Sandpaper People...

It's after midnight and I'm having trouble sleeping.  I thought it was to do with the plates rubbing together causing an earthquake in my hometown but it's not.  It's another form of rubbing...like people rubbing me the wrong way....sandpaper people.

So here I am again, going through the motions of dealing with certain people in my life that tend to drive me nuts and in my weakest moment I let it all get to me.  So much so, that I tend to talk to my husband a lot about it.  That is usually a sign for me to deal with it, if I tend to talk about it a little more than I should.

I read this book years ago that helped me deal with people that rubbed me the wrong way and it was such a great resource.  So much that I gave it to a friend to read and.....haven't seen it since lol.  I'm sure it's helping someone as much as it has for me.

So this blog is to share with you another post I just read which will help me sleep tonight :)  I love that it talks about my very love language - serving and how I can use that to deal with those sandpaper people in my life right now :).  God is sooo good :)

Have a read. ....Good night Sandpaper people :P..kidding....goodnight xx

Serving Sandpaper People

July 21st, 2011 No Comments

Mary Southerland

Mary's Website

Today’s Truth
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10, NIV).

Friend To Friend
We live in a problem-filled world. However, you will be thrilled to know I have discovered the biggest problem of all – people. In my opinion, if there were fewer people, there would be fewer problems. Every day, we face the daunting challenge of getting along with people. Some make it easy, and some don’t. Some are kind and encouraging, and replenishing, while others drive us to the brink of insanity and beyond.

One Sunday morning, a Sunday school teacher, in the process of teaching the Ten Commandments to her third-grade class, asked the question, “Last week we learned the commandment to honor your father and mother. Can anyone tell me if there is one that refers to brothers and sisters?” A little girl’s hand immediately shot up. When the teacher called on her to give an answer, the anxious youngster quickly responded, “Yes, there is a commandment just about brothers. The one that says, ‘Thou shalt not kill!’”

Let’s be honest – some people are simply more difficult to get along with than others. They “rub” us the wrong way. I call them “sandpaper people.” We try to change them, run from them, ignore them, and even take a stab at fixing them. But what would happen if we made the choice to serve them?

I know. The last thing I usually want to do is serve someone who is hard to get along with. In fact, shouldn’t these “sandpaper people” be serving me in order to make up for all of the grief they have caused? Sounds right, doesn’t it? God has a different plan – a higher plan that produces supernatural results. It is called service.

In his letter to the church in Rome the Apostle Paul defined true service when he said that we are to “be devoted to one another in brotherly love” and “honor one another” (Romans 12:10, NIV). In this verse, “devotion” indicates commitment and duty and carries the idea of a constant faithfulness that deliberately chooses repeatedly to serve. To “honor” someone means to “prefer” him or her or regard them as more important than ourselves. Honestly, most sandpaper people are used to people preferring that they disappear.

Sandpaper people are hard to serve and hard to help because they rarely, if ever, think of themselves as someone in need. The needs of others are not high on their priority list but control and power are. To manipulate is to succeed. Sandpaper people honestly believe that the world does or should revolve around them. It doesn’t seem to matter if the audience is applauding or jeering. Either way, they win. Why would God ask us to serve the very people who drive us crazy – the people who are so hard to love and seem to constantly wreak emotional havoc in our lives?

Choosing to serve a difficult person demands that we lay down our pride and our rights and deliberately choose to identify and meet a need in that person’s life. We then become a conduit through which His love can flow to reach and transform that hard-to-love person. When we dare to serve a sandpaper person, it rocks their world. They are accustomed to scratching and clawing their way to a false and shallow acceptance. Sandpaper people find it almost impossible to believe that anyone would ever be willing to serve them in any way. That kind of chosen love is foreign to them but it certainly grabs their attention. I wonder what our world would look like if we made the choice to love and serve the sandpaper people in our lives.

Let’s Pray
Father, when I let pride take up residence in my heart, I can be so blind to the needs of others, especially those who are more difficult to love. I am so thankful that You did not feel that way toward me, one of the most difficult people of all to love. I praise You for the grace and love You have given me. Help me to be an instrument of that love and grace in the lives of those around me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

3 months on...

It's been 3 months since my last post.  Ironically the heading of my last post is "Falling on Deaf Ears".  Wish right now I could say that things have changed.

I'm sitting at my dining table, feeling the chill creep up my legs and my eyes are burning and yet I still don't register the signs of a body that needs rest.  Not only that, I am sitting with a huge infection on my chin.  Which started out as a mere harmless pimple  (Are pimples really harmless?), has now grown into a huge infection that is making me look like that clown mask in SAW!!!....grrrrr!!! I feel like I've just been at the dentist.  I talk as if I have a lisp.

