Butterfly

08 Jul 2017 Leave a comment

by Minstrels wife in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How beautiful are butterflies? Their gorgeous wings all the different colours of nature. So delicate and light as they float from one flower to the other. All the many colours and sizes. Amazing.

I think they are such a beautiful sight. But, the little butterfly doesn’t see itself as beautiful, if it even cares about what it looks like. Does it see the colours? Does it see the beauty that everyone else sees?

Are you like the butterfly? Beautiful but can’t see it? All around you can see your beauty, you seem to look in a different mirror or look through clouded glasses. Walk your life journey without realising how stunning and colourful you are. All who have their lives touched by your quiet spirit will remember it. 

You are beautiful. More than butterflies. No one is like you. You are bought by the King of Kings. He has clothed you in His glory. 

True Worship?

26 Feb 2016 4 Comments

by Minstrels wife in Christian Worship, Church, God, Uncategorized, worship Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What do we see as worship? Do we see the fast songs as praise and slower songs as worship? Is this the only worship we experience or take part in? Are we missing out on true worship?

Worship is not limited to songs and times with music within our church services. It is beautiful to be in a service and experience the powerful and important times of worship. These are needed in our walk with God and it is vital that churches include these times during services. Worship though is not only these times.

William Temple describes worship in this way,

“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God; The quickening of our conscience by His holiness; The nourishment of mind with His truth; The purifying of imagination by His beauty; The opening of the heart to His love; The surrender of will to His purpose – and all this gathered up in adoration with the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable, and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centredness which is the original sin and the source of actual sin.”

So should our worship be a ongoing, continual event? I think it has to be. If God loves and desires us to be in a continuous attitude of worship and it is evident in our lifestyles, hobbies, relationships and friendships, then it must be a constant in our hearts. Everything we do and say should be showing our worship and love of God. God sees our hearts and minds, which no one else can see. He can see how we worship and how we love.

2 Chronicles 16 v 9, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him”

How amazing is it that God is loyal to those who love Him in all circumstances and desire to do His will. Worship is the start.

Be still my soul

27 Aug 2015 4 Comments

by Minstrels wife in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Be still my soul

The Lord is on thy side

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain

Leave to thy God to order and provide

In every change He faithful will remain.

Be still my soul: thy best, the heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still my soul

Thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as He has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still my soul; the waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still my soul

The hour is hastening on

When we shall be forever with the Lord

When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot, loves purest joys restored.

Be still my soul; when change and tears are past

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

1752 Katharina A. von Schlegel

Made for each other

19 May 2015 Leave a comment

by Minstrels wife in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

God made us for relationship. He made Eve for Adam because he was on his own and needed someone of his own kind to be in relationship alongside God. We need others in our life, its just the way God made us.
God made us in His image, in His likeness. To be like Him. In the same way, God is not isolated and wants to be in relationship with us and this is the way He reveals Himself to us. He is a triune God. Three in one, and in relationship with all who come to Him from every part of the world.
We need others, and this is how we are made. We need to be involved in healthy, safe, enriching relationships to become more of who God made us to be. To be in relationship with others can be costly, can be challenging, but they can be so valuable.
I have to be able to bring to God and deal with anything that could stop me developing relationships with anyone. Do I need to forgive? Do I need to let go of something? Do I have preconceived ideas of who you are and how you will be? Am I put off by some of the challenging things that I can see? Have you let me down before, and I feel unwilling to let you have another chance? Is it something I did to wrong you? Did I let you down? To relate to you properly, these all need dealing with.
Don’t fight starting or moving forward in relationships with each other. Work with it and don’t let any challenge put you off. Being with church family, friends, family, work colleagues, they will enrich your life and enrich your relationship with God. We are made for relationship, its just the way God made each and every one of us.

The World

10 Feb 2015 1 Comment

by Minstrels wife in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Watchman Nee says that the three definitions of the world are 1) the material earth or universe, 2) the people on the earth, 3) the things of the earth.
Each of these three contribute to the whole picture of the earth, some are tangible some are intangible. They need each other to function.
Scripture gives us some understanding of the world around us, and explains why it functions as it does and how the intangible effects the tangible.
Jesus tells us “My Kingdom is not of this earth”. Adam opened the door for sin to enter, making our world hostile to God. Creation tries and in a way, can’t, know God, and the human race pulls against God. Even though Adam allowed sin in, Jesus overcame sin. He was of this world and not of this world, he was human and God. He was born of the world, but was fully God, so overcame and allowed creation to be drawn back to God. At the Lords return there will be a Kingdom. This world will become part of that Kingdom. It will know no sin then, it will return to the beginning when first made.
We are in the world, but not of it. We belong to God as soon as we give ourselves to Him. We grow more and more like Jesus. We live in a fallen world, a world if sin and death. We need to make sure that how we live in this fallen society, we radiate the love and power of God. We are a witness. No one is too small to make a difference or work for the Lord.

