Tag Archives: God

Roll up for the mystery tour

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Genesis 12:1

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your Father’s house to the land that I will show you”

 

This verse always fascinates me and I think about it often.  If we research the scripture there is an interesting interpretation of ‘Father’s house’. It means the ‘place that provides’. When we think about our lives, that would be our place of work. The verse goes on to say ‘to the land that I will show you’. Meaning, have faith in Me (God) and I will show you exactly the right place to be. 

It’s possible that some of us are under difficult circumstances at work or we feel like there’s something better out there for us. Something more fulfilling or rewarding. It could be where we are already working but a different position or project. But we’re fearful of leaving the ‘place that provides’. Pray hard to God and ask Him to ‘show you the land’.  Things become a little more exciting (with a small dose of fear) when we know God has a plan and a place for us. If we have the faith, He has the place!

noroton-station_1Noroton Heights station after a recent snowfall

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for our place of work and the gift of work. Guide us in the work place and show us where You want us to be – Amen!

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The Light.

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John 8:12

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying “I’m the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’

noroton-station-3

Since the beginning of this year I have rediscovered my passion for photography. ‘Light’ is one of the things that I can’t get enough of. As winter rolls on, the sunrise and sunset times are slowly changing and I’m very aware of when. The best thing about it is a connection I make with God and a heightened awareness of His creation. It’s amazing how the most mundane things can look beautiful under His light. The picture above was shot at around 6:30am at Noroton Heights train station. Not incredible, but certainly it’s Gods work peeking over the trees on the horizon. Our passions can find that connection with God. Think about it today and see if you can find a connection through your passions. 

 

Pray with me.

Heavenly Father, we give thanks for Your Light in this world. May that light shine even brighter when we make that connection with You – Amen!

The Next Day

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In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven – Matthew 5:16

Yesterday was a day of service at our church. Over 400 people went out into the community to serve in many ways. Yard work, delivering food, singing at a homes for the elderly, clearing trash and lots of other things.

At the end of the day we had a service of celebration and some testimonies from the day. One person encouraged us to take the feeling of joy we had that day and to carry it on the next day and continue to show the light to others. It was a great insight I thought. Is that always possible in the work place? It’s difficult. When doing things with fellow christians it’s not too difficult to behave in the way God would want us to. We encourage and support each other. The scripture above was the theme for our service day. But it’s the theme for every day as it is straight out of The Bible.

There’s a short video of the day below. A lot of joy. A lot of happiness. But just one day. How about a video for every day. What would that look like for us? It’s an interesting question. Throughout the video you will see words like Thanking, Caring and Loving. Words that are appropriate for every day.

So, April 3rd was our official day of service. Let’s try and make April 5th one as well

Do the right thing.

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romans7-15

There are some verses in The Bible that feel like they were written today. The verse  above from Roman’s is one of them. And it’s one of those verses that makes me smile. If you read it again, read it as someone who’s frustrated and waving their arms around in the air. Almost like they’ve done something over and over again but can’t stop themselves doing it.

Business is a tough place. We’re all jostling for position and trying all we can do to make an impression. Sometimes, we find ourselves doing something just because we’re fighting to keep our jobs. It could be something we say in a meeting or a decision we make that we know is doing ‘the very thing we hate’. Awareness of doing the wrong thing is good. But doing the right thing is a big step. It may put us to the bottom of the list in a promotion or jeopardise our position in the company.

Pray to God for wisdom as you go to work today. Pray that he will guide your heart and head. Allow him to enter into a situation at work and give you the right words and actions. Ruled by God’s plan for you and not your own ambitions. Romans goes on to say in verse 8 – ‘If God is with us who can be against us’ and in Matthew 34 – ‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own’. It doesn’t get more right than that.

Pray with me.

Heavenly Father, Guide my thoughts, words and actions today at work. Be with me in every situation so I can glorify You – Amen!

 

Certainly.

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Job 19:25

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth

The snow has prevented any early morning running. So, instead I walk to work, which is about a 50 minute walk to Downtown Boston. On my way into work there are some days when the beauty is breathtaking. Fresh snow, blue skies and bright, vivid light. It’s a treat to be able to do that walk. When I was walking yesterday morning a young man was clearing snow on the sidewalk. He moved to the side to let me pass. I said ‘Thank you’ and he replied, with a smile, ‘Certainly’. Yes, I thought to myself, certainly. With all the beauty, the kindness of the people around me and my good health that allowed me do the walk, certainly there must be someone behind all of this. Certainly, there must be God. The world is full of terrible things that make us question His existence and His kindness. But surely, no one else can design a shrub that can survive a brutal winter and still produce beautiful flower come Spring. Or design a sky so blue that it contrasts perfectly with the whiteness of the snow that can be rolled into balls and sculpted into a snowman, all for the joy and pleasure of young children. Not forgetting the sound design of laughter that comes with that. Look around you today. Take in what has been designed around you. Really look closely. And be certain of God – Amen!

Let's hope there's no fires!

Let’s hope there’s no fires!

The view from my basement window. Is there anybody out there!

The view from my basement window. Is there anybody out there!

My walk to work. Where is everyone?

My walk to work. Where is everyone?

Can't take a seat and rest!

Can’t take a seat and rest!

Strange thing, mystifying.

