Tim's journey

2008-04-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

The Man Rules At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down

Finally , the guys' side of the story. We always hear " the rules"From the female side.

Now here are the rules from the male side.

These are our rules!Please note.. these are all numbered "1 " ON PURPOSE!

1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat.You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.We need it up, you need it down.You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides.Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work!Strong hints do not work!Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.Don't ask us.1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do something Or tell us how you want it done. Not both.If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials..

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine... Really .

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseballor golf.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

2008-01-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

Why just why?

2006-12-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

The nature of humanity is self serving first and last

2006-11-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

Man I have been feeling a bit down at the moment, not that good things are not going on in my life, they are and she is great! lol

But I cant help but feel like a bit of a failure, like in every way I just don't measure up... Even academically like I am just not at the same pace as everyone around me. Also in my walk with God I barely even count as a Christian any more, just seams like my relationship with God has totally fallen apart. Tonight was the first time in ages I just sat down and read a bit of my bible, I feel like I have not done that or even tired to listen to God in ages. Maybe I am afraid of what He would say to me, that He might say that I am on the wrong path or presueing the wrong goals. I don't think that I could cope with hearing that right now.

I feel like I have lost God in the middle of church, that I have been thinking so much about church and how it should be, that I have forgotten about giving God any thought at all. Like that I have lost all contact with him and that I have lost him as the focus of my life. That makes me feel really sad, like I have failed or compromised my life.

I just want Jesus back, I traded him for a lot of other stuff and it really was not worth it at all.... Can I trade back again?

2006-10-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

Time... I have been thinking about it lots over the last two days the apparent never ending quantity of it when you want it to end, they do say a watched pot never boils, but in every other way time seams to slip through your hand like sand, with a feeling of an inability to stop it. It nearly seams like I am lousing at both ends and in both ways. With time never being your friend, but here are some other peoples thoughts on time...

Martin Luther King, Jr. The time is always right to do what is right

Bertrand Russell The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

Thomas Edison There is time for everything.

Eva Young To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.

2006-09-13T04:35:00.000-07:00

I started back into college this week in my final year. Just releasing how much work is facing me and feeling a little overwhelmed by it. Lots of different readings to do and books to read, and a lot ridding on the grades that I take out of this year as well, so not really loving it so far.

It feels like that is all one big rush and race to get the grades, needing me to put my all into it and compimise on my life so that I can move on and go into a job where I will need to give my all to keep and have again to put all aside and work on that. It feels like I have started on a path of commitment to something that I don't really want to commit to! In a lot of ways that just makes life seem so meanless and empty, not a great feeling, I think that everytime I feel that way it is like a bit of my heart gives up or dies.

At the moment I think that my heart needs dreams again a chance to look out on the future and to see it as a place of possibilities and wounder rather than a place to get lost and slowly die.

2006-08-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking recently of the language of love, I think that it is truly a selfish language. It is based on I find this person attractive, I love them, I like this about them. I like it when them do this etc...

I found it funny that in love something which is about loving other people and about sharing yourself with them our whole vocab that we associate with it is entirely selfish. In some ways this is weird but I guess that In every relationship we have to have decided that yes I do love this person and out of that personal expression have our unselfish response of love which is all about caring for and serving the other person.

2006-08-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

In life we all take journeys and there are things that take us there just like this boat. There is always places to go and challenges to us in getting there. I guess in every journey there are hard patches, I guess I feel like I have hit one of those at the moment. Where the challenges in going forward seem to be bigger than my ability to get through them.

But that is normally for us to come to a place of feeling out gunned by life, at times like this we just need to take comfort in Jesus and his ablilty to hold us and to take care of us. I know that for me to get through I will need the support of friends and the grace and Love that can only be found in Jesus. So Lord in this time of trials and troubles will you find me and love me and pour out your strength and power into my weakness.

2006-06-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

Well I am really bored, I am likeing the sun and the good weather but I guess that I am getting just a little lonely... Life is a great thing but I guess that we are meant and designed to go through it with people. I guess that loneliness is a real killer with everything in me I absolutely hate it, no matter how bad a situation I guess It is better to go through it with people. In fact I think that now I prefer the bad times with people to the good times that we go through on our own.

