The Hebrew evening/morning sequence conditions us to the rhythms of grace. We go to sleep, and God begins his work…We wake into a world we didn’t make, into a salvation we didn’t earn.
Eugene Peterson
A World We Didn’t Make
Praise God

My Thoughts πΒ
Last night at our evening meeting, Ruth (one of our ministers) led us in an hour of praise and prayer to God. Ruth started with the prayer below and Sarah and I played 8 songs, and in-between the songs Ruth would say a prayer or a reflection which flowed beautifully for the whole hour.
It was deeply moving and I wanted to just share with you this opening prayer.
π Prayer 4 2day!Β
Praise God for: mountains and oceans, planets and stars
Praise God for big things
Praise God for: seeds and spiders, petals and drops of dew
Praise God for small things
Praise God for: rolling thunder and the crashing waves
Praise God for loud things
Praise God for: a breath of wind and a whispered prayer
Praise God for quiet things
Praise God for: soaring eagles and hairy gorillas
Praise God for strong things
Praise God for: snowflakes and cobwebs – a tiny baby
Praise God for fragile things
Praise God for: the flash of lightening and a humming bird’s wings
Praise God for fast things
Praise God for: the growth of a tree and the erosion of cliffs
Praise God for slow things
Praise God for: the moon, the sun, other worlds
Praise God for far away things
Praise God for: the person sitting next to me, my own heartbeat
Praise God for close-by things
Thank you that though you are so big,
you become small enough to meet us here on earth
though you are so strong, you show your love in gentleness
though you are loud as thunder, you speak to us in the sound of silence.
Thank you that though you could be faster than the speed of light
You choose to walk at our pace and to hold our hand.
Amen
Daily Gift Of 86,400 Seconds
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?
Let Love Be Without Hypocrisy

Let love be without hypocrisy, Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Romans 12:9-13
Imagine This
Being in a world
Where our actions
Are not driven by fear
Being able to look
Without ever seeing
Any bad things
Being able to talk
Without saying anything wrong
About anybody else
Being able to laugh
Without laughing at the misfortune
Of any other person
Being able to think
Without thinking
Any nasty thoughts
Being able to live
Without living at the expense
Of anyone elseβs life
Being able to do good
Without any fear
About what might happen
Being in a world
Where you know that nothing bad
Will ever happen to anyone
Being in a world
Where you know that youβre loved
And you always will be
Isnβt that what we all what
Well, that is all the bible talks about
And that is exactly what God wants
This world is not just about you
Itβs about everyone; weβre in this together
And God β He mustβ¦
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Companionable

βΒ Me & my lovely wife Sarah β

βΒ Me, Sarah & Bruce strolling along Heacham beachΒ β

βΒ Me & BruceΒ β
If you’ve already read my ‘About‘ page, you’ll know why I’ve chosen these photos! π
Hand It Over To God

To take all that we are and have and hand it over to God may not be easy; but it can be done; and when it is done, the world has in it one less candidate for misery.
Paul Scherer
β Hip-Hop 4 2day ~ “Heart Song” by ‘KB’
I always love to listen to wholesome Hip Hop. Its another great genre to send the powerful message of God’s love to the world.
Life and Death – Part 5: Renew Your Mind
Letβs bring together the last four posts here and say:
Firstly: We would all like to get rid of the darkness or evil or whatever you want to call it. Get rid of all of it β Put it somewhere else and live a perfect life in a perfect world.
Secondly: We are all already trying to do this in our own lives. We are all trying to choose the right things to do each day. And, when we think about what this task involves, we realise that we are trying to divide our own minds and hearts to remove the evil and also the confusion that causes us all to act badly β along with all the hurt and scars left by all our bad experiences.
Thirdly: We realise that, whatever you believe is causing this, we are bombarded with feelings and emotions on a frighteningβ¦
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He Cannot Make A Worm

Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by the dozen.
Michel de Montaigne
War And Violence Are Not Entertainment!

