by emma | Sep 28, 2007 | Faith
I’m going to Edinburgh tomorrow for the day…
I’m learning that I need to be alone to rest and refresh. I’m learning that I need to plan regular time in where I do that. If I don’t, other things (good, worthwhile things) will crowd in and I wont rest. I’m learning how much I need to depend on Jesus for everything.
I’m also learning how much I talk and don’t do. There is such a dichotomy between what I say and what I do. I’m working on that one. I long to be a person of integrity. I long to be someone whose yes is yes and no is no. Someday I will be that person.
So, tomorrow I am in Edinburgh. On my own. With a book or two. A few cups of coffee. A park visit. Hopefully lunch in my favourite restaurant there. A camera. I will be unobtainable for the most part. See you on Sunday… perhaps!
by emma | Sep 25, 2007 | Faith, Words
“The truth is, we’re always a bit restles. We’re supposed to be. This is not a flaw in our faith, it is faith’s substance. It is a divine ruse to keep us from making permanent settlement this side of eternity…
When we recognise that our loneliness, our hunger, our weariness, our disappointment – that these are not final verdicts but only rumours of things unseen, it changes their meaning. It empties them of their power to defeat us. It fills them with an energy to spur us toward deeper hope.”
[The Rest Of God – Mark Buchanan]
I finished this book today (sitting in the blazing sunshine in Offshore drinking a coffee… it’s good!) and came across this gem of a passage as it draws to a close. When I read this, I suddenly went, “yes!” That’s me. Restlessness is ok, it leads to deeper dependancy on Abba, God. All the things I battle with, they lead depper into Abba. I am constantly being reminded how much all is required of us is to lift our eyes of ourselves and fix them on Jesus… he’ll do the rest.
by emma | Sep 5, 2007 | Faith
“The apostle Paul says we’re only clay pots – dust mixed with water, passed through fire. Hard, yes, but brittle too. Knowing this, God gave us the gift of Sabbath – not just as a day, but as an orientation, a way of seeing and knowing…
Sabbath imparts the rest of God – actual physical, mental, spiritual rest, but also the rest of God – the things of God’s nature and presence we miss in our busyness.”
[Mark Buchanan]
I’m thinking a lot about making space in my life. Making space for God to speak/act/be. Making space for me to breathe/live/love/be. Making space. Just started reading this book, The Rest Of God, in an attempt to learn more. Love this quote from it… especially the part about being hard but brittle. I’m starting to learn to slow down, stop, rest… be.
by emma | Aug 30, 2007 | Faith, Travel
I am realising over and over again how restless I am. I can’t keep my feet on the ground, can’t sit still. I want to be on the move. I want to be away out and free of the issues of daily living in the west. Or maybe even just free of the hassels of living in the UK. I feel alive when I travel. When I’m out on a wing and a prayer and all I’ve got is God in me. When I’m loving others.
Travel is deeply spiritual to me. I experience so much of God when I travel… new sights and sounds and people and places. People mostly. I met some incredible people this summer.
Anatoli has the biggest grin I’ve ever seen.
Tima likes to drive fast on dirt track roads, and yet he’s willing to come pick up a bunch of foreigners and drive for 4 hours in the middle of the night to get us to where we need to be.
Liga, Dima, Vicka… so many kids who stole my heart.
Levi, a man who has the love of Jesus overflowing his heart, who slips in and out of prayer without skipping a heartbeat. I want to have that too.
Jill, someone I should have met a long time ago, who has many of the same questions, issues and struggles as I do.
John and Ali, people with a passion for justice and the Kingdom come.
So many Spark-ers with a love for our own community.
And so many more… I can’t possibly name them all. I am so thankful for the opportunity to travel and to meet people that I have had this summer.
But this restlessness? Is it good? Is it ok? The reality is right now I live in Glasgow, I live in the western world. How do I become someone who lives out their convictions and pursues their passions in a place that stifles dreams, disregards Jesus, and is all about bigger, more, ‘better’?
I’m thinking a lot about what it means to make space in my life at the minute. I think that’ll be another post… but any thoughts?
by emma | Aug 23, 2007 | Faith
I spent last night on the North Coast with a ‘random’ (I use that word with hesitation… random to each other, completely individually chosen by God) mish-mash of friends and friends of friends, seeking God. Literally, some friends just decided they wanted to set aside time to seek God, and organised several nights of waiting on God… prayer, worship, etc.
God is on the move.
God is on the move on the North Coast. God is on the move in my life. God is on the move.
Remember the vision of Generation 24?
This is it.
by emma | Aug 19, 2007 | Faith
I got to go to my church in Glasgow this morning for the first time in a few months. It was such a privillege to be back… I really do love this place. It was great to worship with friends (family), and to get to chat to folks I haven’t seen in ages. I got a suprise when I discovered that John is moving to NI… not a shock, because it totally fits them down to the ground. Will be sad to see them go, but I’m excited for them.
Jen said something at the start of praise this morning that really hit me:
“Take me to the cross, and I’ll find my way from there…”
I love that image. The cross is central. The cross is the key to everything. It’s where I find my identity. When I’m weak, take me to the cross. When I’m excited, take me to the cross. When I am apathetic, take me to the cross. When I’m full of joy, take me to the cross.
It’s home. It’ll always lead me home.
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