If heaven is all about being in communion with God and living with Him, so hell must be the opsite it must be loneliness. Us being totally on our own, feeling like nobody else understands us or even worse dose not want to understand us.

2006-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking it is about time for another picture on this blog!! It has been a long time since there has been a bit of color up here...

I have been thinking about holidays and going to new places, since I have not yet found a holiday! I was thinking about going to Australia but I don't think that it will work out, and Canada but no... So we will see where the wind blows me this summer

2006-06-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about a phrase a friend of mine said years ago, He was big into Star treks at the time and he said, "In the future people don't need to go to the toilet, you never see any of them saying I will be back in five!"

Man I really think that there is some in that, I think when we dream we always think that we will be different people as well. I don't know about you but I often daydream about what the future will look like and what it would be like to accomplish my dreams. I think that I often dreamed about different things, it doesn't matter what they are, just about living out the dreams that are in my heart. I think that in my dreams, I expected me to be a different person. I just thought that a lot of the issues that I am facing would have been resolved. I thought that a lot of the day to day struggles of life would be absent, and that some how life would be a nice glowing dream, with only blue skies...

I got to accomplish one of my main dreams this week, to leadwoship in a church so that was really cool. It is funny I had imagined me to be really different when I would start to lead worship, I guess I expected to be a "mature spiritual person" and that all of the issues and struggles in my life would be resolved. But alas it was not the case, I was just a normal broken person, even on the Sunday I still messed out it was not even as if I could keep it together for even one day!! It was funny I was praying before I went into church, and God said to me well now you cant bribe Me to show up with your good behavior you will just have to ask me to gift you with your presence.

You know I think that we will never have all our stuff together so to speak, we will always have struggles and hard things going on in our lives. Maybe we just need to inject some reality into our dreams, so that when we do get to live them out, we will recognize that there are great things even if they are we are not totally perfect! I am not saying this so that we downgrade our dreams, just so that we remember that we will still have to go to the toilet in our future dreams.

2006-06-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about relationships a bit over the last while, and today I had a chat with a friend of mine Eoghan. It was intresting and gave me a lot of new prespectives and lots to think about.

It was intresting I was saying that I have found it really hard to accept that someone else could really love me and really know me at the same time. I think for me I dont really think of myself as lovable, and when people try and tell/show me otherwise I just think that they want something from me and that they are lieing. In a lot of ways I know that it is not the truth, but still I just cant accept that it is possable that I am lovable... I am not saying that to look for complements, just to be hounest.

I think for me this is something that I allways thought that I needed to sort out before I got into a relationship, but Eoghan's though was that it is one of those things that will allways be with you, and that needs to be worked thouhg with other people. That we just present oursleves as we are to our (other half) and that we do not need to be a finished product before we enter a relationship... I think I agree with him.

I dont think that now I have sorted out all my thougts on relatioships but I do think that I have some new thoughts on it, and that at least on one of my many issues I am starting to see some reselution.

2006-05-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

They are over!!!

At last all my exams are done, all this years work is completely behind me, nothing left but 3 months stretched out in front of me.. I have no idea what I am going to do yet, no plans, I don't know if that scares me or not, it seams like a huge streach of time that will just be meandered away. I guess I have a sense of completion of one thing, but just no purpose for my summer...

2006-05-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about friendship a lot over the last few days, and just having a few hickups with some friends...

So have I learnt anything! LOL Well you know I think that any friendship worth keeping needs some work from time to time, I don't mean that in a bad way at all.. Just that things in any friendship will come up from time to time and will need to be talked through.

I just think that if you value the friendship and it is worth keeping, it will allays be worth fighting for it! I think that when it comes to friends you sometimes just have to stick with them and love no matter what. I loved that story in the bible about Jonathan and his armor bearer, when Jonathan wanted to go up and fight Philistine.

