A journey of 1000 miles starts with one step.

The start of a new season.

‘Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans’ (Proverbs 16:3)

My husband and I have hopes and dreams to own a property of our own. Now only Father God can make this a reality. We have had little success in our attempts so far in saving for a deposit for various different reasons which really don’t suffice.

For 2015, we have committed to be better financial stewards and make greater sacrifices to save more.

A church sister of mine, knowing my intention, offered a love offering of £10 to put towards our deposit, how sweet!

I popped into my local branch to pay it in today. Now our goal is 2000x that amount. When thinking of the task ahead it seems very daunting. However a journey of 1000 miles must begin with one step (Chinese Proverb).

So out of the 2000 £10’s I need I’ve already have 1! How cool is that? Just 1999 to go!

So mine is a journey of 2000 £10 steps!

These Proverbs will also be a reminder to me of the journey that we are embarking on and commiting to.

Proverbs 13:11, Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

Proverbs 10:4a, A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Maz x

Be an Auntie/Uncle

When you were growing up, who was your favourite aunt or uncle? What was it that made them your favourite?

Aunties are cool. They look like your mum, sound like your mum but aren’t as strict as your mum.

Everybody needs an auntie in their life. Somebody to spoil them now and then. Somebody that you can have a good laugh with and watch late night TV together with.

Now I’m not going to leave the fella’s out so having an uncle is also a great thing, somebody you can rough and tumble with. The one you can give a punch to without any repercussions.

Do you know that you can be an aunt/uncle without any biological ties? Such an auntie for me was a lady called Sis Pamela Spring. I never realised as a child, but she was amazing!

She was a comb your hair softly auntie, teach you how to make bakes auntie, tell you oral stories auntie, watch the boxing match late auntie, make pizzas and go to the park auntie, teach you Bible stories auntie, buy you ice cream auntie,  teach you scriptures auntie, make delicious coconut drops auntie, teach you songs auntie, tell you riddles auntie, tell you off auntie,  sleep in bed together auntie, plenty- a- trick up her sleeve  auntie, press your clothes auntie, artistic auntie, sing harmoniously auntie,  teach you to wash clothes on a wash board auntie, press your hair auntie, have a laugh auntie. And, I could go on.

Who was your ‘Aunt/Uncle’? Think about them for a moment, thank God for the input they had in your life.

Sis Spring was selfless, eccentric and giving. She had a lot of love to give and she greatly enriched the lives of those around her. She is now resting in the Lord and I will be ever grateful for the input she had in my own and many others lives. I owe it to her to replicate was she has done in my life to those around me.

The well-known African proverbs states, it takes a village to raise a child. We are relational people it’s not just about you and your family, share the love!

I’ve just ended a weekend with my mentee and we had quite a nice time together. We entered the kitchen to cook a roast dinner and we triumphed! My roast potatoes were about 90% close to the real deal, much different to my mash potato, oil slush combination that I usually end up with.

Our roast dinner which was snap chatted!

Now there is certain patience that is required when working with children and young people. The enrichment is sometimes not evident straight away and sometimes takes years to mature. You can liken it to a child saving account that you can deposit into, but can’t withdraw from until the child reaches a certain age.

Now Sis Spring was one of a kind but you can start small. In my wider church family there was a lady called Sis Rose, whenever I would see her, without fail she would have a pack of sweets for my brothers and sisters.

Sweets and children is a combination for friendship building and bridging the gap between the young and old.

How special would you feel? Somebody was thinking about you during the week and took the time and effort to buy you a pack of sweets!  Maybe even the odd £1 here and there. There is something very special about getting some extra pocket money.

Take a risk, take them out. Start small, maybe just the park or to Mcdonalds. Then, as the relationship builds maybe they can spend longer periods of time with you.

Sweets and McDonalds might not work with teenagers/young people. How about a small conversation about how things are getting on for them? Are you able to help them in any way? Even in the giving of your time or even to say you are praying for them and care for their spiritual wellbeing?

