Fruit.

I was directed towards a passage in the Bible a few weeks ago, and it has been heavy on my mind ever since.

So I typed it out and printed it off, a couple of copies actually.

I have one on my notice board which I look at everyday before I leave my room.

The other I have posing as a bookmark. This way, when I am reading, I am being reminded of the passage.

I am trying to memorise it.

I guess I better share it with you!

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

Galations 5:22-25

This is one of my favourite passages.

A few weeks ago I was having a really rough time at work.

I wasn't always being patient with everyone.

I was getting very worked up over little things that would happen.

The Lord's love wasn't always shining through me.

I wasn't being very kind towards others and I was definitely not a joy to be around!

One night after a horrible day at work, where I felt like I was picking up after everyone and doing all the work, I came home and read this passage and was moved to tears.

As I was reading over it again and again I realised that I was not showing any of the fruits. 

I was so annoyed with myself.

I prayed, and prayed some more.

Like I said above, I have been memorising this passage.

When I am at work now and can feel myself getting annoyed I start replaying this passage in my head.

In every situation I think, I am showing the Lord's love right now?

Can they see that the joy of the Lord is my strength? (Nehemiah 8:10)

Can they tell that I am filled with joy and peace because of my trust in the Lord? (Romans 15:13)

I have been working hard at changing my attitude toward situations.

These are the fruits that, as Christians, we should be producing.

I was thinking about how blessed I am to have people in my life who live by this passage.

I am truely thankful to have people that I can look up to and learn from.

I am blessed.

I may get annoyed with people at work, and get frustrated when I feel like I am doing all the work.

But, at the end of the day, I can chose how I respond.
I am giving each day to the Lord, and letting His spirit lead me.

I hope you all have a fruitful day!

My Child.

You may not know me, but I know everything about you.

I know when you sit and when you rise up. I am familiar with all your ways.

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. For you were made in my image. In me you live and move and have your being. For you are my offspring.

I knew you before you were conceived. I chose you when I planned creation.

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book.

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

I knit you together in your mother’s womb.

And brought you forth on the day you were born.

I had been misrepresented by those who don't know me.

I am distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love.

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.

Simply because you are my child and I am your father.

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.

For I am the perfect father.

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.

Because I love you with an everlasting love.

My thoughts towards you are countless as the sand on the seashore.

And I rejoice over you with singing.

I will never stop doing good to you.

For you are my treasured possession.

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul.

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.

For it is I who gave you those desires.

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine.

For I am your greatest encourager.

I am also the father who comforts you in all your troubles.

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart.

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.

And I'll take away all pain you have suffered on this earth.

I am your father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus.

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.

He is the exact representation of my being.

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you.

And to tell you that I am counting your sins.

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you.

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love.

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me.

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again.

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.

I have always been father and always will be father.

My question is... Will you be my child? I am waiting for you.

Love, your Dad

Almighty God

The letter is based on different verses from throughout the bible.

A dear friend of mine sent me this a few months ago. I remember reading this when I was at Youth Group years ago. I hope this brings you the same encouragement that it brought me.

I hope you are having a Happy Monday!

Joy.

This is going to be a very quick post. I have lots to say about my weekend/week full of blessings.

Today's post is going to be some fun photos taken this morning at work. Today was my first day back after 6 wonderful days off. I usually have an attitude when I am going back to work after time off. I always pray that I will forget all the anxieties that I associate with work. I have to admit that this time I was really looking forward to seeing my colleagues. They definitely encouraged me with messages while I was away, telling me how much they missed me! I am sure that they are full of it but they definitely made this girl smile!

Anyhoooo...As you well know I was off on Friday the 29th, enjoying the beautiful Royal Wedding. I was a little (and when I say little, I really mean little) bit upset that I wasn't working because I knew that there would be a great atmosphere and that they were going to be dressed up. I cycle to work and this morning when I was setting my bike down I thought there was some creepy guy watching me. This was no creepy guy. In fact it was HRH Prince William. Yes, that's right.

Alright, so he was there with Catherine too. Oh, and they were actually cardboard. But other than that I was pretty excited that the Royals were waiting for me at work.

The Queen was there too! It was a family affair really. You might find this hard to believe, but that is in fact me behind a mask. I know, it's pretty realistic! (wink, wink!!)

Who knew that the Queen had moves like that?

She is just so proud of her grandson.