I know, I know......even I would be really put off by someone I love whom I tell time and time again to take a break and give their body a rest.  But I still don't get it.  Well looking back over the last 3 months, I have thrown myself into my work with youth.  My heart is always to give God my best and I know that I am running on an empty tank.  I feel though that if I set systems in place to a Kingdom standard then I can pass things onto others.  I don't feel that it's an issue of trust that I have with others but rather it's wanting to give my best and knowing the potential that our church, our youth has I can provide that right now.

But I sit at home on what was to be my first day of working full-time again and what looks to be another few days at home because of this hideous chin.  I am doubling up on antibiotics which I know is actually doing worse to my system but yes I know that I do need to rest.

Last night was our 4th Encounter which is an english service that the youth leads.  It has been a blessing with these encounters as our youth has grown to 30 as well as 16 souls saved and many souls recommitted.  I have dedicated a lot of time.  Well both my husband and I ...and yes I think my children also have dedicated a lot of time to working with our youth.  At times I do feel tired but am always thinking...I will rest tomorrow.  And yet tomorrow comes and it's another busy day.  But the response from last night's Encounter makes it all worth it.

The message last night was based on 2 Timothy 1: 6.  Fanning into the flame the gift that God has given me.  I do believe that I am fulfilling God's purpose in my life.  But at what cost.  My Health for sure!!!!!  I caught up with a good friend who looks absolutely great and she told me about how my blog has interested her and that she would check in from time to time.  This blog has not been far from my mind as there are so many things that fills this space between my eyes :).

The message last night cemented God's purpose in my life.  I love my life and where I am at with my family, my friends, my church, my youth, my workplace and basically everything.  What will it take for me to take care of myself.  I have so many loving friends and family who remind me time and time again that I need to take care of myself.  I feel loved when they share their concern for me.  But as quickly and as easy as their words enter through my ears they quickly exit stage left.  As if I push those words to the side to make room for the next event, the next day, the next activity to be organised.

I went for an hour walk with my sister blister last week.  It was good to be pounding the foot path again.  It had been a long time since my running shoes saw the soles of my feet and the face of the pavement.  It was good to be able to just set aside everything and clear my mind.  And once I got back into the car to return home it was straight into fulfilling a productive day. *sigh*.

Last night's encouragement was about igniting the passion within.  I have no problem there.  I have the passion to continue to do what I do.  My problem is learning to control my passion to allow for the rest of ME to catch up so that I can continue to serve.

Control & Passion.  Sounds like contrasting words.  And yet saying it over and over in my head only reminds me of what my husband has said to me "Do what I can within my capacity".

I am blessed with such a loving husband and surrounded by my loving family.  I am forever grateful.

And with this said...I will take the next couple of days to just relax.......and take my meds :) xxx

Falling on Deaf Ears...

It took for my husband to plead with me to take things slow for me to finally realise that I'm still taking on too much.

It has been almost 2 years since I was diagnosed with a spinal infection that would've left me paralysed from the waist down or at its worst, no longer be here and yet it still did not register with me what the impact on my family would've been.

I was talking with my husband about wanting to do something mid-year at church and working with young people.  While mindful that I still have my assignment to do that is due on Monday (already extended), photo jobs to finish (well overdue), commitments at work as well as family and church commitments.  It was beginning to bother me that in sharing some ideas for church with him I was not receiving any kind of support from him but instead listened to his frustration about taking so much on.  When he talked about my health, in my mind and my heart I felt like "oh health, schmealth.  What is health?" and feeling that my health was getting in the way of wanting to serve my great GOD.

Now I fully understand the importance of taking care of oneself so that I can serve God longer but it just was not in my list of priorities right now.  I know that sounds so silly but I'm the kind of person that when I set my mind to doing something especially when I feel strongly about it, I will do my best to see it through.  But it was all at a cost - my health!

Our heated conversation quickly came to a stop despite trying to seek further clarification from him about what he was feeling.  And in that awkward silence I was trying to understand what it was about me that wasn't taking the messages, the warnings from my husband, my family and friends to take it easy.  Had this been happening to someone else, of course I would feel a little frustrated in telling them to take it easy but instead they did the opposite and did almost everything under the sun on their list.  But the message just wasn't sinking in with me.

And then it dawned on me.  I love my GOD and absolutely believe in what He can do for me and my family.  Referring to the 5 Love Languages, my love language is Service.  I feel that my way of expressing my love to God is by serving Him by any means.  For my husband or anyone for that matter to tell me to take it easy especially when it comes to doing things at church (in my mind serving God) I felt like I was being told to not express my love for Him.

I do so much for my God because I absolutely love Him and He has given me no reason to believe that my life can be better without Him.  And so I serve Him with every ounce of energy in my body.  And yet as I am of the flesh, I do not realise how much of a strain it is taking on my body.  My husband felt that I was being selfish in doing so much and not thinking about our family in the sense that I was driving myself into the ground.  When he said that I couldn't understand how serving God was being selfish when I'm thinking that what I do are acts of selflessness instead.  He felt that I always do above and beyond and again I was confused because I felt like ..."well isn't that how it should be?".

