Today, I am thankful for...

Friends. Fun times sipping tea at break with guitars gently jamming in the background before the usual "we're late for our lesson.....PANIC!!" rush.

Playing one of my favourite songs with a group of some of my favourite people this afternoon, thinking up harmonies and singing it out LOUD.

Today, I am thankful for...

Good teachers who push me until it's uncomfortable. Who understand me, yet want to bring out the best of my ability.

Spontaneous conversations in the library, determining (trying to at least) what leaving school is all about. Thinking of memories. And planning our final, precious moments together.

Today, I am thankful for...

The fact that I'm alive. That I can wake up and have a spring in my step.

Jesus' spirit which actively lives in me.

'A joyful heart is good medicine' ~ PROVERBS 17:22

With much love,

Sarah

My Perfect Guy

I'm pretty sure we've all done it. Dreamed of the moment when we look up and see HIM. He's just smiling casually, and then he catches your eye and you both just KNOW. And that's it. Fast-forward and you're sailing off into the sunset for the perfect 'Happily Ever After'...

But I'm starting to learn that Prince Charming is what you make him. Bradley Cooper. Ryan Reynolds. THAT guy. Or maybe just pure fiction.

Hear me out here. I'm really not a cynic, but I'm also fully aware that I'm not perfect. (Spend 10 minutes with me and you'll find that out for yourself!) So why on earth do I expect my future husband to be perfect? As much as I would like him to be, in reality it's just not fair for me to have those kinds of expectations. I would feel so inadequate if he had those kinds of expectations of me, and although I want to be the best I can be for him, 'perfect' is never going to be attainable in this life.

I have spent years dreaming of the 'perfect' romance, the 'perfect' proposal, the 'perfect' wedding, and then the subsequent life of 'perfect' bliss. But the whole point of a meet-cute is that it can't be planned! Or at least not by us.

I have faith in a God who has already planned out my perfect romance. Whether that is with a guy who He has set apart to be mine, or whether that is with God, as in the end He should be the ultimate romancer of my soul.

From now on, my perfect guy is not perfect. But neither am I, so I guess he's perfect for me.

'There's a Song for that...'

We are sitting at the keyboard searching our minds for the words to describe music. Nothing is coming. There's a reason for that: there are no words to describe music. The whole point of music is that it fills a gap that words can't. It is the overflow of what can't be expressed by language.

There's music for every situation and every feeling, so we thought we'd name a few:

• A song to dance to without inhibition- 'Look For Me Baby' by Fiction Family
• A song for the first snow- 'Sleigh Ride' by Relient K
• A song to tidy your bedroom to- 'Dog Days are Over' by Florence and the Machine
• A song to worship to- 'Oh My God' by David Crowder Band
• A song for a long car journey- 'the Blues' by Switchfoot
• A song for when you are feeling down- 'Deathbed' by Relient K (it's not as depressing as it sounds!)
• A song to learn on guitar- 'Small bump' by Ed Sheeran
• A song for long summer days- 'Good People' by Jack Johnson
• A song with a good message- 'Faint Not' by Jenny and Tyler
• A song to look forward to- 'Where I belong' by Switchfoot
• A song for that week- 'Keep Bleeding' by Leona Lewis
• A song to share- 'Box of Stones' by Benjamin Francis Leftwich
• A song that brings back memories- 'Old Pine' by Ben Howard
• A song for a broken heart- 'Dear Heart' by Sanctus Real
• A song that we hope you never have to listen to- 'Whip It' by Willow Smith
• A song you wish you could sing- 'One-eyed Cat' by Jenny and Tyler

These are just a few of the inspirational songs God has blessed us with.

Hope you're having a good day. What songs do you like to listen to?

Love,

Milla and Megan

'Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation' Psalm 95:1

The Battle is Over...

We prepared. Kitted out. Said our Goodbyes.

Marched to the Battlefield. Side by Side.

Prepare for the worst. Maybe we'll be surprised.

The horizon looks bleak. Slim chance of success.

Hope is absent. But we'll try our best.

