Wisdom

Twenty years ago when my eldest son was one and I started regular church attendance again, a Christian friend told me how, when she conceived after a lot of problems she dedicated her son to the Lord and her son then became a missionary. And I was a bit scared...did God want my son too?

On Friday my son was received as a Senior Scholar at Trinity Cambridge.
It turns out we did have to give him to God.
Born gifted, he was reading at two,
Struggling within the limitations of the state school system
we were blessed by extraordinary teachers who nurtured his talents
by a supportive head who re worked the curriculum.

But when he started to talk about Cambridge
we started to doubt.
Maybe one or two students a year get there from our town
And not from comprehensive schools
Or our family’s background.

I recently read Stephen's post about using your talents.
My son worked those God given talents.
Dropped favourite science and did
Maths, Further Maths, more Maths
God gave him those ten Maths talents
And he brought them back with interest.

But with submission, with faithfulness
And when he got an interview,
the test was whether he was teachable
if they could teach him and he could learn from them.
First year was so hard
State system just hadn’t prepared him well.
He worked without ceasing to win the First.
And the second year. The second First
Senior Scholar.
But still with time to give it back
To the holiday clubs
And to support the next generation from his old sixth form.

After I wrote this, at church we looked at how Solomon asked for wisdom and God was pleased. And how James recommends that wisdom from above

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.3. 13

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.3.17

Sometimes it’s not so easy to discern your gifts and I really seek that heavenly wisdom to understand how to use my God given talents.

linking with Michelle at Hear it, use it

Acceptance?

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,

Till all our strivings cease;

Take from our souls the strain and stress,

And let our ordered lives confess

The beauty of Thy peace.

I'm looking for that peace and sense of order this week.
But how to stop striving for it
And just accept?


I can't write much this week but still linking up with  Hear it, use it as I know there will be a word for me.

In which Twiz finds herself Martha...

But  learns to be like the widow of Nain


Hard times at Twiz Towers this week. 
My father is still in intensive care ten days after surgery 
and his recovery is painfully slow. 


Why, instead of finding myself on my knees praying, 
do I find myself baking,
turning out cupboards,
bringing extra work home?
 If I’m on my knees it’s because I’m cleaning the skirting boards. 
I am that busy Martha with no time to wait on the Lord’s word.


And I’m scared to pray.
I’m scared to ask for God’s healing 
                            in case he doesn’t heal Dad 
and I’m scared not to pray for healing 
                            as it shows how little faith I have. 
So I bake.
And I clean.


We had a visitor at church today.
When she read the story of the centurion, I was shocked. 
I had just been thinking of his story
seeking his faith.
But then she read on.
About the widow of Nain.
The woman who din't ask for anything.
Didn't even think anything could be possible for her dead son
And Jesus saw her need.
Without her asking.


Our speaker said that on our journey with God sometimes we don’t know how to pray.
We can’t see what God can see.
What God can do.
And that’s okay.


And sometimes our faith is strong enough to ask for what we want.
Like the centurion.
And that’s okay too.



And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, 


for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 
Matthew 6 v 7,8

Linking up with Michelle and Hear it, Use it Every week I feel blessed and encouraged at how God speaks t me through this community. I'm sure he gets one of you to write something especially for me every week!

Waiting for that damp fleece?

What you meant for evil God used for good.

Genesis 50 20

Before I went to church I had a discussion with my son about waiting for a sign before making a decision. Many people are telling me I should become a teacher. I was telling him that I feel that if it’s the right decision the way will be made easy for me. Over the past fifteen years I haven’t got a single job by interview, I’ve prayed and waited and at the right time someone has needed me. 


My son had a different point of view that God can use our mistakes and bad choices for good. He said I shouldn’t waste my time waiting for a damp fleece! 
(I had to look that up, it was Gideon asking for a sign before a battle).
And he said God can use our bad choices because he already knows the future.



Then in church today, the story of Joseph in Genesis. The brothers, selling Joseph for a slave, living for years with the burden of guilt and their father’s grief. Then finally all reunited and reconciled, God uses what they meant for evil to continue the story of the Israelites and prepare the way for Moses.


The Pastor talked about how God can use broken people with all their flaws and baggage to advance the kingdom. That God doesn’t use perfect people, he perfects people. 


My Great Uncle used to always advise “ a firm decision in good faith”.
  I’m not waiting for a damp fleece. But please God I would like a bit of a nudge?

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

linking up with Hear it, use it

The Bible stands...

The Bible stands like a rock undaunted
’Mid the raging storms of time;
Its pages burn with the truth eternal,
And they glow with a light sublime.

The Bible stands though the hills may tumble,
It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation,
For the Bible stands.

The Bible stands like a mountain towering
Far above the works of men;
Its truth by none ever was refuted,
And destroy it they never can.

The Bible stands and it will forever,
When the world has passed away;
By inspiration it has been given,
All its precepts I will obey.

The Bible stands every test we give it,
For its Author is divine;
By grace alone I expect to live it,
And to prove and to make it mine.

 Haldor Lillenas, 1917

We sang that great old hymn in church on Sunday. We were surrounded by Bibles as we are hosting a Bible exhibition. What a blessing to attend a church that's foundation is God's word.

Now I'm getting ready to have my life changed
This week our church starts a programme of Bible study called E100 from Scripture Union.
100 selected daily readings to cover Genesis to Revelation.It's challenging, it's exciting.
Our speaker on Sunday said the Bible can change lives. And Timothy says with it the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."By grace alone I expect to live it and to prove it and make it mine".

 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 16-17

linking with Hear it, Use it with Michelle at Graceful,

The end of the Summer holidays...

Went for a last summer walk with my hubbie on the downs before the start of term.

Took the pics on our phones so they're not great but you could just see the sea in the distance...

Do I matter?

Trying to be ever alert for the slightest nudge from God, I got the second of two almighty knockout punches this week. And a great and unwelcome revelation of the error of my ways…

I should have heeded the first sign but I didn’t want to. A lovely young woman was leaving work and had invited me to her leaving party. As the day came nearer I started to make excuses to myself. It’s twenty miles away, we can’t afford it, my husband needs me to cook his tea...
But the real reason was that I didn’t think I’d be missed. Didn’t think I really counted. With the fifty other people invited who would notice me.

The next day my friend said to me, “I’m so glad I made the effort to go. A dozen of us had to split the cost of a buffet for fifty as no one turned up.”  Well, I felt sick. I couldn’t make it right. I apologised but…

I know I matter to God. My name is written on his hand. Sometimes I can’t seem to get that I matter to other people too.

This week my church had thirty visitors for tea. The Pastor had mentioned that she might need some help. My mum was making cakes. Again I thought that there would be lots of people to help - the real important church members would turn up and I wouldn’t be needed. Poor mum popped down with the cakes, found Sarah alone making sandwiches and ended up serving sixty cups of tea and clearing up.

I don’t know when or how I started to feel so negative about myself. I know I would have been wanted at both occasions and would have enjoyed them. But I also know that it’s going to be hard to convince myself that I’m really wanted when the next invitation or request comes.

Here’s my plan. I hope it works. Paul says the church is a body. So even if I’m the tiniest smelly little toe, if I’m not there I will be missed. If God provides the opportunity for me to serve and the time free to do so, then I will serve.

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1 Corinthians

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands Isaiah 49 16

 linking up with Michelle at Hear it, Use it.