1Samual 14v 6&7 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." "Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

I think that in friendship we sometimes need that an attitude like his where we just stick with our friends no matter what... Lord help me to be that sort of friend!

2006-05-18T03:29:00.000-07:00

EXAMS ARE HALF DONE AS OF LAST NIGHT!!!

Last night was the turning point half of the exams are now done and they will all be over in one weeks time!! So it would be party time if I did not have an exam tomorrow... :(

2006-05-09T01:55:00.000-07:00

Honoring our elders

I was just thinking about why we live such lukewarm lives and why for the most part we seam to be frustrated with that. We don't like living at 10% for Jesus. We are all painfully aware of how much more there is to this life, and how much more of Jesus we can have in our lives. But somehow we just don't ever use that frustration to press in and get to know Jesus better. There is such power in the gospel, that saves us, heals us (emotionally and physical), power to go out and spread the good news.

I am not sure fully why and I guess that it is a big question with a complicated answer, with everyone having there own contributing factors...

The one factor that I have seen in our church's and country over the last while especially among our young people, is a lack of honor being given to those who went before us. I am talking about the old people, the over 50's.

I have been thinking about how much easier it is to walk in the footsteps of the people who went before you. I have been reading though 1Kings this last while and when is goes through all the kings after David it keeps referring to;

15v26 He was openly evil before GOD-he followed in the footsteps of his father who both sinned and made Israel sin.

15v34He was openly evil before GOD, walking in the footsteps of Jeroboam, who both sinned and made Israel sin.

16v2"I took you from nothing--a complete nobody--and set you up as the leader of my people Israel, but you plodded along in the rut of Jeroboam, making my people Israel sin and making me seethe over their sin."

These are just three examples it keeps referring to how they were like Jeroboam, how they lived in the legacy that he had made, or walked in his footsteps. Also there are the positive things as well, like King David killed a giant, we all know the story, but what we often forget is that there were 3 more giants killed all by King Davids men!! ie. Hang around a giant killer, become a giant killer...

Even for an example closer to home, both of my great Grandparents on one side were in the Massons, but my Grandfather refused to join the massions when he was young. My father got to walk in his footsteps and did not join, that made it so much easier for him not to join, and for me it was not even an issue! We get to walk in the inheritance that is left for us.

When we do not give honor to those elders around us, we louse so much, we louse that inheritance that they have for us, we louse their wisdom, we louse those testimonies of how Jesus came through for them! Whatever we like to say testimonies build faith!! In the kingdom we see, when we believe and testimonies make it so much easier to believe...

2006-05-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

"what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger"...It should be, "what doesn't kill you just makes you wish you were dead"

Funny with exams starting Monday, this is my overwhelming feeling!! DOOM I am sure they will be ok in the end just at the moment I am a little, ok a lot worried about them!! It is one of the few things that I really don't like, is the feeling that your future hangs on a 3 hour exam...

2006-05-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

This weeks thoughts I was told that I needed to blog about this, so here is goes! I was chatting to one of the guys from church, and we were discussing structures and "laws/ rules" in church. I then quoted Bill Johnstown when he said that "Law is the lowest form of discipleship" you know it is totally true, rules are really the least effective way of us doing anything. If you tell a child not to do something that is never as effective as when they don’t want to do something. Like with kids (well most sane kids) you don’t need to make a rule saying you can’t eat vegetables, they just wont eat them because they don’t want them!

Passion is always better than law, like our giving, I think we should give to the church because we want to give to God not because we have to. When our passion for giving runs dry then we turn to the law and give our 10%, but we don’t start there we only use law to patch up where our passion fails us. We need the law (referring to the guidelines that are set out in the bible!) to help us when our passion fades as it always will from time to time. We all face that from time to time, just all the passion for life fades and we don’t really want/feel like doing the right thing, then we need to think about what is right and do it whether we feel like it or not.