Waiting before No Man's. Fight to the Death.

Sun in our eyes. Harsh land beneath our feet.

Ready and waiting. The line up is complete.

Called for a mission. Called to compete.

Battle cries ring out all around.

My heart can barely stomach the sound.

Will the survivors ever be found?

'Contact'. 'Footwork'. Shrieks across the tarmac plain.

Reposession is the aim of the game.

Tripping and spluttering to perpetual pain.

Whistles ring out reverbratating through my mind.

The Army's marched on and Goal Keep was left behind.

But too late now. Too late to rewind.

Fear in their ears at the sight of the Headband.

Scratched and scarred. Snatching hands.

Watching. Waiting. Where will the ball land?

The ultimate goal? Outnumber the enemy.

Paralysed by the prize. Where's Goal D?

Nowhere to pass. 'Behind if you need'.

Turning to shoot. Suspense in the air.

Vision blurry and marred by loose hair.

Pressure mounts as all stop and stare.

Shot.

The crowds go wild with shouts and screams.

Swelling with pride. It all feels like a dream.

Overwhelming consciousness: We beat the other team.

Crawling off the pitch. Only empty shells remain.

Drained and lifeless, its the end of the game.

But come next Tuesday, it'll be Netball time again.

So these were our delirious thoughts after a VERY intense netball match! Hope you like it :D

Reassurance is holy

Where is this person going?

What will happen to her?

She's scared and unprepared

But she knows you'll always be there

to guide her through.

How long will she last?

and when does she give up?

A faith so strong now.

A faith so certain.

She's feeling alone and out-of-herself

but she knows down and within

that you're not sometimes there

not 'maybe' or 'almost'

but always and forever.

So why am I scared?

She's started to question

the humanity in this world

A growing mind- with growing ideas she can't comprehend

Sitting through it all day.

Praying will be her only hope,

Praying will be her last grip on anything,

before she forgets what makes her me

and collapses in the wait

for eternity...

 
This came to me quite a long time ago, but I thought I'd share it now- as some of it still resonates. We have assurance in our saviour's love, and maybe that's what I was missing then, but understand fully now...

"I love you people with a love that will last forever." Jermemiah 31 vs 3

My best friend

What if I told you that my best friend is kind, compassionate and just? What if I told you that He is slow to anger and abounding in love? What if I tried to explain to you that He never ever leaves my side but somehow still gives me the space to make my own choices and find my own way in life? What if he isn’t just MY best friend but that He knows every single hair on every single head of each person that has ever and will ever walked the planet?

Would you want to get to know Him too?

How about if He is the kind of friend who will always be my greatest supporter and will always give me advice and help? And if I told you that simply putting my hope in Him means that He will keep me from stumbling and that He will carry me through the hard times?

Would you put your hope in Him?

What if I said that He knows the deepest desires of my heart and wants to give these things to me? And that He also knows the bad thoughts that I think in anger about people that He has made. He knows about my incessant need to be liked and to be successful. He knows about my selfish desires and He hates it when I decide that I don’t want to meet with Him – who has given me life and then given up everything for me because I misused it – simply because I can’t be bothered. What would you do if I told you that even after this, He still wants to be my best friend?

Would you let Him in?

How about if I told you that He died a painful death for you, even if you don’t know Him and you have spent every day of your life hurting and angering him?

Would you tell Him that you’re sorry?

Would you thank Him for dying on a cross for you?

Would you go out and tell the world about Him?

My best friend is Jesus Christ and he’s knocking on your door- let Him in.

<><> <><> <><>

John 3:16:"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

So Long...

Sunshine walls crowd darkened guests,
We wait with disbelieving hearts.
Wandering in, we take a seat,
And our honoured guest arrives.

The people here all knew him well,
And the irony lies in this way:
After all those years alone,
He'd have loved to see them today.

We remember smiles of childhood,
An ill but besotted young boy,
A family-fighting love,
Battle with Faith and gift of Joy.

His life laid out before us,
A man with a mighty heart,
A story of many acts,
In which we all have played a part.

