Posts Tagged ‘matt redman’

For the right reason #1

Posted: November 12, 2018 in belief, children, church, faith, family, friendship, life, music, personnel characteristics, Relationships, religion, Salvation Army
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Firstly today I want to ask you a couple of questions:

  • Do you go to church?
  • If you do, why do you go?

I’m sorry for all the questions, but I just wanted to get you thinking before you read my thoughts for today.

For those who do go to church or who used to go to church, I want to focus on why. There are lots of reasons why people attend church: faith, friendship, habit, your parent make you, or maybe you’re not entirely sure why you go.

While we may go to church for different reasons, if we become active members of that church, we must do that for the right reasons. i.e. we believe in God, we want to learn more about God, to be challenged to help/inspire others to follow God.

If you’re a member of your church – for example in the Salvation Army, we are called soldiers when we become members – when did you become a member, and why?

Sadly I’ve found over the years are many younger folk will become members of their church just because that’s what is expected of them by their family or friends. Rather than because they truly believe and understand the promises they are ‘signing-up’ to when they become members, and willingly want to take on those responsibilities. That’s why I believe many of these youngsters within 5/10 years of becoming members of their church, have stopped attending.

So today, take yourself back to the day you became a member of your church and committed your life to God – Did you do it for the right reason?

That’s quite a hard-hitting question isn’t? I suspect for some of you it will be a question may need to spend some time considering before you answer.

Centre of worship

Posted: November 4, 2018 in church, communication, faith, life, music, prayer, Relationships, religion
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Do you regularly attend a church?

Are you inspired by the services when you attend?

If you don’t feel inspired by the worship at your church, have you wondered why?

  • Do you go out of habit not expecting to be challenged or inspired?
  • Do you go feeling there’s no way anything anyone says or does can possibly challenge you?
  • Do you go ready to be challenged, but find nothing in the service relates to you?
  • Are others in at the service challenged and inspired by the worship?

Depending on your answers to those questions, it sounds like there may be two possible solutions to why you get nothing from attending church:

  1. Maybe you need to be open and receptive to God’s message when you go to church.
  2. Maybe you should try attending a different church to see if you are more receptive to their way of worship.
  3. Suggest changes to the format of worship at your church, so that you and others can find the inspiration and challenge you are all looking for.
  4. Pray for your church; Pray for your church leadership team; Pray!

However and wherever you worship, the main thing must always be that you focus on God and make Him the centre of worship. So do what you need to do to make sure He remains at the centre of your worship.

Gifts

Posted: May 10, 2018 in blogging, family, friendship, life, music, quotes, religion
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In Greatest Gifts yesterday I mentioned that I thought unanswered prayer is actually a gift from God.

Today, it’s about another gift from God to us, and that is simply the our lives.

If it wasn’t for God, we wouldn’t have life, so life is definitely a gift from God.

When we get a gift from anyone, a friend or family member, we always try to repay them for their kind gift to us. So isn’t it only natural that we should try to repay God for giving us the wonderful gift of life!

One day

Posted: April 26, 2018 in death, Health, heaven, life, music, religion, words
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When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We’ll sing and shout the victory

One day we will see face to face, Jesus
Is there a greater vision of grace
And in a moment, we shall be changed
On that day

One day we will all get to heaven. When that day will arrive for each of us, only God knows.

I don’t mean to be morbid but, are you ready for that day?

We should not be afraid of death, as when we die we’ll get to meet Jesus face to face – Won’t that be wonderful?

Our time on earth is short, so make the most of every day, but also make sure you’re ready to meet Jesus face to face.

We will weep no more
No more tears, no more shame
No more struggle, no more
Walking through the valley of the shadow
No cancer, no depression
Just the brightness of Your glory
Just the wonder of Your grace
Everything as it was meant to be
All of this will change
When we see You face to face
Jesus, face to face

Just believe

Posted: January 16, 2018 in belief, depression, faith, heaven, life, love, music, religion, stress, words
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It can be hard to believe in someone or something when they have done nothing to warrant your trust or your belief in them.