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Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all you heart, and do not lean on your own understanding

I love the words ‘Strange’ and ‘Mystifying’. I find the unexplained and the unknown fascinating. Strange thing, mystifying is the title of a song from Jesus Christ Superstar. The disciples can’t understand why Jesus decides to hang out with tax collectors and prostitutes, even though Jesus has told them over and over again what it means to be a follower of Him. Sometimes what happens in our work lives makes no sense. We work hard for a company for 20 to 30 years and then we find ourselves surplus to a company’s requirements. Strange thing, mystifying. Or we get demoted and not promoted. Strange thing, mystifying. The perfect presentation falls flat or you’re the perfect candidate for a job but you don’t get the job. Strange things, mystifying. We may spend all of our careers wondering why things that should happen, don’t. Or why we don’t have what others have. But following God means taking the road least expected. The good news is He’s on that road with us and He has a plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you.” declares the Lord,” plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Have faith. Pray and keep praying. Think of the unknown as a fascinating and exciting thing. Don’t try to work it out by yourself. Instead, accept that It’s unknown to us but not to Him. Strange thing, mystifying!

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, we give our lives and careers to you. Bless us Lord and show us grace as we navigate the path with you – Amen!

 

 

 

 

The strength of silence

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Proverbs 17:28

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

 

In the work place, lots of talking and strong opinions can be the sign of someone who knows what he or she is doing and one to be listened to. Or at least, that’s the perception. But I’m more in agreement with the Proverbs verse. In whatever situation silence is strong. Whether there is an aggressive voice in the room or a voice that just keeps talking to try to make a point, there will come a point when silence will prevail or be rewarded. Staying calm in a heated discussion or hearing people out and then peacefully and thoughtfully stating an opinion nearly always works. And listening carefully allows us to really hear what people say. Many times, I am asked “And what’s your opinion Andy” and that’s usually the last opinion in the meeting. Whether it’s agreed on or not isn’t the point, it’s simply an effortless and less stressful way to go about the day. And that is the point. When we read God’s word and abide by it, things become much easier. Those words have been written as a guide for our lives. Not for us to read, agree with and then go off and do the opposite. Enough said!

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, hold our tongues today as we enter the work place. We want to be wise with our words and show strength by being at peace – Amen!

 

quieter

Do you consider your work a gift?

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Genesis 2:15

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Do we think of our work as a gift from God? I sometimes do. But not always. But if I think back to 2014 and break the year out month by month I’m in awe of the amount of opportunities, blessings and grace that God showed me. The places I was able to visit with my work and the people I had the opportunity to work with and meet. I remember thinking it was a real grind to go to Wisconsin for 3 days especially as it’s not that easy to get to from Boston but what came out of that was wonderful. And on my birthday I  worked on a project that I realized was a true gift from God. There were countless other projects that I appreciated and others that I didn’t. But I should be thankful for all of them even though some seemed painful at the time. If I look back, I now know why those opportunities came my way because I know the outcome. Faith is all about not knowing and that’s contrary to our human instincts of wanting to know. So, this year let’s be thankful for all our opportunities at work regardless of what we think of them at the time. Even that 6:30am flight out of La Guardia!

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, we give thanks for our work. We pray that we will see every work opportunity as a blessing in 2015 – Amen!

HERE’S JUST A FEW PLACES WORK TOOK ME TO IN 2014

October Filming in Wisconsin

October Filming in Wisconsin

Filming In Prague in April

Filming In Prague in April

Working in the rain in London

Working in the rain in London

My work to me to London in September where I could meet my Dad

My work to me took me to London in September where I could meet my Dad

Work takes me to the Bahamas in March

Work takes me to the Bahamas in March

Christmas every day.

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2 Corinthians  9:15

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift

This time of year does give us time to appreciate the true gift of Christmas. Our savior, Jesus Christ. Sadly, it’s too often a gift we throw away in favor of more material gifts. But God shows us grace and continues to present His gift to us every day. There was a Christmas song when I grew up – ‘I wish it could be Christmas every day’ which is  all about Christmas trees, snow, gifts and food. That would get boring very quickly but with Jesus it is Christmas every day. The precious gift that is waiting, freshly wrapped every morning when we wake up. Happy Christmas!

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, You are our indescribable gift. Forgive us when we discard You for our own selfish gifts. We thank You that You are here for us every day – Amen!

Here’s the song. Enjoy!

A Fantastic Journey

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Proverbs 3:5-6

I trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. In all my ways I acknowledge Him and He directs my path

One of the things I’ve become more aware of is what it means to have a relationship with God. I think it is quite easy to get involved in the relationship and to trust God but at the same time not enjoy it. Most journeys should be fun and exciting. Think about the movies. Dorothy was ‘off to see the wizard’ but she had many mini-adventures on her way. So what is it that sometimes makes it a struggle for us on our journey? For me, it’s occasionally not accepting the fact that it’s the way God wants it to be instead of what I want it to be. Even though I am following God’s way, I’m not happy with the way it’s going. I reluctantly follow it. But that’s a waste of my energy and time. Many passages in the Bible talk about being joyful in everything even in the tough times. I sometimes find that hard to grasp but I try to go with it anyway. I have decided to make it simple. Regardless of what happens I will try and be happy that it’s part of God’s plan. And when I do that it by far outweighs the fact that I may not personally be happy with any outcome or situation I find myself in. To put it simply, if I don’t get a promotion I want, I am happier that it’s part of God’s plan then I am unhappy not getting it.

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, teach us to be joyful always and to have gratitude for all that You give to us – Amen!