I am what I am.

It has been a year and a half roughly since I set this up and did my first blog entry. With this being my second it is clear this past year and a half has not gone as I thought it would. But with the Paralympics about to start and the inspirational stories from the athletes I felt compelled to make my second entry.

One story in particular vividly spoke to me and that was the story of Martine Wright. If you do not know who I am referring to then I suggest you look it up. It spoke to me because it reminded me of a conversation I had with a dear friend whilst in Starbucks over the weekend. My friend had sat there trying to recall a passage of scripture that had spoken to her. The Passage was 1 Corinthians 15:10:

'But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.'

This quite short passage has many different levels to it and it is the multitude of levels that spoke to me. There I was sat with a friend who had just received a shockingly personal attack in a letter which to me highlighted some of the meaning behind this verse. The grace of God had transformed my friend into a new person, although I did not know her before she encountered his grace she has told me stories of what her life used to be like. And the contrast is huge. She is who she is because of the grace of God taking her from where she was and transforming her into someone new.

But anway that is enough about my friend, I could write many more blog entries on God's evident work in her life but that is not for me to do. Back to Martine Wright. Here is a woman who whether she realises it or not is still alive by the grace of God. It was a miracle that she lived and instead of lamenting about her current physical state she instead accepted that she is who she is and embraced it to now be taking part in the Paralympics.

It makes me reflect on how my life has been changed by the grace of God and whether i am just sat around lamenting at the 'hand i've been dealt'. I would like to think that all who know me know how much that is. Even over my two years at Moorlands I can clearly see how I have been changed, no, moulded, into the person I am now. I still have many flaws but by the grace of God I am what I am and by the grace of God I will be what I will be. I have no idea what this may entail yet but his grace is not without effect and that is what fills me with confidence going forward. I do not know what I will be doing this time next year or even where I will be. But He is guiding me and moulding me and by the grace of God I am what I am.   

God's Mission

I don't know why, but i feel like i'm being told to start a blog, to start a way to communicate and update others of the different chapters of my life or just any thoughts of note as they evolve. So here goes.

'Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.' Jeremiah 17 v 7

God's mission... it's a concept we as Christians think we understand and some of us might. But how important is God's mission to you? Do you sit around on a day to day basis stressing about relationships, money, success and any other personal issues you have? Or do you sit around and stress about what can I do to help God's mission? Is God's mission not far greater then any worries or opposition we may face?

Today I heard a great quote from John Piper: 'Mission exists where worship doesn't' this really hit the nail on the nead for me. If there are still people who aren't worshiping God, then we still have a job to do. And i'm sure you'll agree that there are many places today in which people aren't worshiping God, we need not look further then the road we live on to find some normally. So why dwell on ourselves and be inwardly focused when we are called to be outwardly focused. In the Great Commission we are told to GO, yet we still decide to stay and try to sort out our own issues. But don't you think that by going out and doing the mission God has given us that the issues we face and the struggles we have might be dealt with along the way as we learn to fully rely on God and trust in his strength and not our own. Don't get me wrong, i am not saying run away from all your issues whenever you face them, and i am not saying you can never settle down anywhere. What i am saying, is have a look around where you are, are there people who aren't worshiping God? If there are, what are you going to do about it?

Now I am not some super spiritual Guru who knows all the answers, but i am a guy who is fed up with society passing the buck and claiming that everything is all good, when in fact we are just ignoring God's mission he has given us. Let us unite together as the one body that we are and accept God's mission to take worship to wherever there isn't any be that, your work, your school or even your street. Take a look around and let's start bringing light to this world as this is not mission impossible, as through God all things are possible.