Once a words girl, always a words girl...

I've been meaning to write a proper blog post with a semi serious message for a while but it kinda just hasn't happened. I'm that 2am 'need to be in the mood' blogger and, to be honest, I haven't been up at 2am (explanation = I like sleep!) and I haven't really been in the mood to blog (explanation = I haven't had any burning ideas for posts!). Boo.

Anyway, have you heard of love languages? My guess is that, if you hang in Christian circles, you've either heard of them a gazillion times or they're coming your way soon! Not that they're exclusively Christian or anything but as a topic, it tends to come up! The basic idea is that we all like to be shown love in different ways; some of us appreciate physical touch, others gifts, acts of service (like washing up!) and/ or quality time with the person we love. Without a doubt, mine is words of affirmation or just words in general. I mean, present me with the Mr Darcy proposal from Pride and Prejudice and you're guaranteed to make me smile! Errrr really? Embarrassingly yes. Recently, in times when I feel a bit down or tired, I've been Googling some of my favourite quotes and shoving them around my room because I know they make me smile. Don't worry...I've edited the cheesy ones but I thought I'd share some of them with you!

Enjoy x

The last term in ten.

So this post is totally inspired by a friend's ten lesson's of last week and I thought that I'd write down ten lessons that I learnt last term.

1) Costa does the best hot chocolate and is a great place of refuge. (Ken Costa, I keep you in business. You're welcome. :P)

2) Preschoolers find the word 'poo' the funniest thing in the world and never tire of calling you 'Mr Poo Poo pants'

3) I'm stronger than I ever thought I was but only because of Jesus.

4) We can never be consumed by the stuff that burdens us.

5) Above everything else, Jesus is all we need.

6) We need to be thankful for what we've got rather than chasing after what we want.

7) It's okay to say 'no' but not all the time!

8) Every day is a new chance to show love, grace and patience.

9) Modern Family is very nearly better than sliced bread.

10) Over analysing wastes your time, your energy and steals your peace. Just stop.


x

Cutting down.

Recently, I've been reading this book and, in the words of the author, it messed me up. Man, that would sound so much better said in her Texan accent. I appreciate that 'messed me up' sounds a bit destructive/harmful/messy but really, I mean it in a good way. See, Jen Hatmaker's '7' is all about how excessive our lives can be. When I first picked up (ahem...downloaded...Kindle for Iphone...21st century people!) this book, I thought it would be properly funny as she's one of my favourite and most humorous bloggers. It is. But it's also deeply challenging.

Her main point is that, so often, Christians get caught up in the consumer culture of the West and she notes that it's a far cry from what Jesus calls us to and a poor substitute to life as it should be. I do sociology at uni (which you probably know) and the word consumerism pops up nearly as much as Weber and Marx WHICH IS A LOT. But, actually, how does it relate to me? Am I part of this massive consumerism mess?

I'm trying (and failing) to read more this year, and for some reason unbeknown to me, I often read Christian books. The thing is though, I so often read them like a novel, not thinking about what they say or how they apply. So, I might have mentally asked God to help me actually take this one on board. The craziness (in a good way) that I'm about to embark on is the result!

Jen Hatmaker decides to spend seven months cutting down on various things (like possessions, food, social media --- eeek!) to trim her lifestyle and she might have, subconsciously, convinced me to do it with her. WHAT?! Well, technically, I'm gonna cheat and do seven weeks. I'm not doing this to show people how incredibly super holy I am (because I'm not!). Seriously, one of the things that she cuts down on is food and I'm already having nightmares! Expect lots of 'midnight Mcdonalds runs' to occur that week! To be honest, I'm not really sure why I'm doing this but something about what she did and how she changed inspired me so I'm about to give it a go! Watch this space :)

Trusting what never changes.

I've read some fantastic blog posts in the last week. Like seriously good. Thanks friends for posting, for sharing your lives, your successes and your struggles. And thanks for (perhaps unconsciously) encouraging me to blog again.

As my housemates can testify, I spend at least ten minutes every day pretending that I'm Beyonce by singing in the shower. At the moment, my jam is the almost too cheerful Pharrell phenomenon - Happy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM).

As much as I love this song, I kind of think it points to one of mine (and maybe even our) problems. Our culture seems to value happiness above all else...and obviously this is found in having the latest clothes, Ipad and aftershave. Not. Parents so often wish that their children live a happy life which, in so many ways, is totally legitimate. Often though, I value my happiness really highly but then find that my happiness levels change so much over the course of a day, a week, a month.

When I came back to Southampton in January, I realised that I didn't want to be here. I thought that it would pass after a few days but it didn't. I've spent the last month learning stuff about myself, how faithful God is and how to man up when the going gets tough (I've failed at this one so often!)
Therefore, this month, on average, I haven't been that happy. So what? Does that mean that my life has crashed? I'm out of the race?

No.

The book of Ecclesiastes (or as my sister affectionately calls it, 'Eccles cakes') says -- 'For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven' (3:1). I've always loved the idea of seasons because it means that dips, low moods and bad hair days are not the end, they're just part of the journey (apologies for the X Factor style cliche!). What's more, happiness can go so quickly but joy lasts forever. So often, I'm tempted to link joy with a particular situation or person. But, ultimately, joy is a gift from God. True joy comes from knowing that you're saved, that you're right with God and that you're His - beloved, precious, redeemed. That's why it's not happiness that truly counts, it's joy based on something totally outside of yourself and bigger than your life - God's relentless love and grace.

This month, I'm determined to embrace joy. Join me?

'But if needs be, I'm prepared to die'.

The quote above comes from Nelson Mandela's statement given at his trial in 1964. Upon the news of his death this evening, I wanted to find out a bit more of the man that the whole world seems to be praising tonight. Sure, I knew he helped to end apartheid but what did that look like? Find out more in his statement here --> http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mandela/mandelaspeech.html

Social media seems to have exploded in the hours following the announcement of Mandela's death, speaking of the grace he showed, the life he lived to the full and the 'shining light' that he was to many. All so wonderfully fitting. However, it's this line that stopped me as I read the articles, news reports and Facebook posts.

'But if needs be, I'm prepared to die'

Wow.


This man not only commited himself to peace, harmony and cohesion during his lifetime but believed in his cause so much that he was willing to lay down his life to see equality achieved.

As a Christian, this line has particular resonance. In the Bible, it says 'For whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me will find it'. (Matthew 16:25). Numerous Christian writers such as David Platt and Francis Chan have picked up on this theme, the idea that we need to be prepared to radically commit to Jesus. The fact is, it's true.

You may think death is a bit extreme. Maybe we'll be called to die for our faith. Maybe we won't. But perhaps dying sometimes means more than physical death. Maybe dying is forgiving someone who's really hurt us even when we don't want to. Maybe it's loving that person who we find really difficult. Maybe it's choosing to keep going even when our circumstances look unlikely to ever change.

I'm writing this not from a place of sortedness but from a place of brokeness, So often, I need to die to what I want to do, how I feel and ultimately to my self. What a challenge.

Thank you Mandela for your life, your love and the lessons that you leave us. 

hearing/reading/thinking/living

You know when you watch a film that you've seen about a million times? For me, Mean Girls, Bruce Almighty and Monsters Inc are some of the more popular contenders. You watch such films but, at the same time, you kind of don't. You text, you chat, you scoff a bowl of popcorn and think about tomorrow. Why? Because you've seen it before. You know the story. You get the characters. In the case of Mean Girls, you know all of the classic lines (Glen Coco, anyone?) and have probably recited them to your fellow movie watchers within the first ten minutes of the film.

Sometimes, I feel the same way when I read the Bible. