Why I gave up my religion

We walked into the basement of the venue….late, my husband and I got off at the wrong train station and then we walked over 20 minutes to where the church service was being held in Yokohama, Japan. I didn’t really want to go in the first place. I had not been to church properly for over 2 years and my plane ticket to Japan was suppose to be a ticket from people asking where I was on Sunday or if I wanted to go to church this week. Yet, here I was walking in late to a service in the middle of the city in Japan.

That day I gave up my “religion”. The realness of Why we were there and Why I had felt such a draw to Japan was in this very moment. As soon as I walked in the room with band playing, my heart felt home. And I knew THIS IS WHY. I had crossed the open sea and God was waiting for me.

Religion comes in a lot of forms. I think as a Christian I have to be careful that I don’t fall under the mistake of following a religion but living my beliefs and realities with Christ. Growing up knowing “right and wrong” and just trying to live right won’t be enough, and we will always eventually fail and feel guilty, instead I started pursuing Christ, reading his word, discovering what He wanted for me, acting out of obedience and love to what I thought was my next step towards greatness and every time falling more and more in love with Jesus and less and less with “Religion”.

It’s not about following “rules” (religion) but about following Jesus (life). God doesn’t want us in pursuit of following rules and doing everything perfect, He wants us to discover his huge love and passion for us no matter where we are at and from that everything else will follow.  I wasn’t sharing Christ with others because I had to, but because I wanted them to discover him. I wasn’t showing up early  to set up at church because someone expected me to, but because it was a privilege and I was excited to, I wasn’t reading my bible and worshiping God to tick it off my list but to genuinely hear from Him. The church is suppose to be there for us to gather around our passion for Jesus and how He can transform lives, don’t go to show face, don’t go to make yourself “fell good”. Go to discover, go to be around people who will build you up, go to build up others, and number one find your relationship with Christ, worship, read his word and don’t be afraid of failing but be ready to fall in Love all over again, because there is nothing more refreshing that new love.

What an incredible journey, adventure and fun I have with Christ. Discovering everyday a little bit more of what he has in store. Even now I find myself looking ahead with great anticipation and expectant to see more happen in my life. It is sweet and beautiful and sometimes scary, but  living with Christ is the best and surely when I gave up my “religion” and started a full on pursuit for Christ, everything became more fruitful and I didn’t just grow fuller but my fruit could help others too.

 

1 Corinthians 10:31 New Living Translation (NLT)

³¹ So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

You have the power

The other day we were having a pretty radical talk about the power of one person.

Growing up I saw two extremes. My mum transformed by a real experience with God, and then the ugliest end of the scale with my Dad. A lot of what I remember in childhood is a combination of church and the amazing love of Jesus, and then police stations and jail visits.

But what is powerful and wonderful and so so good, is that because of my Mums experience with Jesus she changed the generations. My son can fully and deeply know Gods love because of her, he will not know jail visits, he will not know the ugly. And, because I have chosen Jesus, I have the power to change the generations with every single children’s church class I teach and every person that I can share Jesus’ love with.

My husbands Father came to know Jesus. It did not just impact him. The power of that one decision rippled and roared into his whole family, Mother, Father, sisters, brothers, nephews, nieces, And of course my husband. The truth of God’s love piercing the hearts of our kids and ours to come.

It is the power that Jesus loves us deeply and widely, more than anything or anyone we could ever know. His power lives in us and his spirit breaths life into our souls.

Whatever has happened in your past, no matter what family history. It could be perfect but empty, full of broken relationships, alchohol, abuse, addiction, anger, hurt….

No matter what, God can come in.

God can take anything and anyone and in one moment change history because of one person. I am the one. You are the one. You can impact the one and we together can impact the generations just by a conversation, a prayer or a gesture of love flowing out of the realness of Gods love.

Never underestimate the power in you and what Jesus can do through you.

Is it acceptable?

Is what I am doing acceptable and good enough for God and how do I know?

We all are different. Not made the same, not to function the same, we have different gifts, talents and abilities, families, capacities, finanances, time and personalities.

