"Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops; What if Your healing comes through tears; What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near What if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?" //Laura Story; Blessings There are so many emotions, memories and other things tangled up in this, that I think we have not fully comprehended the extent of the decision that we have to make. But I've made a decision to submit, and I have to trust that God will lead us to where he wants to go, do what he wants us to do. Even when the night is dark, be the light by the side of our feet. Even when we cannot see the road ahead, be our eyes. Even when the going get tough, be our feet to carry us through.
"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens: 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 from embracing, 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." //Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 (NIV Version) And now, more and more, I'm certain that it is the time for moving on. That we have had a wonderful few years of building, growing and sowing together but now is the time when we will have to go on to new things. At the end of the discussion, David asked us several times whether we feel sad. After thinking about it, I don't think the right feeling is sadness. I think we can look back on the good times with fondness but also look to the future with excitement and anticipation. Afterall, the cell is for the people. The people are not made for the cell. So when the time has come for us to scatter stones, we will do so. At the same time, we can also move on to the new things that we are called to do. All along, I have known that I was called to do highlife cell ministry for two groups of people. That when these people reached the point of being ready for a new season in their lives, it would be time for me to move on as well. Now, I can sense that this point is here and I will have to learn how to let go and move on too. There are no regrets, no wasted time, none at all. For a time and place, we were called to be together and we will forever be brothers and sisters in Christ no matter where we move on to.
"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour is for life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
//Psalm 30:4-5 (NIV Version) Sometimes it feels like the night will never pass, that the things we struggle with will always be with us, preventing us from moving anywhere forward. But though the night is long, I know that joy will come with the morning. That although the chasm seems far too wide right now and I think I'll never reach the other side, you will carry me over, beyond and through. Soon and very soon. Till then, we walk each day by your strength. By aligning our actions, emotions and thoughts behind souls that have decided to live by faith. Believing that all your plans for us are good, to prosper us, to give us hope and a future. By faith, we build the rooms in our lives, believing that they have already been given to us. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, poured into our laps. And then we will look back and see the journey that we've been through, suddenly understanding the depth of your goodness to us. Soon and very soon.
"If faith can move the mountains, let the mountains move; We come with expectations, waiting here for You, waiting here for You; You're the Lord of all Creation and still You know my heart; The author of salvation, You've loved us from the start. Waiting here for You, with our hands lifted high in praise."
//Christy Nockels; Waiting Here for You We wait for you indeed, to be upon us. So that we will comfort all those who mourn, to provide for those who grieve, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. So that we will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour. So that we will no longer be caught up in our humanness, running everything in human wisdom, but to be restored to who you want us to be, doing things the way you want it to be done. Bear with us a little longer so that we will be changed for the better.
"Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days, He will revive us; On the third day, He will raise up, so that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain. Like the latter and former rain to the earth." //Hosea 6:1-3 (NKJV Version) The past two weeks have really been a time of testing and learning. That when I thought I was helping someone else's situation, God was actually using it to teach me more about the condition of my heart and the things that I needed to deal with before I could reach out to minister to someone who was facing a similar issue. The thought of that just reminds me of how constantly I need to keep watch on the emotions and thoughts that pass through my heart, that even when no one else knows what I am going through, God sees and God knows. And that it becomes very important that I need to commit everything I do into His hands, telling Him to take away the motives that are impure and make my heart pure as gold, so that I can serve Him from a place of humility and surrender. And I'm learning each and every day, that so many things need to be committed fully into His hands before I can step into leading others. That my affection, identity and providence needs to be vested completely into God's hands and not be left to man. If not, I would be serving simply to gain companionship, or worse, to satisfy my own very human desires to be loved and esteemed by others. Time and again, you remind me that at the end of everything, you are my very great reward. Nothing else that I get out of serving is better than you. So once again, remind me that it's all about you and all this is for you. It's not about me, as if you should do things my way. You are alone are God, and I surrender.
"If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey toward the stars?"
