Soap for Jesus

The sun was pouring down in glory this morning as I began to walk from home to my sister's, part of the morning trek to work. I was in tears. Cause God's doing stuff and I'm totally insecure. I'm trusting Him and freaking out. And I don't even know how that works. As I glanced up at the road, I had to blink away my tears, because the sunlight was striking rainbows on them as they dangled from my wet lashes. Beauty in the midst of pain and turmoil. We don't know what the Master is doing. But God's Will has no why. Trust is implicit. There's always something lovely to be found in the worst heartbreak. It may seem impossible to find, but it's there. Even if the something lovely just happens to be God. He gives and takes away. And when surrendered to His will...you can't help but see the rainbows in the tears.

In modern society, there are many new phases and phrases of "expressing ourselves". There are also many new open forms of behaviour - not merely tolerated, nor even accepted, but promoted and taught by subtlety, blatantly and through constant, thorough inculcation. Most of these began in the last century. From 1,900 years of fairly slow changing, there has been a sudden rush of things generally considered "unacceptable" being promoted in the highest degree. Most of these are not really "human rights-centred", as much as being "me-centred". Not as much about correcting incorrect morality - such as the freeing of slaves - as about ensuring the comfort of individuals, which has now enforced the point of freedom of speech so harshly that most of the liberties it grants are curtailed. For example, you are allowed, encouraged and firmly supported to announce that you are gay/homosexual. Even if I like you and am your friend, I am not allowed to ...

Rode home on the bus yesterday after work, for the usual 45 mins - 1 hour after work. My friend Adam from up north was chatting me about half of the way home, bless him, which helped quite a bit. The remainder of the time I went from crying to calm to crying, until the other passengers asked if I was okay. >.> I had my Bible with me (I usually take it to work as the only time I get to read it is on my breaks) and randomly opened it for comfort, for a sign, for anything. I'd already flipped through it several times a day and found the marked passages from before that brought no comfort or meaning at all to a despairing heart. I opened it this time, looked down through tear-blurred eyes and my gaze fell upon Jeremiah 31:16,17. Thus says the Lord, “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord, “And they will return from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord, “and your ...

When God calls. So many people ask, what will you do with God's call on your life? What will you do when God calls you? Are you waiting for God's call? Pray about it and see what God calls you to do. So much focus on the going forward into the dark unknown... And indeed, wisely. For only a fool would not be careful about a leap into the unknown. Sometimes it is good to take a glance back at where we have come from, and see where grace hath lead us safe this far. It's also good to look back at where others have come - like the hall of faith in Hebrews 11. I want you to read each of these and THINK about each occupation or place where God called them. Really, really think. Take them one by one. Where was Abel when God called? Tending his sheep. Where was Noah? A happy family man, with three sons and settling down into a comfortable old age. Where was Abram, later Abraham? In the land of Ur, with the entirety of his family. Where was Sarai/Sarah? Faithfully...

Once upon a time... There was a princess whose parents, at her birth, gave her a special gift. Her first kiss. I am here to tell you another part of the story. The prince and princess did not only swap their kisses on their wedding day. When God had brought them together, they both also held one small gold box each, gifted to them by the Creator Himself. Opened many times in many ways to bring joy to those around them, this was the first time the gold boxes would actually be exchanged, although the Prince and Princess had shown it to each other often before as they grew closer in love and to their God. On that special day, as they exchanged life-long vows, a covenant never to be broken, the Prince and the Princess took their boxes, and gave them one unto the other, then placing them together and opening them as the Sun burst out of the clouds, pouring bright sunshine down in blessing. The gold box was a unique box indeed, for as soon as the rays of the Sun touched it, it ...

Not in chronological order. ;) _ On deciding to work on BfD, I found the second book and took it to work with me yesterday. I was chatting with Navpreet (my adopted daughter) about it casually during lunch break, and she asked to look at it. When she started to read it, she got so caught up she lost track of where she was. One - WHOOPS. Two - YAY! _ For the last two days, I've worn my OYAN t-shirt to work. It's amusing walking down the street and watching people read it. So were my colleagues at work - and liked it. (Yes, Mr. S., I'm attempting to infiltrate the whole of Britain with OYAN. Slowly. :P) This morning, carrying four heavy bags and hurrying towards work, I passed a guy who read it out loud as I walked past him. "My villain can beat up your villain?" And started laughing. I grinned. "Yep! And no arguing about it!" That was funny. _ After almost two years of waiting (cause I even got my close friends' names out of h...

