Happy Birthday!

Today I am going to a birthday party but not a person's birthday party. We are celebrating an cause, an effort, a work, a series of events put on by faithful adults and attended by many different generations of many different young people over.....15 YEARS!

Happy Birthday to PCY! (Pontypridd Christian Youth)

God has been doing great things through PCY, is currently doing great things in PCY and will do many more great things through PCY. PCY's sunday night spin-off Bible study 'Coffee Shop' helped lead me to faith and many others will point to PCY as a big part of their testimony of faith.

Thank you to all of the wonderful people who have given time, money, resources and themselves to PCY over the years and Praise God for all of what He has done :D

Acts 5:38-39

"Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Please comment your biggest memories from PCY over the years if you have been a part of it:-

I have so many myself and one that does come to mind as special is the end of Camp 2006 when we all held hands in a circle and sang 'Awesome God'. I still remember how powerful that was.

Let me know yours!!

TV Testimony!

Something a little different for this week's testimony. A friend of mine also called Mike from my Church did a video for the youth group about his testimony the other week and it was brilliant and he kindly offered me the chance to use it on here so here it is.....

I don't know

I think as a human being there are a lot of things we all don't understand. Why Cardiff can't have a quiet, peaceful, consistent season (Probably would rather they didn't to be honest, so fun to support them!), why certain things happen, why people cannot see the obvious, Women! (It isn't the great mystery people make it out to be. I don't understand because I am not one and vice versa. Simples Personally we could both learn a lot from each other as well.) Anyway I am rambling just like a dear friend of mine does so wonderfully.

I had a tough day today, lots of stuff going through my head and bringing me down and this is the point of this post. How do people manage in these times without God?

I felt so terrible but the only thing keeping me from losing it completely was God. When I was weak He was strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

And now after a great time of prayer I am feeling good again. Things don't fix themselves right away, but it is in God's Hands and He always Delivers!

Romans 8:28
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.

GOD MAKES GOOD FROM ALL OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

GOD HAS A GREAT PLAN FOR US. WE DON'T KNOW IT YET BUT KNOWING GOD IS TRUSTING HIM. WE'LL BE THANKING HIM ONEDAY!

Keep the faith, it'll work out :)

Which life to do you want?

Most of my days contain a look at the sports section of the BBC Website. As an avid Football & Formula One fan I like to keep up with all the latest news and particularly enjoy reading the blogs and articles on there.

Today a certain blog lept out at me. It was Jake Humphries' blog. I have a soft spot for Jake and not just because he presents the Formula One on BBC but also because he used to present Children's BBC in his younger days and I remember him from that. I think anything that brings you back to your childhood, before you fully understand this fascinating but dark world, is something we treasure.

There was a quote on his blog that I really liked. It was from one of the commentators who had recently been replaced and whom Jake was saying farewell too. He said this when Jake confided in him about his worry about being the new presenter when the BBC started showing the F1 two years ago.

"We can both either have an easy life or an exciting life and I know which one I want!"

Jonathan Legard

This totally related to how I had been feeling today. My life is not perfect because I am a Christian. Yes, it is much better than it was before but bad things still happen and I am just as susceptible to sin as any other human.

God was Speaking to me about stuff I had been doing wrong and also about something that happened a few years ago which I still haven't fully dealt with.

I realised that in a lot of my mistakes it is down to me thinking I know better than God. Me choosing my own path and thinking that because I feel good about it and it feels right that it is therefore the right thing to do.

The problem with that is this:-

Jeremiah 17:9
 The heart is deceitful above all things
 and beyond cure.
 Who can understand it?

Because of the sin that is in us all because we are imperfect people, our hearts are selfish and want what is best for us. God thinks differently than us because He is totally unselfish and wants what is truly best for us. You see, selfishness blinds our hearts to the long term consequences of our actions. We want what is best now but thankfully we can be sure that when we trust God with our lives He gives what is the best in every way.


Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

This post has dragged on but my final point goes back to the quote. Often our selfish choices are simply us choosing the easy way. But the exciting way is so much better! I believe it is totally worth it to sacrifice a bit of comfort & security to go into the unknown and maybe be blessed from it.

We have this choice when it comes to Salvation. The easy way is to do nothing and just hope you will go to Heaven. The exciting way is to trust God and give our lives to Him, accepting our way is wrong.

And we can be sure it is worth it because as Jesus says in John 10:10

'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.'

Matthew 6:33

I was speaking to a dear friend last night and I read Matthew 6:26-34. Here in Matthew 6 Jesus makes a wonderful challenge to us to not worry in our lives. He cites how God provides for the birds of the air and the flowers on the ground and says this:-

^{Matthew 6:33}
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

I am such an idiot sometimes. No exaggerating, I genuinely am stupid. When trouble comes I try and solve it myself and often fail. God comes into my mind way too late or not at all. The times where I do put Him first He delivers and yet I still forget.

I just want to say to everybody:

If something bad has happened in your life and you are hurting and/or struggling - SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM & HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

If you are worried about something that is going to happen - SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM & HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

If you are having doubts about yourself or God or anything - SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM & RIGHTEOSNESS.

If you are happy and enjoying your life right now - SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM & HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

If you are seeking His Kingdom & His Righteousness but are like me and forget - SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM & RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Because as the prophet Jeremiah says ^'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' (29:13)

and as Paul says 'If God is for us, who can be against us?' (Romans 8:31b)

Style!

This is something people would say I don't have a lot of!

Christmas time brings a lot of great things best of all a timely reminder of what God has done for us. It also brings us presents, and lots of them!

This year I mainly got clothes, chocolate and a couple of computer games.

It's the clothes I want to talk about. Christmas and birthdays are a rare time for me. I don't buy clothes during the year and Christmas. I just get them on these occassions!

So I'm in fashion only a short period of time during the year. The problem I always find is that when I feel fashionable, I get very vain. I'll walk past shops and stare in the windows to make sure my hair is okay. It is stupid and I want to stop. Vanity is when we are wanting to be seen well in the eyes of the world and whilst we have to keep some sort of fashion to avoid giving a bad witness to others it shouldn't be as important as I make it in these kind of times.

I want to live for Him and know His Love and Grace however I look!

Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Picture of the Day Wedding Special!

We didn't take many pictures so this is the best I could gather but I just want to send my congratulations again to the blissful couple Matthew & Naomi!

Matt is a friend of mine from Church and a real encouragement & strength to me and it was such a privilege to be there on his big day.

All the best mate!