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Jeremiah 31:33-34 (New International Version) I have been reading this and thinking what dose it mean to have the law written on our hearts? The only thing that I have sort of rested my thoughts on is that the Holy Spirit will give us a passion to carry out the "law". That God will give us a passion to do what he wants us to do, all I can say to that is amen!! Jesus will you give me the passion to do what you want me to do, will you put on my heart your law and the plans and desired that you have for me. Thanks!

2006-04-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Home Group tonight

I was at homegroup tonight it was funny I was in a really quiet mood, I did not really feel like talking at all, maybe it is a reflection of where I am at, at the moment. We had a discussion on 1Corinthans 13 (the love chapter!) and nothing of real interest was said until John started to chat about how he had been impacted by God's love and how that changed him. He shared about how through experiencing God's unconditional love he had been reconciled with his Dad and how it had effected all his relationships. He challenged us to what it would be like for all of us if we were a community that really loved each other unconditional and were there for each other and how that was the sort of homegroup he wanted to be in. I sat there in silence not really knowing what to say, there was a part of me that totally agreed with him maybe my heart but I did not leap for joy at all. I think a part of me said I have been here before with a group of people who talked about love and really just don't give a shit, it is just a nice sermon to them and the idea of opening up and loving each other did not really occur to them when they had that great talk.

But then we broke up into two groups the guys and the girls and we shared a bit about how we were doing and what the others could pray for us, again I did not feel like talking but eventually I did. I will share that with you as well now...

I think for some time I have been thinking about being disheartend, I really feel like I have lost my heart. All the passion that was once in my life seams to have drained away all the desire for life gone. One of the other guys said it as well just a total sense of apathy and "Is this all there is? If it is I want nothing to do with it" Before you all think I am going to kill myself I am not!! But I do feel as though a part of my heart has died, well maybe it is more like that feeling you get after you have gone for a long run, you feel as though you want to collapse and just sit there and recover. Well my heart feels like that!! as if it just wants to give up..

We started to pray again I said nothing the whole time, I don't even think that I could raise my heart enough to do that. But John and Mark started to pray for me and gave me a few words that they felt God was saying to them for me. John said that it was like I was in a box trapped in, maybe by life or by lies that I have believed and that God wanted to release me, and it would be like a jack in the box, me exploding out as God released me. Then Mark said that he saw a picture of me like a firework without a match that I was ready to be sent off but just needed to be released and that I had a burden that God wanted to lift off me.

Both of the words really spoke to me and I think that they were spot on, but you know I think for the first time in ages I felt like I belonged to that community of guys that really did love me and would stand by me and that meant a whole lot to me.

Thank guys, you rocked my world

2006-04-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a bit of a weird week, I think I have been deep in thought all this week, I have been thinking a lot about Christian leadership. I have been thinking that leadership is all about people, even in the most basic aspect the name leadership coming from leading people.. You say about a person they are a natural leader when they have good people skills can get people excited about something and get people to follow them!

I total understand that we need admin people to help run stuff and they often end up being our leaders, people who can get things done, but there is more to leadership than that, we need visionary people. In a church context this needs to be getting God's vision and hearing from Him as to where we are to go and what we are to do as a church. I think people often claim this, but sadly this often is used as a way of saying this is what we are doing and don't question my decision... I am not saying that this is always the case it just seams a bit sad that I have seen this a good bit before.

Even when a Leader has heard from God a popular or unpopular message, you need to have that as your goal and take people on that journey with you, not just demand obedience from them. I think what sets good leaders apart from bad leaders is there ability to bring a people with them. I was talking to a friend about this today and they said," A leader's got to explain what God's been speaking to them about it and get everyone else excited about it too."

I don't think I mind hard visions or even ones that seams hard to do, I think I even like the idea of a vision that we cant achieve on our own, a vision where we really have to get desperate for Jesus to show up and to do his amazing stuff! :)

I have also been thinking about that call in the bible for us to pray for our leaders, I think that is so important if we don't pray for our leaders we cant expect much from them. I think I have found my voice among those who are calling out for more from leadership and talk about it, but do not actually care enough to pray about it. All that says is we like being critiques rather than we are passionate for God to show up.... So eating some of my own humble pie I am starting to pray for my leaders!!

chat to you soon! tim :)

Tim and Mark

2006-04-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

IMG_2766
Originally uploaded by timebbs.

