Loving hearts!

Well... I know, it's OVER a year since my last post... how shocking is that? Inspired by a recent discovery of craft blogs, I'm determined to use this blog as a way to share ideas for creative fun!!!

Recently, I've been exploring little hearts! This one was made one evening with my wonderfully creative friend Catrin in an evening of girly chat and craftiness while the boys watched an action movie. Catrin had the idea, and after a little internet research, we came up with the idea of make little deco-hearts to adorn our homes. Catrin did a "Home Sweet Home" heart, and this was my creation. Dead easy to make, a super-speedy project, and a lovely result... don't you think?

I then made some for my parents-in-law just before they returned to Norway in the summer as a little reminder of us back here in England.

Instructions for making to follow... watch this space!

Claire

An eventful Summer!

Well, a lot has happened since I last wrote... i'll try and summarise...

June was the musical month, I flew out to Austria for two weeks to perform "Candyland", the childrens musical Nicole and I had been working on for 2 years (www.candyland.at). It was a great success, we performed 8 performances in 4 theatres in front of around 2500 viewers. We were in the newspaper and state News, it was all a bit of a whirlwind to be honest!

In July I passed my driving test, which was a huge relief!! And then of course, the big news, DAVID AND I GOT MARRIED! We had an absolutely fantastic day celebrating with friends and family as we made our vows before God. The sun shone and we had a beautiful ceremony and a great day mingling, being photographed (a lot!), enjoying entertainment and barn dancing and we thank God so much for the many blessings he has richly poured on us in our families, friends and in each other.


Friday July 25th was certainly a day we wont forget!
Our wedding day was followed by a glorious 12 days in Spain where we enjoyed checking out the spanish history as we wandered around Granada, Seville and Malaga. It was great to get away after the manic preparation of the wedding and just spend time together. God has indeed been very good to us.
We returned to five weeks of nothing. We are so grateful to God for the privelege of our extended honeymoon, we had time to unpack, move in to our new flat (which we love), settle, prepare for our new courses and visit youth camps that we have both been heavily involved in in the past. It was a time we cherished and enjoyed settling in to married life!

We're now beginning a new chapter as we began teacher training this week, meeting new friends and having new opportunities to share Christ. After a year working for a church I'm very aware of being back on the front line, and aware of my weaknesses and tendancy to people-pleasing over God honouring, I'm praying that God will help me battle this idol and fear him alone as I share his incredible message with those on my course.

As we look back over this summer we are so aware that it has been extremely eventful, but in it all, God's hand has sovereignly guided us. He has been so good and provided for our every need.

Praise our God for his faithfulness and goodness to us.

The Look

Recently I've been mulling some older hymns, challenged by the words of these christians of past ages. I find many of the hymns they've written have a richness to them that feeds my soul. I've been enjoying hearing some of the newer versions that sovereign grace ministries have been producing... today, I've been meditating on the song "The Look" by John Newton, updated by Bob Kauflin and recorded on their album "Songs for the cross centred life"...

"I saw one hanging on a tree in agony and blood
who fixed his loving eyes on me as near His cross I stood.
And never till my dying breath will I forget that look.
It seemed to charge me with His death, though not a word I spoke

My conscience felt and owned the guilt, and plunged me in despair.
I saw my sins His blood had spilt, and helped to nail him there.
But with a second look He said "I freely all forgive.
This blood is for your ransom paid. I died that you might live.

Forever etched upon my mind
Is the look of Him who died
The Lamb I crucified
And now my life will sing the praise
of pure atoning grace
That looked on me and gladly took my place

Thus while his death my sin displaced for all the world to view,
such is the mystery of grace: it seals my pardon too.
With pleasing gried and mournful joy, my spirit now is filled -
that I should such a life destroy yet live by Him I killed

Praise you Jesus for your atoning grace and mercy.

.

Something New...!

I thought it was about time I joined the hoards of bloggers who actually have some system to their blogging, so for the next few days I’m going to attempt a mini-series – attempt being the operative word there!!
Amongst the mayhem of wedding prep that has been taking place in this household over the last few months, there has been one job Dave and I have returned to time and time again and still not completed…
It’s the problem of the dreaded wedding list…
Easy, you might say. How can you find it hard to choose 200 friends to come to your wedding? Sounds easy, but as we’ve cut our list, and cut our list, and cut our list repeatedly and we’ve realised something.
God has poured immense blessing upon our lives with our friends.
Young and old, covering most continents we have been privileged to be able to share in the lives of people who have challenged us, encouraged us, taught us to cherish God more, inspired us and befriended us.
Am I grateful to God for the people he has placed in my life who have encouraged me on in the faith?
I'm gonna stop now, and spend a moment thanking him for those people, rather than moaning about the fact we have too many special people in our lives to invite them all to our wedding!!!

