Walking across clifftops in the summer sun

These photos were taken when Kate and I went on a cliff walk on our holiday in Cornwall (sorry- you've probably already heard about Cornwall if you've been following the blog but I couldn't resist sharing this beautiful view with you!) This beach is definitely making onto my favorite places list! It was a sunshine-y day. From the edge of the cliff, it felt like you could see for miles. We could even see our friends body boarding if we zoomed in on our cameras (photo 5!) I wish I could have taken more photos but my memory card was full and I didn't want to delete my end of term photos. Alas.

The beautiful little beach by our house

If you look closely, you can see Milla, Gina, Abbie, Sarah G, Sarah P and Meggy D body boarding!

You see the big rock island thing  in the sea? We swam out there!

On another note: I just got back from a week of summer camp where I was so blessed. It's been raining for months in England but we had the most ridiculously sunny week (prayer works), friendships were nurtured and many lives were touched by God. We were studying the books of Daniel and 1 Peter- I learned so much about how we should react to suffering as a Christian and what it really means to stand apart from the crowd. One of the memory verses that stuck out to me was this one: 'Do not fear what they fear, do not be frightened. In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord' 1 Peter 3:14. I'm such a worrier and this verse is a beautiful reminder to me that I don't need to be afraid of anything in this world but that I can take all my fears and insecurities to God.

Hope you're all enjoying the summer sun!

Love,
Megan

All that is important

Am I now trying to win the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I was still trying to please man I would not be a servant of Christ.' Galatians 1 v 10

'I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law Christ died for nothing.' Galatians 2 v 21

'Because we are his sons God sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, the spirit that cries out 'Abba, Father!'' Galatians 4 v 6

'You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.' Galatians 5 v13

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Galatians 6 v14

So we had a little stay in Cornwall, all 9 of us. We made it our mission to memorise all these verses during our stay there. They all really challenge and inspire me. They outline five fundamentals which I view as crucial to life:

Who am I trying to please?

How am I trying to do it?

Will I be doing it on my own strength?

How should I express my freedom?

What then should we do??

These verses give clear answers: We're trying to please God. He should be the only one we're working for, the only one we're trying to impress with all our endeavours and purely because of who he is. And the way we should do it is through Gods grace: His completely and utterly undeserved favour that he lavishly bestows upon us all the time. If we could be pure through our own actions or through the law then Christ died for nothing, his death was pointless. But as it is, Jesus died for us all so that our salvation doesn't depend on ourselves but on him, therefore his death means everything.

Because we accept this as fact, God calls us his children and gives us an unbelievable gift. His spirit!! He lives within us, helping us, strengthening us all the time. All this means that we are not dependant on the law or ourselves - we're free! BUT, we shouldn't use this freedom for selfish purposes. We need to use it to serve others in love. I think that's such a fantastic and incredible aim for life. As a result, we should shout about Christ from the rooftops! He is the only thing we should boast about - not ourselves and our achievements but JESUS CHRIST WHO DIED FOR US!!!! (That's shouting over the internet) I don't mean go into a street and yell about it, but metaphorically shout in everyday life. Let Christ be the one thing that matters and it will show in everything that you do. I promise.

So. That's a lot to unpack, I'm going to leave you to think about it ;)

Gina X