here. Tears flow, not for them - they're having a ball - but for our loss.

And it reminds me that there are not always easy answers; sometimes, there are no answers at all. But I have learned the inexpressible comfort of just knowing God is there, even if things are not "fixed" in the way I would want, dream or wish. Trust is all about living with uncertainty. If we understood everything, we would not need to trust. And trusting God is a matter of choice, not of logic or reason.

Even though I do not understand, and can only "See through a glass darkly", I choose to trust Him, until that time when all will be explained.

Pat's Thought for the Day:
Tears are God's lubricating oil, to enable us to release things that would otherwise stay stuck deep within us for far too long.