FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Sunday, September 30, 2007,10:11 a.m.
WE HAD A BABY!!!!
OK, just to be clear, I did not have a baby..... Karen and Dan Forthuber had a beautiful baby boy this week!! For anyone who is not local to Vancouver anymore, here are a couple of pictures:
Samuel Charley
9 lbs.
21 in.
Born Wed, September 26, 2007 at 1:21am.
For anyone who knows Karen and Dan, you might remember that Psalm 121 (more specifically verse 2) is a big scripture for them in their life together. They were married at 1:21pm and, oddly enough, their hotel room on their honeymoon ended up being room 1212. Now check again and see what time Samuel was born....
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.
(Psalm 121)
Samuel Charley
9 lbs.
21 in.
Born Wed, September 26, 2007 at 1:21am.
For anyone who knows Karen and Dan, you might remember that Psalm 121 (more specifically verse 2) is a big scripture for them in their life together. They were married at 1:21pm and, oddly enough, their hotel room on their honeymoon ended up being room 1212. Now check again and see what time Samuel was born....
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.
(Psalm 121)
Thursday, September 27, 2007,8:29 p.m.
TWO THINGS
Two things I think the Lord is pressing into in the past few days:
Firstly: Your identity is not based on whether people think good or bad things of you. Your identity is based on what God Himself thinks of you. If someone thinks well of you, it doesn't necessarily make you a good person. Conversely, if someone thinks ill of you, it does not necessarily make you a bad person. But what God thinks of you and knows of you is paramount and filled with truth. You are beloved. You are the anointed of the Lord. You are His child and heir. Your performance in front of others - good or poor - does not ever change these truths about who you are. Your true identity is based in God's view of you.
Secondly, the scripture from Jeremiah 29:13 that says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Let's chase Him - He's ready to be caught.....
Firstly: Your identity is not based on whether people think good or bad things of you. Your identity is based on what God Himself thinks of you. If someone thinks well of you, it doesn't necessarily make you a good person. Conversely, if someone thinks ill of you, it does not necessarily make you a bad person. But what God thinks of you and knows of you is paramount and filled with truth. You are beloved. You are the anointed of the Lord. You are His child and heir. Your performance in front of others - good or poor - does not ever change these truths about who you are. Your true identity is based in God's view of you.
Secondly, the scripture from Jeremiah 29:13 that says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Let's chase Him - He's ready to be caught.....
Sunday, September 23, 2007,11:22 a.m.
TIMING
Sometimes when the Lord makes a promise, it takes a long time to happen.
Sometimes when He makes a promise, it seems to happen almost immediately.
I wonder why the difference?
Sometimes when He makes a promise, it seems to happen almost immediately.
I wonder why the difference?
Thursday, September 13, 2007,8:28 p.m.
SOVEREIGN GRACE
So, Stephen has official called me a blog slacker. I cannot deny it - I have totally been slacking, but only on the blog front. Tonight's my first night in three weeks that I haven't brought work home - what a great feeling! (Except for the part where I think I'm forgetting something....) I'm settling back into teaching nicely. I hadn't forgotten that it was some of the hardest work I have ever done - that hasn't changed one iota.
We had our first Chapel services of the year yesterday. Four Chapels: Grades K - 2, 3 - 5, 6 - 8 and 9 - 12. Whew! I think Wednesdays might end up being my favourite day. God was definitely there in each gathering, but even that has brought up an interesting necessity - the need to go back to the truth daily and recognize that all of the "success" (if it can be put that way) of the Spirit in our worship services is still only because of God's grace.
It is creating an interesting paradox, all these comments about how great Chapel was yesterday. On one side, there is the pouring in that I receive as the worship leader - an encouragement that God was doing something, and that at least I didn't get in the way of that. But on the other side, it can also be an invitation to pride, with a false sense of "Look what I did." I think many people don't know how to express their excitement at being in God's presence, so they thank the worship leader. I'm not saying that's wrong; what it does end up being is both a challenge and an encouragement to me. This morning I prayed for humility - to see myself as God truly sees me, both the good things and the things that aren't me, but actually all Him.
God is still a God of grace and will encourage me as I strive to fulfill His will and humbly follow His leading in every worship set I lead.
God is also still a God is greatness and is acutely jealous of the glorification of His name. He will not share that praise with anyone, nor should He.
May He always be properly and truly glorified in all of us. Even where He has gifted us, it is still only by His grace and design that we can do any of these things at all. It was all created for His purpose and His pleasure.
We had our first Chapel services of the year yesterday. Four Chapels: Grades K - 2, 3 - 5, 6 - 8 and 9 - 12. Whew! I think Wednesdays might end up being my favourite day. God was definitely there in each gathering, but even that has brought up an interesting necessity - the need to go back to the truth daily and recognize that all of the "success" (if it can be put that way) of the Spirit in our worship services is still only because of God's grace.