“War And Violence should not be entertainment!”
These were the words I received from a spirit nudge yesterday whilst trying to find PS3 games suitable for Vini (12 years old) to play at my home when he visits with my brother Ben and his wife Rosie.
My background with video games…
I’ve played video games my whole life, starting with ‘Pong’, then my Dad bought a ‘ZX80’ & a ‘Video Genie System’ and all I remember playing on it was ‘Space Invaders’. Then came theΒ ‘Commodore 64’ and we broke many joysticks playing ‘Way Of The Exploding Fist’ and many more fighting and shooting games, then the ‘Commodore Amiga!’ This was a fantastic games machine in the late 80’s & 90’s and really stepped up the quality and quantity of these genres.
Now The PlayStation…
Since I was a boy i’ve always wanted the most violent and brutal shooting and fighting games but nothing could be made as there just wasn’t enough processor speed or memory to do the job.Β
I’ve always thought playStations are amazing, I’ve owned a ‘PlayStation 1 & 2’ and I currently own a ‘PlayStation 3’ used as my DVD player for bible studies (this still makes me smile).
Since the release of the ‘PlayStation 1’ I’ve loved playing ‘Tomb Raider’, ‘Resident Evil’, ‘Silent Hill’ and ‘Grand Theft Auto’, GTA was especially brutal and pushed the boundries of just how wrong can we make a game, but I loved it!
π Verse 4 2day!Β
Romans 12:2Β (NIV)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what Godβs will isβhis good, pleasing and perfect will.
Back to childhood…
War and violence are horrific, brutal, destructive and uncaring, it leaves a trail of devastation through generations. It doesn’t matter which side you’re on, it still kills husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and on, and on, and onβ¦.
Are we that tangled up in the worldly culture that we have been deceived and we don’t even know it?
Is God trying to steer you away from something you know you shouldn’t really be doing?
Are you just a fan of Jesus? Or do you know him? Do you trust him to transform your life with the renewing of your mind, and turn you into the person that God wants you to be, and not the person the world wants you to be?!
π Prayer 4 2day!Β
Father, please help us to be aware of the world and itsΒ destructiveΒ popular cultures. Help us to be the people you want us to be and not the people that blindly put idols on the throne where you belong, Amen.
Life and Death – Part 4: Embracing Death
How are we getting on so far β I am sure we are not lost but this is a sizable task that we have taken on here β best put on your hard-hats and steel toe-cap boots for the rest of this series.
We asked:
If you divided this planet in two, took all the bad things that exist and that happen, all the evil and darkness, and put them on one side so that the other side was only good β which side would you want to live on?
So, hands up for the good side β I am sure thatβs pretty much everyone. Letβs just see how many still have their hands up by the end of this page.
As we have said since that initial question, we are talking about splitting are actual hearts and minds here; the evil as well as the goodβ¦
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A Heart Of Compassion

Father, help remove my heart of selfishness, that stops me from caring for the downtrodden, abused, forgotten, and broken.
Please give me a heart of compassion so I can minister to anyone you put my way. In Jesus name,
Amen..
Life and Death – Part 3: Invisible War
How are we going so far β I guess we are getting a bit deeper but this is not a rabbit hole β that is as long as you donβt get lost β just follow the Light.
So, splitting the world in two and getting rid of all the bad stuff β now we can see that we are all trying to do this β and, actually itβs not so easy. Like we said, the physical world that we live on is amazing but it doesnβt have life β the life is in us. This dark side that we want to banish all the bad things to and the good side that we would all choose to live on β those places really only exist on a mental and spiritual level. It is, in fact, our hearts and minds that we are trying to split β thisβ¦
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β Music by “Martin Simpson”
Martin Simpson played alongside Eric Bibb in the concert where i first became a Christian (see my About page)
Daily Prompt: 21st Century Citizen
Today’s Daily Prompt: “Photographers, artists, poets: show us MODERN”
I love the 21st century! As a blind person its never been more accessible. Technology has enabled blind and partially sighted people to interact and be less isolated.
In just the 13 years i’ve been registered blind technology and peoples awareness has improved dramatically, and i’m excited to be apart of whats coming next! π
Video taken from my older post ~ “The Sound Of My Eyes“
Thanks Everyone!