In previous blogs I wrote about feeling that I did not deserve to rest and that I should always be working hard.  I know that what I'm feeling is definitely not about that.  I am confident that what I do at church and in my service to God is not to please others but to only please my God.  But the message/advice my husband gave me was to serve within my capacity.  Even in the bible it talks of the great men of God having to delegate to others.  I am of the mindset that if nobody does it then who will?.  And yet I always...ALWAYS feel that... well if nobody does it then I will.

I know that I am not perfect, and I know that I do push myself really hard.  But I think on this occasion I really need to take things at a slower pace.  There's a reason why our journey with Jesus is called a "walk".

One Step at a Time.

xxxxxxx

When the feeling of failure settles in...

Now I know better to allow any feeling of failure settle into my mind and heart after such an awesome weekend of servitude and blessings!  But at the moment the feelings are settling in.

So this weekend past was my first Sunday preaching.  Not that it should matter what day of the week you preach, because the day of the week is irrelevant.  I preached a message about "Becoming a ChangeThinker" at our first BUILD UP service which our youth group Bless'Em organised.  It has been such a full-on week which has definitely led me to over-exert myself.  Not because I wouldn't delegate to others and share the load.  But because I had a standard, and expectation of how the first service should be and so I did my best to see that through.  Evaluating the weeks leading up to the service and the service itself, I think miscalculated the importance of certain things among others.

I am trying to develop a style of preaching that allows me to be frank, honest and relate-able.  Developing this new style has helped me to control my emotions when I preach.  It's so difficult to do when I talk about how great my God is.  What triggers my emotions is the desperation to convince people that a life with God is so good, and that they are really missing out.

I received a lot of positive feedback but I couldn't help but feel surprised because I doubted myself straight away.  Now I know that is really stupid and I'm not writing this to get sympathy comments from people.  But I am putting it out there and wonder whether other preachers feel the same.  The feeling of..."Did I do a good job?".

Now knowing that if this was someone else sharing this with me, I would say to not doubt yourself.  If you feel that the message you received is one that you felt God wanted to share then there is no room for doubt.  The result was that there were 9 souls saved.  Not that it was due solely to the Word, but a collective ministering by the youth....well actually only God will really know what part of the service really touched these 9 souls.

I know I'm being really silly.  I did not fail.  I set out to do my best.  My aim was to set the standard/expectation on organising a service that reflects the perspective of Kingdom residents.  I believe I achieved that.  My hope is that it really has encouraged our congregation to widen their perspective in serving God with a renewed mind.

My encouragement from last night's service was based on Romans 12:2 NLT.  It will take time to come to understand God fully.  For some of us it will take a lifetime, for others much sooner.  But once we make the decision, once we change our minds to allow Him to make a dramatic change in our lives, we will see in His timing how GOOD and PLEASING and PERFECT our life can be with Him.  And it will be so great that we will want to tell others about it.

My life is good right now.  It is a journey that I'm taking.  And I'm prepared to put in the hard work.  I have done what I can in my service.  Now it's time to do things for myself, and get my personal goals back into perspective.  The next time I preach....I aim to be smaller physically, bigger spiritually and mentally!!!

Be encouraged xxxxx

What Happens in a Month??

How rude!! It's been over a month since I've last written....

So many things have happened over the past month.  But in saying that...there are so many things that have not...One in particular is to do with my health.  Now I k now I live a very busy life and a lot of that is self inflicted, and I am now feeling in the pit of my stomach borderline hypocritical.  I think it hit me when I was having coffee with one of my clients who is getting married in June.  We ordered dinner, and she said to me..."What happened to the "New Me"?"....exactly! She was right!!!

The Old Me is finding it's comfy seat within me...and is about to settle.  I have so many things I want to do and with my obligations at church and with my family picking up again...I know that I am putting myself in the back seat again.  If you could see the inside of my mind write now I'm pretty should you would be standing at the edge of a motorway with everyone rushing to wear they need to go at 200km/hr.

I am now feeling like I have made promises to myself....and I am breaking them.  Though at the same time I'm feeling like...I'll just dedicate this time to what I need to do for God and for my family...and then I'll make some time for myself.  With my first Sunday preaching fast approaching I know that it will be a true testament to even myself to be up on stage at the size that I am...and thinking...this has got to stop.  I cannot continue to serve God in this thick shell I have right now!!!  I need to get myself right....physically.

Spiritually I am feeling really blessed with the awesome messages I have been listening to, and the messages that I feel God is giving me for this preaching.  I have so many things I feel I need to say but trying to say it in a way that will reach as many people as possible is a little difficult.  But I know that relying on the Holy Spirit to help put together the right words will do the trick :)

I feel like sometimes I need a massive whiteboard in my mind to help me prioritise things but I think it's really to waste time writing lists.  I'm a huge lists person and I love to write lists for the sake of writing them.  Doesn't necessarily mean I'll get everything done, but it does feel good to cross things out.