No doubt we'll torture ourselves,
With all the 'I should have rung's
But all of that's too late now.
He's gone to join his loved one.

I cannot help my crying,
As I remember once again,
All the reasons why I loved him,
That gentle giant among men.

She says, 'We love you, you know that?'
And  in our hearts, you can tell,
That as the curtain is drawn,
We whisper a final farewell...

'So long Grandad'

Before The Fight Begins...a letter to God

Dear Father,

My journey in faith is getting harder as my mind grows older and I become increasingly aware of the sin steeped world I am in. I sometimes yearn for the days where I just blindly trusted, there were no questions, no doubts, no lust for logic or visible, tangible evidence. I feel world weary at 17, and sceptical as I know it's going to get worse...

So my prayer is this: keep me close to you.

The 'future' is rapidly approaching. This 'future' has always been a distant, blurred blip on a hazy sevanah. I don't think I ever believed it would come. But now it's bearing its teeth and I'm having to confront it. And as i'm writing to you right now, I'm in those three deep breathes before the fight begins. This 'future' I'm talking about is leaving school. School, this shell, this sheild, this prison, this safe and comfortable haven, is about to be ripped away from me. I feel like a snail that's been plucked from its leafy green sanctuary and hurled into a desert.

In a way it's a good thing because it will force me to cling to you. Grappling with the unknown and uncomfortable will force me to fall back to you as you will be the only familiarity in a universe of strangeness. I pray, I plead, I deplore that you will live in me, be my guide, be my confidence, be my topic of conversation, be the thing that people see when I walk past and smile.
My mind will betray me, this I know. Predators like worry, despair, lonliness and hate will prey on me as I forget your promises. In this way, memory is like a poison. Slowly, agonisingly, drawing me into sin, I will forget your love for me, I'll forget that I need to serve you, I will sucumb to selfishness.

But Lord, you say in your infallible word that these things crumble in the face of your love. These things shall never separate me from you. We can conquer them because you can use them for good. So what power do they have over me? Nothing.

Romans 8 v33-37:

'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?...No in all these things we are more than conquerers through him who loved us.'

We are not exempt from suffering, but we do not need to be afraid of it because you will always conquer it. Be my armour against the snarls of this enemy God, through this battle I pray that I'll mature in faith and become a better servant for you so that when it's over I can rise victorious with you in eternity. Amen.

Love and prosperi-tea :)

Gina

5 Reasons Not to Worry

I wasn't sure what to write on my first ever blog post! Should I write about God and all he has done for us? Should I post some fun pictures of me and my friends?

I wasn't sure, so I figured that I'd go for something simple. Right now, we're on the build up to exams and we're facing many coursework deadlines. Stress levels are running quite high. These are the most important exams of our school careers and I think we're all starting to realize that. I'm such a natural worrier, so I decided that I would try and simply post a bit of encouragement about why we should be living with a deep peace. Not just saying that we're fine whilst we're sinking under deadlines. The peace I want comes from living with a knowledge that our value doesn't comes from Christ alone.

Here's why:

1.     God has a plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11) that we can trust in.

2.     There is no way for us to avoid human suffering. We live in a fallen world, so there is no point in worrying about any hurt that the future might bring us.

3.     Worrying distracts us from God’s purpose for us.

4.     God is enough for us. Even if we lose all earthly things, He. Will. Still. Be. Enough.

5.     Rather than worrying, we can pray about our fears (Philippians 4:6), which is a much more constructive response.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear… Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?... See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field… will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 8:25-30

The Beginning

We want this to be a place of sharing. We want to share with each other and share with you, what goes on in our lives, and the abundant blessings that God pours down on us.

We are not experts, and I would like to make that clear now. We're simply a group of young ladies who are discovering more about themselves and the God that made them.

We have a passion for all things beautiful. Crafts. Photos. Songs. Poems. Bible Verses. You name it, we are inspired. We hope that you will also be inspired by the things that we share.

I hope you can join us for the journey.