Ten Years Of Transformation

 Recently I celebrated a significant milestone. On July 4th 2004, I walked into a little church on the outskirts of London, and prayed for the first time,

"God if you're real, please show yourself to me." 

 At the time of the prayer I had no realisation whatsoever about how wonderfully and dramatically God would answer that simple, but honest prayer. 10 years later I want to share some of my story, that has helped me arrive at the point where I can say, "God is my everything!"
 When I stepped into the church that morning, I was still recovering from the night before, where I had been taking ecstasy with my mates as we usually did. There was no voice from heaven, or angels visiting me in a dream that prompted me to take such radical side step from taking drugs. I remember the feeling so clearly! It was like in my heart of hearts for the first time I knew I needed to stop running from a God, that wanted so desperately to lavish me with love and mercy. I certainly knew enough about church, the Bible and so forth, but the dramatic change took place in experiencing God. A few months after stepping into a church for the first time since a kid, I stepped into a new country, permanently. Australia was my new home and it became the training ground for my faith journey.
 Perhaps you wonder, how is it that you just 'find God'? Well firstly, God has extended an invitation to all of us, no exceptions, an invitation to know him personally. Have you received that invitation yet? Perhaps you haven't RSVP'd yet, or maybe you have declined the invitation. However, if we are ever to experience the party, we need to say yes to the invitation. I said yes, and I can hand on heart say I have never regretted that decision, ever. On the invitation it says, "no gifts required, no need for fancy dress, just come as yourself."
 Finding God is simple after accepting the invite. Walking with God requires a heart that is open to healthy change and being able to enjoy the journey through the ups and downs. Much like courtship, you begin a relationship with little knowledge but a huge attraction. If you continue to court God in a healthy, honest and committed relationship, you will grow in love to a point where you will not be able to imagine life without him.
 There is a beautiful and simple promise from the Bible that I have found to be so true in my life and many people around me.

 "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. "

Jeremiah 29:13-15New Living Translation (NLT)

 A common stumbling block to finding God, is the assumption that becoming a Christian means becoming a hollow shell of a person, directed only by rules and a fear of an eternity in hell. Ironically, what I have found since having a relationship with God, is a deep desire that constantly grows in me to change into a better person, not because I have to, but because I want to. When you think about this in the context of a loving relationship, this makes perfect sense. We change and adapt, not out of an obligation to be with someone, but because our love motivates us to change. That is why a relationship with God that comes from a wholehearted motivation has always worked and will always work.
 When I look back on what God has done in me in the last 10 years, I am overwhelmed and completely in awe of the transformation that has taken place in my life for the better.  Everything good in me or that I possess, has stemmed entirely out of God's unconditional and unfailing love. Let me encourage you, whether for the first time, or the hundredth, to open your heart to God and see how far the journey can take you.



More of my story can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGe-nc8e10o

Stay Connected

Matthew 21:18-19 (The Message)

 Early the next morning Jesus was returning to the city. He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree alongside the road, he approached it anticipating a breakfast of figs. When he got to the tree, there was nothing but fig leaves. He said, “No more figs from this tree—ever!” The fig tree withered on the spot, a dry stick. 

 A few years ago I arrived to start work on a new construction project. As I was walking to the area that I would be working in, I saw from a distance an old work colleague from a previous job. 'Fancy seeing you here,' I said as I caught his line of sight. The only problem was that as soon as I engaged him in conversation, I realized that he actually wasn't my old work colleague! Even funnier than that was that we still had a conversation for a couple of minutes because I think he was too polite to ask me who the heck I was. 
 In the passage above, Jesus was walking down the road and his stomach was going mental for food. 'Oh good a fig tree,' exclaimed Jesus. As he approached licking his lips ready to get stuck into some good old 'fig-a-bix' for breakfast, he realized that even though the tree had lots of leaves, it had no fruit whatsoever! How frustrating when you need something but it's not there! Countless times I have gone to a coffee shop for a quick caffeine fix, only to find that they have just turned the machine off! Hello you're a coffee shop, don't be open if you can't serve the one thing that is in your shop title!
 The Bible talks about how as Christians we are called to bear 'spiritual fruit'. It's important that we know what this fruit looks like and how to grow it so that when people are hungry and in need of God, they can approach us knowing that they will not walk away still feeling hungry. In the scripture below, the author explains what fruit we can expect to produce when we live connected to God.