I will try to write more as it does give me some relief.  Especially over the next couple of weeks leading up to our 10th wedding anniversary night away.  I'm really looking forward to it 'cause I do miss my love.  But I know the trip will be worth it :)

Okay.....I need to get onto my domestic duties.  If anything writing today has helped me to get things back into perspective.  Which ironically is what my preaching is about  :)....Learning to Change our perspective :) xxxx

He is My Centre

I put this as my status on FB today "You know for a while things had been a little stagnant at church....so I decided to change seats....moving from the back of the church to the front....and I tell ya....BOOOM!!!! I am feeling it all over again....If you're finding yourself getting comfortable and eventually getting bored and distracted...then maybe all you need to do is CHANGE WHERE YOU SIT!!!....blessings y'all! Good to be home xxx"  


It's been a while since something felt so true as that statement did for me today.  The last couple of weeks since moving to another seat in church my perspective has changed.  It's the same with taking a picture, one photographer has a different perspective to another.  I feel so very blessed to be at the front and to feel in the amidst of worship and to hear His word, His encouragement hit me at full volume than as a faded whisper when you sit at the back.


I feel so relaxed despite being as busy as I am.  I am really appreciating everything that I'm doing.  With my healthy journey I'm receiving comments from those around me saying that I'm looking slimmer. I stand in front of the mirror and see little changes.  My response to their comments is..."I feel really happy".  What a freedom that brings me to say that I am honestly happy.  Of course there are always ways we wish our lives could be better, but how can feel happy in those times if we don't appreciate the times we are in now.


Worship today was awesome.  Not really any different to any other day, but only because I'm at the front of the church now, each lyric and musical note hits my heart like an arrow hits its target.  The words in one particular song  really put me in my place.  My girls are singing it right now as they lay in bed.


Jesus at the centre of it all

From beginning to the end

It will always be

It's always been you

Jesus, Jesus

Nothing else matters

Nothing in this world will do

Jesus you're the centre

Everything revolves around you

Jesus, you, at the centre of it all

Singing this song I reflect on our 10th wedding anniversary coming up in a couple of months.  There have been so many milestones reached in my life.  And from the very start when I left home 11 years ago, I remember promising God that if it was His will for me to leave home then everything I do I will dedicate to Him.  And since then, as I have blogged about before...I cannot describe in words the blessings that He has given me over the years.  And even now with doing photography, God has blessed me with meeting beautiful families, making new friends, sharing a part of my life with them, and them with me.  I am so absolutely blessed.  My temple will be in the condition God intended for me.  I am determined to get there!

I am preparing for my first Sunday sermon as a preacher at the end of next month.  I feel that God is speaking to me and planting messages in my heart about encouraging his people to make a move regardless of how big or small that movement is....it's a move...and that's what God wants.  I am excited and praying for spiritual fulfilment so that whatever encouragement I share on the night will be what He wants me to share.

My life is beyond what I thought it would be 11 years ago.  He has blessed me with so much more....and I am truly thankful and it's all because I have made Jesus the Centre of My Life!!!! so blessed xxxxxx

Here's the video clip of the song for you to enjoy xxx Jesus be the Centre by Israel Houghton

Laying It Down

It's been a long time since I shared the goings on in my life.  I have been so busy and at times felt overwhelmed with my photography that I have taken on.  God has been so good to provide for me and my family.

Dan preached today's message fr the first time this year.  I always feel proud to hear and see him serving in our church.  Well actually for anything for that matter.  Seeing him at work makes me feel so much more confident in where he believes our family should be led.

Today's message was simple in that we need to plan the year ahead.  Set goals and prepare for the opportunities and the unexpected things that prop up.  Pray - Link - Apply and Never give up.  Awesome encouragement to remind us to have continuous conversations with our God in everything that we do.  I was remembered that I need to link with the right people to see God's plan through in my life.  We can only go so far with certain people in our lives.  When we feel that we've reached the end of the relationship then we need to be thankful for that time and then move on and continue with God's plan.  Application is always key to any plans being made.  Putting to action the plans we've developed.  I sometimes put a lot of pressure on myself to follow through with what I've promised but at the same time I need to keep a balance of what I have going on in my life.  Lastly, never giving up.  I am not going to give up on my journey to improve my health.  My husband is so motivated right now which is exciting for me.  Today I felt good about myself.  The way I dressed to go to church.  I had blogged about some time ago that I no longer am going to feel so down about myself with the size that I'm at right now, because I know this is only temporary.  But I really did feel pretty today :) and my husband stared at me in the same way he did when we got married.  As embarrassing as it was for me to be on the other end of those long stares, it felt good to be the apple of my husband's eye again :)

The other key message that stood out for me today came through in a song that our worship band hadn't sung in a while.  An old "Katina's" track.  I'm "laying it down for the joy of the Lord".  With all that we have going on in our lives it takes an action by us to lay our burdens down so that we can see the glory of God.  So that we can enjoy what God has set for us.  We build a wall around us that prevents us from really seeing the blessings that we have in our lives.  That song reminded me to push aside all that makes me unhappy to see how happy I can really be.