//G.K. Chesterton This week, I had a moment of deep realisation and it kinda changed my perspective on some things. Maybe it sounds like a cliche and it probably is, but when you're in need of epiphanies, something trivial can have great impact on how you see everything. And that's how it happened for me. She told me that when her mom explained the analogy to her, it just sounded plain ridiculous. But now it makes a lot of sense. Her mom said that life is like a bus journey. After you get on and choose a seat, different people come up and take the seat next to yours. Sometimes you enjoy the person who is next to you, sometimes you don't, sometimes no one sits next to you. As the bus meanders along to different stops, some people get off and new people get on. Sometimes these people stay on the bus for a really long time, sometimes these people get off after a few stops. So nobody is really constant in the same spot, the people on the bus keep changing, but the bus driver keeps on chugging along, bringing you to the end of life's journey. And for some reason, this analogy, cliched as it may be, really hit me hard. That the truth is, people in my life will come and go. Some may stay for a short while, some may stay for a lot longer. The only thing I can do is to be as good a friend as I can be to the people who are around me in that season of my life and then hope that they go on to better things, better people who can take better care of them. Lord, it's not an easy lesson. But I will learn it and put it in my heart for years and years to come.
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain." //1 Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV Version)
The past few months has truly been an exciting journey for me, one that has been so different from the past thirteen years of my walk with him. In the midst of it all, I am truly thankful that he has taken me from the depths that I was in and restored me. And today, he allowed me to receive one of the most amazing and affirmative news I've ever received in my life :)
Indeed, you are the one who moves all things into place, the one who heals the broken and raise up the called. I know that nothing is settled yet and that any transition will probably take some time, but I'm excited all the same for what has been proclaimed over my life. I still have time to mull over it and prayerfully consider the opportunity that has been given to me, but for now it's really been hard to contain my joy!
At the same time, I'm aware that there are costs to count in this venture. That this decision means a commitment to invest into other people's lives, and that this will take a lot out of me. I know also that I'm at an important crossroads in my life, and this decision will probably affect the course of my career, family and life in the future.
But I remember also, that it is your grace that has made me who I am today. And that your grace is not just going to stop with me, but it will overflow into other people's lives as well. So if I do make this decision, I want you to know that your grace towards me has not been in vain.
"Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops; What if Your healing comes through tears; What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near What if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?" //Laura Story; Blessings There are so many emotions, memories and other things tangled up in this, that I think we have not fully comprehended the extent of the decision that we have to make. But I've made a decision to submit, and I have to trust that God will lead us to where he wants to go, do what he wants us to do. Even when the night is dark, be the light by the side of our feet. Even when we cannot see the road ahead, be our eyes. Even when the going get tough, be our feet to carry us through.
"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens: 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 from embracing, 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." //Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 (NIV Version) And now, more and more, I'm certain that it is the time for moving on. That we have had a wonderful few years of building, growing and sowing together but now is the time when we will have to go on to new things. At the end of the discussion, David asked us several times whether we feel sad. After thinking about it, I don't think the right feeling is sadness. I think we can look back on the good times with fondness but also look to the future with excitement and anticipation. Afterall, the cell is for the people. The people are not made for the cell. So when the time has come for us to scatter stones, we will do so. At the same time, we can also move on to the new things that we are called to do. All along, I have known that I was called to do highlife cell ministry for two groups of people. That when these people reached the point of being ready for a new season in their lives, it would be time for me to move on as well. Now, I can sense that this point is here and I will have to learn how to let go and move on too. There are no regrets, no wasted time, none at all. For a time and place, we were called to be together and we will forever be brothers and sisters in Christ no matter where we move on to.
"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour is for life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
//Psalm 30:4-5 (NIV Version) Sometimes it feels like the night will never pass, that the things we struggle with will always be with us, preventing us from moving anywhere forward. But though the night is long, I know that joy will come with the morning. That although the chasm seems far too wide right now and I think I'll never reach the other side, you will carry me over, beyond and through. Soon and very soon. Till then, we walk each day by your strength. By aligning our actions, emotions and thoughts behind souls that have decided to live by faith. Believing that all your plans for us are good, to prosper us, to give us hope and a future. By faith, we build the rooms in our lives, believing that they have already been given to us. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, poured into our laps. And then we will look back and see the journey that we've been through, suddenly understanding the depth of your goodness to us. Soon and very soon.
