So instead of trying to do justice to today with my own words I have decided to borrow some lyrics from some of my favourite songs instead, enjoy…
Category Archives: Faith
The Greatest of these is Love
Day 23: Words of love
1 Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship
that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy,
it does not boast, it is not proud.
5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
A Love Like No Other
Day 16: Your favourite love story. (movie, book, television)
There are so many love stories I love, yet as I sit down to try and write this blog, there is not one commercial story in particular that pops into my mind. Sure I have a few chick flics, Disney romances even the story of Kate and Wills floating around in there, but I don’t think I have a favourite… I was going to do another top whatever, but I am going to restrain myself because I know I have planned one of those for tomorrow, so instead I am going to pick something that isn’t a movie or book or TV story line, in fact it’s not even Dave and I, despite the fact that we have an awesome love story. No, instead, I am going to give you my favourite love story of all time which while it isn’t specifically a book, movie or tv show it has at one stage or another been on all of the things.
My favourite love story is one that has changed my life, made me who I am today and encourages me to continue to grow and become a better version and closer to who I was meant to be each day. My favourite love story is simply this…
Romans 5:8-9
8But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.
John 3:16
For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Moments of Love
Day 13: A moment that filled you with love
On May 14th 2011 I married my prince charming… now even though it was 10months ago tomorrow, because I started my blog in July I have never really posted about the day itself… I have given a 6month update on ‘Being Mrs. George’ but never the wedding day itself, so I have decided it’s time and because I really wanted to I have found an opportunity to make it fit perfectly… what has more moments filled with love than a wedding…. so here it is….
I was going to try and write this blog without being too mushy and soap opera like, but then I decided that I didn’t care… so feel free to tune out if you don’t have the stomach for it, but the reality is we are a fairytale and my dreams have come true… I got to be a real princess for the day and Dave was every bit my prince charming and still is… So here is my Wedding Day broken down into moments filled with love…
Moment One – The Night Before
So this one isn’t technically on the wedding day, but it is just as important. The night before we got married Dave and I had been down at the church setting up what we could for the big day to follow, once we were done we said goodnight and headed off in separate directions. Being the stress head of a person that I am, by this stage I was beginning to get really nervous. Getting married is a huge decision and I was worried I would back a bad choice (I know that i shouldn’t have been worried, because there is really no one quite like Dave, but I was), anyway as I drove home, I started getting sentimental about the fact that this was my last night at home, my last night under my parents roof and my last night as a Lewis, despite the fact that I had had over a year to get used to the idea… As I walked to the door I noticed a present on the door step. It was from Dave, the accompanying letter told me that he was so excited about getting married and that what we had was a once in a life time love and that I shouldn’t be worried, I should just go inside and go to sleep, but before I do I was to watch a particular song on the ‘Keith Urban’ DVD that was the present. I had to watch the song ‘Once in a life time’, which would feature in the wedding tomorrow, because the lyrics explained how he felt. The lyrics he was referring to were those of the first verse…
“I can see it in your eyes and feel it in your touch,
I know that your scared but you’ve never been this loved.”
It was exactly what I needed to hear and as I feel asleep listening, I rember feeling like I was ready to get married, that it would all be ok, because I really was loved more than I would ever understand.
Moment Two – Getting Ready
Nothing makes your feel more princess like than the way you get pampered on the morning of your wedding. We were up nice and early and ate breakfast while we watched it pour down with rain outside. Over night there had been huge storms, but it seemed that nothing could phase me, in fact it;s probably one of the few times that I have been completely unphased about the details of something. I had planned everything down to the minute so I knew what to do and when to do it, anything outside of this didn’t matter or was a bonus. In fact fact I was so care free that I forgot to go to my hair appointment… but it was all ok and at about 10:30 my little tiara went on and stayed on. As I had my hair and make up done, I just soaked it up, as I got dressed and started having photos done I was so aware of how happy and excited everyone was, how much my parents loved me, how much my girls loved me and how much fun we were about to have. It was so special to spend that time with them, busy getting ready, but relaxed enough to enjoy, to laugh, smile and have fun. As we arrived at the church Kirsten suggested that we prayed together before I started the process of becoming Mrs George. This moment was so overwhellimg that I was crying before I even saw Dave, but I was just so conscious of being surrounded by people that loved me and wanted nothing bt the best for me.
Moment Three – The Ceremony
Dave and I got married at the Church that I grew up in which is where we both attend… this meant that people I had grown up with and in front of were able to come and witness this next step for us. There were so many more people there than I ever thought there would be, all to cheer us one and be part of our special day. The ceremony was fun, light, and romantic… well I thought so anyway. I can’t even begin to explain how overwhelming it was to get to the church, all dressed up and to see the man of my dreams waiting for only me. During the ceremony we reflected on the 6 years we had already spent together through photos and publicly declared our love for each other. There were tears and laughter and music… perfect.
