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.

How Great?

How Great Is Our God (by Chris Tomlin)
The splendor of a King,
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
All the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at his voice,
And trembles at his voice

How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

Age to age he stands
And time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, Three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
The Lion and the Lamb,
The Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

Name above all names
You are Worthy of all praise
and My heart will sing how great
Is our God
(x2)

How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

Do you know how great God is?
Praise God, He is great and wonderful beyond compare. He can be your greatest friend if you just accept Him into your life.

Checkout Chris Tomlin's website: http://www.christomlin.com/home.php

The Effort Matters

We live in a world where there's a lot of pressure to succeed at all we do. Sometimes there's so much pressure on us to succeed, it's not surprising when we fail.

It can be soul destroying when we fail, particularly when we've put a lot of effort into the task. But just because we having achieve what we'd hoped, we shouldn't feel as though we're useless or indeed failed, because at the end of the day, the one person who matters, God, does not care about the results of your actions - He simply cares about your intentions that caused them and how much effort you put into them.

So based on that put the effort into doing good, and don't get to despondent if you don't achieve what you hope to. God thinks you're a winner and loves you simply for putting in the effort!

Unfailing Love (Chris Tomlin)
You have my heart
And I am Yours forever
You are my strength
God of grace and power

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still You make time for me
I can't understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My unfailing love
Unfailing love

You are my rock
The one I hold on to
You are my song
And I sing for You

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still You make time for me
I can't understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My Unfailing love
Unfailing love

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still you make time for me
I can't understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My Unfailing love
Unfailing love

I will praise You
Praise you God of earth and sky
How beautiful is your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My Unfailing love

Unfailing love
Unfailing love
Unfailing love
Unfailing love
Unfailing love

Checkout Chris Tomlin's website:

http://www.christomlin.com/

Keep On Loving

Hebrews 6:11 (New Living Translation)
Our great desire is that you will keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, in order that to make certain that what you hope for will come true.

How do we keep on loving others as long as life lasts? It's a daunting task and one which seems impossible to achieve when we are caught up with our own corners and problems. It's difficult to find the emotional energy to "keep right on loving" at these times. It's equally as hard when some of those we love don't reciprocate or are unlovable.

Hebrews 6:10 (New Living Translation)
For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown you love to him by caring other Christians, as you still do.

In the above verse from Hebrews, we find encouragement to keep on loving, when we're informed that God does recognise how hard we have worked to try and love everyone, even if we haven't succeeded.

But this still doesn't make it any easier to love as long as life lasts. So how do we achieve this? We do so by faith and patience, in the knowledge that this is the best way to show God how much we love Him - God likes when we tell Him we love Him, but likes it even more when we show Him by loving other Christians.

Whenever we call a friend in trouble and take time to listen to their struggles, or we look after a child to give their single parent a break, or when we pay a bill for someone whose struggling to make ends meet, or when we invite people to our house to eat knowing their struggling to be able to afford a decent meal for the whole family, or when we visit those in hospital who have no family to care about them, we show God how much we love Him!

We can sometimes find that other Christians are the hardest people to love but God can love them through us so don't give up trying to love them. The day we stop caring, loving and doing things for our brothers and sisters in Christ is the day we "become spiritually dull and indifferent" (Hebrews 6:12).

What do you do for other Christians? It's not enough just to pray for them and say we love them. God sees our heart and watches our life. He knows what we're doing and when he sees us love and care for His people, He will not forget to reward us!

As long as life lasts, keep on loving!

Amazing Grace

When you hear people talking about God's grace, do you know what they mean?

Well here's what the dictionary says:
1. Seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement, form, or proportion.
2. A characteristic or quality pleasing for its charm or refinement.
3. A sense of fitness or propriety.
4.
a. A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill.
b. Mercy; clemency.
5. A favour rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence.
6. A temporary immunity or exemption; a reprieve.
7.
a. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.
b. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God.
c. An excellence or power granted by God.
8. A short prayer of blessing or thanksgiving said before or after a meal.

I think the definitions under number 7 best describe God's grace. i.e. God loves and protects every single one of us, and does so without us having to ask him for anything in the first place.

Isn't that amazing? Who else would love and protect you unquestioningly, without expecting or wanting anything in return?

God's grace is enough for all of us, as with God's love and protection, how can we possibly go wrong!


One of the most well known hymns is probably Amazing Grace - The song below by Chris Tomlin is a fantastic new arrangement of this well known hymn - I hope you enjoy it.

God's grace is amazing!

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

Visit Chris Tomlin's website: http://www.christomlin.com/

Live The Word

Matthew 23:1-3 - The Message
Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.

I don't know about you, but those I meet who profess to be Christians I expect them to live/act as a Christian should. In the above passage from St. Matthew's gospel Jesus seems to say that some people talk a good talk, but they haven't really got those feelings/beliefs in their hearts. i.e. They know all the right words, but their actions do not mirror what they say.

If we profess to be a Christian but our actions do not reflect this, how can we ever expect others to follow Christ because of us - we are far more likely to convince people to turn away from God entirely!

Don't become someone who "talks the talk but doesn't live The Word". Whenever you tell folk you're a Christian, you'll they immediately (often subconsciously)start examining your words and actions in microscopic detail, just to try and find fault. So make sure your words and actions are as a Christians should be, that way it'll be much easier for others to see Christ living in your life - Making them far more likely to want to find out more about Christ because of your good example.

Talk the talk and live The Word!