Category Archives: Hope

Beautiful Things

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Abby| 18 Comments

By Abby King

…but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Mark 4:19

Sometimes I feel it so strongly, the worries of this life crowding in. It’s not just my own concerns, but those of the people around me and the world in general. The disappointments, anxieties and injustices of life can weigh in heavy, choking the hope right out of a soul.

You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of us

A flicker of hope appears around the edges of my mind, starts to seep into my soul.

You make me new, you are making me new

Maybe it’s ok if all is dust and ashes right now, because we know the One who makes beauty from ashes, and creates new life out of chaos. Maybe if I’m still for long enough, I will begin to hear His song again. Maybe the silence will begin to heal and retune my heart so I can join in with it, and sing it out to the world, to myself.

You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of us

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Posted in Abby King, Hope, Journey, Patience, Power to change, Trusting God

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You Hold My World in the Palm of Your Hand

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Abby| 10 Comments

By Faith Rawley

On the 1st of December I fell off my bike whilst cycling home from work. I was
excited to get home that evening because my husband and I were going to put up
our Christmas Tree! But as the front wheel of my bike got caught on the curb of the pavement I was trying to mount, and I went toppling over face first into the concrete all my plans and thoughts instantly changed.

I don’t think I had a slow-motion experience as my bike and I fell over, in fact I don’t really remember what happened at all. Not because I blacked out, but more because I was in complete shock. I just remember pacing around in pain and disbelief of what had just happened. I then realised that I was bleeding from my mouth but I didn’t know what was wrong. I tried holding my gloves up to my mouth to control the blood as another cyclist stopped to see if I was alright. He kindly let me borrow his phone and I was able to call Ben (who had thankfully just arrived home from being in a different city all day!). Through tears I told Ben that I’d fallen off my bike and asked him to come and pick me up. This is going to sound really silly, but I sent the other cyclist away because I started to feel very self-conscious as I didn’t really know the extent of what was wrong with my face and I didn’t know what I looked like! I started to become aware that my lip didn’t feel right but all I could think was that I wanted to get home and wash my face and put a bandage on the cut whatever it was.

A lady runner, who was passing, stopped and insisted on waiting with me. I was very grateful for this even though I felt embarrassed and very emotional still. Finally Ben arrived in the car. He took one look at me and said we should probably go straight to the accident and emergency at the nearest hospital (the place I work incidentally). I started to feel a bit scared because I really didn’t know how bad the injuries were and as the adrenalin was disappearing I was becoming more aware of the pain.

Ben’s mum, Carole, drove us straight to the hospital then waited with us both. A&E was fairly quiet that evening so I didn’t have to wait as long as you might normally have to. Amazingly there was a maxillofacial doctor in the emergency unit that night so I had a specialist who could see me and assess my facial wounds. I had split my lip straight through and by this point it was already very swollen and was still bleeding. The area around my right eye was grazed and had taken quite a hit as I went down. The only other damage was a graze on my hand and bruises on my legs. I won’t go into the gory details but I had to have a local anaesthetic injection in my lip and then 5-6 stitches. I’d never had stitches before or even broken a bone so I did feel nervous about the whole ordeal.

Once the stitches were in and I was cleaned up I was sent off home with instructions that it would take at least a week for the stitches to dissolve and it would take a few weeks before the lip properly healed. Despite finding it difficult to eat, drink, talk or smile the healing is coming along very well and it doesn’t look like there will be much sign of the cut on my lip when it’s fully healed.

Overall the accident could have been so much worse than it was – I didn’t break any bones and the injuries were all fairly temporary. No cars were involved, which could have made it a lot worse, and I was wearing a cycling helmet!

The two days previous to the accident God had really impressed upon me the fact that He holds me in the palm of His hand. We had been preparing for Sunday worship and one of the songs we were going over was ‘With All I Am’ by Reuben Morgan, which has the line in it, ‘You hold my world in the palm of your hand’. As we were singing God really impressed this thought on me afresh and I knew God was speaking this directly to me. The next day I was helping Ben lead a session on hearing the voice of God with some of the young people of the church. We were reading the word and asking God to speak to us through it. As we read Isaiah 40, verse 12 stood out to me:

‘Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?’

I felt God again impressing on me that His hand is big enough to contain the whole world and I’m included in that. There’s nothing too big for Him but also there’s nothing too small for Him to notice and care about.

