23/01/2017

Reason no. 1036...

You are the God of the details!
Reason no. 1036 :)

Reason no. 1035...


You are my wonderful shepherd,
the One who guides and the One who leads.
You are with me in the depths of the valleys
and You are with me on the mountaintops.
You take me by the hand and hold me close,
You speak truth into my two ears -
reminding me of the promises spoken.
I can stand as a child of the living God,
I am free - fear and sin are broken off.

You are my refuge and my strength,
the One who protects and defends me.
You are with me on the battlefield,
You are with me in every situation everyday.
In You I am more than a conqueror,
I am a champion who stands in Your victory.
Each day I choose to put on what You have provided me:
the sword of the spirit, the helmet of salvation,
the belt of truth and the shield of faith.

You are my hope, my song and my joy,
the One who is the wellspring of life and peace.
Your Spirit is living in me,
You are with me in every breath that I take.
In You, a life of excitement and adventure awaits.
Your goodness and love will follow me all of my days.
How amazing it is to be loved by You:
You are the perfect Father, the faithful friend,
the One who never gives up on me.

Reason no. 1035 :)


Reason no. 1034...

Thank you God for a lovely long weekend back in Ashford and getting to catch up with all the family. Thank you God for a safe journey. Thank you God for reminding me of promises spoken. Thank you God that You have some amazing opportunities in store for me and David. Reason no. 1034 :)

18/01/2017

Reason no. 1033...

Thank you God that my last ever written exam for uni is happening tomorrow! Father, please help me - give me the knowledge I need and the peace I need. Thank you that You have been with me in every previous exam faced so I can know for sure that You will be with me again! Reason no. 1033 :)

Reason no. 1032...

Let Your voice alone be louder and stronger than any other,
don't let me be swayed by fear or insecurity,
but let me be guided by Your every Word.
Your Word is life, Your Word is love,
Your Word builds up, not tears down and destroys.
Your Spirit is in me and interceding for me.
Life with the Spirit is joy, peace and goodness.
Everywhere I step I carry Your Spirit in me.
Your presence is in every situation I face
and in every decision I have to make.
You have not ever left me alone.
You've equipped me with Your Spirit
and You are forever speaking to me.
Let me turn to You and throw off all distractions.
I am hungry for a Word from You.

Reason no. 1032 :)

14/01/2017

Reason no. 1031...

Open my eyes, ears and heart.
Let me sit and wait.
Bring revelation:
who You are and all You've done.
My heart is hungry
for a fresh glimpse of the King.
To taste and see Your goodness
day after day, year after year.
Don't let me settle:
new adventures with You await.
Let past stories raise faith,
not be the end point.
More is to come.

Reason no. 1031 :)

Reason no. 1030...

'Who can stop the Lord almighty?'

Thank you God that You are the one ruling and reigning with such power!

Reason no. 1030 :)

Reason no. 1029...

Thank you God that You became flesh, lived among us and died for us!
Reason no. 1029 :)

13/01/2017

Reason no. 1028...

Thank you God that You place significance, value and worth over my life. Reason no. 1028 :)

Reason no. 1027...

It is so easy to get caught up with the here and now and all the struggles we are facing at the moment BUT Jesus came so that we might have eternal life. If I have eternity waiting for me the issues I am facing now are so small in comparison to what eternity has in store, especially where there will be no suffering or pain but I'll get to live with the King! Reason no. 1027 :)

Reason no. 1026...

I love snow! I love seeing and hearing everyone's excited reactions as soon as we get the tiniest amount. So much joy! I recon parts of heaven must have snow too! Reason no. 1026 :)

12/01/2017

Reason no. 1025...

Thank you God for looking after our finances. As some bills go up, we've been left in credit in others! Reason no. 1025 :)

Reason no. 1024...

'Worship isn't just the act of uploading our praise and devotion to God; there's a simultaneous download too. We get a reminder of who God is, we get a revelation of his grandeur and grace. It's the sort of transfer that enriches our hearts and refreshes our souls.' (Matt Redman)

'Worship is a feast of the glorious perfections of God, in Christ.' (John Piper)

Worship shows something of the kindness of God's economy - it may be all for Him, but He does not leave us emptied. Reason no. 1024 :)

11/01/2017

Reason no. 1023...

My heart is Yours and Yours alone,
Let no other take my attention,
Not one to the left or one to the right,
Only You shall have my devotion.
Let approval be obtained by only You,
for only You can satisfy my heart -
not anything or any other -
only You and You alone.
You see the longings of my heart,
You see my heart's deepest fears,
yet You love and keep pursuing me
and never letting me go.
Let each beat of my heart chase after You,
may it sing at the wonder of Your works,
may it dance in the freedom You've given,
My heart is Yours and Yours alone.

Reason no. 1023 :)

Reason no. 1022...

'There's never any shortage of treasure to find, never any lack of reasons to sing out our praises to God. Reminders of His goodness and greatness are washing up on the shoreline of our lives every single day. With our eyes open wide and a little digging around, we'll soon find ourselves with plenty of reasons to worship Him. From creation to the cross, from the incarnation to the resurrection and ascension, we never have to invent anything new. Worship is simply a contemplation of who God has already revealed Himself to be and how He has intervened in our lives. It's never about inventing a new story; we're just retelling the precious old story of how God involves Himself in our lives. We remember, and we reply. we recount, and we respond. This is the rhythm of worship: breathing in God's wonders and then breathing out in awe and praise...Two thousand years after Jesus's birth, death, and resurrection, the goodness of our Lord keeps showing up daily in our lives...If you think about it '10000 reasons' is nothing short of a colossal understatement.'

(Matt Redman)

Reason no. 1022 :)

Reason no. 1021...

