Focus

Do you ever get frustrated with people, and then get frustrated with yourself for getting frustrated? Well don't worry, you're in good company, when Jesus was here on earth he got frustrated too...
Jesus asked his disciples, "How long must I put up with you?" (Matthew 17:17 NIV)

Have you ever been to a service or group meeting when you've had that "mountaintop" experience? You're inspired by the wonderful music and great fellowship as well as by the message given by the preacher. But then it's over and you have to return to everyday life, to our valley, and it's far more difficult then to feel inspired isn't it?

Why is that? Well I guess it's probably because when we're back in our day to day lives there's so many things going on round about us that are God focused, that it's easy for us to be distracted from God and thus lose that inspiration we felt during our "mountaintop" experience.

We get frustrated at time by others, just think how frustrated God gets at us when we don't put Him at the centre of all we do, when we stop focusing on Him! We must pray to God focusing on Christ.

Let God change you for the better. He will get you though your valleys and back to your mountaintop.

Focus!

Checkout the Twila Paris website: http://www.twilaparis.com/

Fantasy or Faith?

When things are going wrong in our life, and everything seems bleak, God alone can help us.

When bad health is something we have to face on a daily basis, God is the one who can give us the strength to face the day.

When we've no money in the bank and you don't know where your next meal is going to come from, only God can help.

God is enough to help us in all situations we find ourselves.

We can become frustrated when bad things happen to us, but when we start to fantasize we're move further away from reality and fact. i.e. If we fantasise that good health alone will bring us happiness, or when we have a big house, a holiday or we win the lottery that will be the key to eternal happiness. But all these things are fantasy.

The answer to fantasy is faith. Faith will chase our frustrations away and give us the strength to live well, even if that means with little earthly value to our name. Faith reminds us that we have a heavenly bank account and that is one which cannot contain our earthly possessions but simply our spiritual wealth.

God will make help you through your situation, whatever it is, so be joyful in God's love and He will get you over the mountains of frustrations that face you.

This is not the best recording but I hope you can make out the message - There's Never Been a Mountain by Derby Central Songsters:

Press On

Well we're nearly at the end of another working week, so how's your week been?

It's been a strange week for me as it's been full of highs and lows in a several areas of my life. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a high in our life and so quickly change to feeling like an all time low, and vice versa.

I hope your week has been one of highs, however if it hasn't, what did you do when you were experiencing one of your lower times?

The first thing we should do then is pray - Turn to God, He will give you the stregth and the courage to go on and get you through your "deep valley". I know and understand that it can be very difficult during these times to trust God and believe He will help, but take it from one who's been in some very "deep valleys" in the last while, God can and will help...He may not help you in the way you expected or wanted, but He will help you in the way He knows is best for you.

Trust God and press on in your Christian journey.

Press On by Selah:


When the mountain is steep
when the valley is deep
when the body is weary
when we stumble and fall

When the choices are hard
when we're battered and scarred
when we've spent our resource
when we've given our all

In Jesus name we press on
In jesus name we press on
dear lord, with the prize
clear before our eyes
we find the strength to press on

It starts with:
When the valley is deep
When the mountain is steep

you had it switched around that's all