Even though I went through a whole host of emotions at the time of the accident and in the days and weeks following it, I have really known a strong sense of God’s peace like never before. The words that God had spoken to me before the accident brought life in that situation – they were just the words I needed to hear to still the fear and the shock of the situation. As I was sat in the emergency department I almost felt like there was a bubble of protection around me, just stilling me on the inside. I knew then the reality of what God had spoken – that He really was holding me in His hand and that I was safe there.

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Posted in Faith Rawley, Grace, Hope, Journey, Peace

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Don’t Be Afraid

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Abby| 5 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

Don’t be afraid
When the waves crash into you
Don’t be dismayed
We have this hope
He who created the waters laid a line
For the tide
And said
“ye angry waves be stayed, ye angry waters here be stayed”

Don’t be afraid
When the earth shakes underneath you
Don’t be dismayed
We have this hope
He who stretched out the heavens
Laid his hand on the land
And said
“ye angry pillars be stayed, ye angry pillars here be stayed”
The waves will cease
This old earth will fade away
But our hope endures always…

“I am with you always…
I am with you always, love”

I wrote this song a long time ago and it has been surfacing in my mind as the new year approaches. I was thinking about change and how you never really know what circumstances will appear with new seasons, new beginnings, or even tomorrow. However, there is one certainty, one sure truth to lean on…if you are walking with Jesus He is already before you in the upcoming season.  He has already secured your tomorrow. You are secure because Christ is secure.  He is in total control of all things, nothing can challenge Him or His word. Nothing. Though everything around you might shake or have the potential to become overwhelming, REST, you are hidden in Christ and nothing can separate you from Him.

“From the ends of the earth, I call to you when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me the towering rock of safety.” Psalm 61:2

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,”   Psalm 24:1

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New Year’s Resolution: Duty or Desire?

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Abby| 3 Comments

By Beth Hamstra

Every year for Christmas my mom gets me a cute new journal.  It has been a tradition over the last several years.  I love new journals!  So every year I do my best to fill it up…sometimes making up for lost time and extra pages in the month of December, eagerly anticipating a fresh new book to come December 25th.  I also try hard to wait out the final week of the year before letting the ink from my carefully chosen pen inaugurate the first page on January 1st.

I can’t tell you how many journals have begun with three to four pages of aggressive goals for the new year to put me back on my path toward perfection.  Wake up earlier, spend more time in the word and prayer, exercise every day, eat healthier, be a better ____________ (insert current season of life: student, employee, friend, sister, daughter, wife, mom, etc).

Talk about biting off more that I can chew!  I think you can figure out where this is going: Each year the goals are the same and each year I find that I am still far from the perfection I was seeking.

I haven’t forsaken my A-type tendencies all together, but in recent years by the grace of God, the beginning journal entries look a little different.  I’m starting to realize that change is not dependent upon my self-effort.  Don’t get me wrong, it definitely requires effort, but my faith is not in “pulling myself up by my bootstraps.”  I might be able to have a short-term fix of my situation that way, but long-term heart change happens by the grace of God.

We have just finished a series in Galatians at our church.  The entire series was very provoking but I want to convey some of the points from my pastor, John Leitzel’s sermon on November 13th.

Galatians 5:16 reads, “So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”  Some translations refer to the “sinful nature” as the “flesh.”   Paul’s exhortation here is to live by the Spirit.  The Spirit and the flesh are in constant opposition.  These are two different ROOTS; both producing fruit.

The root of the flesh: Duty

It’s not about making a long list of New Year’s resolutions and checking everything off.  Its not about having quality A, B, and C to make me a good Christian.  The Pharisees had all the “right” qualifications in that regard but Jesus was constantly rebuking them.  Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps to become a better Christian because “that is what I’m supposed to do” is living by the flesh.

The root of the Spirit: Desire

Instead of making my “perfect Christian” goals, I now start my journal off by penning a prayer to the Lord.  It looks a little something like this: “Lord, lead me by your Spirit this year.  I want my desires to line up with what your Spirit is saying and doing.  Help me to have a sensitivity to your voice and to be obedient when you speak.”  And then, instead of listing all of the areas I think I can improve on, I ask the Holy Spirit to highlight areas of sin or ways I should change.  And I rely on the grace of God to help me.

