Doing what I love

I love reading the bible with people who aren't Christians. I had the real privilege today of going to a lovely Korean lady's flat and doing just that. She has the most adorable two small children - my Little Rockers training in sustaining serious conversation through small children distraction came in very handy! We looked at Mark 2:1-12 one of my fav passages. Its such a good passage, coz its the kind you know from Sunday school - the paralysed man being lowered down from the roof by his friends - you've made the models, you've learnt about how nice the friends are etc etc its seems a very familiar and very safe story. But actully its well contraversal. And its great when, studying it with a non-Christian, they pick up the contraversy. It comes in vs 5. The friends have lowered this poor paralytic man in obvious need of physical healing and the first thing Jesus says to him is 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' What?! Why does he say that?! Surely gentle Jesus meek and mild should just say -'ahh there thee get better.' But no - this is Jesus out to show that he is God. This is Jesus out to show that the most important thing a person needs is not physical healing but forgiveness. As contraversal today as it was in Jesus day. I love it when Jesus shocks people!

Hasn't the church got a pretty bad record? Why should I believe what it teaches?

Get me, I've got an article published on the web here

I love church

Church is great! I love siting around discussing what the Bbile says and how it applies to my life. I went to my first Christ Church 'In depth' Wednesday meeting (the main Christian feeding time as Sundays are more outsider friendly) Twas great! Carl talked on 2 Tim 2:14-26 then we split into groups to discuss. It was such a privilege to be siting around with 7 lovely girls discussing honestly how difficult it can be to live godly lives and not give into the temptation of engaging in godless chatter or quarrels over words, and how serious these things actually are, and how we need to help each other not to do them. Fab. And what is more - I've found some actual Australians with whom I can rant about Neighbours - what could be better??! Quality evening.

Back in Brighton

Well, here I am sitting in my lovely little lilac room in sunny Brighton! Its very odd. I know I've had a week between leaving Cambridge and moving here, but it seems like such a fast turn around. Possibly coz my two worlds are so different. A week ago I was standing on a stage in a suburban Cambridge school being prayed for in front of a church of 200 odd (very odd..! :o)) people of whom I was one of the youngest adults. In the afternoon we headed down to the old peoples home to proclaim God's word there. Yesteday I was prayed for again, this time in an old CofE church wehre about 30 of us (inc many cute small children) were gathered, mainly sitting around in a circle on the floor, praising God together and learning from His word. A lot of the people there were my age or younger. We then headed down to the pub to discuss the Bible some more. I lvoe the fact that church can be expressed in such different ways, but at the centre is Jesus and the gospel. And although outwardly Rock and Christ Church, Brighton look very different - the amazing welcome, love and sense of community that I experienced at Christ Church yesteday exactly mirrored what I experienced at Rock. Hooray for the gospel transforming people and making them like Jesus! I do miss Rock. A lot. I miss all my friends, I miss the outreach misnitries (I seem to spend a lot of time at the mo looking at my watch and thinking about what's happening at Rock 'Its 3.40pm on a Thursday - messy play time at Little Rockers...!). I especially miss being around older people. But I'm really looking forward to serving Christ Church. And although things will be weird for a while - adapting back to Brighton life, I am glad to be back here.

Changes and a God who doesn't

Hebrews 13:5-8 syas: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

I hate change - I love these verses. Over the last few days it has suddenly hitme that actually I am leaving Rock - I leaving a church family who I have loved and ho have loved me over the last year. I'm am leaving outreach ministries whcih I adore - I'm leaving people who are not yet Christians in God's hands. I'm leaving people who won't remember me, people who may have died by the time I return to visit Cambridge. The next week will be a week of lasts and of many tears. But I am so thankful to God to bringing me to Cambridge, even for such a short time, I'm thankful for the leadrs he's given me here, who have spoekn the word of God to me, and whose faith I can imitate. And I'm even more thankful that he is a God who doens't change. I'm thankful that the ministries at Rock will continue without me, that God will continue to work through them without me. I was really upset to leave Diamonds on Friday - it was the biggest attnedance we'd ever had on Friday and a bit insdie of me just aches not wanting to let it go - I want to see fortnight by fortnight what God is going to do with that work, how he is going to move among the old people around Lichfield Road, I want to be involved. But I'm not going to be there anymore, that is not where God wants me now. I'm handing it over to others (probably far more capable than me anyway) and trusting that God will work even though I'm not around (oh how arroganst am I)?! But I am moving on - new people, new challenges - seeing God work in different ways. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also scared. Scared that I won't be good enough to do the job, scared that I'll be overwhelmed by meeting new people, scared that I won't get a balance between work and rest, scared that my eyes will be as bad or worse than they were last year. But hang on - the Lord has said - 'never will I leave you, never will I forsake you' and so I can say with confidence - 'the Lord is my helper - I will not be afraid - what can man do to me?' God is with me - what do I have to fear? I'm not good enough for the job, trusting in my own strength - no way, but God is good enough, and his grace is enough for me (didn't I hear that once somewhere? relay 1 maybe...!) I know from past experience and from what he Bible says that just because God is with me does not mean things will be easy though. I'm sure there will be situations in my new church I will find really tough. I'm expect my eyes will be a problem at times. But I can trust Jesus through it all - he is my helper and he is the one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever - hooray!