Followers

Monday, October 12, 2020

Harvest

seeds so small, tumble, fall
on brown and fertile soil
with the sun when winter’s done
shoots of green uncoil

oats and wheat sunshine greet
growing ever higher
maize and corn meet the dawn
kissed in gold attire

scythe in swing groundward bring
chaff and seed high tossed
saving grain before the rain
nothing precious lost

seed to mill, soft flour spill
stir the oven’s heat
yeast to dough to slowly grow
bake the bread and eat

remember grace and lift a face
to God who give us all
the sun, the soil, the strength to toil
His name on which to call

 

 

Thursday, October 08, 2020

Diamonds Conference

The Destiny’s Diamonds ladies conference usually involves people travelling down to Glasgow to meet in a conference hall and listen to speakers. I wanted to go last year but the toilet-stops required to get me there was too much to factor in. This year with Covid-19 restrictions they moved it all online to Youtube. The main speaker was a lady called Anne Calver. She focussed on the account of Saul’s conversion. It was just days ago I read the story; but I was looking more at Ananias side of things rather than Saul’s.

Anne was a woman after my heart with her four alliterated points.

             Transformation

             Turn around

             Tasked

             Time

She talked about Sleeping Beauty, the curse that caused the sleep, the thorns growing up around the castle, the time passing by and the prince slashing he way though. He finds the princess and wakes her with a kiss. Love awakened Sleeping Beauty. 

Jesus woke up Saul – not with a kiss. His love wakes us up. He transforms us and sets us off on a path to wake up and transform others.

In passing she mentioned a song, Reckless Love. The words, the melody and the truth sung are a powerful combination.

She talked about butterflies and caterpillars not in the context of one transforming into another but in the way that what the butterfly sees is entirely different from what the caterpillar sees. They might see the same things but not in the same way. God intends to turn around our vision.

Lockdown, she says, has turned around the way we see church, the way we see the lost and the way we see outreach

Lockdown has also been this time to turn around the way we walk with Jesus. We have the time to read and meditate on his word. We don’t need to dash into His presence, gulp down a couple of verses and then rush out into the world. We can be more intentional, taking time to look deeper and learn better.

Ananias was tasked with anointing Saul. I was Zoom-anointed into a leadership role last night. God was shifting both Saul and Ananias into unfamiliar places. We need to be swift to come on board when God stirs us. His spirit moves and we need to respond with a “Yes” and step out. I have been given the Box, our ladies discipleship meeting to oversee. God trusts me to do the job and equips me for it.

The enemy would like to tell us that we have missed our chance. Then was a good time to move out, now is not. He always brings a word of ending, does the enemy.

There was a question on Pointless yesterday about tectonic plates. The world has a molten centre and a hard crust. The crust is broken up in places and the broken bits, the tectonic plates, shift about to cause mountain and valleys. Spiritual tectonic plates are shifting. The rise and fall of leaders are in our hands as we posture ourselves for prayer.

We are not called to look upon things, whether is Covid-19 or lockdown rules and allow them to sow seeds of fear. Find a scripture, she says that speaks to wherever that fear comes from. Take authority. Speak your word, His word given to you, into the situation. Break any agreement you have with fear.

At the end of the meeting there were a couple of prophesies given. I don’t think they were there-and-then words, but words spoken earlier on in the year. One of them was pre-pandemic, warning of its coming and the opportunities there to grasp. The pandemic is not good, but even then God can use it to produce good. The world is looking for leaders and not finding them, certainly not in the political arena. God is commissioning His leaders and calls upon us to become experts in His word. Who knows who we will be called to talk to, or what influence we have? We need to ask for BIG THINGS and to ask for them boldly.

Sunday, October 04, 2020

Isaiah 43:1-3

little lamb, precious one,
do not fear
did I not, cherished child,
draw you near?
have I not, summoned you,
made you mine
fuelled by faith, quelling storms,
you will shine
in the flood, know that I,
will be there
every peak, every trough,
I will share
walk with Me, through the flames,
wrapped in fire
face like flint, striding forth,
ever higher
on My Rock, you will stand,
feet secure
worry not, be at rest,
safe and sure
Almighty God, Ageless One,
I am He
He who saves, carries you,
I will be