For 2012 don't waste your time on things that don't add any value to your life, because you will miss out on the value that is already there!!! xxx

Rewards & Growth

So I've kicked into my first workout for the year and went for gold! On Day 2 I am very sore.  Why? Because I forgot to stretch and warm down.  How quickly I wanted to just get into it and now paying the price of not seeing something through from preparing myself to cooling down.

With anything we face it is important to prepare oneself as much as one can.  Otherwise you would only embark on a journey with half a tank and vague driving directions.  A half an hour drive to your destination would then turn into 2 hours, a lesser tank of gas and frustrated passengers.

So today I'm going to prepare my body properly with having a good breakfast, working through what I need to do today ( I need a to do list ), and putting time aside to exercise again.  I'm afraid pain will be my best friend for some time.  Before all of that..praying is the best way to start the day :)  With all this pain I have now I'm going to need some help with strengthening my spirit, because I know that it will be fighting spirit that will help me to do the last push-up, pull-up, box jump. :)

My first milestone will be in March.  I will look over last year's fitness goals and make some adjustments.  I think I need to simplify them again.  I also really need to follow through with rewarding myself.  While on holiday I was reading Joyce Meyer's "Eat the Cookie, Buy the Shoes".  The book talks about allowing yourself to have a break, to reward yourself...basically encouraging yourself to continue on with your spiritual life, to persevere through it all.  Encouragement and positive self-talk really push you through, push anyone further than put downs and negative self-talk.  Simple Math really.  In the chapter about rewarding yourself it explains that rewarding yourself along your journey is just as important as the journey and the destination itself..  We need to fuel ourselves in order to carry on with our journey.  I had reached one of my milestones last year but never got around to going through with my first reward.  I quickly lost motivation because I didn't reward myself.  So this time I'm going to set smaller goals and rewards.

Our New Years didn't kick off to a great start.  We were heading home on New Year's Eve from an awesome holiday with my little family when my husband had an accident and fell into a tank through the ground.  The result was heading straight to the hospital where my husband stayed for the following 3 days :(  He is now instructed to rest for 6 weeks.  Thankfully he is able to work from home, but how frustrating it has been for him because in the last 3 - 4 months of 2011 there has been something wrong with his leg...be it a grid iron injury or some thing.  Someone asked me recently how it was all going...my response was that if I hadn't worked hard in my marriage before...I am definitely working hard now...I was rushed off my feet preparing my family to head out to lunch with my husband's extended family for their annual reunion.  I had my girls to change, trying to burn CDs, preparing a dish to take with us, ironing my husband's clothes and I still hadn't dressed myself.  I could feel the pressure building up until I received a text from Dan's cousin...his best man at our wedding :)....asking if I ever needed any help to let him know as he knew I would be putting my superwoman cape on and trying to do everything.  Reading that text made me giggle, but also made me relax.  I can't do everything, and I do need to ask for help.  Though it is very busy at the moment with taking care of my family especially my husband.  I love it still.  If anything I feel that I am giving back to him what he has shown me....and continues to do so even while he is propped up in bed with almost all the cushions and pillows in our house supporting his back and leg :)

This year is going to be another year of realisation.  Realisation that I am worth all the time in the world so that I can give that time to others...especially my family.  I am really loving my life right now.  So many good things happening to me and my family...and so many challenges to overcome which I will!!!! xxx

It's Amazing...

It's amazing that time has flown by so fast that it is January again....

It's amazing that once again my new year's resolutions remain unchanged except now this year WE WILL FINISH IT!

It's amazing how even when a new year springs about new contemplations of CHANGE some people remain THE SAME!

It's amazing that my good God has once again protected my family despite an accident that left my husband spending New Year's day in hospital.  I love Him still....

It's amazing that I feel more tired now during the holiday than I have any other time...BLASTED DVD NIGHTS!

It's amazing that we continue to leave it 'til special occasions such as Christmas and New Year's to tell our loved ones how much we value them....

It's amazing that in these holidays I have been blessed with some quality time with my husband and children....but once we step through our front door...we almost lapsed into old habits....ENOUGH OF THAT NOW!...IT'S A NEW YEAR :)

It's amazing that I have been blessed with another year to spend with my family, to serve such a wonderful God, and to make right the wrongs in my life.

It's amazing that this year will bring about opportunities that could not have been foreseen 2, 3 or even 5 years ago.

It's amazing that......LIFE IS JUST AMAZING...

I have not fallen off my healthy living wagon...I am holding on for a bumpy ride this year....but my theme for this year is to FINISH WHAT I STARTED!!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!! xxx

It's that time again...

