Weapons and words....

Been meditating for the last few days on a verse in Isaiah;

“But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord.
Isaiah 54:17 (Amplified Bible)

There is no doubt in my mind that we are in a battle, and that Satan is out to get us. He knows exactly how to use weapons against us that are “formed” specifically for us, targeted attacks that hit our most vulnerable points. He is no gentleman, and does not give ground easily. The word “prosper” means “to become strong and flourishing”. So God is saying that even if a weapon, specifically designed to attack our weakest points, is sent against is, that in God it cannot “become strong and flourish”.

This verse also talks of the power of words – specifically, the power of the tongue which attacks us in judgement – which will be shown to be wrong. I have seen such words spoken over Chris and Andy. We were told that Chris would never be able to learn to drive and pass a driving test – WRONG! We were told that neither of them would ever be able to leave Special School to enter mainstream school – WRONG! We were told that Andy would never be able to take more than one Science GSCE – He took THREE! We were actually told that he would probably never even be able to read – WRONG! We were told that they would never be able to function in social groups – well, tonight Chris is part of a planning meeting regarding a major social event for the whole church coming up next month, and Andy has not only made it to University, but is sharing a house with a huge variety of international students – not bad, eh!

Yes, of course I am biased.

But now and again, it needs to be testified that God is great, and has done great and wondrous things. My sons are living testimony that God overrules the judgments of men, and He has vindicated His promises to us concerning them. It is indeed a glorious heritage, for which we give Him praise and thanks

Pat’s Thought for the Day;
What spiritual weapons have tried to floor you recently? Do they feel “up close and personal? God’s promise is that they cannot prosper against you. Neither can the legacy in your life of condemning words. No matter how far back such words were spoken, believe that God’s words to you can demolish the power that man’s words have had over you

Communication with students...

I obviously do not have enough street-cred to obtain information on “How are things going in Huddersfield?” from Son number 2 (Andy). All queries were answered with the word "Fine". Step up Son Number 1 to the rescue. “I’ll phone him, mum”, has elicited the following titbits of information:

He has joined 2 clubs during Fresher’s week. Believe it or not, one is Jui Jitsu (not sure if I’ve spelled this right), but it’s definitely Martial Arts, and the other is a Meditation Group. His rationale - “One for exercising the body, one for exercising the mind”….
He is sharing a house with 7 other students….
He has obtained a bus pass for a fiver, which allows him free bus trips in Huddersfield for a year. If you had seen the hills, it’s a case of walking down into town, and bussing it back…
The CU were giving away free tomato ketchup in Fresher’s week…
Lectures start on Monday, and his first one will involve lots of 3-D animation techniques…

The sad thing is, that I had written him a letter today asking him some of these questions, which will land on his doorstep tomorrow morning. In one quick phone call, he answered all of the questions (to Chris) and much more. At least he’s talking to one of us…

A new chapter...

For those of you who’ve been asking – and there have been many! – the trip to Huddersfield went very well. I have to confess, though, that it was very hard to leave Andy there, harder than I could have honestly tried to imagine (which I avoided beforehand)

He is in a Student house in the Ashenhurst Student Village, and in the brief phone call we had with him yesterday, he seems to be sharing with quite an international bunch! I know there is a Chinese guy, and someone from Malaysia, and I think one French and one German. Having had to go into the town on the Sunday to buy plates, bowls and cutlery (!) he seems to be managing OK. Will keep you posted.

Made me think, though. Many people say to others experiencing difficulties, “I can’t imagine how you must be feeling”. As a Counsellor, I am supposed to be able to do just that. No, I would never say “I know exactly how you feel”, but we have to do a great deal to actively imagine what another person is going through (it’s called Advanced Empathy), weighing up how others in similar situations have faced things, and trying to assess if this is more or less than what might be considered “normal”. I know that this might seem unfeeling, but it’s actually anything but. People have a deep need to believe that others can go through similar situations and survive, whilst at the same time understanding that their own journey is unique to them.

But what I found difficult over this weekend was the huge sense of loss, even though I know I will see Andy again. The house feels very weird, and I realise how much of a team player Andy was. When we find ourselves doing everyday tasks that he would normally take in his stride, each one is a reminder of his absence.

Yet this is nothing compared to what I imagine others I know, love and pray for are going through. My friend Helen losing her husband Chris at such a young age was devastating; Sarah and Daniel – my prayer levels have definitely gone up several gears there since the weekend - and the changes for Neil are also immense. It feels so inadequate, but we love you, and do pray for you, that the comfort of God will be steady as a rock, and very real.

Pat’s Thought for the Day:
Hebrews 4:15-16
15 We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all — all but the sin. 16 So let's walk right up to him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
(from THE MESSAGE: )

Going and Leaving...

I’ve not found today easy, as it’s the last day Andy is at home before going up to Huddersfield Uni tomorrow. I am sure there are thousands of parents who will be spending the next few weeks wondering and worrying about their fledglings flying out of the nest.

The truth is, I really want Andy to go, but I also don’t want him to leave

They are in fact different things. I know he will grow and benefit from being in his own place, doing something he loves, with like-minded people. It’s absolutely right for him to go

But it’s hard to see him leave, and the house will never quite be the same again.