It is creating an interesting paradox, all these comments about how great Chapel was yesterday. On one side, there is the pouring in that I receive as the worship leader - an encouragement that God was doing something, and that at least I didn't get in the way of that. But on the other side, it can also be an invitation to pride, with a false sense of "Look what I did." I think many people don't know how to express their excitement at being in God's presence, so they thank the worship leader. I'm not saying that's wrong; what it does end up being is both a challenge and an encouragement to me. This morning I prayed for humility - to see myself as God truly sees me, both the good things and the things that aren't me, but actually all Him.
God is still a God of grace and will encourage me as I strive to fulfill His will and humbly follow His leading in every worship set I lead.
God is also still a God is greatness and is acutely jealous of the glorification of His name. He will not share that praise with anyone, nor should He.
May He always be properly and truly glorified in all of us. Even where He has gifted us, it is still only by His grace and design that we can do any of these things at all. It was all created for His purpose and His pleasure.
"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."
Revelation 4:11 (NASB)
Monday, September 03, 2007,8:07 p.m.
SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW....
School starts tomorrow....
Have I neglected to mention that I'm in another new job? Probably. I've kept that one rather quiet, goodness knows why. But I've gone back to teaching high school. Have I along the way neglected to mention that I am a BC-certified teacher? Probably - that one makes more sense, as I wasn't working as one.
Here's the REALLY bizarre part - I'm back at the school where I taught when I first started out. And it was 10 years ago. I'm literally having another "first year of teaching" (since I haven't been in a classroom for six years) and it's at the same school.
Much is the same - the music wing (which has been scheduled for demolition for almost as long as I've known the school), half of the staff, and the principal. Much is different - an entire new building and more portables, the other half of the staff, a vice-principal and another music teacher (he's a little crazy - we're getting along great).
The absolute weirdest things that are the same are the smells. The music wing smells the same, and the Chapel smells EXACTLY the same. And, frankly, it looks exactly the same, too - completely. It's like a time-warp when I walk into the Chapel. Totally bizarre. Totally surreal. More surreal is meeting old students again - if they're still in school they were in Primary School when I left. If they've graduated they've got Masters degrees and are married with children. (I don't know how things like that happen when I don't age at all.....or maybe I age and just don't grow up - more likely....)
One of the neat things that has not changed at the school is its desire to be a school of worshippers - a school defined by a passionate love for God and a desire to be a place that raises up leaders rooted in intimate relationship with Him. No wonder God has taken me back there - it matches so much what He has asked me to do, too.
And one of the neatest things that has changed is me. God is faithful. He is the Healer. He is the Teacher, the Guide. He has walked me through a lot of stuff - experiences, knowledge, healing and growth - in the last 6 years since I left the school (and especially the 10 years since I started there last time). He is truly good. He is GOOD. I'm not the same. I know because some of the same types of things are coming at me, and I am reacting utterly differently. It's been a real surprise. But a really good one. I've said a couple of times this week that I'm proud of myself for how I'm dealing with some of those things. But the truth is that I'm thrilled with Him. How many people get such a clear look at two moments of their lives that are ten long years apart?
He is good. This whole thing is still bizarre, but He remains good. It should be an interesting year.
And so..... school starts tomorrow.....
Have I neglected to mention that I'm in another new job? Probably. I've kept that one rather quiet, goodness knows why. But I've gone back to teaching high school. Have I along the way neglected to mention that I am a BC-certified teacher? Probably - that one makes more sense, as I wasn't working as one.
Here's the REALLY bizarre part - I'm back at the school where I taught when I first started out. And it was 10 years ago. I'm literally having another "first year of teaching" (since I haven't been in a classroom for six years) and it's at the same school.
Much is the same - the music wing (which has been scheduled for demolition for almost as long as I've known the school), half of the staff, and the principal. Much is different - an entire new building and more portables, the other half of the staff, a vice-principal and another music teacher (he's a little crazy - we're getting along great).
The absolute weirdest things that are the same are the smells. The music wing smells the same, and the Chapel smells EXACTLY the same. And, frankly, it looks exactly the same, too - completely. It's like a time-warp when I walk into the Chapel. Totally bizarre. Totally surreal. More surreal is meeting old students again - if they're still in school they were in Primary School when I left. If they've graduated they've got Masters degrees and are married with children. (I don't know how things like that happen when I don't age at all.....or maybe I age and just don't grow up - more likely....)
One of the neat things that has not changed at the school is its desire to be a school of worshippers - a school defined by a passionate love for God and a desire to be a place that raises up leaders rooted in intimate relationship with Him. No wonder God has taken me back there - it matches so much what He has asked me to do, too.
And one of the neatest things that has changed is me. God is faithful. He is the Healer. He is the Teacher, the Guide. He has walked me through a lot of stuff - experiences, knowledge, healing and growth - in the last 6 years since I left the school (and especially the 10 years since I started there last time). He is truly good. He is GOOD. I'm not the same. I know because some of the same types of things are coming at me, and I am reacting utterly differently. It's been a real surprise. But a really good one. I've said a couple of times this week that I'm proud of myself for how I'm dealing with some of those things. But the truth is that I'm thrilled with Him. How many people get such a clear look at two moments of their lives that are ten long years apart?
He is good. This whole thing is still bizarre, but He remains good. It should be an interesting year.
And so..... school starts tomorrow.....