What It Means

I've been here a thousand times before
Face down on the floor
Wondering how I even reached this place again

But, You have shown so endlessly, how Your love pours over me
No picture can re-create the beauty that I see

Show me what it means, to live my life a sacrifice
If only I would realize how much it took to pay the price
I know I'd always give, everything to You

I want this world to see
Your perfect majesty
Reflecting from my life this brilliant poetry

Written all over this place
The signs of all creation that You breathed
Words can't even state how much You mean to me

Show me what it means, to live my life a sacrifice
If only I would realize how much it took to pay the price
I know I'd always give, everything to You

I want to face my very crime
Of not giving all of mine
But I can feel the hope You bring to me



Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Family of Love

Please watch the video below and listen closely to the words - It's another one of Twila Paris' songs which I often listen to when I'm struggling to cope with what life has thrown my way.

I hope and pray More Than Words can truly be more than just words to you, and that you are reassured of God's presence as He is our heavenly Father:

He loves you more than I can say
And He is always taking care of you
He loves you more than I can say
And more than I can say He hopes
That you will love Him too

A great video to go with a beautiful song, I hope you receive blessing from it.

More Than I Can Say by Twila Paris

The One who makes the children is watching from above

He placed you in a family so that you could know His love

A mother and a father to hold you here on earth

But he was with you long before the moment of your birth

And if you don't have a mother

He will sing you lullabies

And He'll be right beside you everyday

When you're all alone at night in bed

If you feel like crying it's okay

He will wipe your tears away

He loves you more than I can say

And He is always taking care of you

He loves you more than I can say

And more than I can say He hopes

That you will love Him too

The One who hears the children has known you from the start

He placed you in a family so that you can feel His heart

A mother and a father to keep you safe and warm

But he was with you long before the day that you were born

And if you don't have a daddy

He will be your father too

And He will always keep you in His sight

When it gets too dark to stay ahead

And you can't find your way it will be alright

He will be your guiding light

He loves you more than I can say

And He is always taking care of you

He loves you more than I can say

And more than I can say He hopes

That you will love Him too

Here Is Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (The Message)
If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Have you experienced love in your life?
Have you ever been badly hurt by someone you love, or by someone you thought loved you? Or have you hurt someone you love or loves you and then felt deep sorry afterwards?

There is only one TRUE true which is available free of charge, with no ties attached, and that is the love of God. As the above bible verses says, we can go through our life doing good deeds and helping others, but if we don't truly know God's love in our lives we have achieved nothing.

God's love is everything - Accept God's love into your life today!

Here Is Love (by Matt Redman)

Here is love, vast as the ocean

Lovingkindness as the flood

When the Prince of Life, our Ransom

Shed for us His precious blood

Who His love will not remember?

Who can cease to sing His praise?

He can never be forgotten

Throughout Heav'n's eternal days

On the mount of crucifixion

Fountains opened deep and wide

Through the floodgates of God's mercy

Flowed a vast a gracious tide

Grace and love, like mighty rivers

Poured incessant from above

And Heav'n's peace and perfect justice

Kissed a guilty world in love

Chorus:

No love is higher, no love is wider

No love is deeper, no love is truer

No love is higher, no love is wider

No love is like Your love, o Lord

Not My Own

Do you love Jesus?
Do you love God?

Have you given your life to God?

When you have given you life entirely to God, your life is no longer your own, it is God's. All God requests of you, you do unquestioningly and faithfully, knowing that it is part of God's plan for your life.

Your life may no longer be your own, but with your life in God's hands, you will receive unequivocal rewards from God for all you do for Him.

God will set up free from all your earthly longing and desires and focus your life in new and rewarding directions. Give your life to God today.

Not My Own by Twila Paris

I am not my own

I am bought with a price

I am not my own, not my own

I am not my own

I cannot hold to pride

I am not my own, not my own

Take this false desire

Burn it in Your righteous fire

I am not my own, not my own

This is not my home

This is not Paradise

This is not my home, not my home

This is not my home

I have been far and wide

This is not my home, not my home

Make this longing true

Turn my wistful heart to you

This is not my home, not my home

When I turn to find Your eyes

O Lord, O Lord

I begin to realize

Once more, once more

I am not my own

I am bought with a price

I am not my own, not my own

Take this false desire

Burn it in Your righteous fire

I am not my own, not my own

I am not my own, not my own

Staying Together

Romans 8:39-40 (New Living Translation)
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.





God's Grace is all we need - Trust God today for all that you require.