Thank you God for Your favour and how Your smile over our lives can open doors that would otherwise remain firmly shut (Matt Redman). Thank you God for the favour that has gone before me - favour to get onto the degree I am on at the university I am at and thank you God that what You have started with my degree is not finished yet. Thank you God that You will open up doors for jobs at the right moment. Thank you God that You have always provided me with work at the right time (fitting around all prior commitments) and with the right amount of money before. Thank you God that Your favour to me has not run dry! Reason no. 1021 :)

Reason no. 1020...

I am thankful for my sister. I love how creative, adventurous and loving she is. I love how encouraging and thoughtful she is. I love how much she likes Pride and Prejudice. I love how she has joined a YWAM team and adventured to a country I don't think I really even really knew existed. I love how brave she is to go off to Canada in a few months time for the year. I love how clever she is and  that she is efficient with her cleverness too - she bashes essays out super quick! I love her ability to pick up some pens and produce some beautiful artwork. Reason no. 1020 :)

Reason no. 1019...

I am thankful for my mum. She is so loving, helpful and creative. I love how the house has some of her lovely creations around it and how she made her dress for our wedding. I love how she's always there for me, especially after school and how she would always ask me about my day and she would sit and listen. I love how she always helped me with my studies when I asked, even if it wasn't really a specialty of hers. I love how caring she is and watching her help my grandma and granddad in this season. I love how much she supported us with the wedding, especially with her time - like having the patience to take up my wedding dress! I love how much she supported and encouraged me with doing Impact and going on mission trips.  Reason no. 1019 :)

Reason no. 1018...

I am thankful for my dad. I love how loving, kind and funny (in his own way!) he is. I love how much he loves God and how he would wake up extra early to spend time with Him and how I'd wake up early and see him sat reading and studying the bible. I love how he actively listens to God and uses it to encourage and strengthen people and the church. I love how he encourages me and has supported me with uni and getting married and everything that was before. I love how each Valentine's day before I met David he would give me a small card and present. I love how when he had to go off to Pakistan for a month he created countdown for his return which would be linked with nice treats. I love going back to Ashford and spending time with him - going for walks in the woods or going out for breakfast. This month he turns 50! Reason no. 1018 :)

10/01/2017

Reason no. 1017...

It is remarkable to think that more things don't go wrong with our human bodies with just how complex the system really is. There is so much opportunity for something to go wrong, yet it so often doesn't. God's design is carefully orchestrated. Reason no. 1017 :)

Reason no. 1016...

I am thankful to have time to study and specialise in speech and language therapy. It is so remarkable thinking about how people have this capacity to develop language. To think how a tiny baby is beginning to hear people speaking and they begin to implicitly pick out patterns from what is being said, they are able to store it in their memory and eventually take what is stored in their mind and coordinate their lips, tongue and teeth to communicate a meaningful message. The complexity of the system is remarkable. Reason no. 1016 :)

Reason no. 1015...

I am thankful for the NHS. It may not be perfect, but the quality of treatments and services we are able to receive is incredibly high in comparison to many other countries, especially with regards to Speech and Language Therapy. Reason no. 1015 :)

09/01/2017

Reason no. 1014...

Thank you God that you deal with my guilt and my shame far better than I ever will. Last week my granddad was talking about an old piece of pottery he had found and had been cracked but someone decided to paint over all the cracks. He purchased it and cleared up all the paint. In the world of Japanese art there is something beautiful about broken pottery being fixed with gold. Out of the brokenness something beautiful emerges. I can choose to deal with my guilt and shame by myself and end up with something very ugly or I can invite God in and something precious can be released through that brokenness. Although it can seem so much more scary and vulnerable as I do not have control of what happens, by trusting God and putting it in His hands He places His high value and worth over it. Reason no. 1014 :)

Reason no. 1013...

Thank you God for this year ahead. Thank you God that you speak hope, joy and peace over it. Reason no. 1013 :)

Reason no. 1012...

One of my Christmas presents this year was the book '10000 reasons' by Matt Redman. I've started reading it and it is great! I love hearing stories of worshippers as there is something beautiful about when the person has captured something of God and the outworking of that becomes a song, a dance, a piece of artwork - a creative snapshot of what they have seen or heard from God! Through that process there is a strengthening and encouraging within the church and more worship rises. Reason no. 1012 :)

Reason no. 1011...

Last week I was a passenger in a small road accident with a pedestrian. The person who was knocked over had a cracked leg bone but in the midst of that there were so many blessings to be seen. It could have so easily been a different story. There was a witness to the whole event. There was a lady who heard from her house what happened and helped with the whole situation. The parents turning up despite me thinking the phonecall I made had failed as I couldn't hear anything on the other end of the phone, but they managed to hear me and then arrived to be with their son. Reason no. 1011 :)

08/01/2017

Reason no. 1010...

Yesterday I found out my mark for an assignment I did before Christmas, which  I was incredibly disappointed with for the amount of hours and weeks I put in to it. In my moaning and groaning I was reminded of something someone said to me whilst I was out in Poland on a mission trip about 6 years ago. Someone said how if I ended up working for the rest of my life in X (somewhere I thought would be awful!), God would still be using it for His glory, He wouldn't be seeing me as a failure, in fact He would still be loving me. And actually that is still true for the grade I'm not happy with. I may be thinking of the impact on my degree and the impact of that on jobs at the end, but actually God will still use that grade for His glory regardless of me being happy with the grade or not. Reason no. 1010 :)

Reason no. 1009...

Tomorrow I will have been married to David for 6 months!! Reason no. 1009 :)

Reason no. 1008...

Thank you God that it is because of Your grace that Your love and Your mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Reason no. 1008 :)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Reason no. 1007...

Thankful for a wonderful Christmas time with family and a time to rest and recharge for the coming year! Reason no. 1007 :)