Galatians 5:22-23 (New Living Translation)

 'But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.'

Developing Fruit

 For the purpose of my analogy we are going to imagine we are back in the late 1980's when disposable cameras are as cool as 'Who framed Roger Rabbit' and Kylie Minogue. You have one of those cameras in your hand, so naturally you take a selfie but the frustrations of this stone age technology means that you can't check it out until some genius invents the digital camera in another decade. If I come up and ask to the see the picture you just took of yourself you will say that it is in the camera but you can't show me until it's been developed. The process of developing that photo will take place in a 'darkroom' using a special blank white piece of paper, eventually that paper will display the image of your quite disappointing selfie.
 Much in the same way, fruit is in us, we just need to give it time to develop, and the process in which fruit is developed is through the 'darkroom' of trials. In the book of James we are told that when we go through adversity, it is an opportunity for us to grow and that once we have walked through the trial we will come out the other side fully developed, mature and lacking nothing. Some of the best fruit you will produce in your life will come from the darkest, most difficult situations, but the image that will be developed when you come out the other side will be more Christ-like. People who attempt to produce this fruit by themselves are just growing the rotten fruit of religion. It is very important that we don't concentrate on trying to produce the fruit by ourselves, the results will be plastic and artificial. To bear the rich fruit that God desires in our lives we need to focus on staying connected to the rich vine of Jesus. 

Stay Connected

John 15:1-5 (New International Version)

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." 

 Recently at the park I have been able to introduce Frankie to the magic of a stick and it's multiple uses including, a walking stick, a spade, a boomerang (that doesn't come back), the list is endless! We currently have a collection of sticks outside our front door because Frankie is insistent that we don't leave them at the park (it's not like they grow on trees Daddy!) So aside from the fact that our house is becoming an ever increasing bush fire risk, it got me thinking about why we need to be like a branch that stays connected to a tree and not like one that a kid Frankie's age can use to hit her Daddy with. 

1) Branches don't produce fruit when they are detached from the tree and we are called to produce fruit that is ripe for others to enjoy.
2) Branches that are detached from a tree will more easily snap and break. Undoubtedly life will always bring challenges but the closer we live to God the smaller those challenges will appear.
3) Branches cannot produce life by themselves, they must be attached to the tree to draw life from it.

So remember, ensure your focus is not directed on producing fruit, but rather staying attached to the vine that produces fruit in your life.

Thanks for reading!


P.S. I posted a short video on you tube with my story of how I found God, if you haven't seen it click on the link below to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGe-nc8e10o&feature=youtu.be

I Do'd It By Myself!

Pea-licious!

  My daughter Frankie is two going on twenty-two years old. Yes she has certainly gained vast amounts of life experience in that time, even enough to not even require parenting any more!  Take dinner the other day for instance. Frankie was eating sausages with green peas (gourmet I know), now even I struggle to keep peas balanced on a fork or spoon long enough to be able to put them in my mouth, so anticipating that this may also be a problem for Frankie I offered my assistance, 'darling, would you like Daddy to help you with that?' Without any thought Frankie snapped back, 'No! I do'd it by myself!' As I watched Frankie attempt to eat peas with a fork for the next few minutes, my only regret was not filming the numerous comedic attempts she made, including the good old 'thumb holding the pea on the fork' trick. Eventually the moment I anticipated finally arrived, 'Daddy......help pleeeease.' 

Be More Like A Horse

 Whilst writing this blog, a mild curiosity sparked up in me to Google what the symbol for the upcoming Chinese new year was. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it was not the year of the ferocious tiger, or cunning snake, but rather the year of the flipping horse! I was absolutely gutted because I can't stand Black Beauty or Equestrian. Gutted that is, until I read what the horse represented in Chinese symbolism.The spirit of the horse is recognized to be the Chinese people's ethos – making unremitting efforts to improve themselves. It is energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able. Ancient people liked to designate an able person as 'Qianli Ma', a horse that covers a thousand li a day (one li equals 500 meters, so basically they cover a lot of ground). Pretty cool hey?
 It's around this time of year that we all start cautiously making promises we hope we can keep, plans for a fresh new start (for the fourth year running), and status updates declaring 'this year is gonna be my year...!' I totally get it, I'm part of the same group, but if we are going to have any success whatsoever we need to recruit some help, because let's face it we struggle to eat peas by ourselves so how do we expect to be more generous or loose weight? 