Not Forgotten

Ever felt like your friends have forgotten about you?
Ever felt like God has forgotten you?

I've been there and can tell you without any hesitation that if there's one sure fact, it is that God has NOT forgotten you!
Be strong, God is with you, reach out to Him today.

I found the following song by Twila Paris (another of my favourite Christian artists), as well as being sung beautifully, it also is full of reassurance that God really has not forgotten about us. Hallelujah!

Not Forgotten by Twila Paris

When you think your dream is dying

He has not forgotten you

When your body aches from tryin'

He has not forgotten you

When you worry for tomorrow

Even though the sky is blue

See the sun is shining

He has not forgotten you

When July feels like December

He has not forgotten you

When it's painful to remember

He has not forgotten you

When it seems you can not win

And there is not much left to lose

He has got a plan

And He has not forgotten you

And hope will spring eternal

In the home of those who know

That loving eyes will follow

Every where we go

And even in the darkness

His promises are true

Keep this in your heart

He has not forgotten you.

He is faithful

He is present

He is listening

He is love

He is faithful

He is with you

He is listening

He is love

If your tired flesh has squandered

What your spirit would have saved

And your aimless feet have wandered

Far from all you truly crave

Turn and run toward your Father

Do not wait another day

See His arms are open

And He is calling out your name

And hope will spring eternal

In the home of those who know

That loving eyes will follow

Every where we go

And even in the darkness

His promises are true

Keep this in your heart

He has not forgotten you

He is in your heart

And He has not... forgotten..... you.

Nothing Can Separate Us

The Golden City

(Adrian Plass, Dave Clifton, Ian Blythe, Phil Baggaley)

Soon your trials will be over,

Offered up by mercy's hand;

Let Him heal you where you're standing,

A doorway to another land

The sweetest welcome from the Father,

Gathered up and carried home,

We have come to this time of waiting,

Come let us bow before Your throne

We will meet in the golden city, in the new Jerusalem

All our pain and all our tears will be no more.

We will stand with the hosts of heaven and cry,

"Holy is the Lamb",

We will worship and adore You evermore

Never can the powers of darkness,

Neither death nor even life

Let nothing ever separate us,

From the holy love of God

When we find something or someone we love, we never want to be separated from it/them. Our relationship with God should be no different, we must love God so much that we never want to be separated from Him.

Fortunately God promises us that if we love Him, we will never be separated from Him, ever!

Romans 8:38-39 (The Message)
I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

The Reason

Question: Have you ever wondered why Jesus came to earth?
Answer: For us

Question: Do you wonder why Jesus died on the cross?
Answer: For love

Question: Who has given us the best reason to live?
Answer: Jesus Christ

Question: Have you found a reason to live?
If not, remind yourself today that Jesus gave His life just for you.

We Are the Reason He Suffered and Died!

We Are The Reason by Avalon

As little children we would dream of Christmas morn

Of all the gifts and toys we knew we’d find

But we never realized a baby born one blessed night

Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

We were the reason that He gave His life

We were the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live

As the years went by we learned more about gifts

The giving of ourselves and what that means

On a dark and cloudy day a man hung crying in the rain

All because of love

All because of love

We were the reason that He gave His life

We were the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live

I finally found the reason for living

It’s in giving every part of my heart to Him (every part to Him)

And all that I do every word that I say (you know I’ll be saying)

I’ll be giving my all just for Him, for Him (every thing for Him)

We are the reason that He gave His life

We are the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give (all that he could give all)

To show us the reason to live

He is the reason to live

(don’t you know do you know the reason

that he came, oh he came to save us

when he gave his life for us) he suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave everything (everything that He had He gave)

To show us the reason to live

Glorious Day

Happy Day by Tim Hughes

The greatest day in history, Death is beaten

You have rescued me

Sing it out Jesus is alive

The empty cross, The empty grave

Life eternal You have won the day

Shout it out Jesus is alive

He's alive

Oh happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

Oh happy day, happy day

I'll never be the same

Forever I am changed

When I stand, in that place

Free at last, meeting face to face

I am Yours Jesus You are mine

Endless joy, perfect peace

Earthly pain finally will cease

Celebrate Jesus is alive

He's alive

Oh happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

Oh happy day, happy day

I'll never be the same OHH NO

Forever I am changed

Oh what a glorious day

What a glorious way

That You have saved me

Oh what a glorious day

What a glorious name

YEAHHH

Oh happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

Oh happy day, happy day

I'll never be the same

Forever I am changed

What a glorious glorious day,

I'll never be the same

Jesus IS alive and living in MY life. Is He living in your life today?