"If faith can move the mountains, let the mountains move; We come with expectations, waiting here for You, waiting here for You; You're the Lord of all Creation and still You know my heart; The author of salvation, You've loved us from the start. Waiting here for You, with our hands lifted high in praise."
//Christy Nockels; Waiting Here for You We wait for you indeed, to be upon us. So that we will comfort all those who mourn, to provide for those who grieve, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. So that we will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour. So that we will no longer be caught up in our humanness, running everything in human wisdom, but to be restored to who you want us to be, doing things the way you want it to be done. Bear with us a little longer so that we will be changed for the better.
"Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days, He will revive us; On the third day, He will raise up, so that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain. Like the latter and former rain to the earth." //Hosea 6:1-3 (NKJV Version) The past two weeks have really been a time of testing and learning. That when I thought I was helping someone else's situation, God was actually using it to teach me more about the condition of my heart and the things that I needed to deal with before I could reach out to minister to someone who was facing a similar issue. The thought of that just reminds me of how constantly I need to keep watch on the emotions and thoughts that pass through my heart, that even when no one else knows what I am going through, God sees and God knows. And that it becomes very important that I need to commit everything I do into His hands, telling Him to take away the motives that are impure and make my heart pure as gold, so that I can serve Him from a place of humility and surrender. And I'm learning each and every day, that so many things need to be committed fully into His hands before I can step into leading others. That my affection, identity and providence needs to be vested completely into God's hands and not be left to man. If not, I would be serving simply to gain companionship, or worse, to satisfy my own very human desires to be loved and esteemed by others. Time and again, you remind me that at the end of everything, you are my very great reward. Nothing else that I get out of serving is better than you. So once again, remind me that it's all about you and all this is for you. It's not about me, as if you should do things my way. You are alone are God, and I surrender.
"If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey toward the stars?"
//G.K. Chesterton This week, I had a moment of deep realisation and it kinda changed my perspective on some things. Maybe it sounds like a cliche and it probably is, but when you're in need of epiphanies, something trivial can have great impact on how you see everything. And that's how it happened for me. She told me that when her mom explained the analogy to her, it just sounded plain ridiculous. But now it makes a lot of sense. Her mom said that life is like a bus journey. After you get on and choose a seat, different people come up and take the seat next to yours. Sometimes you enjoy the person who is next to you, sometimes you don't, sometimes no one sits next to you. As the bus meanders along to different stops, some people get off and new people get on. Sometimes these people stay on the bus for a really long time, sometimes these people get off after a few stops. So nobody is really constant in the same spot, the people on the bus keep changing, but the bus driver keeps on chugging along, bringing you to the end of life's journey. And for some reason, this analogy, cliched as it may be, really hit me hard. That the truth is, people in my life will come and go. Some may stay for a short while, some may stay for a lot longer. The only thing I can do is to be as good a friend as I can be to the people who are around me in that season of my life and then hope that they go on to better things, better people who can take better care of them. Lord, it's not an easy lesson. But I will learn it and put it in my heart for years and years to come.
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain." //1 Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV Version)
The past few months has truly been an exciting journey for me, one that has been so different from the past thirteen years of my walk with him. In the midst of it all, I am truly thankful that he has taken me from the depths that I was in and restored me. And today, he allowed me to receive one of the most amazing and affirmative news I've ever received in my life :)
Indeed, you are the one who moves all things into place, the one who heals the broken and raise up the called. I know that nothing is settled yet and that any transition will probably take some time, but I'm excited all the same for what has been proclaimed over my life. I still have time to mull over it and prayerfully consider the opportunity that has been given to me, but for now it's really been hard to contain my joy!
At the same time, I'm aware that there are costs to count in this venture. That this decision means a commitment to invest into other people's lives, and that this will take a lot out of me. I know also that I'm at an important crossroads in my life, and this decision will probably affect the course of my career, family and life in the future.
But I remember also, that it is your grace that has made me who I am today. And that your grace is not just going to stop with me, but it will overflow into other people's lives as well. So if I do make this decision, I want you to know that your grace towards me has not been in vain.
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