My Musings On A Monday!

At my local church yesterday, we had our monthly all age service and it wasn't me leading it!
My minister graciously offered to lead it for me this month - and I said yes please!
It was really lovely to take part without leading it for a change.

One of the things to do was this:
A Life Audit Bookmark.
The Bible reflection passages were Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 28:16-20, Hebrews 11:6

1. What are/should be the priorities in my life. What do I spend most of my time doing?
2. As I reflect on my life - how much of it relies on my faith? ie: that God would play His part?
3. How much time do I spend building up relationships with others?
4. When you were young, what did you enjoy doing? Are you still doing this now?
5. How much have I grown in my love and knowledge of God in this last year?
6. When did you last laugh?
7. Of your list of things to do before you die, how many have you done?
8. What am i holding onto, that I really need to give away?
9. If you are a Christian, if a friend/colleague asked - what does it mean - what would you say?
10. What was your last piece of good news and how did you share it?
11. What am I most looking forward to in the next year?
12. when i die what would I like people to say about me and how am I going to make this happen?

Here are some of my thoughts I would like to share with you:

1. My priorities in life and what I spend most of my time doing at the moment are to continue to get into the groove of being back at work full time in my new job, sleep, food, friends, family, rest and time for God within that.

2. My faith continues to be central to my life but at each twist and turn in my life journey, I often find myself with fresh and new challenges. I have to grab hold of what I have learned and been taught with the last leap of faith as I begin to venture into the new. Without the past I would just stand still and not leapfrog into the future, I suspect.

3. I love my friends and making new ones but really need to grow in developing the new friendships I am making to see them deepen. I need to invest time into these.

4. I used to love being creative and music and swimming. Looking at my creativity is like a breath of fresh air - so need to re-fill my lungs and start singing and swimming again next.

5. I really felt that I grew in my love and knowledge of God this last year. It hasn't been the easiest year with being ill, job hunting, weird relationship, but God has once again proved Himself faithful and brought me through each of these.

6. I last laughed yesterday and today - the book, Water for Elephants is very funny. (I cried yesterday too. Chick flicks do it every time. oh, a hug too did it.)

7. I actually don't have a list, but then again I do have lots of things I dream of. The list is huge, growing and loads to be crossed off!

8. Well, I just got rid of all my Denby but I suspect the things I am holding onto are in my heart, rather than them being real and actual objects. so, things of the heart probably are fear of the unknown - in terms of taking risks for the new opportunities- trusting others.

9. I think I would be happy describing my faith - it would be very personal thoughts and I hope they could see reality in what I share.

10. Last piece of good news would probably be my new job. I texted, phoned, emailed and facebooked it! And shared it in bloggyland too!

11. I think I am most looking forward to discovering more about the word change and flourish for me this year. deep stuff I know.

12. I have no idea on this one. I hope that people will remember my love for God, my smile and hospitality and that I lived life, loved and laughed.

What about you?
I'd love to hear!
Leave your comments here:-)

Want to join us in the unlikely places?

The other day, I shared with you how I had been reading Punk Monk and how I had been challenged to ask God to teach me in the unlikely places. I was encouraged to have an open, teachable and humble heart and to ask God to teach me as I go about my daily life: work, people, cooking, cleaning, listening to the radio etc.
It was then suggested that I write the ways God teaches me down in a journal during the week.I regularly write a journal, but it was quite refreshing to focus on the God who is omnipresent and able to speak in and through me in my normal every day life.

I was very encouraged with the ways God taught me.

It was like a breath of fresh air.

You can read my full blog post here

We have just started as a group or new girly chick cake group Journal, where we write down things that we want to pray for each other and the ways God answers our prayers. I was sharing about my unlikely places journalling experience with the girlie chicks at our weekly groovy girlie cake chick gathering on Thursday night.

They were really excited about it!

We decided to do ask God to speak to us in the unlikely places, during this next week. We will share back next week as a group, as we eat cake, the next time we meet together. I will let you know how we get on!

Maybe you have a group that you could do the same with?
You can join us too if you like!

Here is how you can join in this next week-10 days:
1. Ask God to speak to you in the unlikely places this next week.
2. Write the things God teaches you down in a journal this next week.
3. Share it here.
4. Eat some cake whilst you read other's posts!
5. Please remember to place a link to your blog post.
6. encourage others who share here too with a comment.

Have a great week in the unlikely places and I look forward to reading your posts by Monday(that's after Thanksgiving for you all in the USA)
Luci x