Wow it's only 7 more days until New Year's Day! I remember writing my goals for 2011 and now am about to take some time out to reflect on the year passed to plan for the year ahead!

2011 has been a year of growth for me, in the spiritual, physical (definitely!) and mental sense.  I have grown to understand myself so much more.  I've found that I really needed to look within to find what really satisfies ME.

I've learnt in 2011, that before being able to help others, I needed to help myself first.  By filling up my own car can I then go the distance.  You can only get so far on an empty unwarranted and unregistered vehicle :)

I've learnt that my daughters' really appreciate the quality time I give them.  No matter how little it does get at times, it's being mentally aware that in that particular moment ...they need me...their mum.

I've learnt to be honest with myself and with my husband.  No longer am I to play mind games with him especially when it comes to my birthday :P but at the same time allowing him the opportunity to take a chance to please his wife in however way he feels is best.  Appreciating those moments is important in our relationship. We can't always get it right that's why the next time will ALWAYS be so much better! :)

I've learnt that only God  can really meet ALL my needs.  Only God knows what is right for me at any given time. Only God makes things happen in my life.

I've learnt that distancing myself from others really does allow the devils to plant seeds of anger, assumptions, and frustration to enter into my heart and my mind.  It says in the bible that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us...same goes for our relationships with our brothers and sisters.

This year has really been a year about ME.  Despite my physically temple still not quite reflecting the REAL ME...I am happy that my spiritual and mental person is growing stronger each day.

I look forward to what 2012 brings.  The opportunity to start over, to start afresh, to make right the wrongs we have done in 2011 is exciting and yet makes me nervous.

2012 I will definitely FINISH a number of things I've started......

I am truly thankful for all the opportunities I have had this year.  I am also most thankful for my readers.  Thank you for following me on my journey.  Thank you for your kind words of encouragement.  If there has ever been a time where you have felt that you have not made a difference in this life....please know that YOU have made a DIFFERENCE IN MINE!!!

God bless you and your families....I hope that you continue to join me on my journey in the new year xxxxxx

Winding down...

It has been a crazy last couple of months for me.  Travelling, working ....It has been a blessing to take the time off that I needed and I do feel as though I have grown spiritually, mentally and physically.

I'm looking forward to spending some much needed quality time with my family.  Today is a very lazy day with my girls.  Lying in bed watching movies.  It has been good given I have dosed in and out of sleep due to still feeling jet lagged.

Since my last post, I have been thinking about what it is that I need...not want to blog about.  I need to find my motivation again.  I have received a lot of comments about the way I look and thought the numbers on the scales haven't budged much I feel better about myself.  Giving myself the attention I need for myself and my husband and my girls.  How will I be able to teach my girls about self confidence if I don't demonstrate it myself.

So today is a day of rest and then I'll be meeting with my good friend the Stokes Valley stairs!!! My weights have arrived so my husband and I are going to give a bit of cross fit training a go which seems to be the craze...and I'm all about phases and crazes!!! ....don't leave me alone in the middle of the night watching infomercials....you'll find a few packages at my doorstep later in the week!!

So today's post is about the trials that we face in our day-to-day living.  In these trials we grow!  That is the only way to look at it.

Trials

'Consider it all joy...when you encounter various trials.'James 1:2

James writes: 'Consider it all joy...when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance...that you may be perfect and complete' (vv2-4). Peter writes: '...don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you' (1 Peter 4:12).Trials are the common thread that unites us. When you get through with one, chances are there's another one coming up the road. That's why James didn't say, 'if,' but 'when you encounter...trials.'

Observe: 
  (1) Trials come in various categories. They're physical, emotional, financial, and relational; it's not a one-size-fits-all deal. Some are shocking, like the unexpected loss of a loved one; others are more drawn out, like an acrimonious divorce or a prolonged illness. Some play out in public while others take place in your own private hell. Some are due to your own, or other people's mistakes; others have nothing whatsoever to do with human shortcomings. 
  (2) Trials test our faith. They bring us back to basics and remind us where our priorities should lie. Charles Swindoll says, 'During...intense trials I go back to...what I really believe... elementals such as prayer and dependence...getting quiet and waiting on God. Trials...force us back to the bedrock of faith upon which our foundation rests, and this becomes a refining and necessary process.' 
  (3) Trials mature us. When we're suffering there's a tendency to try to look for the quick way out.Don't do that. Trials are designed to make us 'complete'. By letting them do their work, you end up stronger.

What will you do?

Here is my first sermon.  I hope that it motivates you in some way if not provokes some thought or action in the direction that you were called to live out your life. xx
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INTRODUCTION 

Today is the first day of December.  How quickly has the year gone by.  It’s been such a great year.   At the start of the year – Everyone starts thinking about setting goals …starting fresh…a new beginning…Our goals range from goals about our health, our school, our work, our family…our spiritual goals.   We start our year off on a high…we’re motivated…we’re pumped…we’re excited….and we start to work…but then days, weeks and months go by.  We’re working to achieve our goals, we’re working to do what’s right for ourselves, for our families, then other things get in the way, distractions come about…and it affects us in a way that we don’t follow through with achieving our goals… We allow these things to get in our way, and in the end not achieve/reach our goals at all.  We begin to feel so bad about ourselves that we begin to feel pulled into other distractions, we no longer are aware….Because our hearts are filled with disappointment, our bodies are tired….our emotions influence our decision making. 