TGS - a "Thank God Situation"

As I've been reflecting on my last 7 months as a church Apprentice, I realised that one of the hugest blessings this year has been my weekly trip down memory lane. As Monday lunchtime approaches I return to the school in which I spent 7 years learning everything I know (well, almost!) It’s the same school, the same teachers, the same smell, but a different bunch of people. The people I have the privilege of hanging out with on Monday lunchtimes are a small group of about 20 enthusiastic young Christians at Tolworth Girls School - eager to share their faith with their friends!

Amidst Haribo and doughnuts we’ve been looking at some tough questions, talking about evangelism, praying together, looking at the Bible – and I think we’re all agreed that the highlight of the year so far has been the one week of mission we did back in March. Every day we crammed between 40 and 60 girls into Room 23 where they heard Gospel presentations on three consecutive days followed by the grand finale “Grill a Christian” question panel… it was a pleasure and a privilege to serve with these young Christians, to watch them excitedly bringing friends along to hear the Gospel, to see the hours they were prepared to get up at to plaster the school in posters, the array of puddings they made for the pudding party and the sheer enthusiasm for bringing the good news of Jesus to their school.

Please continue to pray for the crew at TGS – representing about 6 different churches across the area it’s great for them to be united by a desire to grow in their relationship with God and share him with those around them. Pray for them that they will be a light in that school as they try and work out what living for Jesus in a sometimes hostile, and sometimes indifferent environment looks like.

Reflections on the Apprenticeship

Wow! How do you start to summarise 7 months in 400 words?! It’s a tough call… but one I will endeavour to accomplish in this little section here!

YPF, Christian Unions, Bible Clubs, Exploring Christianity, One-2-Ones, Co-Mission Training, Apprentice Meetings, working at the Kings Centre – the last 7 months have been a hive of activity! At first the adjustment from a slightly more relaxed (/lazy) university lifestyle was a bit of a shock to the system – no more late nights and lie-ins, no more constant coffees with friends with the occasional last minute rush to get an essay in. This year has been work!

The first term was a toughie. In hindsight I see the biggest thing God has been doing is some serious character adjustments (though sometimes it’s felt rather more painful than mere adjusting). I guess my perception of this year was it would be a great opportunity to try my hand at some new things, stretch my gifts and test the waters a bit. While that has happened to some extent, I’ve had to realise (and yes, I’m still realising) that any gifts God gives me are absolutely useless if my attitude is wrong – and yes, sometimes I have serious attitude issues! So God seems to have been showing me the error of my attitude, the extent of my pride and the deceptiveness of my motivations… not nice things to discover about oneself! By Christmas I was feeling the weight of my sin and pretty much in the mood to give up.

But the great thing about the gospel is that while God wants us to feel our sin, he doesn’t want us to stay there. And the New Year brought new beginnings… the last 4 months have been a slow recovery into understanding God’s grace (and I am by no means there yet!). I still have false motivations, I can still be overly critical, I still suffer with pride, but I’m learning everyday to wallow in the grace of the Lord Jesus and to know with absolute certainty that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

So thank you for your support as a church, thank you for the opportunity to do this year, thank you for your prayers – they are much needed and much appreciated! Please pray I will continue to grow in Christlikeness and that God will be honoured as I go about the daily life of a CEC Apprentice!

A weeping Saviour

Today I've been preparing a talk for an after-school bible club i do in New Malden on Lazarus. Its a story we're all familiar with, Jesus shows up and raises his friend Lazarus from the dead. But reading it again has made me stop and ask a few questions.

Why did Jesus cry?

The typical answer? Because Jesus was sad that his friend had died? But why? If he was about to raise him from the dead, why would he cry about it... his friend would be fit and well in no time!

Surely Jesus then wasnt crying at the death of his friend - no. He was crying at the hurt, the pain, the futility which death inflicted on humanity around him. This wasnt how it was meant to be.

God created us to love him and worship him and be in perfect relationship with him for eternity. Way back in the garden thats how it was for Adam and Eve. But Lazarus's death was a reminder of the consequences of our sin. We had brought death upon ourselves and it broke Jesus heart.

Jesus wept for humanity - we are lost in our fallenness.

And yet theres hope, because Jesus makes Martha a promise...

" I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die" John 11:25-26

Jesus claims that though we will die, there is life after death for those who believe and live in him.

And how can we be certain of that? Absolutely fool-proof sure? Because right after Jesus made that promise he went on to do the impossible, he proved his power, proved his point and proved his promise.

He raised Lazarus back to life defeating deaths hold.

And he rose to life himself showing that the promise is true. Brothers and sisters, if we Believe in him and live in him, he will raise us to life in him!

What a beautiful Saviour.