No, it's not the Apostle. No, we haven't taken in anyone by the name of Peter, and yes, I'm still single and living under my mother's roof. Before y'all panic. For the past three years, I've undergone severe writer's block on "my novel", Born From Death. As some of you are aware, it was based on a conflict at my Squadron between a few cadets and myself, regarding Christianity, indecent talk on the Squadron, blasphemy, etc. In retaliation and the only method of revenge I could, I decided to write a book where my main antagonist was born again. Thus...Born From Death was born. Chapter 10 was written. Then sections from 2, 1, 11, 5, 12, 9 and 3. The plot was fitting together beautifully. I gave the book to Christ and asked Him to write and use it for His glory. Then the unthinkable happened. I fell in love with the guy my main character, Peter Westcott, was based off. And he left the Squadron one beautiful, painful month later. An...

They say that there is a silver lining to every cloud. An added unique tint to every note of a song of pain. And sooner or later, in every darkness, the shadow reduces just enough to see a faint outline, or a glimmer. God. Is. Totally. Amazing. In case you didn't catch that before. GOD IS SO AMAZING!! This is a testimony blog post, so if you don't likey, you has permission to click the big red X. :D I'm typing this freshly awake from my lengthy sleep, which was induced by five hours of mowing and strimming the gardens yesterday (which look amazing, according to Mom! :D) moving heavy pots around and hauling three fence panels upright (while the neighbour man watched me. Nice guy.) It's kinda funny, cause the last time I cut the grass (Uncle Peter has done it since then, except no one did it in the winter months) was the night before I flew out to Kansas. I looked up at the planes flying over in the twilight and the stars beginning to twinkle, thinking, tomorr...

We had the mayoral referendum yesterday, as well as the local elections. The local elections, from what I understand of it, select the council. One person from the local party (it could be anyone) stands to represent the party to the people, with their policies and what they will do to change the local authority if it comes under their control. We only had a choice of three in our area. There are way more parties than that, so other areas have more options, depending on what parties are standing in the areas. But I'm basing most of the following off the choice of three in my area. Who gains the most votes out of the three parties - Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat - gains the most seats in the council, and the council is declared as under the authority of that party (even though members of the other parties will still make up the rest of the council). I spent most of the wake yesterday after the funeral sitting in The Foley Arms watching the councils declare and ke...

My head's in a muddle. Two girls. One way fulfilling, meeting the eager hungers of what I want to be. Meaning I have to use boundless energy, stand alone, take responsibility. One way dark, confused, promising clouds and pain. One will meet what I am and want now, test and fire and grow me in those areas. The other will change me, show me new places as yet untrodden, take me into strength beyond strength not of my own. The girl strolling around B&Q in the careless hair-do, unrefreshed makeup, sleeveless white top and blue jeans; abandoning all her dreams right now, throwing herself heart and soul into the work of the Royal Air Force Association and the Royal British Legion, changing jobs and climbing steadily onwards and upwards towards her goal of joining the Royal Air Force, becoming heavily involved in the Air Training Corps, working towards her commission. The girl who gets involved in politics, with that potential energy lying underneath, still masked, the g...

He lay where Lord Weston had struck him to the ground, his eyes brimful of sadness as he gazed at the place where dust was settling - dust, which was all that remained of his liege lord. Outside, the battle raged on. Each of those who had been at the heart of the search for the Holy Grail met their doom at the hands of the overwhelming, vengeance-seeking Vikings. Each of those last knights of Camelot. Tainted as they were, still fighting vainly for a dream that eluded their grasp. For only one who was pure of heart could possess the Grail. As he lay there, the vision passed before him of the dead bodies of his comrades, including that of the girl he loved. Of the Vikings picking over the field of conflict before leaving to return from whence they came. One Viking, the new leader, gathered his people together. "Triumphant warriors, the shadow of Camelot has been lifted. You have bled, you have lost brothers, but every remnent of Camelot has this day met doom, and will not...