God is in Control!

                                           I forgot how much I actually like to blog  ❤ So, tonight I thought, I'll just get back to it and looked for a site where I could write some thoughts. I actually came across this blog from way back in 2011.... well that's the last time I wrote in there any way. I was looking at the Bible tonight.... this is the verse; "The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases God." Proverbs 15:8 I think this verse is talking to us about the fact that God hates (strong word... but that's how much He doesn't like it) the rituals of people who have the wrong motive. They are not seeking holiness, rather they are seeking to look good, to be seen to be doing the right thing. Today in our Bible study group we were talking about holiness... what stops us from being holy? For some of us it is anger, perhaps lazines...

You could be wondering what Wicked has to do with anything........ especially anything in my spiritual journey. This week Colin and I went to go and see Wicked at the theatre. I love musicals and sometimes get very passionate about them! My favourite movies are "Mamma Mia", "Phantom of the Opera", and of course "The Wizard of Oz"...... among many, many more of course!!! (It's hard to choose just a few!) I have known for a lot of months that Wicked was coming to Adelaide and just so that I didn't miss out I had signed up to get an email advising when pre-season tickets were on sale. I got that email about the middle of October last year and once the tickets were on sale guess who was on the internet trying to find the best seats etc??? That's right....... yours truly! So, we had booked our tickets and then there was the waiting to finally go. I thought, "I should probably know a bit of the music before going", so Colin ordered the...

Sometimes I find that when you are a minister and you are leading people in worship on days like Good Friday and Easter Sunday there is a tendancy to miss the importance or solemnity of the day and the reason that we celebrate Easter. This year I have not found that to be true. Our Good Friday service was wonderful and very thought-provoking and it was the way that it affected other people that made the biggest impression on me this Easter. I am thankful for the way that God is working in and through His people in our church. That is a huge blessing!!!! Also this morning (Easter Sunay) I was blessed to see God's people respond in many different ways and the Risen Saviour glorified! Thank you Jesus my Saviour who gave His life for me! This song has been one this Easter that has really helped me to reflect on what Easter means to me and also my response to it. At the Cross Verse 1 Oh Lord You've searched me You know my ways Even when I fail You I know You love me Your holy ...

It is wonderful to recognise God's promises in the Bible and even more wonderful to be able to say that they are true for you. God's wonderful promise to us throughout the Scripture is that He will be with us always. It makes a huge difference to me to know that through the good times and the bad times God will be with me. This week we read through many stories in the Bible where God said "I will be with you". My favourite one though is this one............. Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." To know that God is with me always is a great comfort. I may not always understand why things happen or don't happen, but I am thankful that God is with me all the way. I pray that I can continue to know the closeness of His presence and that I won't lose sight of the promise that God is always with me. Blessings on the journey................ Love Kylie xxx

The next question in the study talks about how God can sometimes seem elusive..... hard to comprehend. I cannot really think of any times in my life where I thought that God was hard to comprehend, or even distant for that matter. I think I have known that when things weren't great between me and God, it was more about me and my effort towards that that was the problem. I am the worst procrastinator and find it hard to be disciplined in working on my relationship with God. I do know that God is working in me in really great ways, sometimes despite me. I don't know if I'm making sense or if this is just all babble, but one of the revelations that I had.... at some time in my journey, I just can't remember, but I know it wasn't recently.... is that God has a desire to know me... to reach out to me, to have a relationship with me. He not only loves me, but He likes me.......... and that is awesome to realise and know in my heart. Oh well, enough rambling for now.....

In our small group over the last two weeks and heading into the next at least 5 weeks (depending on how long it takes to do each study..... this first session has taken us two weeks) we have been looking at the study "God is Closer Than You Think" by John Ortberg.... he also has a book of the same name. It has been encouraging to see the many ways through the Bible where God has been with His people, especially when they weren't expecting it. So, for the next few days I am going to do my homework on here as a blog each day. Hope that it works like that! The story of the Bible is the story of God's desire to be with people. He is determined that each of uys be His friend, His companion, and His dwelling place. He is stretching out to reach us and fill our lives with His presence. All it takes is the barest effort - the lifting of a finger, the whisper of a prayer - for all of us to reach Him. (God is Closer Than You Think Small Group Guide p.17) Ortberg talks abou...