The purpose of today’s encouragement is to get you motivated again…get you thinking….get you moving…so that when the year ends…you can feel…yes I’ve given 2011 the best…

BACKGROUND

 So in saying that…..Today’s encouragement comes from the book of Colossians 4: 2 - 6.  "²Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

 At this time, the disciples were sent to various parts of the world to minister to people about the good news.  Paul in particular was sent by Jesus to Rome.  Before he reached Rome he had established churches in different places.  When Paul arrived in Rome he was arrested but that didn’t stop him from continuing his service to God.  That is an encouragement in itself…At times we allow our situations to get the better of us that we start to give up….we start to blame others for putting us through these situations….Paul could’ve easily done that…but He understood the purpose of his journey….So he began to minister in writing to those churches…This is an example that when you understand God’s purpose in your life…God will make a way for you….

THEME: 

So my question for you is….with the four weeks we have left in 2011….WHAT WILL YOU DO?... to fulfil God’s purpose in your life…

-      What will you do to build YOUR LIFE?

-      What will you do to build YOUR FAMILY?

-      What will you do to IMPACT YOUR COMMUNITY?

1^st point:  What are you doing to BUILD YOUR LIFE?

Think about what you have done…or haven’t done to build your own life this year?  What have you done spiritually? Mentally? Physically?  

I took time off work in August to take care of myself…because I was sick last year.  I took on a lot with school, work, my family…and I thought after talking it through with my family…I’ll take some time off to have some rest and focus on one thing… As it turned out things got even busier when I finished from work.  It was like …now that I don’t have to worry about one thing…work…I now have time to do other things…it wasn’t until a month of staying at home that I really rested…But after a while…I did a lot of thinking…and talking to God about my life…I was trying to figure out why I wanted to change my life and it wasn't working..... I realised that….I didn’t love myself…I didn’t love myself enough to really have a rest and take care of myself…and by taking care of myself…I was taking care of my family.  I didn’t love myself enough to change…..I worked so hard to serve God and others that I thought that is where I needed my love to come from…. I couldn’t work it out on my own….so what I did was…as Paul writes in his letter…verse 2 “Devote yourselves to prayer…”     I knelt down and prayed about it…and what God revealed to me was that by not loving myself…I was not loving who was dwelling within me…. When I declare that I’m a Christian and my love for God and what He has done in my life.…what I am saying to people is….that what is living in my heart is God….is His GREATNESS…. Within each and every one of us….there is God’s Greatness dwelling in your heart…. When the Lord told Ezekiel a priest to tell his own people what God will do to them for not repenting their sins….it was the Spirit of the Lord going into Ezekiel…that helped him rise to his feet…that gave him encouragement.  Nobody likes to be the one to tell bad news…. I love what it says in Ezekiel chapter 2 & 3…Ezekiel says ” As the Lord spoke…the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet and I heard him speaking to me.”       How wonderful that is to feel the presence of God…so much that it raises you to your feet…you stand tall…you begin to accept and understand God’s purpose in your life…. Are you allowing His Spirit to raise you to your feet…so that you can hear what he is trying to tell you?  What are you doing to BUILD YOUR LIFE!!!

 Paul writes in his letters to the Colossians…verse 2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful”   I prayed about my situation to understand myself better.   I was then watchful…I became aware of the way I was feeling, treating myself, thinking, behaving…..and through that journey…I gave thanks and I still gives thanks to God….Because I am now in a place where I understand what is dwelling in my heart…..It is the way you behave…what you say….that will attract people to you…and your love for God…. When you understand the GREATNESS of GOD that lives within you…people will be drawn to you…they want to have what you’re having… Do you understand the GREATNESS that lives within you??  Are you showing people the GREATNESS that lives within you??  Or are you only showing certain people that there’s GREATNESS within you…. Paul goes on further to say in his letter…. 

In verse 5 ^“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”   We do not have much time this year…..I do not know what goals you set for yourself…for your family….for your work…your school….to this church….but like Paul says….Be wise … choose rightly how you react in situations….don’t think that because you behave a certain way in front of your family that’s okay to behave differently elsewhere and that your family will protect you…because I tell you….it will be your family who will have to convince the most of your love for God …..your family is who you spend most of your time with you lose faith in people when they are dishonest….when you behave one way in front of them….how do you think…your children will grow seeing this…how do you think your parents will learn to trust you….same with your group of friends…. Be wise. 