I’d like to just thank you all for giving me the opportunity to share God’s word, love and grace to so many people! π
Don’t Undervalue Yourself

Don’t undervalue yourself. Your worth is what you are worth to God and that is a massive amount; Jesus valued you enough to die for you! ~Β Nicky Gumbel
Life and Death – Part 2: Salvage
We are all in the business of separating good from evil β at least in our own ways. We are all trying to salvage what we can from this, far from perfect world.
Let me just say: when I say world I mean us β the ball of rock we live on and all the physical things that we have made are lifeless β our real world is the hearts and minds of all the people and the invisible ways in which we connect together.
So, in our world, we try our best to decide what we should and shouldnβt do; what is good for us and what isnβt β βusβ being the operative word because our decisions are generally weighted in our own favour; βWhat is good for meβ rather than βwhat is good for everyoneβ or even βwhat is good for him or herβ.
Weβ¦
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God Is The Strength!

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:23-26
Life and Death – Part 1: The Dark Side
If you divided this planet in two, took all the bad things that exist and that happen, all the evil and darkness, and put them on one side so that the other side was only good β which side would you want to live on?
I guess thatβs a silly question β I am sure that the answer is obvious.
Who would ever choose Hell over Heaven?!
But what would be on the dark side β any people at all? I doubt that anyone would volunteer to go there. Could it even be possible to separate the good from the bad. Nothing is done apart from by people; you certainly couldnβt just put our actions on the dark side and us on the good side β could you?
So how would you do it β shall we try?
We should β but it may be violent process.
Are You Putting Up Walls?

βSome people put walls up, not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to knock them down.β
How Is Your Fear?

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.
Oswald Chambers
If
If we hadnβt seen so many wrongs
We wouldnβt thirst so much for right
If we hadnβt struggled for so long
Our patience wouldnβt be our might
If our race hadnβt become so fake
There wouldnβt have been so many lies
If we hadnβt made so many mistakes
We wouldnβt have become so wise
If we donβt learn from all our errors
We will never have stand a chance
If we can now see this path is failure
Perhaps we can manage to advance
If still remains when we hold dear
To lies we do not understand
If will only disappear
When we are fully in His Hands
If we want to live with God
There is still much to be done
If we trust what He said
We just have to let Him come
God of this City β Chris Tomlin
Heavy Life – Part 5: Living with God
This is the best bit:
I am sure that youβd hope it would be; most of what weβve mentioned so far has been about the difficulties we currently face and the suffering that is down every street. Well, guess what: Itβs not over. In fact it hasnβt even started yet. This messed up place that we have made has simply become the womb that will birth a perfect life for all who want to accept it. Of course, there is still evil and causes of evil to deal with; we have talked enough about that β that is in hand.
All these problems we see are the result of the behavioural issues of every person who has ever lived. We are just like a child who has wandered off from his dad and has lost sight of him, or rather, a child who was not paying attentionβ¦
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Are you Believing?
βJust because you canβt see the air doesnβt mean you stop breathing. And just because you canβt see God doesnβt mean you stop believing.β
Heavy Life – Part 4: Crushing Evil
What is going to happen to all this evil?
Like we said, there are (at least) two sides to this thing:
We have already said that we are causing problems in this world and we have also said that God is actively working to fix things; fix us.
Some of the weight felt in this life is down to the consequences of our actions and some is down to Godβs hand making the changes that He needs to make; changes that are for our benefit.
We have already said that God gave life to us and that we took that life and ran off it. That is what happened and look where we are now; without Him things will not work. In running off with life and living it in exactly the way we feel like, we have given birth to so much evil. That evil mustβ¦
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Is God Happy With Your Everyday Life?

If God does not enter your kitchen, there is something wrong with your kitchen. If you can’t take God into your recreation, there is something wrong with your play. We all believe in the God of the heroic. What we need most these days is the God of the humdrum, the commonplace, the everyday.
Peter Marshall
Is Your Worship In Vain??