 But if we get the right help anything is possible! Get a personal trainer and you are right on course to loose weight, create a water tight budget and you will certainly climb out of debt and if you are making any types of changes to who you are as a person, be sure to get God right into the equation. 

 I say the latter because in July this year I will be celebrating 10 years since becoming a Christian. I'm a completely different person inside and out now to what I was back then, had I not started walking with God I feel certain that things would have kept on becoming messier and messier. Perhaps I might reflect again on this landmark decision closer to the occasion. For now, let me share a Bible verse that has helped me greatly - I have found that by inviting God in to work with my mess, rather than pushing it aside and postponing change for yet another year, that I've actually been able to make progress that I am proud of. 

2 Corinthians 3:18

The Message Translation

16-18 Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

 What's the secret to a successful 2014? 10 years have taught me, keeping God as close as possible to the centre of our lives is the answer. Frankie and I pray that you'll have much success and victory obtaining the dreams and goals you are putting in place for this year. Be a horse!

Frankie says.....be a horse!

The Day Dan Found Out He Was An Idiot

Proverbs 27:19

'As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.'

A Blown Fuse

 A few weeks ago, I learnt a huge lesson about myself. My day started as any ordinary day does; wake up, eat breakfast, spend a bit of time praying and reading the Bible and then drive to work. This was to be a particularly special day because firstly I prayed that God would shine through me all day, and secondly I had just read this wonderful extract from the Bible.

'Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour. Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted  forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.' Ephesians 4:31-32

 When I commenced work at 7:30am everything was rosy, but at 7:39am I proceeded to let rip at a work colleague after he viscously and wrongly accused me of something I hadn't done. As I spent the rest of the day successfully avoiding eye contact with my work 'mate', I came to the conclusion that I must be the biggest idiot ever! The next day I apologised and rededicated myself to trying to get a little closer to what I was asking God to help me become. The lesson I learnt that day was that there was something bubbling on the inside of me that I needed God's help to sort out.

Health Check

 Medical professionals recommend that we annually visit the doctors to get a health check up. A check up goes from your head to your toes picking up any early signs of illness that may need to be treated. Statistically the older you get, the more likely you are to have developed a health issue, a check up prevents health issues by discovering them before they get out of control. It's amazing how little we can look after our own bodies physically and mentally, and even more so spiritually.

 Our spiritual health all stems from our heart.The Bible uses the heart to describe who we are on the inside, it is the motivation behind everything we do. Outwardly it might look like we are doing the right things, but what it all comes down to is the condition of our heart. God cares so much about our hearts, he knows that stuff comes to clog it up and pollute it and that's why he warns us to protect it;

Proverbs 4:23

Amplified Bible (AMP)

 'Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.'

Clogged Arteries 

 My problem came about because I took offence to something my work mate said which created anger in me, but had I been guarding my heart with more vigilance I may have avoided the whole situation (but then I wouldn't have got my inspiration for this blog, so swings and roundabouts hey?) Through out the Bible God was able to determine what people were made of not through what they were doing, but rather by who they were on the inside. If we allow junk into our hearts, don't be surprised when junk starts to come out. We need to be more heart smart about what we let into our souls. Whatever you are having trouble conquering can simply be resolved by controlling what you let in and keep out of your heart. 
 Do you want to forgive someone? Stop replaying in your head that thing they did to you, instead start praying for God to come in and help you forgive that person once and for all.
Do you struggle with negative thoughts, things such as guilt, fear, anxiety, depression, low self-worth? It's time to stand up and not allow things into your heart that are clogging your emotional and spiritual arteries up. 

 God is the ultimate heart surgeon but he will never operate unless he has our permission. When we allow him to work on us, he will gently and encouragingly reveal the gradual changes we need to make to produce a healthy heart. I hope like me, next time you have a spiritual health scare that you recognize that it's time to go visit Doctor Jesus.

