Awaken us...

Our culture is just so good at making us asleep to God! Big questions of life are quickly put back to sleep with the response "how can you honestly expect to find an answer to that? Life has no meaning! And even if there was i'd much rather live my own way"

In our hearts and minds that nagging question of "maybe there is more to life than this?" can quickly be silenced and replaced with an iphone or some other material-god which we will so obviously die without (I actually quite like iphones so don't take that too seriously!)

The wonderful thing about life with Jesus as Lord is that our hearts are awakened to new life.

Jesus initially awakens us from death when he saves us, but as Christians we can tend to fall back into a semi-dead mode; we've been saved by what Jesus did on the cross but we're now kind of asleep to what he wants to do in our lvies today.

If you don't yet know Christ you are alive but really you are dead! Jesus wants to awaken you!
If you know Christ yet don't seek after him you are alive but as good as dead! Jesus wants to re-awaken you!

I guess it's a continual thing as well. I find that I need to be re-awakened, re-focussed and reminded each day of God's love, grace and mercy in my life.

Song of Songs 5:2 says that "I slept but my heart was awake". I love this because it tells us that when we're in a relationship with Christ, even when we feel tired, exhausted or struggling, our hearts can still be awake and responsive to what God is doing.

In Ephesians 1:7 we read of God's amazing grace. How awesome is it that God awakens us as a loving Father!

"Like the rising sun that shines
Out from the darkness comes a light
I hear Your voice and this is my
Awakening"

Awaken us Lord!

Engaging the Silence

This is taken from p.32 of 'God on Mute' by Pete Greig.

Engaging the Silence

first
there is
prayer
and where ther is prayer
there may be
miracles
but where miracles may not be
there are
questions
and where there are questions
there may be
silence
but silence may be
more than
absence
silence may be presence
muted
silence may not be nothing but
something
to explore
defy accuse
engage
and
this is
prayer
and where there is prayer
there may yet be
miracles