God Time

I think it was on one of Nicki Gumbles videos where he said that even read the bible for 7 minutes a day just to keep getting the word from God. It made me think that I don't feel close with God because I don't get his word, I don't get his word because I don't allow time to read the bible and I don't do this because I find it very daunting think I've got to site there for half and hour to an hour and read it. I think of so many things that I could do to fill my time better.
But it doesn't have to be like that, I can easily allow 7mins of my time each day to read a bit. So I started last night and I am going to try to continue this.

Also forgot to mention the development at Alpha. One of the guests had an attack during the night as what she describes as just 'darkness and evil' around her. Before this she has been very argumentative in the discussion groups, which is fine as everyone is entitled to discuss there view. But when this happened she said she just asked Jesus to come and help her and that she wants him and nothing else. After this the evil went away and now she has decided that this is what she wants to follow JESUS. How amazing!! Obviously she is still asking questions as she needs alot of answers but she has totally changed. It is also encouraging to the rest of the guests to hear this too.

Well the clocks have gone back and the sky is dark when I go to work and dark when I come home, I hate this time of year, so depressing. Really gonna try this year to perk myself up some how? not sure how yet!! Quite strange how much we allow the light to effect us to much.

Random Night Out

My friend asked me the other day if I was free on Friday night which I was so she told me to dress smart and she was taking somewhere where I would get fed and watered for free just had to go. I would also be picked up and dropped off. So obviously I asked where we were going but she wouldn't tell me, it was a surprise. Immediately I was asking all sorts of questions but she still wouldn't tell me.

Anyway it was last night, I was taken to a testimonial for a football player and basically we had been roped in to sell raffle tickets, bingo tickets etc in a room full of blokes. I was a bit apprehensive to start with and thought I was going to be disappointed as I'd built it up to be something great when I didn't know where I was going. But as it goes I had a wicked night. sold the tickets but tat was easy, just walked round with a bucket and get the blokes to part with there money. Then we had a nice 3 course meal and a few drinks which was all paid for. The guy organising it said we made double what they would normally get and asked us if we would help them out again in he future, s watch this space it may become a regular thing.

On another note, the Internet at home s finally connected so I'm sitting comfortably on my spare room sofa listening to music by Mark Ronson. My friend told us about a web site
www.hypem.com
which allows you to input the name of some music you like and it just plays all the tracks for free while your on the computer. Obviously you can buy them if you find something you like.

Thoughts

Well Alpha is still going well and all of the group are still attending which is good as ususally some people tend to drop out about now but all is good, its on again tonight. Tonights talk is about how and why to pray, think this will be a good talk as guests may be encouraged to give it a go and answered pray is a good why for people to recognised their faith etc.

Hope08 meeting last week, really excited for this mission, I have loads of ideas that we could do, but we are getting together next week in our church team to discuss these. Meeting last week was mainly talking to a local councillor about how we could help the local area etc.

Really struggling at the moment though with my relationship with God, there is a definite lack of effort on my part, but I think I am probably getting attacks for my involvement with Alpha too. So prayers would be much appreciated.

Wardrobes look great in my bedroom and the flat is starting to get organised finally after living there a year. We also brought a laptop, my boyfriend is like a kid with a new toy now. Although there is one benefit which is I can have the tele to myself now. We are connecting to Internet soon to so that will be handy at home. Starting to feel abit materialistic and too concerned about what we have rather then spending more time with God. Need to look at this really.

2 days off

Well the wardrobes have come, my mum waited in for them. I have two guys coming tomorrow to erect them. According to my mum though the flat pack parts are everywhere and the bed needs to be moved out of the bedroom so I think we're sleeping in the lounge tonight. With the wardrobes being fitted tomorrow though I have Wed and Thurs off work.

I am really looking forward to it. Although it will be an early start its nice just to have a couple of days off work. I am looking forward to trying to read a bit more of a book a friend has lent me called Velvet Elvis, christian book. He says I will really enjoy it, I'm sure I will but I need to motivate myself to read it because I'm not really a book person and the last book a read was at least over a year ago.

I'm also going for a new job at work in a training role which is an ideal role as have always wanted to be in this role but the role never existed in my company until they just recently created it. When it came up, you can imagine I was quite excited. So I will also spend sometime filling out the application form I have to fill out for the role. I want it to be really good so I'm taking some time to look over it and fill it out.