Moment Four – The Party
After the service we had a million pictures taken, and then headed to the Langham Hotel for our wedding reception which was even more magical then we could have ever hoped for… it was as Dave said when we chose it “where princesses should get married’. The room looked beautiful and the evening was so much fun. Everyone was so excited and happy for us, it was really special to have most of the people that had helped us get to where we were today, and become the people that we are in one room, celebrating with you. It was so much fun that I didn’t really want to leave, I had to be pushed out.
Everything on our wedding day went super smoothly and we loved every minute of it… The story itself doesn’t really even do it justice, but they say that a picture is worth a thousand words so here are some of my favourite pictures taken by our amazing photographer Kelly, from Alexroad Photography.
I think the best bit about the day though, and something that still makes me have a moment filled with love whenever I think about it, is the fact that Dave and I left the wedding day stuck together for life. Dave is more than I could have ever hoped for and I am very excited to be the most curious George, by name and nature. And while I think of it, I need to and want to say thanks to all of you who have helped us get to where we are now… it has been an incredible journey so far but I know this is a journey that which we are really just starting.
Nothing of so much importance
Day 10: Love doing nothing
It’s not that often that I get to do nothing… I am used to being busy, running around at 100km an hour just to get things done, but this year I have made an effort to make more time, mostly in preparation for heading back to study (which is still a couple of weeks away). It has been hard giving up good things and saying no to things that I would love to do, but I know that I have made the right choice.
Anyway, through my new found power of saying no, and while I wait for the year to come at me in full swing… which I am pretty sure is not too far off, I have found that I have had time to just sit and do things that I enjoy, like read or watch a movie, or even cross things of my list. And I have really enjoyed it. So tonight when I was asked to ‘love doing nothing’ Dave and I did just that, we ordered fish and chips and spent time reading and watching movies on TV. It was exactly what I needed after a particularly hectic day at work. It made me realise just how important it is to stop… a little like at church last Sunday or at the young adults retreat a couple of weeks ago. There is definitely a time for stopping and enjoying. I know we can’t do it all the time, but I think it helps us to put things into perspective. Gives us a chance to enjoy what we have rather than continuing to burn ourselves out trying to get more. It also gives me a chance to recharge and refresh so that I can do what I need to do with all I am, rather than the little bit that I still have left. I think as my life starts to get busy again I am going to need to book in some time for myself to do nothing, to stop and focus and most importantly recharge.
Day 9: Celebrate your love
Day 9: Celebrate your love
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am, seriously despite all the things that I whinge about, the things that make me cry and the bumps that I talked about on Monday, I am super super super blessed. Today I have been challenged to ‘celebrate my love’, and I think that could potentially mean a lot of things, because over the years… I have given out a lot of love, some serious, some naive, some in the form of silly crushes and not so silly crushes… some has been wasted, but lots has been embraces and even given back… but that’s not what I want to celebrate today. No, today I want to celebrate the fact that I am loved by two people in particular… my parents.
When I look around at families of all kinds, it doesn’t take me long to realise how blessed I am, I have a mum and a dad that love me to bits, they support me, they discipline me, they encourage me to try anything and everything that I want, they trust me, they challenge me, they have provided for me and they have shaped me into the person I am today. I am so thankful for each of them and impact on my life they have had and will continue to have, so I just thought I would take a minute to say thanks and to celebrate the love I receive from them and the love that I have for them.
So… Mum and Dad… I love you stacks… always have and always will!
Wordless Wednesday – Day 8: Catch up with friends you love
The Bumpy Bumpy Road
Day 6: Love Your Bump
Love my bump ey? Well while I do have a bit of a gut… I don’t have a bump because as I mentioned earlier… I am not pregnant… but thinking outside the box a little and determined to use as much of this love list as I can, I decided that while I don’t have a physical bump, I certainly have had, and still have some metaphorical bumps in that crazy journey that I am currently calling life. So I thought that I would post about something I have been thinking about for a while… Embracing these bumps and moving on, and learning to love the person that they have made me become… which I guess by default is… ‘loving the bump’. Some of you would know that over the last couple of years… Well maybe more than a couple, my life has been a bit topsy turvey, there have been some really crap parts and some awesome parts, and I think for the I have slowly been getting better at dealing with events such as these.
This year, yes I know it’s only the second week of Feb, has unfortunately been no different, the bumps they keep on coming. Each time I deal with one and I am just starting to get my confidence back, it seems like there is another just sitting there, ready and waiting to pounce. I have spent a lot of time thinking about the purpose for these bumps and I know for one, they are making me stronger, in fact I often catch my self thinking surely I am strong enough… but apparently not, coz they just keep coming.