Let Your Hearts Be Light

'Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal!'


 I couldn't help it, I needed to write something about Christmas. For me this time of year evokes wonderful memories of my childhood, with my siblings watching Home Alone, followed by attempts to create burglar traps of our own (just in case Harry and Marv broke out of jail and decided to fly across from America to England to ruin our Christmas).  
 The most difficult thing about writing a blog for Christmas is that it's all been said before. Of course it is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and how that precious day continues to affect people's lives today. It's a time for families and friends to get together and celebrate the year gone by. It's a time for over eating, over spending, and general overindulging.
 I love Christmas and every year as it approaches my excitement grows when I hear the beautiful words of my favourite Christmas carol, 'Have yourselves a merry little Christmas.'

'Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on
Our troubles will be out of sight'

Hope And Gratitude 

 There are two words we need to remember in this season-hope and gratitude. However your year has played out, I really hope that you can join with me in celebrating the good days along with the bad.  Celebrate that any pain you are going through will soon be out of sight. Whatever your belief is about Christmas, I beg you not to let this season pass without stopping and making a list of everything spectacular in your life.

 With hope in your heart, celebrate that 2014 is a new year with new surprises and twists and turns that you have no idea about yet. What blessings await you? What breakthroughs are you going to have?  A new year is certainly a great chance for a new start, what can you apply yourself to next year to make 2014 the best year yet?

 So put on your paper hats, groan at those pathetic yet wonderful Christmas cracker jokes, listen to Michael Bublé's Christmas album, act surprised when opening the present you asked someone to buy for you, and snigger and smirk at that part in Christmas carol 'Silent night' where we sing, 'round young virgin mother and child'.

Merry Christmas Folks And A Happy New Year! 

Love from the Notts 

My Love Letter To Doctor Who

Dear Agony Aunt, 

 I need your advice. I'm in love with 11 different men and I don't know which one to choose! It all started when I was four years old and I saw him (well one of them) on the tv, it's one of my earliest childhood memories and I can still close my eyes and picture the moment I first fell in love. Attached below is a photo of my first love interest.

There is a major age gap with my first option, I almost feel a grandfatherly affection from him. Sure he can be blunt and grumpy, but when things are going to plan he can have quite a good old chuckle. I love how he gets his words mumbled up and how he often forgets people's surnames (even though he says he does it just to annoy people). For our first date he took me to Rome to a toga party which was great, the second date didn't go too well though as he took me to Vortis and despite putting on insect repellent it didn't seem to repel the damn things! Perhaps the thing I love about him the most is how he helps me see life in black and white.

 









Oh my giddy aunt! Where do I should I start with the second guy? After dating a more mature man it was refreshing to trade him in for a younger model. He plays the recorder, likes to run and does a great South American accent. Although we dated for three years or so, most of the first two years in my mind are a bit patchy. Recently I recovered a few of those beautiful memories and I'm hopeful that very soon I will be able to uncover some more.

The third guy has a slightly peculiar dress sense, almost Austin powers like, but if I was ever walking down a dark ally at night, he's the guy I'd want to fend off potential attackers with his Venusian aikido. The main problem I have with him is he's very independent-always down in his shed trying out his latest experiments, I tired to offer help but I just ended up using a fire extinguisher to put out one of his experiments which caught fire (he couldn't even admit that it wasn't meant to happen). The only other problem I have is his hatred for authority! We went out for dinner one night and after he reversed the polarity of the car into a tight car park, he crashed into an undercover police car! Needless to say he didn't have any id on him so it was a long night at the station! Most of his mates seem to be in the army and it seems every week no matter where we go, we bump into one of his old school mates with a rubbish beard and a huge ambition of taking over the universe. He bought me a beautiful blue crystal from a shop I'd never heard of called Metablis 3 and in return I gave him an old yellow roadster which he said he would like to fix up in his spare time.

Then we come to number four and I have to say I'm concerned for his diet which seems to only consist of jelly babies! He has the most beautiful cheeky grin and I always get him to read me stories at bed time because of his wonderful booming voice. I have finally managed to stop tripping over his ridiculously long scarf, which can also be a great advantage to have around on those days that we pop over to Kastria. It all went wrong when after a seven year relationship, he fell of the Pharos project while trying to save the entire universe. My mate Shareen said all men either stop calling, or fall off the Pharos Project to end the relationship-maybe she's right.