This is a pic from last years breakout me with a good mate Mark! A fine chap alltogether and no better man to get to cut your greens!!

2006-04-21T03:22:00.000-07:00

Last night was an interesting night for me, well let me tell you about it! I think, well I am pretty sure that I had one of my first God dreams that I have had EVER... So that was really cool and lucky you, I am going to share it with you.

I was with a few people who I am pretty sure where from my homegroup (Well I remember that two of them were anyway) and we were at one side of a city and for some reason we were going to cycle to the other side of the city to catch a ferry somewhere. I was on a type of tandem bike on the back, but I was totally unaware of actually having any controls of even really having to peddle. There was a blond girl on the front who was directing the bike, I never got to see her face, but I am pretty sure that it was my cusion Steph that I have not seen in ages..

When we were leaving we were discussing getting a puncture on the cycle over and we decided that we had time to get one puncture on the way and that we would have it at the other side of the city! I think that we were aiming to get a puncture.. Just for the pure joy of fixing the puncture.

Anyway we set out across the city and we came to traffic lights and there were bikes going everywhere it was a real messy and dangerous place. We were coming down to a bridge over a river I am pretty sure it was in Glasgow in Scotland but I have not been there so I am not sure why (it could have been Dublin) There was loads of bikes breaking the lights as soon as the cars had passed, and we kept stopping just in time to miss the cars. And then I woke up!

I am not realy sure what it all means... I think the girl repesented God and maybe family as well, guiding me through all the dangers to the ferry (what ever that repesents) I think the tandem speaks of it not being just God doing it but that I have to want it as well, that I have to have my feet on the peddles as well...

Apart from that I have no clue, any ideas??

2006-04-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my latest post! It seams like it has been a long time since we have spoken, so I thought that I would drop in and say hi again to the one or two people that read this... I hope that you are all doing well.

Not much going on in my life, had a few big presentation this week which was not much fun! But anyway chat soon

IMG_2815

2006-03-31T03:32:00.000-08:00

IMG_2815
Originally uploaded by timebbs.

Well I thought this blog was getting a bit boreing with no pictures so here is one that I really like, of a little church at Glendlock where there have been monks worshiping for thousand of years. Kinda cool

2006-03-31T03:23:00.000-08:00

This marks the most girly film quote that I have ever put on my blog, but i do like this speach!! But I do think that it contains some wizdom and is worth listening too!

Today marks a profound, though bittersweet, milestone for all of us as we bear witness to both an end and a beginning. And while we must continue on, we must also be grateful to have been blessed with someone who has so ably guided us to where we are today.

When there has been so much love and happiness for someone it is natural to be reluctant to close such a wonderful chapter in our lives.

For moving forward is rarely accomplished without considerable grief and sadness. And while our sorrow may be profound the clouds will clear and the sun will shine on us again. And in that warm, bright light we will find ourselves facing a glorious future. A future of exciting challenges and infinite possibility in which the horizon will stretch out before us rimmed in the heavenly glow of the sunrise of our tomorrow.

2006-03-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking the last few days about loneliness and just how we are not meant to be alone.

A friend of mine said that we are meant to live with our family or really close friends, at the time I just did not get it, but then it hit me!! It is about us living and being around people who love us and accept us as we are!! We just need it.. There is just something within us that needs to be accepted and feel loved. I don't think that we can do without it, I think being alone is like poison to the soul, it just kills us off slowly we may not think it, but it is like taking poison slowly over time it just catches up with you and kills off your hope and life. We are made for community and to be around people and to be loved and accepted!

So lord help us to find community that we might not live alone..

2006-03-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

Women are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree. Most men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt.Instead, they just take the rotten apples from the ground that aren't as good, but easy to pick up.The apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they're amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along - the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.Now Men...Men are like a fine wine. They begin as grapes, and it's up to women to stomp the sh*t out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

I read that there recently and it really made me laugh. I only agree with the top half of the post, but I left the second half in for the feminits among you!