We reap what we sow (Galations 6:7), what better privilege then sowing in to the next generation?

I pray that God shows you the young men/women and children that you are surrounded by, that you must begin to impact in 2015.

Who will you be an ‘aunt/uncle’ to from now on?

Sis Spring with my mother. Early 90’s.

Sis Spring with my eldest son Joshua December 2005.

Having realistic expectations in marriage.

Now I’m a newbie in the area of marriage, having only 3 ½ years behind me, but I want to share just one of the little pearls that I have collected in my wisdom pouch.

That is, having realistic expectations.

Now, I’m a type of person that whatever I set out to do, I try and put my best into it. This often means, spending time, planning, resourcing, stressing or trying to perfect whatever the task is and often ‘overthinking’ a lot of things.

Being in a mode of perfection just isn’t sustainable for me as an individual, neither in my role as a wife.

Trying to appear to your spouse or to others that you have it all together can only set yourself up for disappointment or failure.

So then comes the time to be realistic. Marriage is not work, it isn’t a project, marriage is family. In a sense you reset to how you feel when you’re a kid. Well that’s how I feel no doubt.

What I mean by that is there is a sense of ease that being part of YOUR family brings to your mental state of mind. The ease that you felt as a child should be your state of mind in your marriage. You should feel secure, safe and accepted.

Now being with your family should feel the most comfortable of all environments. Free to truly be yourself.

There are times when you feel like you are just doing the ‘treadmill’ stuff. This being the daily grind, earning the chicken (I don’t eat pork), cleaning baked beans off the floor and comforting screaming children.

Then there are good times like, family days out, date nights, proud achievements and laughs together.

Then there comes, grrr moments the toilet seat left up, socks on the floor, and the disputes. But without these three entwined, it just would not be a marriage.

Balance is key here, too much treadmill and there is a risk of becoming robotic. Too much grrr moments and the house becomes a hostile environment. Can there be too much good times? All play and no work means the important things may not get done and your children might not be learning responsibility.

Home should be the place where AT TIMES (I stress) you can say, ‘I can’t be bothered’. Or in my case, ‘cha! I can’t be bothered’.

Give yourself a break sometimes, if you can’t relax at home, where can you? Your children won’t die if they have a takeaway now and then and if you’re shattered after work, just leave the plates for today.

Give your spouse a break too, things that happen in movies are fictional. If your partner isn’t casting for the next blockbuster don’t put that over them. Don’t compare them to anybody else, as that bring two things, pride or low self-esteem.

You are not on a reality TV, you are reality! I’m learning not to beat myself up if things are sometimes down in my marriage or family, which it will be sometimes.

See your marriage as a living organism that grows and develops. It will grow with your care and nuture. It will also grow through the mistakes and disputes you have and how you learn and adjust from them. I realise that I have not yet ‘reached’ that stage of being a ‘wife indeed’ ( Proverbs 31 ). But my intention is to get there. In my 3^rd year, I have seen how we have both grown together as people and my heart’s desire is to continue in upward growth.

Are having realistic expectations an excuse for laziness in your marriage? Thoughts and comments welcome.

Maz x

Exploring my creativity…

A couple of months ago, I was asked to write a call to worship poem. At first I was a little nervous at the prospect, but I remember that my God is the God of all creativity, and since His Holy Spirit lives in me, I thought I would explore my creativity with this poem. Enjoy!

I’m here to open your eyes,

I’m here to open your hearts, to the one enthroned on high

He sits, majestically, positioned perfectly,

He is radiant, an unapproachable light

Righteousness and faithfulness surround His throne

His train, fills His temple.

This isn’t a myth or a fairy tale

He’s there right now, right now…

In all surpassing glory, limitless power, and incomparable majesty

He sits, He watches,

He watches you, He watches  me.

Looking, looking deep within,

Looking at our hearts and all that’s in it.