The end of verse 5 says to “Make the most of every opportunity”.  I am forever thankful for the opportunity God has given me.  So what opportunities have you had this year to BUILD YOUR LIFE?   Did you see those opportunities??  When opportunities come along they give you a chance to grow as a person, to learn new things, to be challenged….and it builds your life….WHAT WILL YOU DO TO BUILD YOUR LIFE??

2^nd point: What are you doing to BUILD YOUR FAMILY?

 Fathers…how are you BUILDING YOUR FAMILY???  Mothers …how are you BUILDING YOUR FAMILY???  Children…how are you BUILDING YOUR FAMILY???  

Paul talks about in verse 3…to “Pray for us”….a simple way to build your family…is to pray for everyone in your family.  He goes on to ask that through our prayers….that God may open a door for our message… What message is your family sharing with others…when you fellowship with others….what messages do they get from you???  Is it a message that you want to hear back from others about you??  Who are you really opening your door to your heart to???  If the message you and your family are sending out…is the same one that comes back to you…and you don’t like it….is it really God opening that door?? Paul was in chains when he asked for this prayer….He was in chains…he was bound…when we go through life….we feel like we’re in chains….emotional chains…physical chains…spiritual chains….but Paul simply asked in his letter for others to pray for him….so that God will make a way….

 Paul says in verse 4…Pray that I may proclaim it clearly as I should…. Are you Building your Family in a way that it is clear to them….is it in a way that you should build your family???  When we make plans for our family for the day, for the month, for the year…we sometimes don’t communicate in a way that allows the whole family to think the same way….and when someone doesn’t follow through…we get upset….”Paul asked that we pray the message is proclaimed clearly…the way he should…. Is what you are doing to build your family a way that God wants you to build your family???  With everything that I have said it is not only for your immediate family…it applies to every relationship you have in your life….

3^rd point: What are you doing to IMPACT YOUR COMMUNITY?

Everything starts with yourself..when you begin to realise, accept and understand the GREATNESS that lives within you…everything else will flow…and will be wonderful…

Paul talks about a number of people from verses 7 onwards.  He describes a number of people in his life that he is serving alongside.  With most of them he describes them as being “one of them”….one of the community… Because we are working to serve God in our communities we need to fellowship more with those in our communities….some of us sit back and let others do the fellowship…there will be a time when those people will not be around and you will need to get out there and build relationships… 

Paul says in verse 6 I think is very important to how you impact a community.   It says ⁶Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.  Let your conversations be always…always full of grace.  Let your conversations be held in a way that invites people…the community to k now more about you and your love for God….then they will want to know more about God…  Be wise…and gracious…in what you say… 

When Paul says…seasoned with salt...the way it is meant here is that salt…perseveres food from corruption…from getting spoilt….it’s the same with your conversation..speak in a way that what you say does not put people off from following God…that’s basically it… Be very wise in the way that you speak…and how you answer people when they question….Most of the time…when someone questions you…it’s because they don’t understand….but most times we take it in as they are trying to catch us out….

It is said that Word of Mouth is the fastest marketing strategy there is….the quickest way to let someone know what’s going on…is by telling them about it….so when you think about impacting a community…it is your conversations….

What are you doing to IMPACT YOUR COMMUNITY?

What have you not done to IMPACT YOUR COMMUNITY…

As Jesus sent out the disciples each of them being unique in their personality, their upbringing so are you…you are uniquely made but made for a purpose…. We all have different goals, different jobs, different careers…but each of those areas can be used to serve God and build His kingdom on earth.

 Just as Paul describes from verse 7 to 18…he describes those dear brothers, those faithful ministers, those fellow servants that are all working towards achieving one thing….impacting the community by sharing the good news about our Lord….

CONCLUSION

At the end of Paul’s letter…he writes….”¹⁸I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.”

·        He writes this letter with his own hand. 

·        Even with his hands in chains…he writes…

·        It’s by his own effort that he writes and ministers to the churches

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

With the remainder of this year, and even in your walk with God…

      1)     What will you do to BUILD YOURSELF?

a.      What are you doing to build your spirit for God?

b.     What are you not doing?

c.      Are you loving yourself enough to make a change?

d.     Do you understand that there is a GREATNESS within you?

e.      Be wise in the way you act to others

f.        Be wise in the way you act to your family

g.     Be watchful….Watch the way you do things…

h.     Gives Thanks for everything that he has done

        2)     What will you do BUILD YOUR FAMILY?

a.      Pray for others

b.      Ask God to open your heart….not someone else…

c.      What message is your family sharing with others??? 

d.      Building your Family in a way that is clear to them….is it in a way that you should build your family???

         3)     What will you do to IMPACT YOUR COMMUNITY?

a.      Will your conversation be always full of grace?

b.     Will it be seasoned with salt?

c.      You will build relationships with people…in your church, in your family, in your workplace, in your school….or are you someone that breaks relationships down??

What will you do…with the rest of 2011?  xxxx