Just when I think he knows I am in charge, Hamish proves otherwise.  He is starting jumping up on chairs, when he has known for over a year, he doesn't get up on anything - settee/chair unless we say it's OK.

But isn't that the same with me and maybe you? We may think God is in charge, but something happens in a moment and we take over. 

It's not even a conscious thought sometimes, but if I examine it, in a certain situation that's what happened.  It's a moment by moment thing to live - "I am second." 

Which got me thinking about I am second - "I am Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you."

One of those testimonies was about Jason Castro. (Make sure you 'watch the film' which tells his story)
He was the fourth placed finalist on American idol in 2008 and I was a fan.

I love when he says his life goal is -
"Loving father, faithful husband and servant of all...that's what Jesus came to be - that's what we're called to be."

I love hearing modern testimonies like his, he isn't a great speaker but it doesn't matter.  It still comes across what and who is most important in his life. Which is the most important part of a testimony!

If you are not a speaker or feel you can't share your testimony, take hope - it doesn't matter as your love for Jesus will come through.  It's all about Jesus!

As well as the above link to 'I am second', here is another article in christianpost.  I will finish with a quote I love from Jason - "I'm a Christian in whatever I do."

Jason Castro music -
"Who I am" album.
I really enjoy - 'wait for a miracle' and 'what if I fall'.
(although itunes class this a christian album, all the songs aren't what some would think 100% 'christian', although has that theme.)

The last entry was our main valentine thought for the day. But I love this thought and it says everything on it.  (Again I don't know who came up with the original idea I just made the image.  I left the side blank for space so you can put other things on it in powerpoint.)

Are you expecting a valentine’s card?  If not, or you know someone who finds valentine’s day hard, print the card out and give it to them.  Let us remind ourselves and everyone around us, that we have or can have the best valentine of all time – Jesus.

God loves you this much –

God wants to be with you forever so..
He humbled himself into a body for you so..
He could stretch out His arms for you so..
He could bridge the gap between you and God so..
you could go to heaven so..
you thank Him by living for Him so..
others can know of His love so..
what’s your answer – yes or no? so..
will you accept His valentine?

When you do, you will find out that –

• God is never too busy for you. You will never go to His ‘voice mail’ or answering  machine.
• He is more than a great shoulder to cry on in hard times, as He will help you through it. 
• He is your biggest encourager - wanting you to succeed in Him.
• He has the biggest cheering squad imaginable cheering you on towards the finish line.
• He wants to spend every second with you. 
• He will never stop loving you.
• He will always be there for you. 
• He only wants the best for you.
• He only wants what is good for you. 
• He will always forgive you and will never bring up your past offences up again.

No other valentine can live up to that! 
So remember, that you have the best valentine of all time.

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him...” Psalm 37:7

We live in a world that is obsessed with speed, always trying to figure out how to do things faster, multi-task and how to cram more things into an already packed day.  People seem to take pride in telling us how busy they are!

Speed dating has become more popular – 10+ people, a timer set for 4 mins and go - you have 4 mins (and sometimes less) to impress someone. 
Apparently spending an evening having dinner with someone is considered a waste of time, if they don’t meet expectations.  We aren’t prepared to wait for anything, instant gratification is the goal.

So when God tells us to wait upon Him, it is hard.  ‘How long will it be?’ – can be our first thought. 
The process of waiting upon God has so many benefits, which is why God wants us to do it in the first place.

Spurgeon and Piper says it better and clearer than I ever could -

Charles Spurgeon put it this way “If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord’s people have always been a waiting people.”


"To wait on God means to pause and soberly consider our own inadequacy and the Lord’s all-sufficiency, and to seek counsel and help from the Lord, and to hope in Him (Psalm. 33:20-22; Isa. 8:17)… The folly of not waiting for God is that we forfeit the blessing of having God work for us. The evil of not waiting on God is that we oppose God’s will to exalt Himself in mercy.”- John Piper


Hamish shows and shames me, how I should be with God, with how he waits patiently for me. He is always alert every time I move, to see if this is the time I play ball or walk him.  He lies for hours while I am doing something, and is hopeful when I stop doing a task, that maybe this is the time.  Even when I have just come in after a walk or playing ball with him, he is always expectant that I will do it immediately again.  It doesn’t matter if it has been 2 mins or many hours since he has had a walk or I played with him, he is always ready, waiting expectantly.