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Posted in Beth Hamstra, Grace, Holidays, Hope, Power to change

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The only thing we really need to remember in the new year…

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Abby| 2 Comments

By Abby King

One of the more unique gifts I received for Christmas was this:

It’s a ‘make-your-own Christingle kit.’ The Church of England use these things as symbols around this time of year to help us remember what is really important.

The orange stands for the world. The candle symbolises Jesus, the Light of the World.

The red ribbon (or strawberry lace, in this case!) reminds us of the blood Jesus shed.

Finally, the dried fruit and sweets are symbolic of God’s provision and creation.

And there it is, the Christingle. A simple, yet profound reminder to keep Jesus, His light, love and provision, at the centre of our world.

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This Path That I Am Standing On: Where I’ve Been – Where I am Going – and the Inbetween

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Abby| 1 Comment

By Sarah Field

Life seems to be moving along just fine now. This straight and narrow path that I ride:

GooduniversityGoodfriendsGoodchurchGoodfamilyGoodfianceGoodhouseGoodjob
GoodgradesGoodhealthGoodtimesGooddaysGoodsleepsGoodlaughsGoodthoughtsGoodpictures.

Good.

^Underneath the Good^…

are sediments laid in my foundation:

              RAGE                                lies                           bitterness

fear                                   bruises                    running                                                                       naivety

                             hiding                                                 drugs                                  revenge                   failing

cheating                                                   criesforhelp                          holesinwalls               running

                                                                                                        screaming                           smoke

 cold                         tears                                            apathy                                                           violence

                                                                                                        pain                                             insults

I look down

and see the rounded toes of my brown leather walking boots, and underneath the souls of them I feel the sturdiness of the solid and shiny beautiful marble floor beneath me.  The color variation mixed in from these sediments are no longer painful to look at or embarrassing for others to see. They look much different now, after they have been polished and placed within this new environment that I have never seen before. They bring a variation to this environment that enhances its beauty-not take away from it. My past pains being the sediment have mixed well with the cementing words that have brought me life in the places where I once felt dead.

I look onward>>> on this marble floor and see that it goes on past my current step. It is out of focus and grows dimmer as the space stretches on.  I can’t quite tell how long the path goes on for. My sight goes as far forward as it can focus but I give up from the strain of squinting and accept that if I really want to know, I have to go and see. My squinting releases as my sight slowly focuses clear again and follows the look of the marble path and pulls back at the spotlight that circles my feet in brown boots. Where did this light come from?! In my shock I start to sway back and feel a force of gravity pulling

                                                                           my heart p

          l

           u

             m

                m

                 e

                    t

                                                         s into my stomach!

*HUH!*

But….I catch myself just in time from falling over. Much to my surprise, the muddy sand I had been trudging through up to this point had disappeared and I almost fell over the edge into the black hole that was the only thing remaining. It is impossible for me to turn back now. I have nowhere to go but forward, but I am terrified of the unknown marble path that is before me.  I do not know where it goes, what will jump out at me, and I know I have to leave so much behind.

This is MY journey. No one else’s.

I feel lost, alone, and I am not sure where I will end up.

I stop. I Breathe. I concentrate.

Then I hear a voice within my spirit that assures me with three simple, yet extraordinarily profound words… “I am with you.”

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

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Perfect Timing

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Abby| 9 Comments

By Wendy Hitchen

‘But when the right time came, the time God decided on, He sent His Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew, to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that He could adopt us as His very own sons.’ (Gal 4:4 Living Bible Translation)

Every year, as Christmas approaches, I read the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus. And every year something different seems to catch my eye. This year I have been struck by the amount of verses in Luke’s retelling of the story that mention the word ‘time.’ I challenge you to read it again and read closely. What it says to me is that timing is really important and we should take note.

The first instance where Luke refers to the word ‘time’ is when the angel Gabriel tells Zechariah that he will have a son, even though he and his wife are past childbearing age. Gabriel says not to doubt his words but that they will come true at the ‘proper time’ (1:20). And they did! Soon after, Elisabeth fell pregnant and 9 months later, John was born. They must have been hoping and praying for a son for many years, and then he arrived in their old age! But his timing was important, as he prepared the way for Jesus in later years.

