Live Strong....

I've been thinking a lot about strength over these last few days....

Lance Armstrong has coined the expression "Live Strong" for his cancer charity, but living strong is a clear bible theme through both good times and bad times....

After a disastrous time, David (1Sam 30:6b) "...found strength in the Lord his God"...and...

After a successful time, David sang (Psalm 18:1-2),"I love you, O Lord, my strength...the Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer...my God is my rock" (Wish I knew the tune !)

And some other favourites...

"The Lord is the strength of His people" (Ps 28:8)

"Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." (Eph 6:10)

With that in mind I'm toying with thoughts of trying to find some suitable part time work. I was originally planning to leave it until next year but think it would be good to do sooner rather than later.....there's a finite amount of dog walking, shopping trips and house cleaning that a man can stand !! Guess I'd better start praying then.....

Another gaspathon.....

Well...the big race took place on Sunday - my only Olympic-distance triathlon this year (I was just warming up and the season is ending....doh!)

Sadly I didn't finish in the top 10 (!!) but did manage to finish in the top 100 (!) with a reasonable time (considering the amount of training put in) of just under 2hours 45mins - but it was the most enjoyable race I think I've done simply because I did it alongside my great friend - and we worked hard all the way through the swim, bike and run legs...all the way to the finish line...together !!
There's a few photos on the internet here if you're interested !

As I completed the gruelling 10km run at the end of the race I had 2 scriptures on my mind (whilst gasping for breath !!) -
1 Cor 9:24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize"
1 Tim 4:8 "For physical training is of some value but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
We made it to the end of the race - alive !!

Yesterday I couldn't get out of my mind that God is a "consuming fire" (Heb 12:29) and through tears I was reminded that He wants all of me, my passions, my desires, my hopes, my fears, my time, my energy..... after all that's happened over this last year, life can never be the same again and the call to follow Jesus, to take up my cross, and to live for His glory and for His purposes, feels stronger for me now than it's ever been.....
Let's face it, based on Sunday's mediocre performance, I'm never likely to win a triathlon anyway ;-)

Back to school....

....Thank goodness for that !!

Just to be with you, I will give everything....

This is one of my top favourite songs at the moment - you might like to listen here !

My Spurgeon bible reading notes this morning are absolutely spectacular :-

Isaiah 65:19 "I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress"

Spurgeon writes :
"In heaven the glorified do not weep, for all outward causes of grief are gone. There are no broken friendships, nor unfulfilled longings in heaven. Poverty, famine, danger, persecution, and slander are unknown there. There will be no pain to distress us, no anxious thoughts of death or bereavement to sadden. Those there do not weep, for they are perfectly sanctified. No evil heart of unbelief prompts them to depart from the living God; they are faultless before His throne and fully conformed to His image. Well might they stop mourning since they have stopped sinning. They do not weep, because all fear of change is past. They know that they are eternally secure. Sin is shut out, and they are shut in. They are safe in a city that will never be taken; they bask in a sun that shall never set; they drink of a river that will never run dry; they pluck fruit from a tree that will never wither. Countless cycles may revolve, but eternity will not be exhausted; and while eternity endures, their immortality and blessedness shall endure with it. They are forever with the Lord. They do not weep because every desire is fulfilled. They cannot wish for anything that they do not have. Eye and ear, heart and hand, judgement, imagination, hope, desire and will - all the faculties are completely satisfied...they bathe themselves in the bottomless, shoreless sea of infinite blessing. That same joyful rest awaits us. It may not be too long before the weeping willow is exchanged for the palm branch of victory, and sorrow's tears will be transformed into the pearls of everlasting bliss."

What a confidence!
What a calling!
What a hope!

Truly, Karena has arrived home. Wish I was there too.

I am His and He is mine...

6 months on....

Song of Songs 6:3 - "I am my beloved's and He is mine, he grazes among the lillies. " (ESV)

Matthew Henry commentary describes it thus :

"Christ's church is a garden, enclosed, and separated from the world; he takes care of it, delights in it and visits it.....When Christ comes to his church, it is to entertain his friends. And to take believers to himself : he picks the lillies one by one, and at the great day, he will send forth his angels to gather all his lillies, that he may be forever admired in them. The death of a believer is not more than the owner of a garden plucking a favourite flower; and He will preserve it from withering, yea, cause it to flourish forever, with increasing beauty. If our own hearts can witness for us that we are Christ's, question not his being ours, for the covenant never breaks on his side. "

Jesus is emmanuel; God with us. I'm so glad ;-)

Hold me in Your arms....

I had a song buzzing around in my mind yesterday (Check it out here) as I once again recalled the events of Feb 12th with tears in my eyes, as I wandered through Reading town centre.
Aside from me, I am aware of so many other people with life-challenging situations - alcohol addiction, grieving the death of a precious husband, work related stress, bad news about an unborn child.....

What's the answer to all of this ?
It's in the God who never leaves nor forsakes us - the answer is in that precious relationship which has been made available through Jesus' death and resurrection. So glad He's with me through every step of life.....I marvel how anybody can do life without Him?!
When everything else is stripped away, when all else fails, when credit cards can't buy the answer, when people can't meet the need, when bereavement happens (as surely it will), Jesus still remains....the same yesterday, today and forever....a rock, a fortress, reliable, dependable, faithful, caring, loving, healing....

Song Lyrics :

I long to know You
Only You can satisfy
I long to touch You
Only You can heal my life

I can't find peace in the things I do
I need to see Your kingdom
I can't find peace as I strive for You
I need to see Your face

Hold me in Your arms
Don't ever let me run away
Hold me in Your arms my Father
Say You'll stay, say You'll stay.

People, people, people....

Yesterday was utter madness....a ferry to the Isle of Wight nice and early and then 64 miles / 4 1/2 hours later and Sean, James and I had circum-navigated the Isle of Wight on our rocket-bikes. For more details, on our epic adventure, see the Green-boy's blog

I was thinking that we must be clinically insane (we probably are!) - but it turned out to be an enjoyable day :-)

I ask myself sometimes why I do these things - and when it comes down to it, it's not really the 'thing' that's enjoyable, it's doing the 'thing' with people that I love that really makes the big difference....these last months have made me appreciate the importance of close friends and family more and more.

So today, I bought some sunflowers for myself and some for a family that I love dearly, just because they are a radiant example of God's creation, they made me smile, and because life is all about knowing God's presence and is also about people, people, people....

In better words than any I can muster up, Jesus said it this way..."Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind, AND... love your neighbour as yourself" (Matt 22:37-39)

My challenge to you today is to tell those closest to you that you love them - they probably know it already - but tell them anyway face-to-face if you can......and why not phone a friend and tell them the same thing. It'll brighten their day, your day and I'm sure God will be smiling too :-)