So this morning I had a really fun morning. The Lord really blessed me with friends who had no trouble putting a smile on my face. After we finished work I stayed for 2 hours chatting to the Queen, otherwise known as Abbie.

Today I am thankful for friends and all the joy that they bring!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:4-7

Lifted up.

I don't think I shared about my very encouraging moment a few weeks ago. I was doing some shopping in Perth and I could here this music playing. So I started to walk in the direction it was coming from. I walked down a very creepy alleyway (even in daylight!) and there it was. The little shining light. There was a choir from one of the Churches singing worship songs. I am so moved by worship music. I wanted to join in with them, dancing and singing. I kinda did actually. It was definitely a wee gift from God. He knows what we need and exactly when we need it. It was beautiful. I was moved to tears. So I am going to post a little video of the song they were singing. Enjoy. I hope this encourages you as much as it encouraged me. Just imagine you are wandering around the shops and you hear this.

I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day.

I said that I would fill you in on how the Lord has been blessing me these past few days, so I thought I had better do that! I have a habbit of saying I am going to write about something on here and never actually getting round to it (btw...I am actually still planning on writing a lengthy post of my baby brother's passing out parade...we will see when that happens!)

Anyway, back to this. I have seriously had such a mixed up week with lots of mixed emotions. There were many times I got back from work last week and just cried. Now, I do enjoy working there but there are a few (when I say a few I mean LOTS) of things that happen there that make angry and upset, well both bounce of each other really. I'm not going to go into it, partly because I will get myself upset and who wants to do that? And also because I don't want you to have to even hear or know some of things I have to put up with from my colleagues. So you can just pray for me, please. Sometimes it is a struggle to get through the day there.

But a couple of days ago I had just a lovely day at work. I had a breakfast shift, ok wait. I work at a Hotel, waitressing for those that don't know. This might help make more sense of what I am talking about, probably won't help you though. So yes, I was working a breakfast shift and then I was helping my lovely friend in the laundry. I was scheduled to work with her but I usually try and help her when I can anyway. We had the day planned out. I made some delicious banana and choc chip muffins the night before (at like 10:45pm...and I wonder why I am always so tired?) so first off we had a nice cup of tea and a muffin. They were yummy. Such and easy recipe, so tasty. mmmm. We both share a love for Motown music so I brought my little iPod down to join in the fun. And oh what fun we have. We definitely cheered each other up. We were singing, and dancing when we could. Other people were walking in and out and couldn't help but smile. We were contagious that day. Then our boss came in and I'm pretty sure he was trying not to laugh at us...by this time I think we were onto Disney's greatest...or something like that. Then it was time for Hairspray. Oh my goodness, we laughed with this one. I came home from work feeling great after spending some time with my friend and knowing that she was happier too. We had so much fun.

I then came home to find an e-mail from a friend of mine in California. She encouraged me about my waiting game (more on that this week) and told me how SHE was looking forward to getting me over there. It was just what I needed, and the Lord knew that. Then I got another email from a family member in Australia. She encouraged me by guiding me in my prayers for her, and asking me how she can pray for me. I am pretty sure she only ever thinks of other people. She is so good at asking about specific prayer points for you. So lovely, and again, the Lord knew what He was doing.

This whole story has been an encouragement to me too. I shared in my last post a link to a special blog, and I'm going to do it again today. Go HERE and read about their new daughter finally getting home. I cried. What a blessing. A great reminder the God is in control and His timing is perfect.

So there is a little insight into how God gives me great friends to get through not-so-great days! I am blessed. Thanking God for throwing things my way that aren't always easy, and surrounding me with friends to build me up.

 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Who have you encouraged today? Who are you going to encourage tomorrow?

Spring Cleaning.

I have had a very productive day off. I have been doing laundry and ironing, I cleaned the kitchen and tidied rooms. And I did the thing that I haaate the most - I cleaned out the fridge. I know this is disgusting but it was so gross...I have been putting it off for weeks. That's gross. I am gross. But all is well now and I have some happy little vegetables in my fridge now. This makes me happy and I feel very proud of myself.

I did it again. I ordered food online again. This time it was a little better because I got to speak to the driver. So it was kinda like speaking to the person that checks through all your items, right? Well that is how I took it. And with all that lovely food that came, I made a lovely dinner. Roast Chicken...my faaaavourite! I made some sauteed potatoes and cauliflower cheese, add some broccoli and carrots and that is our dinner! Yum, yum, yummmm. I am just about to make a delicious, easy dessert too. You should try it.