In another instance, Luke explains that once Mary and Joseph had arrived in Bethlehem, having been required to do so because of the census, ‘the time came for the baby to be born’ (2:6). This fulfilled a prophecy in the Old Testament foretelling the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). So the timing was important - Mary and Joseph needed to make a long journey to Bethlehem and Jesus was not born enroute…he was born at just the right time. In the right place. Fulfilling prophecy.

There are other verses that allude to timing but I will let you find them yourself. Looking at these well-known passages has reminded me that God has perfect timing.

For hundreds of years the Jewish people had been praying for a Messiah and they must have thought… ‘What is going on? We’ve prayed, we’ve fasted, we’ve held on to Your promises Lord, and still you haven’t come’. Did that mean that God had forgotten them? That He was running late?

NO!!!

He was waiting for the right time. The appointed time. The fullness of time. The time that He decided on. And it all came together in a dirty, dingy, smelly, pokey shed, in a small town in the Middle East. And the event changed the world.

It changed time too; it restarted our calendars and now that event marks the end of one era in world history, and the start of another.

So if you feel like the timing you had envisaged for a particular part of your life is not working out, be encouraged! It may not look like it now, but God’s timing is always perfect. I am so grateful for this fact and actually, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Against All Hope

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Abby| 5 Comments

By Faith Rawley

Romans 4:18 – ‘Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations’.

Try and put yourself into Abraham’s shoes for a moment to experience what he must have felt. He was 100 years old and his wife was 90. Over the whole time they had been married they had not produced a single child and were both now past the age of being able to conceive children. God had spoken to Abraham 25 years earlier, when he was 75, and told him that He would make him a great nation. Abraham had been carrying the promise that he would be the father of many nations for a long time already but nothing had changed for 25 years!

Sarah thought that she had the solution and so she gave her servant girl to Abraham and as a result Ishmael was born when Abraham was 86. But this was not what God had in mind. Another 14 years went by and even though Abraham pleaded with God to make Ishmael the son of promise, God had something else in store.

Abraham met with the Lord and again it was said to him that he would bear a child who would inherit the promises of God over Abraham’s life. Sarah was in complete wonderment and disbelief at this possibility. Then after a total of 25 years of carrying that promise, Sarah conceived a child and Isaac was born!

This could just be a nice story that we’ve all heard so many times before, but let’s just realise for a moment that these are real people who had a real situation to face. They also had a real promise and trust in a real God and that made the difference to their situation.

I’m sure that all of us at times seem to face ‘impossible’ situations – hopeless situations where there seems to be no way. We are against all hope! Maybe that situation is illness. Maybe it’s a family member or friend that you really want to see saved or rescued by God. Maybe it’s a financial situation that you can’t see your way out of. Or maybe it’s a dream that you have and you want to see it fulfilled but you’re not sure how it will happen. Whatever the situation the promises of God are certain and steadfast and even if we are carrying them for a long time God is faithful to his word.

I’m really stirred and challenged by the verse in Romans, describing how Abraham handled this deferred hope and promise. He chose to believe in hope against all hope and in the midst of feeling hopeless. I looked up some other words for hope to help to me understand better what Abraham’s action was. Hope can also be translated as ‘expectation’ or ‘confidence’. If we insert those into the verse in place of hope we get: ‘Against all expectation, Abraham believed in expectation!’ ‘Against all confidence, Abraham believed and was confident!’

We have the choice to stay focused in hopeless and lack of expectation or confidence. But instead let us be like Abraham who chose to believe in ‘hope’ itself – to believe in the man Christ Jesus, who is our hope. My prayer in the situations I am facing is the same as my prayer would be for you; that in the midst of hopelessness, failing expectation and lack of confidence God would give you supernatural hope, the ability to expect and the confidence to trust Him. As you hope in Him may the promises he has spoken over you come to fulfilment……regardless of how long it takes.

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A Christian response to inclusion – faith settings in a multi faith community

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Abby| 4 Comments

By Angie King

It’s Tuesday morning at 10 am and the church is full of life. About forty toddlers and their parents are enjoying a variety of activities. A young artist is enthusiastically spreading paint on the paper, deeply occupied in the process of experimenting with colour and texture. Volunteers ensure everyone is involved and support parents to play with their children.

The families accessing this stay and play group represent the diversity of the local community in this part of Birmingham. The majority are Muslims of Pakistani heritage, some women wearing the ‘niqab’ or face veil and many speaking little English.

