His Story

Just got back from another incredible Impact Training. The Old Testament, the New Testament and Church History in three jam-packed days was right up my street, being the little history geek that I am! As we were going through pretty much the entire History of God's people I was reminded of what Stef Liston taught us one Newday. That History must always be referred to as HisStory. How awesome that we serve a God who holds the entirety of history in his hands!
He is the beginning and the end of everything. He knows everything that has ever happened and that ever will happen. He has always been and always will be.
AND
He wants to know me now. He wants to engage in my life now.
Ay-may-zing!

Nine WEEKS! or NINE weeks!

The scariest thing is that, at 24 weeks, I remember thinking: 'When it gets to under 10 weeks, thats when things are going to start going fast.' and then the next 15 weeks just evaporated, so if that was the 'slow' part, according to my theory, what are the next 9 weeks going to do. I feel like just sitting here I'm suddenly going to look at the calendar and it will be November and then a minute later it will be the 5th December and I'll have 1 solitary week left in the country.
Still, with all this time disappearing, I recall that it only feels like its disappeared after its gone. While I'm living it, right this minute 09:01 October 5th 2010, the excited bit of me is going: '9 weeks, what an AGE, all that waiting! Lets go NOW!'
Time is incapable of just happening normally. At work a 4 hour shift can fly by when a week earlier the same shift dragged and dragged and I felt I'd been there forever! So quite frankly, for all my worries/ excitement, I really don't know how the next 9 weeks are going to feel. But considering how the rest of the year has gone and continuing the trajectory of that pattern time is going to screw me over and do something really silly. Like go backwards.
To quote a guy who knows a bit about time:
"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly,timey-wimey... stuff."
And yes, before you scream, I know he's not real!

See you in nine weeks, or is it one? 

Being Blessed

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow!"

I began this post a couple of days ago and it is amazing how different your mood/outlook can be from one day to the next. I logged on today deciding that I would write a post called "Boredom and Apathy" however, I am so glad that this small beginning was waiting for me instead! "Praise God from whom all blessings flow!" Whenever we feel wobbly or low what we really need to do it not expound about how wobbly or low we are feeling, where would that get me?! Clearly the best idea is to focus on how great things are and how abundantly God provides for me!

(Ok, this is now the third time I have tried to get this post finished!)

I can now more than ever exclaim HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD and HOW ABUNDANT IS HIS BLESSING. This weekend I have been fundraising for South Africa and unbelievably and in spite of a serious lack of faith from me - though not in spite of a lack of effort I have to say - the donations have poured in and we have raised (we think, hoping my terrible counting is not too terrible) just over £400 from just old toys and cakes!

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow!"

Landscaping

Taking a train from Worthing to London is an interesting and relatively rewarding experience. There is no other place quite like a train for appreciating the English countryside. Personally, even when on a really enjoyable walk on the downs or in some other lovely green place, I never take stock about how green our country is. When on a train heading into a city however, suddenly I am forced to look around me and I found myself thinking, hey! This 'ain't half pretty! Then as the landscape transmogrifies into high rise flats and more and more railway lines come alongside ours, I start to marvel at the changing feel of a country. The history freak inside me starts mulling over the change forced by the Industrial Revolution and the changing face of British economics throughout the 19th Century.

Then you think, where does God come into this? Obviously, green English fields inspire thoughts of our beautiful and wonderful creation. God thinks about every leaf on every uneven hedge and causes every stalk of wheat to grow in our mismatched and patchwork farms. Amazing! But I also marvel at how God has watched over our industrial development and how he has guided mankind to the discovery of steam engines, railways, electricity and the motor car! He has watched over the growth of modern cities and the swarms of people the move in and out and around of them every day are beloved to him. Just like I am, sitting on this one train among thousands around the world. God is watching me travelling into this city that does not know me and He says to me "I know you Jo, and I love that you are enjoying all aspects of my creation. Even Victoria Station!"

AMEN!

"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine."

Life Efficiency Tip no.17: You can load a dishwasher in the time it takes the kettle to boil.

I wish that when I have nothing to do I wouldn't just do nothing! If I have, as is the case, a wonderfully empty afternoon I wish that instead of sitting and flicking around iPlayer for a good two hours (and if I'm honest, it was more like three) I would do something productive or creative. It doesn't have to have a purpose, I'd quite like it not to actually, as long as it was something other than just lying and watching TV.

How do we deal with change? Some people hate change and so shy away from it as if it were a deadly disease. Some relish it and so seek out new ways to do things, new innovations. What about if your life has changed - inevitably - and you're not longing for the old life (anything but) however, you don't know quite what to do with yourself or where you stand now that nothing is how it was. OK that is an exaggeration, some things are the same. In fact, most things are exactly the same; God still loves me, my family still love me, I still live in the same place, like the same things as I did etc. But the essence of things have changed, life doesn't feel the same anymore. Having never left school before, I can't say whether this is normal.

I just want to do something creative and without purpose.

Oh and the tip at the top in not no.17, it's no.1. I don't as a habit think up tips for life efficiency - that would be too productive.