So, how can we know what we do for God, other’s and in the church is acceptable or good when we are so different?

1. Willingness

God looks at our attitude and heart. Like everything we do God always looks at that first. Someone may give $1000 or even $1000000 away but doing it out of obligation vs the person giving their last $10 joyfully. The one that will be the most powerful gift to God would be that $10 of joy.

2. Abilty

It’s so easy to compare someone to another.

“Well, he is doing this and this and this and she only does this”

I tried keeping up with someone who has the compacity to do a lot while being a Mum

and being a great leader, it almost burnt me out, I had to step back and find my groove so to speak and keep in with what God had placed within me.

We should flourish in our abilities and know them. Do our best, give our best in whatever it is and what ever way we function.

One person may be gifted in playing 5 instruments and another person one instrument.

Someone maybe great at preaching to large crowds and another person one to one encouragement.

You could be a Mum who bakes lavish cakes and blesses others or a Mum who buys the cake and shares with others.

You may do the dishes at church or welcome the people at the door.

You could be that guy/girl bringing 20 of their friends to church or that one friend from work.

Whatever it may be.

The ability may be different but the attitude should be the same.

Willingness + Ability = acceptable

Are you giving your best? And are you doing it with willingness and a great attitude?

God looks at each one of us individually, where we are at, at what stage and season we are in. He sees all factors.

And He doesn’t judge us based on what we DON’T have but what we DO have and what we are willing to do with it.

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭8:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Hello big ears.

When I was at primary/elementary school I was playing a game in the playground, when one of the boys said to me “You have big ears and ugly eyebrows”. I don’t think I even reacted to him and I just kept playing the game. After that I had this complex thinking my ears were huge! I left my hair out, it was long and then one of my teachers told me I had to tie my hair up…I cut it all off so I wouldn’t have to show my ears.

When I got my hands on some tweezers I pretty much pulled of my entire eyebrows. This was years later.

I remember once my teacher saying that his wife had a really amazing voice but once a bitter old woman said something nasty about her singing and she never sang again.

There are so many voices are out there to destroy our confidence and self worth. Something meaningless and small slipping in and making us afraid or self conscience of something we didn’t even know we could.

It doesn’t matter how old or how young we are, we can all be susceptible to hearing “voices” which do not gain any benefit for our future and definitely no great fruit for our lives.

Be the voice of encouragement that pushes people up to shine, believe what God says about you and your value, that he made you and thought of you before the creation of this world…and no he doesn’t make mistakes, He has gifted you.

Words have the power to bring life or death.

What words are we speaking? Are they being life to people or the opposite?

What words are we believing?

Let go and ask God to set you free from any false words that you have believed because Gods spirit brings freedom. And having freedom means being healed and able to run and become all we are supposed to be.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If you need it, here is a quick prayer for you to ask God to help you today.

“Thank you God for creating me, help me to see and discover all you have for me and those around me. Holy Spirit have your way in my life, heal me and take away negative beliefs from the past so I can live in true freedom! In Jesus name AMEN”

My toilet moment

It was my last Sunday in Japan. I had cried more in the last month than I think I had in my whole life. How rich and vast were the friendships I had made and how much God had transformed our life in our church and in this beautiful country over the years. There was brokenness, stress and sadness to leave because we love Japan so much. God had told us it was time for the next season and of course we would follow.

I went to church as usual and burst out crying when trying to pray with everyone before church….agh, how was I going to lead worship? Sometimes I would get a little teary normally just worshiping but How weird and awkward would it be if the worship leader said “Welcome to church” and then cried ugly tears the entire praise and worship set.

I went to the toilet before the service started and I said “I need your help, I can’t do this without you” there and then I felt a warm strength like God was wrapping his arms around me and holding me “I Got you”.

As we started Worship it stayed and got stronger, we had a powerful, joyous, fun and magnificent time lifting up the name of Jesus! It was the best!