I bumped into number 5 at your typical Edwardian era cricket game. He was amazing! Hitting boundaries, getting wickets and all with a cheeky boyish grin on his pleasant open face. He loves to be surrounded by company and although I became jealous at one point when I found him with some kid, an Australian and a 'princess from Traken', he insisted that they were just 'travel companions' and that I had nothing to be worried about.

Things didn't last for long with the sixth guy, our first few dates were cut embarrassingly short when he shouted at the waiter for smirking at his choice off dinner jacket. I didn't see him for a year but when he came back he had kind of mellowed out and I began to like him. It really looked like he was getting his life back on track, going to the gym, drinking carrot juice and even coming through a strenuous court case with a not guilty verdict in his favour. Then nothing! I wish he had been around for our third year anniversary- I think it could have been something really special.

After a year off from dating, I started attending a chess club and it was there I met the seventh guy. At first he was rather clown-like, playing the spoons or hanging off guard rails with his umbrella for no apparent reason. Then one day when we went out to see a performance of 'Cats', he felt really distant and it was like the more I hung out with him, the less I knew him. He walked out on me one day saying that he had 'work to do', it was the most painful day of my 26 year life. So painful that I calculated it would probably take me at least 7 years before I could ever love again.

Seven years later I met the eighth guy and don't get me wrong he was a really nice guy, but we only went on one date and just never went out again. I think if he had maybe not tried to kiss me on the first date it might have made things a little less awkward. I keep hearing he might come back and I'd give anything to see more of him, even if it were just for a few minutes, but I'm resigned to the fact that he must have moved on.

Nine years passed before I went on another date and I was beginning to think Mr right was never going to come along. Then I met the ninth guy! For someone who had just come back from some sort of horrendous war, he was pretty cool. Always so optimistic, I'd say, 'do you want to go out for fish and chips?' And he would enthusiastically reply, 'fantastic!' I sometimes had trouble understanding his accent but what he lacked in communication he made up for in dancing. Unfortunately history was to repeat itself again and things ended pretty badly. On a trip back in time to the 80's, I tried to save my dad from dying and created a massive time paradox that threatened to eat up all of time itself. Sure I know I screwed up, but there was no need to refer to me as a stupid ape (I'm very self-conscious about my facial hair and posture!)

Ah number ten! I lost a lot of weight with him, because we were always running everywhere. He did this cute thing where his voice would squeak when he got excited. It was such a whirlwind of a romance, I didn't want to blink in case I missed it (or got attacked by a weeping angel). Like all romantics he could speak French, passionatly kiss me and tell me all the time how brilliant I am! I got the feeling he was still in love with an old girlfriend or something and then when one of his mates 'captain jack' started cracking onto me, I knew I just needed to move on.

Finally we come to my eleventh and final relationship (for the foreseeable future anyway). He dresses well, always wearing a bow tie and apart from being slightly clumsy and having bizarre tastes in food, it's hard to find fault with him. I can only recall one awkard moment, when I met him for dinner at a Turkish restaurant and he turned up wearing a fez causing silence to fall in the whole restaurant-he didn't seem to care he thought it was 'cool'. I don't know if he was in a big accident or something but his nose and chin could probably do with a bit of work, but he has two hearts of gold. However it's his bit on the side that I have a problem with-River Song. She turns up everywhere and whenever I ask her who she is or how she knows the Doctor she just says 'spoilers', I wouldn't mind 'spoiling' her face with my fist.

 Anyway Agony Aunt I appreciate your time reading this lengthy letter and I would really appreciate your advice answering one question, one that has been asked since the very beginning, I know I need to choose one Doctor, the question is Doctor Who?




Doctor Who celebrates 50 years on November 23rd, make sure you don't miss the party!