2006-03-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

At last!!! It has arrived my Easter holiday, it is nice to get but sadly I still have lots of work to do :( But either way it is so nice to get some time off.

It is funny I was chatting with a frined a few days ago and I just came out with a insight into my thinking at the moment, I said, "I want a polygraph for my heart, to be able to sit down and finaly get some straight answears into how I am feeling." It has had me thinking a lot about my feelings and the things my heart tells me and how deceptive or false they can feel at times. I guess I am just not sure wheather to trust what my heart tells me or not anymore... Or mabey I just dont like the answears that it tell me.

"If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor." This is a quote from Albert Einstein, that I heard recently, man it struck home for me, if I am to look at what my heart is really saying or thinking... It is not a nice or elegant thing at times..

"Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught."

2006-03-02T06:22:00.000-08:00

A cold fish?

hey there, what is a cold fish got to do with? well it was snowing here on Tuesday which is my normall fishing night so I still decided to go out and try my luck with my rod!! So me and my brave companion wraped up warm and headed out and managed to catch 3 things each (two Cod each and a cold!)

Good fun had by all!

The arch bishop

2006-02-27T12:30:00.000-08:00

8
Originally uploaded by timebbs.

This is a picture of the ArchBishop John Neill makeing the final blessing at our carol service last year. I am starting to think as blogs go that pictures are much better than long writen pages! So I hope you enjoy. tim

2006-02-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

It is funny I have been thinking a lot about our calling's recently and I was reading a Passage from Numbers 3, it is talking about God calling the levities. I have made two distinct observations, first God called them!

It was not that they wanted to be involved in the running of the temple, God called them!! He wanted them, they were not going out looking for position or to further themselves. I think so often we get involved in ministry for the wrong reason, especially when it is a visible ministry, we like people to notice what we are doing and how that makes us important, needed, valuable etc...

Second it says a few times in that chapter , "They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death." There is just no bullying your way into a ministry, either you are asked in or you are not in! I think we often want to push our way in, and some times the timing is just not right, or we are trying to get into the wrong ministry. I do think God has a plan for all of us, it is just that we will all not be the front men or in the spot light, we need to be willing to serve God in what ever He wants us to do.

So God please help me to be totally willing to do what you want me to do and when you want me to do it, I want all my actions to be your best wishes and plans for me.

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2006-02-24T13:35:00.000-08:00

IMG_2644
Originally uploaded by timebbs.

Here is a picture of some of my house mates this summer when I was over doing a worhsip school, with Don Potter

2006-02-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

This is a Quote from a film that I really like, the Shawshank redemption! It is an amazing film if you have not seen it go ahead and check it out.. This is a line that Red says after his friend Andy has escaped from the prison

"Sometimes it makes me sad, though, Andy being gone. I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are just too bright and when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice...but still, the place you live is that much more drab and empty that they're gone.

I guess I just miss my friend."

I totally get what Red is saying here, having to say goodbye to your friends sucks, but sometimes it is for theirs, yours and everyone's best. But like Red I guess I just miss my friend... I know it is hard now, but I still do trust God that it will all be ok and that His plan for all of us is best. I think for me I am having to come to terms with having to trust God even when it is scary and I have no idea that it will work out, but I guess that is what trust is. Believing in the reality of God and his provision and plans for us over what we naturally see or can imagine.

2006-02-24T10:41:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about what to put on this blog so I thought that I would start with a poem that meant a lot to me and that I really like, from a poet (Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–89)) who lived here in Dublin Ireland working with the poor of the city some years ago...

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

I just think there is so much hope in this peom, I like it a lot. No matter what we have done to this world God is still here breathing his life into it!! What better hope can you get! He is still here and he still loves us and cares for us no matter how little we deserve it or walk away from his ways. WOW

2006-02-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

Hey so here goes a first post for my blog, wow I cant believe I fianly gave in and got one of these things! After people like Sarah and some other friends begging me to get one for ages..