On the way…

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Psalm 139

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9 years ago today ….. Jabari was born! I still remember wondering what that precious bundle held. And it has been a joy to watch him grow and develop into the sweet and smart boy he is now. 
Do you know you were designed by God who put into you everything you will need to be who He made you to be? If you’re not sure ….. Read Psalm 139
‘For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.
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How To Pray

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When Jesus disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray ….. He gave them a model prayer which has come to be known as ‘The Lords Prayer’. It wasn’t meant to be quoted parrot fashion but to be followed thoughtfully. It contains all the elements required to live each day in Gods blessing. It starts by putting God in His rightful place ‘Our Father in Heaven’. It acknowledges who He is ‘Hallowed be your name’ ….. determines our desire to see Him reign as King on earth ‘Your Kingdom come’ ….. and our willingness to put His will above ours ‘Your will be done on earth as in Heaven’. Then we can bring our physical needs ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ ….. our spiritual needs, ‘Forgive us our debts as we forgive those indebted to us’ ….. our mental and emotional needs, ‘And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.’ Finally ….. it reaffirms who God is, ‘For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.’
If you use this pattern every day you will never run out of things to pray for your family and loved ones!
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Weekend Views

Sue’s Views
A few views from our weekend in Orewa! Much improvement has been done since our last visit. The seawall offers protection as well as a pleasant path to walk along. It’s good to see the trees that were suffering from erosion have been replanted and are now stable. The beach is still clean and spacious ….. and the views still stunning! So thankful for this little getaway. Now we are homeward bound!
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Renewed Daily

Sue’s Views
This tree reminds me that ‘though our outward man is dying ….. our inward man is being renewed.’ We are so much more than our bodies. They are the means through which we relate to the world around us. But inside ….. they carry our soul (our mind, will and emotions) ….. and our spirit ( the place where God dwells). This is the part that ….. when yielded to God ….. is renewed daily. It then dictates to our minds and bodies to get in line! We are fearfully and wonderfully made!
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Change Of Season

Sue’s Views 
The trees are starting to change colour and there is a definite ‘nip’ in the air!As we reluctantly say goodbye to summer ….. let’s remember that every season has its purpose and is necessary for life to continue. I personally love autumn! It has a beauty of its own. The vibrant array of colours ….. the crunchiness of walking on fallen leaves ….. the crispness of the sunny days! It causes us to prepare for winter by putting on an extra layer. In nature ….. it’s clear out time! It gets rid of the old to make way for the new. Not a bad time for us to do the same!
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Life Is Like A Board Game!


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I had fun last night playing Ludo with my grandies! Board games really bring out the true character of a person! There’s the competitive ….. ‘must win at all costs’ type! Then there’s the strategic ….. ‘take their time before making a move’ type. The aim of the game is to get home! Life’s journey is something like a board game. We start out well ….. but then we find ourselves back where we started! We win some battles ….. and we lose some as well. We have to learn to trust God and not rely on our own strategies. There will be disappointments along the way and we will be tempted to cheat or say ‘It’s not fair!’ But if we persevere and play to the rules ….. we will reach our Home! 
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Life’s Journey

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One thing I’ve learned from my journey so far is that no experience in life is ever wasted. Everything we go through is preparation and training for what lies ahead. Our struggles build strength ….. our mistakes form wisdom and understanding ….. our loneliness leads us to a closer walk with God ….. our losses teach us that everything comes from Him. So ….. there’s no point living with regret ….. guilt ….. or shame! Admit your failures ….. confess your sins ….. seek forgiveness where necessary. Then see the past as your pathway to the future. Then ….. go forward in God’s strength ….. wisdom ….. knowledge and understanding. There are people ahead waiting to be encouraged by your story!
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Proverbs 3:5-6

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My word from God today is Proverbs 3: 5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” 
As I mentioned in my last post ….. there are conditions to God’s promises! In this case ….. in order to experience God’s direction ….. there are 3 conditions to be met. Trust Him wholeheartedly ….. not leaning on your own understanding ….. and acknowledging Him every step of the way. 
I’m sure many of us start off with a prayer asking God to direct our path but we have our own idea of how He should do it! We use logic, reasoning and past experience to plan how this might work out. When He takes us on a different path we question whether we heard right. Trust means faith without seeing ….. obeying without understanding ….. and yielding to His direction knowing His ways are higher than ours! 
I experienced this yesterday when out walking. I had asked God ‘where to from here?’ I came across several signs that took me on a very different route to the one I’d planned!
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Psalm 37: 4-5

Sue’s Views
My Word from God this morning was Psalm 37: 4-5.
“Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (NASB)
On first impression we may interpret that to mean that if we spend some time praying, reading the Bible and being good ….. He will reward us with the things we want most. But ….. there are always conditions to God’s promises! In this case they are to ‘Delight ourselves in the Lord’ ….. and to ‘Commit our way to the Lord and trust in Him’. 
The more we delight in God, the more we will want what He wants. Our own selfish desires will take second place to doing God’s will. We will discover that His will brings us far more delight than our own will does. It may take us on a path that seems unfamiliar and difficult. That’s where the ‘committing our way to the Lord and trusting Him’ comes in. 
The verse ends with ‘He will do it’. He will help you ….. guide you ….. and give you the strength and ability to complete the task. 
If there is a battle going on in your mind about trust that God has way better plans for your life than you do! Trust Him!
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Marriage

Sue’s Views
How’s your marriage? Yes! It can feel like you are two very different species at times. And ….. yes ….. there are times when it seems like you’re not on the same track. But God, in His wisdom, brings along someone to complete us ….. not someone who matches us! Each has something the other lacks. Marriage is the perfect training ground for maturity! There’s no room for selfishness ….. or pride!  I’m still learning that after 50 years! The most important phrases we must learn if we want a happy marriage are ‘I’m sorry’ ….. ‘I forgive you’ ….. ‘I love you’!
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