God is still here!

It's been a looooong time since I have last posted so it seems very fitting to update you on what's going on in my life.

You may have noticed (and even 'liked') the following verse posted by my Facebook page earlier today:-

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you;    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I think this verse is one I will attach to the last two years. In these two years I have had to make some difficult decisions, struggle through some difficult moments and endure pressure beyond what I have had in my life before.

In these years I have been far from the ideal servant, whilst everything has eventually made it's way to God's hands sometimes I was reluctant. Sometimes you think you can handle it or it's too small for God but when it's too small for God it often then snowballs into becoming too big for you. The pressure and time needed to concentrate on my exams has meant less time for God and important disciplines in my life being disrupted, many of which I am still trying to rebuild now.

However I can comfortably, easily and safely say that despite my shortcomings, despite my reduced situation at some points, God has been here. He has been my God. He has strengthened me and upheld me with his righteous right hand!

Around last October God gave me notice. He told me that my life was going to change and I should expect it. I appreciated this because I always find change hard to adjust to.

God has again been as good as His word. I managed to pass my exams and become a fully qualified accountant. My girlfriend and myself found an opportunity to serve God in one of the most deprived areas of Cardiff, Tremorfa. She is moving to this country to live and serve there in 11 days time. I will be joining her in serving and striving to join her living there as soon as I can. It is something I have always dreamed of doing and since we have started going up there seeing the area, the Church and the fellowship it has only further confirmed that this is where God wants us each time. I am very excited to have Caitlin in the same place but even more excited for how God can use us and the people already serving in Tremorfa to further His Kingdom.

Furthermore, since I am qualified my role at work is set to advance further which is exciting but also scary since I am certainly having to come more and more out of comfort zones.

Lastly and more trivially, our much loved family cat sadly passed away and our much loved football team, Cardiff City, made it to the Premier League.

So, as you can see, change is afoot!

Cardiff City are a good symbol for the last two years of my life. It was a long, long struggle with much patience needed and many low points along the way but they finally did it and whilst I have needed much patience and had some low points over the last two years, God hasn't let me down and has me exactly where He wants me. Only by His Grace and Power.

My message simply is, don't give up on God, don't even be negative about the state of your life. God is looking out for you, He is there for you, His righteous right hand is upholding you at whatever moment you are at in life right now.

Our individual 3-2 wins over Man City are coming in that blind but beautiful future ahead of us, but only by God's Grace.

God is like sticky glue

I have almost no bad things to say about a brisk lunchtime walk through Ponty. The fresh air, the scent, the rush of people is a different place to sitting in my office and I should do it more often!

Today I was reminiscing about recent hard times and how I managed to get through them. I think part of our human experience is to suffer tough times. Some people have it much worse than others, I see things on the News that I just couldn't imagine going through. These tough times are unwanted, yet in many cases, exactly what we need. When things go right all of the time we lose the wonderful feelings and it becomes all so normal and dull. Hard times help us appreciate the good times more.

I also believe hard times help build our characters. The Apostle Paul thought so - ^"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

James agrees in James 1:2-4  "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

There are a lot of things I can't imagine going through, and times that are so hard maybe you don't feel anything good came out of it. I can't disagree with that because I don't know until I go through something really bad, although I rather hope I don't.

What I do know is the Bible also says this...
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Let's not feel guilty or judged if our attitudes aren't up to scratch, as all of us fail in this regard most times. Let's enable God to set our hearts free by choosing to let Him take our problems and make good from them.

When reminiscing I was also reminded of how God is like sticky glue. When everything seems as if it is going to fall apart, He is still with me holding everything together. Even when things do appear to fall apart, it is because He wants to rebuild us better than before. I have been through that, too.

Through all of this God has been with me. He has been faithful, just as the Bible said He would (Hebrews 13:5 - I will never leave you nor forsake you) (Matthew 28:20b - I am with you always).

So I just want to thank God and give Him all the Glory for this, and everything else He has done in my life. There will always be trials, but there will always be God.