500g frozen fruit

500g natural yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

Mix it all together and you get yourself a yummy, ice-cream-like, dessert! DO IT.

I have also been Spring-cleaning my mind...does that make sense? hmm. Let me try and explain myself. I have been reading different bibles passages and reading 2 books. One that I am reading is called Promises From God for Single Ladies - this has been just the encouragement that I have needed! The other one is called Simple Prayer - I have only just started reading this but I am hoping I can learnt a lot from this. So far it has been pretty good (all those 3 pages that I have read...I will keep you posted!) I am trying to keep my time filled with good things. There are soooo many things all around that scream at us to do the wrong thing that it makes it hard to do the right thing. Let me tell you this, I have never been happier than whe I am fully relying on the Lord and trusting in Him, losing myself in His word and doing what is right in His eyes. Of course sometimes I mess up, but the Lord continues to love me.

I have been really encouraged by this blog and I know you will be too. Especially just now. Go and check it out and find out who sweet Elsa is, and then praise the Lord! He is soooo good. 

I'm leaving you with this lovely photo of me and one of my best friends, my sister. Miss Lucy. So this was a few years ago now. But it is adorable. We were adorable. We liked to play in the dirt. I'm not sure if we would do this today still..? Who am I kidding, of course we would.

Happy Tuesday!

Encouragement.

"For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand—

when I awake, I am still with you."

Psalm 139:13-18 ♥

I came across this verse a couple of days ago and was really encouraged by it. Nothing that happens in my life, or yours, is surprise to God. We are wonderfully made. All our days have been ordained. I don't know about you, but this definitely puts a smile on my face. I take comfort in knowing that the Lord knows every detail of my life..even before I was born. When I am having a great day, the Lord already knows about it. When I am having a horrible day, He knew about that too.

Four years ago today, a friend of ours from Youth Group passed away. This verse comforts me greatly on days like these. Everything happens for a reason. We don't always know why some things happen, but the Lord does. Today I am remembering a guy who was a blessing to everyone who knew him.

Praying for the wonderful Murch Family today. ♥

A NEW year.

Happy New Year...a bit late! I guess I am still in shock that it is now 2011. WOW.

I have actually been off work and had lots of time on my hands. I have loved it. I have watched movies, spent precious time with my family, baked (of course!), spent hours talked to friends who are further away and had some much needed rest. There have been many times that I have sat down to post something on here but, as you can see, I am only now getting round to it.

A little reflection on 2010. In some ways this has been a crazy year for me. This time last year I was such a horrible mess. Probably not the best way to put. If you remember back to them I had just quit my job with the intention of pursuing what I believed to be the LORD's plan for me. At that point I hadn't really, completely thought things through I was just thankful to get out of a job and course that was not right for me and that was making me almost ill with worry. But I had not given a thought to where I would get a job. I remember meeting with my friend at the time and she encouraged me with Matthew 14:22-33. I had to step out of the boat with 2 feet and put my trust in the LORD.

Early in January I was still jobless, and getting a bit worried about it to be honest. Of course, the LORD provided a job for me that was 5 minutes from my mums house. I was SO thankful for this job. I think I cried for probably the first week I worked there. But it was a new job and different to anything I had ever done so I fully put it down to that! It has turned out to be a great job for me and I have made many friends there.

It has been a year of a lot of learning for me. Putting my trust in the LORD completely has been the best thing for me and I totally take comfort in knowing that He already has the perfect plan worked out for me. I have learnt to work on the LORD's terms, and not mine. In MY plan I would be in California right now. I have learnt that the LORD will work everything out, and if this is His will then He will work it all out in His time, not mine. That has been the biggest learning curve for me.

I was able to spend the summer with my Californian family. I really felt the LORD's hand over the whole trip. If you have read this before you will know that I went with the lovely Anna. She stayed for 2 weeks and I stayed on for longer. When I was booking the tickets my return date seemed to just come from nowhere, but I believe that the LORD guided me to that date. There were a string of events that all took place after Anna had left, even on the way to the airport with her, that I believe that LORD had planned. If I had of gone home with her then I would have probably missed out on the events that took place after this. What a blessing. The LORD definitely confirmed last summer where He wanted me to be and I have, with the help of many great people, been working on getting there ever since.

Honestly, I feel like I have been rolling down hill since then. Time has just flown by. I am soo thankful for this year and all the experiences that have come with it.

I am anxious to see what 2011 will hold!

♥