#SaveTheDay

The Knock Out Punch

Wooden Spoon

 Throughout my high school years, my grade was split into 7 'house groups'. These groups at different times during the year would have to enter teams into various sporting events competing against each other. I so desperately wanted to play in my house group's football team but was always overlooked. Apparently I was 'better' at sports I had never played such as softball, rugby union and swimming. It's an experience in the latter sport that I want to focus on. I was in about grade 8 when the annual swimming competition was coming up. I don't remember volunteering to be a part of it but when I heard I had been selected and that I got to miss most of the school day, I didn't voice my frustrations too heavily.
 I was only in one race the whole day, the 100 metre 4 X 4 freestyle race. At this point I should mention that I had done no training whatsoever, the only time I ever went to swimming pools was when they had water slides or massive inflatable objects in the school holidays. It didn't even occur to me that the other three people in my team were what you might call 'morbidly obese' or 'athletically challenged'. So time came for my race and once it started everyone dived in and like speedboats made like crazy for the other end and then back to tag the next person in. By the time the third person on my team was making his way back to me, all the other teams were just about to complete their final laps-I was about to swim 100 metres by myself with about 200 people watching me! It wasn't about winning the race any more, it was about earning a precious house point for completing the race. As my turn came up I attempted dive into the water like a gold medal winning Olympian!  Instead I belly flopped into the water knocking the wind out of myself in the process. I had no time to lick my wounds I had to finish this race for that precious consolation point for our house group! In my head I was swimming with style and technique, to everyone else I probably looked like I was sort of drowning. I swam so hard that about halfway through the race I started to feel really out of breath, but I couldn't stop and stand up because it was the deep end. So I had a choice, either finish the race and earn some much needed sporting respect from my class mates, or give up. I swam across my competitors now empty lanes and climbed out shaking my head and shrugging my shoulders as if to say 'what's the point everyone's finished anyway?' 
 I know, inspirational isn't it? The funny thing is about that time, my Mum had got me one of those key-rings that has your name in calligraphic writing on one side and then on the flip side what your name means in Hebrew. My friends used to pay me out because the keyring said that  Daniel ' never started what he couldn't finish', there should have been a disclaimer down the bottom that said [except swimming].

Get Back In The Ring

 Keeping fit requires massive commitment. We hear people say all the time, 'it's difficult to loose it, but much easier to put in back on'. We all have areas of health that require constant maintenance; our physical health, our mental health, our spiritual health. From time to time we loose the motivation to keep one or all of these areas healthy, I experienced this a few weeks back when I had an extreme case of man flu for a week. Upon my recovery from the worst man flu ever, I lay in bed one night trying to get to sleep and I felt physically, mentally and spiritually flat. I hadn't been to the gym for what seemed like forever, my mind was keeping an inventory of everything that I hadn't done right in the last few days, and my heart was crossing another day off the calender in which I hadn't hung out with God or read the Bible. As I lay there, I decided it was time to ask God for some help to get rid of this 'flat' feeling. 

 Sometimes when I pray I feel peace, sometimes I feel joy, sometimes I remember something encouraging I have read or heard someone say. Without a shadow of doubt that night, I felt God say one word in my heart. Fight!

1 Timothy 6:12 New Living Translation (NLT)

 'Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.'

 The longer I walk with God the more I learn that he isn't interested in spoon feeding us the whole of our lives. God wants us to grow and become more mature in the same way we would want for our children. We are more than happy to help our children and nurture them along the way, but there comes a point where they need to stand on their on two feet. We all have plenty of things in our lives down pat, but there always seems to be that one 'thing' that we just can't seem to knock on the head. From time to time that one 'thing' can have an appearance like it is unbeatable, so we try to find ways to live with it whilst maintaining damage control. Controlling damage is not in our job description-that's God's job. Drawing close enough to God so he can do that repair work is in our job description.

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message translation)

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

 Our past mistakes and current difficulties are always inventing new ways to prevent us from entering into the great future that God wants to give us. The greatest thing about walking with God has to be the realisation that God is with us always. In the context of the fight you may be going through at the moment, God is in your corner. When that bell goes for the end of that round get back to that corner so that God can restore you and prepare you for whatever the next round may have in store. The important thing in God's eyes is that we stay in the ring, whether we are winning or losing. Fights are made up of rounds and losing a round is not as important as losing the fight. So we are left with a choice, let every flaw big or small overcome us, or fight for all God has in store for us. It doesn't take a lot of character to walk away, it does to turn around and have another shot at the title.