It’s been great over the last few days to do simple mum-and-son things (mainly shopping!), and I have cherished what seem like “the last few hours”. I am also sure that I will look back in months, maybe years to come, and wonder why I felt so strange. But tonight, it’s important to acknowledge that we will miss him, but are still confident that God has already shown very clearly that he wants Andy there, so we rest in the knowledge of God’s hand preparing the way ahead.

Pat’s Thought for the Day:
Leaving does not have to be negative. We often get too comfortable in a “place” that feels like home, long after it’s right for us to leave. This can be true of a house, a city, a relationship, a job, or a ministry. Regular checks as to whether it is right to stay allow your mind to remain focussed, and not to be envious of where others might be instead of you.

Unshakeable foundations...

I'm speaking at our Thursday morning Ladies Bible study this week, and the following verses, from THE MESSAGE, jumped out at me.

Matt 7:24-27
"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit — but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
"But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards."


The graphic images of the last few weeks made it very relavent. If we do not rely on God, our lives, too, can collapse like a house of cards.

All the panic engendered by the so-called "fuel crisis" has mae me relise again that I need to depend totally on Him for all the provision He knows I need

My Dream...

An Amazing sermon by Pastor Mike last night to round off the series “The Six Phases of Faith”. The Tech Ministries team have put the whole series on DVD – well worth getting, as I think it’s some of the finest preaching I’ve heard in a long time, and certainly the finest from Mike – ever.

Last night’s teaching “Dead ends - and then Deliverance” touched so many chords in my spirit. Much of what God spoke to me about personally is something I need to process in private, but suffice to say that a lot of my dreams have seemed like dead ends for a long while. I have fought and despaired that God had ever shared things with me at all; that I had mis-heard the content; that I was not in the right place to receive or see the fulfilment of the dreams; that I had got the timing all wrong; that time itself was passing me by; that circumstances were stacking against me; that I did not have enough faith to see what I felt to be true; that I was relying on feelings anyway – and at times, combinations of some or even all of the above

But Mike brought such a Word of Hope – reminding me that without faith in Him it is impossible to please Him, whilst also facing up to the reality of the facts as they are and not succumbing to the deliciousness of denial. We need to declare the hope, and witness the dream being fulfilled.

So what is my dream?

Well, it is that God will take all he has allowed me to experience, and the skills He has honed in me, and use me to minister to leaders. I am passionate about the need to uphold pastors in prayer and intercession, and to support and serve wherever we can. But I am also tragically aware that many of them face burnout, disillusionment, despondency, and the losses of their own dreams. For many of them, the strain on their own homes, families and relationships can be overwhelming, and the price their families have to pay feels like too much. I long for a Retreat, where such couples can take a few days out, and have one-to-one focussed and anointed counselling and listening. Not as part of a group, but as individual couples, to gain refreshment., Godly insight, and professional help, all within the framework of a beautiful setting which restores the soul.

The details are immense, and the dream is huge. Accreditation was, I feel, a critical step. I have no idea of God’s timing, or placements. We will serve where we can, to the totality of our ability, and wait on Him.

Pat’s Thought for the Day
I feel a huge sense of risk in sharing this “out loud!” But are there other dreams out there, which by faith we can support each other in?

Tar and pitch....

Things are pretty busy right now, trying to get Andy ready for Uni in 8 days time

However, I have been meditating much on Pastor’s Mike’s new series on Moses (Sunday mornings – excellent), and the fact that Jochabed (Moses’ mother) placed her baby in a basket covered in tar and pitch. What struck me was that the very place where destruction and death had occurred for who knows how many baby boys, in fact became the place of life and rescue for Moses. And it made me realise that Moses was not spared from the perils of the Nile – he was just on top of it, rather than immersed in it

And that protection was both natural and supernatural. Natural – Jochabed had to lather that basket with a waterproof covering; supernatural in that the basket was drawn to the attention of one of the few people who could make a difference in this child’s survival stakes.

It made me realise that much as I would love to protect Andy from the perils of the world, it is important to let him go. My prayer is that the “Tar and pitch” of our love, and the principles we have taught him, will enable him to be “in the world, but not of it”, and to ride the waves of whatever the future holds, rather than be engulfed by them.

Pat’s Thought for the Day:
When God asks something of us, what is often required is often a combination of His hand working in ours – we are expected to do something, as much as He promises to do something. His Promises are usually conditional on our response. What has God promised you – and have you fulfilled your part yet?

Hurricane Katrina...

I’m sitting here moments before going to the funeral of a friend. Been awake since 6 am, watching the news of New Orleans, and the devastation of human suffering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina

Words seem hopelessly inadequate in the face of such high emotion, and the loss of so much. What strikes me most, I think, is the intensity of the rage seen on our screens. Anger is such a natural element of human grief, but when the experience of trauma is shared by so many at exactly the same moment, it feels overwhelming. Strange that we often use words at such times with watery themes – to be overwhelmed, swamped, engulfed, all at sea – when the images of so much power at the hands of water is evidenced by all who switch on the TV.

It also feels like a dam of human frustration is also flooding all caught up in this tragedy. It has been a ghastly year for mass devastation by water, and our prayers, thoughts and resources go out to those who have lost everything.

Pat’s Thought for the Day
Let us beg God for wisdom in response, for there will be plans to put into place, decisions to be made, and questions to be answered at all levels. Let us also pray God’s peace in the turbulence of those who suffer now, and may well suffer for some time to come