So what is worship?

“Worship is not about music; worship is an expression of the heart. It’s an outward working of an inward stance” Dennis Merry.

We parked on the M25 yesterday, a lorry had broken down and so like the clogging of an over worked artery part of greater London was forced to grind to a halt as breakdown services were called. As we approached the flashing signs and gradually slowed to a standstill Elton John’s ‘Our Song’ came on the radio. The words describe how a lover would use their talents to show their love and this got me thinking about my own expression of love to my first love – Jesus.  Traffic Jams are a great place to think deep thoughts, to reflect on life where you've been, what you’re doing and where you’re going. I was thinking about the different ways us humans show love and how that out works on a personal level. I wonder about that inner stance of my heart; I wonder because when all is said and done it is this inner stance that will delight or grieve the Spirit.

I concluded that real expressions of love cost. It costs because human beings are messy. Relationships are complex and there’s a process, a journey in the working it all out (ness) of it all. Something beautiful is produced through the desire to connect deeply and cherish another person. We are often so wrapped up in ourselves we fail to recognise the sacrifice of love or worse we gloss over or belittle the cost another pays. If you've ever loved you’ll know the cost.. the searing vulnerability, the risk taken to offer love in the hope it will be returned. Great masterpieces, entrancing poetry, captivating sculptures or magnificent buildings take huge effort and resources willingly given. Freely given - energy, money and time just to offer an insight, a hope an expression of love from the depth of one soul to another and all without guarantee of love in return.

In psalm 42:7-8 ‘Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs His love at night His song is with me I lift up a prayer to the God of my life’. 

So how do we worship? – Beloved we do whatever it takes. We overlook our frustrations, our misunderstanding, our self-focus or our impatience with God. We press through all our junk because we love. Helpless in gratitude because He first loved us. We chose to love other’s because He first loved us.

Jesus this is my blog... and this one's for you.

Love Ruth x

Mom's stop fussin God’s got ‘em!!!!

Anyone else out there a bit of a control freak? We’ve been selling our house and I’ve gone all OCD about presenting it like Phil and Kirsty says I should. As soon as I get out of bed I make it look like no one’s every slept there, after a shower I polish the bathroom. I follow the dog round with the vacuum cleaner and have been finding it annoying when Nam messes with my sculpted display of fruit in the bowl by having the audacity to eat an orange – like seriously it was a beautiful pyramid!  I was thinking how brill it was to have both my kids living away from home and relishing in the fact that their bedrooms stay tidy. When the thought occurred to me was I always like this - only fussing in a less obvious way?

I was talking to a number of other mum’s recently about our children their lives, our hopes and dreams etc. and was struck by one particular theme with one particular group. This group was those whose children have left home. These young adults are carving out their own path in the world and in the process they are making mistakes. Consequently some of their mums are incredibly stressed because they love their kids and can’t bear to see their often self-inflicted pain. I found myself thinking if they are to survive in the water shed of letting go then we need to strengthen our trust in God because the truth is He’s got them messy as they may be in His hands.

Trust me the bible says so! 

Fact

1.      John 10:29 Nothing can snatch them from His hands - not in the Spirit realm or this mortal world, they are there in His palm and won’t slip through His fingers.

2.      Phil 1:6 He will complete the good work that He started in them - FACT

3.      Eph 1:13-14 There are marked with the seal of Christ ain’t nuthin gonna remove that mark believe me!

4.      2 Cor 10:3-5 Our prayers for them are powerful and effective for tearing down strongholds and every high thing that exalts itself against their relationship with God.

5.      1 Pet 1:19 the price for their mess and mistakes has been paid in full.

Beloved look at the facts and know He is Lord… and perhaps remember He was faithful to us in our mess and He doesn’t change.  

Hugs Ruth x