Who would have thought that God would powerfully touch my life in the toilet lol

But you know, God is not limited to a place, he is a big glorious God who will move if we just say the words “I need you”

Whether it be in the car, toilet, shower, shop, church, friends house and whatever situation you may be in don’t be afraid to ask for His help, His love and His power in your life, Because God is big and He’s got you.

Don’t be fooled

There’s a common thing that happens to surfers when we go out into the sea, after checking the surf, we paddle out and then while waiting for a set of waves to roll in, looking down to our left or right and the waves look like they are breaking better and more frequantly, If we paddle down and look where we just were, guess what? The waves look like they are breaking better and more frequently there! If you’re not careful you can end up spending your time paddling to and from and just wishing you were at either place!

I have to remind myself in that situation not to be fooled, which is sometimes so hard.

Quite often if I am patient the waves will come to me or it’s just an illusion that it’s better either side of me.

Hello, real world. What about our life situations?

We may feel when we look to the left or to the right at someone’s else’s life or on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagra, other families , lifestyles that life would be better “somewhere else” or our situation would be so much more fulfilling doing what “someone else is doing”.

The thought “if only” will kill your joy and ability to enjoy life where you are at.

If only I had a partner who was like this.

If only I had this thing.

If only I lived in that country.

If only I had a family like that.

If only I had more money.

If only I had more time.

If only I was taller, smarter, funnier, more talented.

Then I would be happy.

Setting goals and pushing forward towards your best is such a great and powerful thing to do, but it is also important to learnt how to find joy and happiness where you are now, enjoying being patient, achieving things, being content with what you have, because unless we learn how to be able to be filled with joy where we are at now there is no job, no partner, no place, no material thing, that will make you find it because it comes from within.

Enjoy your place now.

Enjoy your relationships now.

Enjoy where you are at in your life now.

Be content and see how much it can transform your life!

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I called him a liar

Though I am and always have been a bit of a joker and somewhat lighthearted person, I struggled with the battle of trying to define who I was by other peoples thoughts of me.

I really believed that what and who I was could be shaped by how others perceived me. When you do this, it pretty much makes your life a bit a of an unstable mess.

Managing feelings of not being good enough, to the feeling of being a champion over and over.

Am I valuable because others say so?

Am I beautiful because others think so?

Am I special because of my surroundings.

No.

One day something just clicked. I was sick of being ruled from the outside, fake thoughts and untrue ideas of myself and said “Devil you are a liar”

They are lies.

The truth is. God sees our worth, it’s worth his son living and dying for us.

God thought us through, before the start of creation. God made us unique and special, with the ability to develop the passions and gifts he has placed inside.

Being true to who God has created us to be is the ultimate way to live.

How can we live a purpose and successful life if we are trying to walk in shoes that do not fit.

Actions that I took to make change in how I could live this life true and real was this:

* Making sure I have God time, reading His word to see what He has to say to me.

* Unfollowing or choosing not to be around people who seem critical of others.

* Choosing how I speak about myself and others.

* What music am I listening to?

* What am I watching?

* Who am I listening to?

* What do I focus my thoughts and energy towards?

Being purposeful about how I live.

Awesome thing about breathing and living is that it’s a continual discovery, journey and decision to live in Gods best and be all he wants me to be and the closer we move towards His ways and who He is we can overcome any lies that we have believed in the past.

I know many people struggle with the same thing and I pray we all discover Gods value on us over and over again because he has made us all beautiful in His sight and we can walk His ways in the shoes best fitted for us.

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

‭‭John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Last blog 2017

As 2017 starts to wrap up and the excitement of Christmas looks towards the New Year I’m sure a lot of us are reflecting on many things that happened in the year.

I am now writing this from our home in New Zealand which is a surreal feeling.

This time last year we were in the beautiful winter of Japan after enjoying Christmas with our friends, little did we know God was going to flip our worlds completely around and bring us back to our roots and we would be slapping on sunblock before our Christmas feasts surrounded by family this year.

Peace. This word would be the biggest and most important for me personally this year.

We had many big decisions to make and it all came back to following Gods peace.