Tell the world how wonderful Christ is. Help spread the good news that Christ IS alive!

Real Life Training

I recently qualified as an AIIM ECM Specialist, however personally I will not go shouting about that as I feel I have not yet got the “real world experience” I feel need to be able to consider myself a specialist on ECM (Enterprise Content Management). Yes, I’ve been on the courses and passed the associated exams, but would my current level of ability reflect this?

This got me thinking about training in general and classifications we assign ourselves and others. In particular I was thinking about the fact that I call myself a Christian...yes I’ve read the “manual”, the bible, and I’ve been getting the “real world” experience ever since I was born, but is that enough to say I'm a Christian?

No it's not! As well as gaining the "real world" experience and reading the bible, we as Christians must live our lives according to God's plan for us. i.e. we must act as Christians in all we do and say, we must continue to read our bibles and most importantly we must pray regularly.

So, have you passed the Christian exam? I would love to say that I do, but if I'm honest, I do not always read my bible, pray or follow God's plan for me as often as I should.

Maybe we should treat our life as an exam, which if we pass will result in us spending eternity with God in heaven. If this is what you want, start your Christian training today and receive eternal life!

Place In This World (Michael W Smith)

The wind is moving

But I am standing still

A life of pages

Waiting to be filled

A heart that's hopeful

A head that's full of dreams

But this becoming

Is harder than it seems

Feels like I'm

Looking for a reason

Roamin' through the night to find

My place in this world

My place in this world

Not a lot to lean on

I need your light to help me find

My place in this world

My place in this world

If there are millions

Down on their knees

Among the many

Can you still hear me

Hear me asking

Where do I belong?

Is there a vision

That I can call my own?

Show me, I'm

Looking for a reason

Roamin' through the night to find

My place in this world

My place in this world

Not a lot to lean on

I need your light to help me find

My place in this world

My place in this world

Lookin' for a reason

Roamin' through the night to find

My place in this world

My place in this world

Not a lot to lean on

I need your light to help me find

My place in this world

My place in this world

Lookin' for a reason

Roamin' through the night to find

My place in this world

My place in this world

Checkout Michael W Smith's website: http://www.michaelwsmith.com/

Blue Monday or Happy Monday?

Well how was your day? Did you find it to be The Most Depressing Day (my blog post from yesterday), or have you had a Happy Monday?

In my office today, one of the managers, before starting a conversation with anyone said "Happy Monday" to them with a big smile on his face - I have to say it was quite infectious, as it brought a smile to most peoples' face, even if for some it was just for a few seconds!

What have you done today to make today a Happy Monday rather than a Blue Monday, for you, and for others?

If your answer is nothing, there's still time to make someone happy!

Why not resolve to make someone smile everyday - make everyday a Happy Day!

The Most Depressing Day

According to Time.com, the third Monday in January is known as “Blue Monday.”

Apparently, Blue Monday signifies that Monday, Jan. 18, 2010, is the most depressing day of the year. It is the day of the year when we will find more people ranting, raving, whining and crying than at any other time of 2010.

A British researcher, Dr. Cliff Arnall, reportedly says this is true based on a formula he developed along with some related calculations. Among the attributing factors are:

1.Christmas and holiday bills start coming in and piling up.
2.Post-holiday blues.
3.Failed New Year resolutions.
4.The weather.

We got an email sent round all of us at work last week telling us that tomorrow, Monday 18th January, had officially been identified as the most depressing day of this year. The email encouraged us to try and make tomorrow Happy Monday instead!

That's all well and good making tomorrow Happy Monday, but al lthat does is move the "most depressing day of the year" to another day! What we should really be trying to do is make every day a Happy Day.

We all have times when we feel depressed based on a lot of different things that may be going on in our lives, so personally I think we each have ourown individual "most depressing day of the year", so I'm surprised that one particular day can be given that title on behalf of all of us.

Whatever is going on in our lives, we must try to see the positives in all things, no matter how bleak the situation may seem. Ask God to help lift your spirits and make eveyday a Happy Day.

Worship the Lord

All Heaven Declares

All heaven declares the glory of the risen Lord

Who can compare with the beauty of the Lord?