Matthew 15:8-9Β (NIV)
ββThese people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rulesβ
Isaiah 29:13Β (NIV)
13 The Lord says:
βThese people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”
My Thoughts πΒ
We spend countless hours checking, then double checking if everything is plugged in correctly, microphones, instruments, sound desk etc but we fail to leave time to plug our hearts into God!Β
- Have you followed the rules (I mean order of service) correctly and to the letter?
- Have you dared to remain seated instead of standing during the song as you wouldn’t want to be frowned upon would you?
- Do you make sure you speak nicely during prayer, putting style over substance?Β
π Another Verse 4 2day! Β
Isaiah 1:15Β (NIVUK)
When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
More Thoughts πΒ
I hope this will challenge you to focus on connecting your heart to God and not being distracted by what other people are doing, what clothes they’re wearing, if they are sitting, standing, dancing, running, kneeling. Just connect with God as you can’t worship for someone else! When you do, nothing else will matter anyway!
Don’t just go to Church, BE THE CHURCH!
Heavy Life – Part 3: Sharing The Load
How much of this heavy life is our fault β and how much is Godβs work?
A large part of it is down to the way we treat each other β we cause endless unnecessary suffering. For sure, so much of the burden we feel is our own fault. We are pulling against each other rather than working together; we are all, at least a bit, selfish. Going in different directions is easy because you can do what you feel like. Coming together is much harder (in our current state) because we will have to give up some of our independence.
We could certainly make our lives easier by learning to work together; conquering our feelings and doing what is right.
That said, we will not get rid of all the pressure we feel now because some of that is Godβs hand working to change us. Inβ¦
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Heavy Life – Part 2: Us V’s Everybody V’s God
So, PaulΒ said that creation has been subjected to frustration in order to set free the children of God. Set us free from the addiction to the things that destroy us and bring us into a new life. That is a pretty deep statement but as we said yesterday, how do you think that God would help us to get out of this mess?
Letβs look at two aspects of the reason for this βheavy lifeβ that we are living. These two aspects are quite different and also very clearly connected. The first is that we do wrong, we do things that hurt each other, things that make our lives and other peopleβs lives difficult, sometimes horrible. The second is that God is and has always been helping us to see right from wrong.
The first point is easy to see; we do wrong and everybody knows thatβ¦
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Daily Prompt: Might As Well Jump
Today’s Daily Prompt: “Photographers, artists, poets: show us JUMP”
β§Β Bruce THE Boxer jumping on Hunstanton beach β§
β§Β Surf BorderΒ β§
β§ Sarah, Maddie, Tori, Marshall & Alfie jumping on their sand townΒ β§
Are You Climbing Up The Ladder?

The problem with spending your life climbing up the ladder is that you will go right past Jesus, for he’s coming down.
John Ortberg
Heavy Life – Part 1
Have you ever thought about how heavy this world can feel, Iβm sure we all have. It can beΒ so difficult to make things βcome goodβ. Do you sometimes feel a weight on yourself that you wish would disappear. Do youΒ just want to understand one βsimpleβ thing: how to live your life?
There are certainly many sides to the explanation for the problems we have. For a start there is now over seven billion of us, all affecting each other in so many ways; we are subject to a whole load of confused feelings and emotions that constantly lead us astray. There is also the legacy we have received from previous generations; no one has ever got things right. Then there is God, how do you fit Him into this picture; if you even think that He exists.
If you believe me then He created this place and is All Knowingβ¦
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Our Family In Christ

Lord, we are grateful that we can be a part of Your family. Help us to live in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ so that others may see how gracious You are and want to know You too. Amen.
Reveal Your Own Character

You reveal your own character most clearly when you describe someone elseβs.
God Took Me In

Psalm 27:9-10
The Message (MSG)
Youβve always been right there for me;
donβt turn your back on me now.
Donβt throw me out, donβt abandon me;
youβve always kept the door open.
My father and mother walked out and left me,
but God took me in.
Psalm 27:10
New International Version (NIV)
Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
Your Father
Who is your father; he may be amazing
Strong like double glazing; always grazing
In the Word; brilliant at raising
You; worth praising, forever appraising and meeting
Your needs; heβs spot on; his efforts are blazing
Then thatβs good
or maybe not
He could be terrible; or barely bearable
He could be absent; leaving you arable
This no parable, some fathers bring trouble
Not adorable or flexible, just miserable
Or worse, deplorable; incurable sinners
Leaving your life unbearable; even horrible
Thatβs not your fault
Please listen
Because, there is more; a Father who is rather
Better than that; after nothing more than a calmer
Life for you. In fact, a perfect life; a new charter
Not bringing you unjust anger; no spiritual cancer
In Him; Nothing wrong, nothing awkward, no bother
Life changing times β yes; but always surrounding
You with armour; securing you with his eternal anchor
Giving youβ¦
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves
“Curves. I bet you can find curves wherever you are. Show me!”
Β Some curves!