So many times we had choices that had to be made, everytime I tried to just look from the outside it was very unsettling. From continuing what we were doing, whether or not to buy a house, what to write about or message to preach, what country to live, what accommodation to use, where to eat, when to fly, who to talk to, how to solve a problem and how to do life. But God shows us, leads us and empowers us to push forward towards His best and our best while walking in a crazy sort of peace which is hard to understand.

To be honest there were a lot of moments where things sounded good, or seemed “perfect” at the time, but God doesn’t just look at our current position or moment, He looks at our tomorrows, our years and our generations to come.

Learning to walk following that “peace” is something I am definitely learning but it’s so amazing when you continue to pursue Gods best for your life.

It’s about walking day to day aware, and not being shut off or just living on “function” mode and just gliding through.

Thank God I can say that we are healthy, happy and have gone through another year in His grace and am grateful for His guidance throughout this crazy year.

I am looking forward to seeing what’s next for the New Year and I am sure it will be packed with some “Peace following decisions” and some incredible Wow moments.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What do you want to know?

Have you ever had a life decision big or small? Of course! 

We all go through life with times of decisions. What to wear, what to listen to, who to be friends with, how to spend your free time, what subject to study or job to take, who to date or where to live.

Some of my hardest times came from making the wrong decision, some of my best moves or seasons in life have been from making the right or good choice.

God says if we don’t know what to do, how to fix a problem or what’s the right choice we can go and ask God and he will give it to us. I wonder how many opportunities to hear Gods opinion and wisdom in an area of my life have I missed simply because I didn’t ask. 

We rely on ourselves too much when Gods hand is stretched forth open towards us always.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”‭‭James‬ ‭1:5-6‬ ‭

God can see the bigger picture, he overflows with wisdom and he will give to you generously the answer if you simply ask! 

How? You might ask. His word (The bible). A word comes to thought. A feeling of peace. A dream. A word of wisdom from someone who is close to God. 

There are many ways that God can show us the best way and when we pray and ask, it makes us ready to be able to see and receive it rather than be overcome with worry and fear. 

You can make the best God decision when you ask Him! I know you can! 

Small compromises make big differences

Compromise it can be a good word or it can be a bad one. What are your foundations and beliefs?

Who sets your standard? Everyone or Jesus? 

We sometimes feel a little bit here and there is okay. And sometimes it is but look at it this way, I’ve noticed over and over again, If you compromise something one time too many times it becomes the norm. 

“I don’t work sundays” then your boss asks you to work….just this once. You say yes. Do you think your boss will ask you again? Yes. And do you think you will feel as bad as you did the first time? No.
Over time you might just find yourself working every sunday……and it’s probably just Normal.

I don’t drink more than one beer, just tonight maybe two….tonight two again, I don’t usually drink three but two is okay so three should be fine……..

We don’t usually see a negative result straight away when we make a small change and so we think it’s okay to do again. But over time it becomes not okay and you may not even realize. 

I don’t think a lot of people who has a Godly belief or biblical standpoint and a relationship with Jesus suddenly decides to one day to reject their stand and walk the other way but I’m sure a lot of us at one point have found ourselves looking at an area of our lives and wonder “How did I ever get here?”

It’s the small and maybe harmless at the time decisions that can creep in and grow without you even really noticing the change. 

I know in one point of my life it became very messy and over time my small decisions had caused bigger living and thinking changes to the point I wasn’t going to church often, I didn’t pray much if at all and I was going out every weekend and it was normal for me. 

Now looking back I can see a very empty, very scary and lonely time.

But the most amazing part about Jesus is whatever point we get to in life or what ever small decision and compromises we make. Jesus never ever comprises us. He excepts as willingly with open arms and let’s us start again, if we choose to go to him. 

What areas do you feel strongly about and know God is asking you to not waiver in? 

What areas do you see that have become “normal” for you which you are sure that it shouldn’t be?

It is so great that we can go to Jesus and ask him to show us, open our eyes and help us everyday to make small changes towards a healthier and wholer us and make compromises that add to, rather than take away from our lives. 

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭143:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