You see there’s no hiding from God.

He sees it all,

Yet, He’s jealous for you…

He looks at you and He desires you…

He wants to be adored by you…

 The heart of God is a blazing fire…

He’s a passionate lover of your soul…

His heart burns, yearns for your soul

God wants all of you,

All of you. That’s worship.

Every fibre, every part, every breath.

I hear him whisper, will my people worship me today?

Will they stand in honour of me?

Will they lift their hands and reach out to me?

The Lord desires our worship

The Lord deserves our worship

So let us put all else aside, and be drawn close to His side

Music resound, voices arise, hearts bowed, tears of joy,

hearts unload, anointing flow,  With our whole hearts and souls,  our minds and our being

Come people let us WORSHIP HIM

Respecting the Potential in your brethren

Where you fellowship is of no accident. God has ordained for you to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ in that location on purpose, for a purpose.

One of those purposes is to grow closer together in Christ.

Now part of true fellowship means respecting and nurturing the potential in your brothers and sisters. This isn’t just the responsibility of the pastor. We all have our part to play.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17 NIV).

I have a lot of blunt knives in my kitchen, but there’s this one little black knife that I go to over and over again, it cuts everything so well.

Are you sharp?

A sharp Christian is one that is in the Word, has a consistent prayer life, is a true worshipper and is active in their gifting and calling. They operate in the overflow of the anointing which allows them to affect others.

Now the list above is aspirational for me currently, but I want to get there. I know that I can’t do it on my own. I need help.

We sharpen each other by showing love and forgiveness, and challenging each other to become more like Christ.

Iron-sharpening iron means not wearing each other down. We must support each other, encouraging, praying together and giving and receiving correction.

Never underestimate the power of support. It can make a wealth of difference. My first teaching post was extremely tough for me. Apart from many other factors, one poignant factor for my tough time was poor support structures.

However, in my new tenure of employment, the support offered is plentiful. As a coincidence of this, I have grown in my skills as a teacher and even feel ready to embrace new challenges in this field.

You see, when you respect the potential in somebody and offer the correct support and encouragement, you allow them to become a leader in their own right and then allow them to replicate the nurturing process.

Another key way to respect the potential in others is by mentoring. Over the years I have had different mentors who have fed positively into my life. Although im still in my twenties, God was calling me to mentor a teen. The relationship is in its initial stages, however, I look forward to the growth that will take place in both of our lives.

There is power in conversation. Monitor your foot traffic. Who do you go and talk with at church? Change it up a little. Just one positive conversation can be the beginnings of sharpening and refining an individual. Within you, you have the ability to sharpen somebody in a way that no one else can. File away.

If there is one thing I learnt this year, it is to have a circle of intensity! I read this in the book Prophetic Praise by Joshua Fowler. EVERY BELIEVER NEEDS A CIRCLE OF INTESITY. Christ had a circle of intensity which was Peter, James and John.

You need your Peter to be a person of passion to you, who will inspire you to walk on water, to die for Christ. Somebody to show you that it’s not about your ability but availability.

You need a James, now not much is said about James ‘the less’. But I’m sure he was special to Christ being part of his inner circle. It was thought he was the first of the disciples to die for the sake of the gospel.

You need a John. A John that will be a DEEP and DEAR friend to you. A tightness, like David and Jonathan that will see you through to the end.

In 2014, God put together my circle of intensity. They have been an immense blessing and support in my life and I thank God for them. You know who you are.

In 1 Corinthians 12, it analogizes the Christian fellowship as a human body. How healthy and effective that body is, boils down to us.

So if the eyes are not seeing right, fulfill the potential in them by offering some glasses to those eyes! Maybe the nails need a manicure. Time to get the nail files out! It’s your body, take care of it, respect it, nuture it. In doing so, the fellowship will be strengthened corporately and individually and we will have a healthy church with healthy believers.

Blessings,

Maz x