The group started in 2000 in response to the challenge ‘If God has been at work amongst us we should be demonstrating His love in our community’. An assessment of local needs identified many isolated parents with young children and ‘Seedlings’ stay and play was started in response.

Of course 2001 is synonymous with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which led to great tension locally. There was an expectation that the neighbourhood would ‘go tribal’ as fear caused ethnic and religious groups to say ‘This is our culture, religion and space, you are not welcome’. The vision of the church was to provide a space in the community where everyone is welcome and can feel safe, valued and cared for, and so the Springfield Project was born. Links with the mosque and local community were forged and gradually attitudes within the Christian community changed. One volunteer remarked ‘We used to see Muslims as the enemy and pray against them, now they are our friends’.

By 2007 the Project was delivering a number of services to meet the needs of families with young children and was offered the opportunity of becoming a Children’s Centre, with funding to provide a full range of integrated services and a purpose-built centre. When the old church hall was demolished and services had to be delivered in the church while construction work was underway everyone wondered how the community would react. Would it cause a problem to Muslim families to come into the church for stay and play? On the first morning as families streamed into the church the fears were allayed. Those parents who did comment on the change of venue said they preferred the church stay and play because of the clear Christian values and the warm welcome.

Jesus spoke of the global community we all find ourselves part of in his parable of the Good Samaritan, loving our neighbours in attitude and action. May our hearts be open to include ‘others’ of different faiths as well as race and ethnicity.

 

Angie is Head of Centre at the Springfield Project in Birmingham, UK. She leads a team of 40 staff and 40 volunteers from St Christopher’s Church, other local churches and the community. Her goal is to see children and families reach their full potential.

Each Friday we focus on a particular topic. This month we are featuring the stories of women who are making a difference in their community.

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Posted in Angie King, Focus Fridays, Hope, Kingdom of God, Women who make a difference

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Get busy living, or…

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Abby| 3 Comments

By Lizzie Booth

I’m not green-fingered. At all. In fact my fingers seem to have somewhat of the touch of death about them where plants are concerned. In my teens I had a beautiful rose-themed room filled with (wait for it) cactus after cactus after cactus. They were the only plants I could keep alive long enough to enjoy. Imagine my horror when a dearly loved acquaintance presented me with the gift of an orchid. My first words, granted, should have been, “Will you mind it undergoing a slow and painful death at my hands?” Being solidly British however, I responded with the obligatory, “Thank you so much, it’s beautiful!”

I’ve never been able to figure out how to take care of it, but I’ve had a good go. Much to my utter amazement it re-flowered after a year. My flabber was gasted. My a was mazed. Renewed fervour filled my soul and with diligence and love I cared for it faithfully, month after month.

Months turned into years and still nothing. Hope faded like the green of its once verdant leaves, and that was when the inner struggle started. Should I hold onto hope, despite all appearances, trusting that, whatever happens, I have at least been faithful to this living thing, wholly dependent on me for any chance at life? Or should I let it die, knowing that the chance of it bursting to brilliance again lessens with each passing season?  Life has taught me that the more we hold onto hope the more painful disappointment can be. The temptation to let a dream, a hope, a passion, a vision die can be overwhelming.

It seems to me that one of the most important questions in life is, ‘Is it time to hold on or time to let go?’ Looking back, my major joys and heartaches have been rooted in getting that right or getting it wrong. Knowing, as Red says in the film The Shawshank Redemption, that in each difficult situation we must get busy living or get busy dying. The poet king Solomon said a similar thing when he was pondering the nature of life, the universe and everything. It’s from the book of Ecclesiastes in the bible, chapter 3:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.”

Knowing the time we are in is so vital. We cause ourselves unnecessary pain when we are unable to let go of things that we need to and rob ourselves of much joy when we fail to hold on, fearing the cost of hope, when new life and beauty is closer than we could have imagined.

Below is a picture I just took of my orchid, what it looks like today, how it’s doing, proof of whether or not I was right to keep going with it. Have a look at the photo now, if you haven’t already.

It’s what you hoped you’d see, isn’t it?

Yeah, me too.

 

Lizzie Booth lives in the charmingly English county of Hampshire, where she teaches drama and helps with the leadership of West Basingstoke Community Church.

 

 

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