How he shames me!  If God doesn’t answer my prayer quickly, often I think the answer is no, rather than thinking it might be ‘wait.’  Sometimes when God has answered my prayers I haven’t been ready.  I often have the attention span of a gnat.  I either at times forget to pray daily for people, or with a long going situation my prayers have sometimes become perfunctory.  If God did chose to answer a long time prayer that day, probably more often than not, I have been a bit surprised.  Not that I didn't believe that God could or would do it, but more I got used to how things were.

The process of unlearning what the world has taught us about waiting, and learning correctly how to wait upon God is difficult.  But God is showing us how and is strengthening us through the process.

Do you need to hear and be reminded of these promises today?

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1

Hamish is unique and I love him for who he is. 
He takes as long as I do eating an ice-cream – he licks it slowly and doesn’t gulp it down in one bite like a lot of other dogs.  He does a lot of things differently and has his quirks which makes him unique.

“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10

You are not an accident, an afterthought or a mistake! 

Do you think of yourself in the way Ephesians 2:10 shows us?  That in Jesus, God made us the way we have to be, to do the things God wants us to do!

If you are shy, stubborn, always was a bit of a rebel, or never seemed to fit in with your peers – accept it, celebrate it!  God prepared a work for you to do before He made you.  That’s why he made you the way you are, so you, through Him could accomplish it.   

God may have known getting some work accomplished here would be difficult so may have made you stubborn, not so you would sin with it, but rather that you wouldn’t give up on His work when the going got tough.  If you are a rebel, be a rebel for Him – rebel against all that is wrong and mainstream secularism and speak up and work for what God has called you to be.

Character traits that we may have been told aren’t good – like stubbornness can be a good thing.  It’s all about how we choose to use it, if it’s in rebellion against God or for God.

If you are shy, please don’t envy others who with their outgoing personality are a magnet in a crowd of strangers.  I am very shy with people I don’t know well.  When you get to know me, I’m not.  When I was younger I was told I came across aloof and they couldn’t believe what I was really like when they got to know me.  But I can spot a shy person a mile away in a crowd, when others who don’t understand shyness may think a person is snobby or unfriendly, I know differently.  Are you like that?

Have you ever thought that only you can reach a certain person?  We all have different personalities and gifts.  This combined with God working in us makes us a unique masterpiece.  Only you can reach those people that God puts in your path.  Only you can reach that person that others can’t connect with. 

So next time you complain about your nose, hair or that you are too short or tall – God made you that way!  The creator of the entire universe made you – you are priceless, you are beautiful in Him. 

Don’t waste a masterpiece!

(our walk today, enjoying the weather)

We have had a lovely spell of nice weather for a couple of days.  The sky is blue and the sun has been shining.  Yesterday at church no one seemed to be wearing coats or jackets: After so long of either having rain or the threat of rain, it was a welcome gift.

God gives us these days in winter to remind us of the promise of spring that it is coming and winter will soon be over. 

If you are in a winter of life and your situation seems dark and cold, God is like those rare sunny days in the middle of winter; God brings us joy, hope, faith, peace and love.

We also have the promise of summer – Jesus is coming back again and winter will soon be over.  Unlike here on earth, winter will be over permanently and the summer will be permanent and be perfect.  As it will be God who brings the perfect unwaveringly warmth, light and joy in heaven.

So when everything seems dark, cold and never ending, look to Jesus, draw warmth and comfort from the bible, and from fellow Christians who can encourage, pray and help you.  When we pray for and encourage others, we are like that ray of sunshine to others.

Sometimes we can be stuck indoors and not realise what a nice day it actually is and we have to actively go out and experience it.  So too do we have to actively do these things to experience God and bring joy to others.

Our dogs or grandkids, children are excellent in making us see and experience rare days like these.  As we see the joy they have in getting out and enjoying the day then quickly we too have fun. 

So look for the sun and get out and enjoy it and as we experience those days that bring the promise of spring, we remember the promise that we will soon have a permanent home, where winters are no more.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3