Is praise easy?

03 Mar 2014 8 Comments

by Minstrels wife in Christian Worship, God, Jesus, Prayer, sanctuary Tags: , , ,

It is very easy to praise and worship when we feel all is going ok and nothing seems to be disturbing our peace. But what about when all is not right? When things are tough and life seems to be a struggle? How much more faith at those times do we need to then say to God “You are good and faithful”?

God is always good. He never fails and is always worthy of praise. It doesn’t depend on feelings. He is the same whatever we are going through. He has been the same throughout the generations since we were created. He has never changed, but we can change to Him. We can be the ones who move that little bit further away from Him when all goes bad.

It is ok to praise God with our joyful worship when we are happy and all is well. It is also ok to praise Him with our tears and cries of pain and when we are lonely.

Whatever we are going through, God is still as awesome as He always has been. He continues to be awesome and sovereign in every circumstance, and we can still worship and adore Him. Don’t move away from God when times are tough. Move closer to Him and see the Fathers love for you at work. God never moves away from us even when we sin and do bad stuff. Keep close to Him, and keep worshipping, even if your worship holds your cries and tears.

Worship and the Word

22 Feb 2014 5 Comments

by Minstrels wife in Christian Worship, God, Jesus, meditation, Prayer, Worship leaders Tags: , , , , , ,

Worship never begins with us, no matter how good we are at leading, singing or writing new songs to God. Worship begins and ends always with God Himself. He is everything and everything starts with Him and from Him. He is Alpha and Omega. He is the living Word. So if He is the living Word and all begins with Him, then Worship and the Word belong together.

Culture of today says we live seperate from God, that we make our own destiny. But if we love God and live for Him, we know that we can never live on our own. We need our Lord to help us make sense of life. We live with Him and link our souls with our Saviour and Creator. We worship Him and align ourselves to the Word.

Jesus is the center of all true worship as Jesus is the Word of God. He is the fulfillment of all the prophesies and who creation has waited for.

We need to overflow with worship to God. It should be pouring out of us all the time.

Music doesn’t change us, but the Word should. The Word is full of truth, and truth sets us free. We know what we have been freed from. We know what and who we were when God found us and broke our chains.

Pick up your Bibles, and read the Word and the truths inside, and let the words change you, and let your hearts begin to overflow with the praises that you read. Breathe in its life.

worship inside out

16 Feb 2014 5 Comments

by Minstrels wife in Christian Worship, God, Jesus, Prayer, Worship leaders Tags: , , , , ,

Worship comes from inside us. Its our heart attitude. Its what we believe about God and what He saved us from. That knowledge makes us want to worship Him when we truly grasp it all. Our lives and hearts change and worship flows from it. It never really matters how the people at the front of the church look. There may be an awesome band with lights, graphics, smoke or anything else, but if their hearts are not aligned with God, they are just putting on a show. God does not want shows, He wants hearts broken to Him.

We are there to worship God. The great Creator. The King over all. He who has risen from the dead to give us life eternal. We worship Him who is alive forever, and shows us how to live with Him forever.

Our worship begins and ends with God. Not music or words. Just Him.

One eye on the Future

12 Dec 2013 4 Comments

by Minstrels wife in Christian Worship, God, meditation, Prayer Tags: , , , ,

Wouldn’t it be nice if God gave us an idea of what to expect out of life. A pre-look at births, deaths, weddings and no surprises.

“For I know the plans I have for you”…

He knows the end from the beginning and knows what we are going to go through. He also gives us the strength we need to go through those times of both heartache and joy. We need to be reminded daily that God has great plans and that He has it all under His great control. Life may look chaotic and messy, but He has it all in His hands, and knows how it all ends up. We need to allow our hearts and minds to be open to the plans of God, and to let them be completed His way, not our way.

One of the main things I am looking forward to is meeting Him face to face. Allowing myself to submit myself to His plans and purposes between now and that glorious moment are a bit of an issue. I like to know what is going on and don’t like surprises. Letting His perfect plans for my life have their way is difficult as me letting go of that control is really scary. I know it is the best thing for Him to control things and not me, and so I pray He gives me the strength. 

Maybe I need to sit and reflect on how if I have the control, am I really giving my life over to the Creator God? 

Is it like a potter and the clay? 

The clay can’t demand what form it is made into. So why do we try to tell our Creator who we want to be?

My Creator knows the best form I take. He knows what I am to do way into the future. 

I am looking forward to those days. Really. I hope.