Forever He will be (Forever He will be)

The Lamb apon the throne (The Lamb apon the throne)

I gladly bow the knee (I gladly bow the knee)

And worship Him alone

I will proclaim the glory of the risen Lord

Who once was slain to reconcile man to God

Forever You will be (Forever You will be)

The Lamb upon the throne (The Lamb upon the throne)

I gladly bow my knee (I gladly bow my knee)

And worship You alone

Do you worship God?

You don't need to attend church to worship God, you can do it wherever you are. So taking that into account, do you worship God?

As well as tell others about God, and how much He can do for them, we must take time to worship God, but what does worship actually mean? The following is the dictionary definition of worship:

The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.

The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.

Ardent devotion; adoration.

Take time out of your busy life, to spend time saying "thank you" to God by worshipping Him.

Please and Thank You

When we're young we are taught to say "please" and "thank you". I remember a number of occassions being prevented from getting whatever it was I'd asked for, because I'd not said "the magic word"! Do you have similar memories?

All those times have done their job though, as I'd say I definitely say "please" and "thank you" whenever I'm asking someone for something, or I'm given something.

But wait a minute, do I really always say "please" and "thank you"? Well I do always say thank you to those around me, but now I stop and think about it, there is one person I very often take for granted and never say "thank you" to, although I often say "please" to them as I'm often asking for so much from them...and who is that?

I'm sure you've realised by now I'm talking about God. How many times today have you said "thank you" to God? What about this week, how many time have you thanked God for all He does for you?

Now count how many times you've said "please" to God today when you've been asking Him for something? And what about in the last week, how many times have you asked God for something?

If you're anything like me, you'll probably find the "please's" far outnumber the "thank you's"!

Do something about that now, say "thank you God" for all God has done for you, and for all He continues to do for you.

Give God the Glory He truly deserves.

My Tribute (To God be the Glory) - Sissel and the Oslo Gospel Choir

How can I say thanks

For the things you have done for me

Things so undeserved

Yet You gave to prove your love for me

The voices of a million angels

Could not express my gratitude

All that I am and ever hope to be

I owe it all to thee

To God be the glory, to God be the glory

To God be the glory,

For the things He has done

With His blood He has saved me

With His power He has raised me

To God be the glory,

For the things He has done

Just let me live my life

And let it be pleasing Lord to thee

And should I gain any praise

Let it go to Calvary

With His blood He has saved me

With His power He has raised me

To God be the glory

For the things He has done

To God be the glory, to God be the glory

To God be the glory,

For the things He has done

With His blood He has saved me

With His power He has raised me

To God be the glory,

For the things He has done

A Call To Celebrate

That was the Sydney Staff Songsters of the Salvation Army singing a wonderful arrangement of Revelation 19.

Revelation 19 contains words of praise and worship and encourages us to celebrate God's wonderful love for us each and every day. We so often take God's love for us for granted, so why not listen to the Songsters sing Revelation 19 again, and then share a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God for all he's done for you today and for all He will do in the future.

The Message version of the bible says the following in Revelation 19:1-10 under the heading of The Sound of Hallelujahs:

I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing, Hallelujah!
The salvation and glory and power are God's—
his judgments true, his judgments just.
He judged the great Whore who corrupted the earth with her lust.
He avenged on her the blood of his servants.
Then, more singing:
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her burning billows up to high Heaven forever and ever and ever.


The Twenty-four Elders and the Four Animals fell to their knees and worshiped God on his Throne, praising,
Amen! Yes! Hallelujah!

From the Throne came a shout, a command:
Praise our God, all you his servants,
All you who fear him, small and great!

Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder:
Hallelujah!
The Master reigns, our God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Let us celebrate, let us rejoice, let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come; his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints.

The Angel said to me, "Write this: 'Blessed are those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.'" He added, "These are the true words of God!"


I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Worthy

God is worthy of praise.
He does so much for us everyday.
Many of the things He does for us, we take for granted...our homes, food, friends, family, nature.
We may not always like the way God answers our prayers, but He has a plan for our lives, and everything He does for us is part of His plan for us.
Give God thanks today for all He does for you.


Worthy Is the Lamb!

Agnus Dei by Michael W Smith

Alleluia

Alleluia

For the Lord God Almighty reigns

Alleluia

Alleluia

For the Lord God Almighty reigns

Alleluia

Holy

Holy are You Lord God Almighty

Worthy is the Lamb

Worthy is the Lamb

You are holy

Holy are you Lord God Almighty

Worthy is the Lamb

Worthy is the Lamb

Amen

Checkout Michael W Smith's website: http://www.michaelwsmith.com/