In my most recent bump I was reminded of something very important the way I respond both immediately and ongoing in a choice… I can either choose faith or fear…. Now despite the fact that I love and serve the king of kings, saviour of the world, all powerful, all knowing, omnipotent God, and I know that faith is the better response… my first reaction is usually not god, but fear.
Fear is something I have struggled with for a long time… Most of you probably already know this, in fact, in the middle of last year I preached about it, but once again it’s back and… once again I have had enough of living by it. The thing is, most of the time fear seems like the easiest option, but more often than not, it just makes things worse. So, in order to get on top of this fear and faith thing I have found my self seeking god in completely different ways than I normally would, I have been reading different books, listening to different songs and trying for the first time podcasts from churches around the world. I have now listened to three podcasts from Bethel church in the states and surprise, surprise I have been learning… I know I shouldn’t really be surprised, coz in the bible it talks about the fact that if we seek, we will find and if we press into god, He will press into us, but I still am, just a little bit. Anyway, in the first sermon I was reminded that we are called to be warriors of hope, and that it’s by our faith that we inherit the promises of god… Pretty cool ey? And then in the third one I heard something that I don’t think I had thought about before… That when you believe the lie, you empower a dis-empowered devil. I know that the devil is defeated, but when I let the bumps get me down and cripple me with fear I actually just give the devil a stronger hold on my life.
So once again, I am taking a stand and making some decisions…
1. The worry box is back… I will hand it over and let it go
Mark 5:36 – ‘Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe’
Philippians 4:6 – ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’
2. I will be thankful for the bumps because they have made me who I am but I will not let them bump me off the track…
2 Timothy 1:7-9 – ‘7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time’
3. I will choose faith. I will choose trust and I will not empower a die-empowered devil.
Romans 8:28 – ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’
John 19:30(b) – ‘Jesus said, “It is finished.”’
Soak it up
Day 5: Do something you love
Tonight was the second night service for the year, and I am really glad that it was because it was most definitely my ‘do something you love’. I love being there. When there is no night service through January, while I enjoy the decrease in responsibility, there is a bit of a hole in my life. I know that church isn’t the be all and end all of my faith, but I also know that it is a super important part, gathering together, sharing, learning and growing together. It’s not perfect, but that’s because it made of imperfect people… but there is a lot of love and it’s good.
Tonight I was really encouraged by the honesty of the worship and in fact the whole service, it was real, not a show, or a routine, but passionate, honest and simple… it’s moments like that that I wish I could just stop time and soak it up. I don’t think I stop often enough to just sit and be still in the presence of God. But I know it’s something that I need to do more often… because it’s good… really really good.
This year our church, in particular this service and the youth and young adults bit, is going through yet another transition time but I am really excited about what’s about to happen, and hopefully the lives that will be changed with it and through it, including my own as I continue to grow and become closer and closer to the person that God wants me to be. I am glad to be a part of the army, and to call this place my spiritual home, I know it is where I am meant to be and am glad that it will continue to be my ‘do something you love’ for a long long time to come.
Happy Day after Christmas
Wow Christmas is really over, all the presents are unwrapped, the parties have finished and it’s almost time to start 2012… who would have thought. Some times I think I spend so long waiting for Christmas that it is all done and dusted way to quick. Unfortunately I have no abilities to slow down time so I just have to accept it and move on.
A little while ago I wrote a blog about really listening to the lyrics of carols, and songs in general I guess and I thought that today I might share another song that has really been making me think. This song is one that before this Christmas I had never heard, as it was on one of my 2011 Christmas cd purchases. It’s a song by a guy called Matthew West and its just a reminder that even though Christmas the even is over for another year, the reason, the story and the purpose are still here and so like the weary souls from ‘O Holy Night’ we should live differently because of what has happened, and not let our everything that Christmas means… love, hope, joy, salvation, just get put in a box until we need it in November 2012, yes November, 2012.
Anyway, I have said enough, the song says it all anyway, so here are the lyrics to Day After Christmas by Matthew West…
Here comes the let down, Christmas is over
Here comes the meltdown, there goes the cheer
But before we have a breakdown, let us remember
The Light of the world is still here.
Happy day after Christmas,
Merry rest of the year,
Even when Christmas is over
The light of the world is still here
The light of the world
Come January, I’m ready for summer
The Super Bowl’s over and I’ll settle for spring
Sometimes we all need a change in the weather
But it won’t change the reason we sing
Happy day after Christmas,
Merry rest of the year,
Even when Christmas is over
The light of the world is still here
The light of the world
The light of the world
The light of the world
So take down the stockings, take back the sweaters
Take down the lights and the star and the tree
But don’t let this world take your joy after Christmas
Take joy to the world and just sing
Happy day after Christmas,
Merry rest of the year,
Even when Christmas is over
The light of the world is still here
The light of the world is still here
The Most Curious George 