That’s why we have no reason not to believe in God, because He has shown us how must be love us and cares for us. Even today when we’re struggling and don’t know where to turn, He has promised to always be there for us

When the world is on our shoulders
And we need a hand to hold us
When no miracle is found still believe
When the sea of night surrounds us
And all questions try to drown us
Just believe, Just believe in help from heaven
Help from heaven

God is our help from heaven, so believe in Him

 

Christmas lights

Posted: December 21, 2017 in baby, Christmas, music, religion, words
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The Christmas lights burn brightly all around as we approach Christmas Day.

Lights on the Christmas trees, lights in the windows, lights in the garden lighting the way…but do they light the way to Bethlehem, and the stable where we find the baby Jesus, Saviour of the world?

All the lights, shining brightly
As the choir of, angels sing
Singing praise, now in the highest
At the birth of, Christ the King

Yes all the lights, are shining brightly
As the choir of, angels sing
Singing praise, now in the highest
At the birth of, Christ the King

Open my eyes; O heart believe
The wonder of, that Christmas night
Be born in me

Sing again, the sacred song of
How that star lit, up the sky
And how this world, lost in the darkness
Felt the hope of, Heaven’s light

Open my eyes; O heart believe
The wonder of, that Christmas night
Be born in me

More reasons

Posted: September 4, 2017 in belief, death, family, life, music, Relationships, religion, trust, words
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The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Sometimes no matter how many reasons others give us, to encourage us to do something, it’s still not enough.

There are millions of reasons why we should trust God, but for me it come down to one, the fact that he sent His only son to earth to live as one of us. And then pay the ultimate price for that, by sacrificing himself for us.

Who needs 10,000 reasons when one is good enough! 

What kind of world?

Posted: June 15, 2017 in belief, bible, communication, depression, education, hope, life, love, music, personnel characteristics, Relationships, religion, stress, words
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What kind of world do you want to live in?

Do you want to live in a world where:

  • We shut ourselves away from friends and neighbours because we too frightened to go outside;
  • We would rather cross the road and ignore someone in need, rather than reach out and them because we don’t want to get involved;
  • Men kill other men simply because of the colour of their skin, their nationality or their religion;
  • God has been forgotten, and only the minority still believe in Him.

Or do you want to live in a world where:

  • Where everyone automatically reaches out to help others in need, without a second thought for themselves;
  • Everyone lives in peace, tolerant of other’s beliefs – where we all get on with one another, regardless of the colour of their skin, their nationality or their religion;
  • We feel safe to be out of our homes, on our own, no matter the time of day or night;
  • War and conflict are words from a past life, and are no longer needed in the world we now live in;
  • Everyone believes in God’s existence and there is hope for the future of this world.

I’m sure the second scenario is much more appealing to us all than the first one, but what can we do to make the second scenario become reality?

In 1 Chronicles 1:18 we read

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

So it’s up to us folks, we need to proclaim His name so that we tell everyone we meet how great God is; how much He loves and cares for each of us; how we can always rely on God to be with us, even through very tough times.

Louder than words

Posted: April 16, 2017 in cross, death, Easter, family, life, love, music, Relationships, religion, words
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Sometimes actions speak louder than any words ever could.

For me, Easter is a true example of that, as any picture of Christ on a cross, says more about God’s love for us than any words ever could.

Ever more than 2000 years on, the cross still has a message for each one of us – It still shows us just how much God loves each of us; so much so that he willingly sacrificed his only son, Jesus, just so we could be forever forgiven.

What words could ever describe Easter better than a picture of Christ on the cross?

The Cross Has Said It All by Matt Redman

The cross has said it all
The cross has said it all
I can’t deny what You have shown
The cross speaks of a God of love
There displayed for all to see
Jesus Christ our only hope
The message of the Father’s heart
Come my children, come on home

As high as the heavens are above the earth
So high is the measure of Your great love
As far as the east is from the west
So far You’ve taken our sins from us

The cross has said it all
The cross has said it all
I never recognized Your touch
Until I met You at the cross
We are fallen, dust to dust
How could You do this for us?
Son of God, shed precious blood
Who can comprehend this love?

How high, how wide, how deep
How high…

Music is art

Posted: January 21, 2017 in heart, life, music, Relationships, religion, words
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What does music mean to you?

It can change our mood, raise our spirits, remind you of special people or places, but what is it?

music-is-art

I believe music is art, and those who compose the music and lyrics are not only composers but artists, painting a picture through their music and lyrics.

Music speaks to my heart regularly, I hope you let it speak to yours too.

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