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.

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Recently I’ve been praying for discernment. I wanted the ability to understand the signals, the nudging that God was giving me. It’s been a scary time for our family as my husband was made redundant at such a bad time in the economy. We were provided for financially and it was a blessing for him to escape an abusive work environment but just to wait on the Lord was hard.

All I could pray for was for God’s will to be done..

Over the last twelve weeks, as my husband has gone for interviews, I’ve prayed for each one to be the right one. Okay I didn’t like the one that involved a two hour drive home every night but maybe God thought that was right for our family.
When he didn’t get what we thought was his perfect job, I prayed for understanding. Well, I didn’t need that much understanding as the company went into receivership the next week.

The thing I was afraid to ask for, or even to hope for was what I thought this family needed - a local job, no late nights, a good employer.

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do,

For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."

Matthew 6:7-8   

 Well, God gave my husband a job. He can walk to work, finishes at 5.30, (unusual in his line of work), has had a training course and there’s a pension. And, (and this is practically unheard of in retail) they close Christmas Eve!  God  answered our unasked prayer and provided just what was needed.

 linking up with Pages in Your Heritage of Faith . I don’t feel like I'm as eloquent as the other great contributors but this is my witness to answered prayer and God’s faithful provision. 

And also linking up with Hear it, Use it .I love reading everyone's encouraging words.

What would Jesus do, hug a hoodie?

Terrible events have shocked our nation. The police have stood by watching while people’s homes have been burned. Angry mobs have ransacked and destroyed people’s businesses. A sixty eight year old man has died after being attacked for trying to put out a fire.

The perpetrators have faced up to us in their designer clothes saying they are entitled to protest because they have nothing.

The papers want to evict them from their social housing, take away their benefits. Our taxes are supporting their bad choices.

Returning early from his holiday the Prime Minister says

" There are pockets of our society that are not only broken, but frankly sick"

   He adds  ‘We needed a fightback and a fightback is under way.’ I find a Christian colleague has started a vigilante group to fight  ‘the yobs’. Other people set out to clean up the community with brooms. There is a peace rally in Birmingham led by the father of  someone who died defending his community.

Someone asks what would Jesus do?

My pastor shares this link on facebook

Jesus came not for the righteous but the riotous

And I understand what Jesus would do, what he did.

10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^a For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Matthew 9

Glen says it so well I'm going to quote him

" Jesus is the Doctor for the sick.  Only for the sick.  Don’t spend your time pointing the finger at others.  Don’t spend your time thinking, thank goodness I’m not like those bad people.  Don’t pick up a broom if you think that by it you can clean yourself up.  Confess your sickness: “Jesus I am sick, heal me.”

Jesus is a Doctor for sick sinners. He did not come into this world to congratulate the healthy, He did not come to condemn the sick.  He came to heal the sick – that’s what a Doctor does.

He did it by taking our spiritual sickness into Himself.  He deliberately contracted our terminal illness.  On the cross he died the death of sick looters, sick politicians, sick policemen, sick journalists, sick hypocrites, sick me and sick you.  That’s how much He is for the sick.  Then He rose up again and offers to meet you in your sickness – not with condemnation but with healing.

And that’s the only power to change rioters, and politicians and police and the media and you and me.

I’m not just broken, I’m sick.  Thank God there’s a Doctor!  Call out to Him now to receive His care.  And take this Gospel from me to read about Jesus who came for the sick."

linking up with Michelle at Graceful

My first amigurumi

Found the pattern in an old knitting magazine from a charity shop.

I was quite pleased with how he turned out as I am pretty much self-taught.

The dog and youngest son both seem to think I made it for them!