β§ Hampton Court PalaceΒ β§

β§Β Our Back GardenΒ β§

β§Β Roller Coaster in BrightonΒ β§

β§Β My Taylor Custom Macassar Ebony Electro Acoustic GuitarΒ β§

β§Β Castle Rising CastleΒ β§

β§Β DoughnutsΒ β§

β§Β Swan LakeΒ β§

β§Β Ageas Cricket BowlΒ β§
Related posts:
Changing You
Do you think that this world is just how it should be
A perfect place of harmony; Heaven on Earth
No, of course not β but that is the plan
That is Godβs plan for us bunch of misbehavers
Want to know how?
Well, it starts with you; whenever you want it to
It starts with change; change inside you
And it doesnβt stop until the end
Until everything that needs to be done, has been done
And itβs not just you; there are billions like you
All wondering and wandering and doubting
God has got some job on His hands; lucky Heβs perfect
He does not want to lose anyone
So, what are you doing; go and find Him
Heβs waiting for you
Walk on the Water by Britt Nicole β I love this song
Worship Isβ¦..

Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is! and what He has done! Expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live. ~Β Louie Giglio
Related posts:
The Narrow Path
Once, life was spotless; a long time ago
Maybe that was before the first human thought
Or perhaps a short time after; but not now
Now we are different; someone confused us
Somehow, someone tricked us into thinking
That evil things are good; twisted our minds
Now we see death as life; destructive behaviour as good
That is the story of our world
We want the best life; but we are blind to what is best
We strive for success and crave for a βgoodβ future
All the while destroying more and more life
Let us remember where we came from; let us just stop
Stop and return to the Truth; The Way to Real Life
Do you have directions; have you heard from Him
I will tell you the Way; let me share what I know
The path is narrow and not many find it; so I am told
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Is God Pleased With Your Worship?

Β Isaiah 1:11-17 ~ Bible Gateway
The Message (MSG)Β
11-12Β βWhy this frenzy of sacrifices?β
Β Β Β Β GodβsΒ asking.
βDonβt you think Iβve had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
Β Β Β Β rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Donβt you think Iβve had my fill
Β Β Β Β of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
When you come before me,
Β Β Β Β whoever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and thatβ
Β Β Β Β all this sheerΒ commotionΒ in the place provided for worship?
13-17Β βQuit your worship charades.
Β Β Β Β I canβt stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetingsβ
Β Β Β Β meetings, meetings, meetingsβI canβt stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
Β Β Β Β Youβve worn me out!
Iβm sick of your religion, religion, religion,
Β Β Β Β while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
Β Β Β Β Iβll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
Β Β Β Β Iβll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because youβve been tearing
Β Β Β Β people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
Β Β Β Β Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
Β Β Β Β so I donβt have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
Β Β Β Β Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Β Β Β Β Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Β Β Β Β Go to bat for the defenceless.
What Seeds Are You Sowing?
I love this challenging post!
CHRISTian poetry ~ by deborah ann
Some scatter seeds of anxiety,
and harvest nothing but fear
some collect in their memory
the reason for all their tears.
Some spread seeds of gloom,
and collect grains of doubt
some gather up their losses
when thereβs a spiritual drought.
Some cast seeds of excess,
and reap in what they sow
some collect worldly pleasures
thinking God will never know.
Some throw seeds of greed,
and amass envy and pride
some lose their hope and faith
when their will, with Godβs collide.
Some scatter seeds of doubt,
and harvest nothing but fear
but those who mock not God
sow the seeds of repentant tears!
~~~~~~~~~
Galatians 6:7
King James Version
βBe not deceived;
God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap.β
Copyright 2013
Deborah Ann Belka

July 1, 2013 






βJust because you canβt see the air doesnβt mean you stop breathing. And just because you canβt see God doesnβt mean you stop believing.β









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