Open Door thing

Well the open door thing that I talked about a few weeks ago didn't really go the way I thought it was going. The door I thought was open was closed firmly in my face and I was gutted but since then I look at the situation and realise that by this door being shut many other doors have opened so this is all good. i am currently leading one of the Alpha groups at church, going to get involved in HOPE 08 in Coventry, looking at volunteering for talking space, applying for a new role at work. Lots of prayers required for all these things please.

thoughts of the week

Well since I last wrote on this, I have found out that my boyfriends sister is pregnant, so I'm going to be an auntie. How excited am I. Not ready for kids myself but quote happy for others and to do the whole shopping and planning thing with them. So I went out and brought some little booties for 3-6 months and then a baby on board car thing, Alredy!!!

Getting the new wardrobes this week and Internet connected so that's all exciting too. This also calls for 2 days off work which is great. Had to get the radiator removed off the wall at the weekend so its all go at the moment.
Just need to save for a new bed at the moment and then the room will be complete. Need to get rid of a wardrobe, chest of draws and computer from the spare room. After that I have plans to get new table and chairs and new sofa's but there not urgent.

Over the last 2- 3 weeks I have not really felt close with God and Sundays service was quite relevant as it was related to Encountering God. I sat there and thought I haven't really encountered God lately and don't really feel close to him at all. Previous to this everything was going really great and I felt encourage nearly every day by him but not recently. I've even doubted my faith in the last few weeks as I've thought ' is it all worth it' ' can I be arsed' it can be really hard as my partner isn't of faith and so we don't have that connection that I sometimes longed that we had. Don't get me wrong our relationship is great but for example I cant really discuss the above with him as he wouldn't be able to offer the support. Then it dawned on me that the last few weeks I've been leading Alpha and I'm properly getting attacked for that. So after service on Sunday I asked for Prayer so hopefully all will be well. I will try to remember to put on the armour of God each day as well to protect me during this time. I think perhaps I need to continue to make more effort myself as well to read the word, pray and just make more time for God. I dont want not to feel arsed and I dont want to give up on my faith as deep down I know its real and true just been struggling the last few weeks.

On a positive note I was looking through my Diary and I have loads of nice things planned leading up to Christmas so I am looking forward to them.

Clubbers Church

My friend is involved in a church in town who have started opening up the church on a Friday night around the time when all the people from the bars and night clubs are coming out.
Its called Talking Space and the church is right next to a busy street in town which is used by clubbers when they are trying to get a taxi home or a kebab on the way home.

I thought what a great idea! I have heard about stuff like this before but it never happens where I live, and now it is. Basically they offer people Teas and Coffee and somewhere safe to wait for a taxi etc. Of course sometimes the guests bring up God seeing as there in a church which is great but its not really being used to evangelise from what I gather more of a way for people to see Christians out in the community. This all falls back to what Hope 08 is all about so I think its a great idea. I have asked my friend to see if I can get involved and apparently they need loads of volunteers so watch this space!!

Exciting

Me and my boyfriend have decided not to move house now (dont know if I talked about this) we were selling due to lack of space in our apartment. No where for me to put the hoover or ironing board etc. We have had the house on the market for about 10 weeks but no one came so took it off the market and decided to have some nice wardrobes fitted in our bedroom to make more space. we both decided that we really like were we are and just needed more storage so that's the plan.

We also on that basis decided to pay for a BT line to be fitted and connect Internet. Which then means we need a new computer so we have brought a new laptop which is being delivered tomorrow. All is good as I can now access Internet at home as well as work. so you may get more blogs logged.

How exciting!!!

Just need to invest in a new TV as we need a flat one now we can mount to the wall and then a new bed cos ours is rubbish and then I think we are pretty much sorted.

Alpha

Well Alpha last week was great we had over 20 guests there all with different opinions and all attending for different reasons. The 1st talk is about who is Jesus and it was great to hear all the different views of the guests in the discussion. Its quite difficult to sit back and not say anything. As the idea of Alpha is for the Leaders and Helpers not to really say to much and to allow guests to give their views as if we started getting involved in the discussion it becomes more of a preach at the guests rather then an open discussion which is way Alpha works so well. I had to sit there with my lips firmly closed. The guests were confused by Nicki's comments about Jesus being the son of God and then later he says he is God. To a christian this is all explained in the trinity but if we had of sat there and gone full blown in to discussion about the trinity then that would have changed it into a preach. so I kinda had to encourage different guests to give their views on the subject and that seemed to be good.
Really looking forward to tomorrow night, my group are quite excited themselves.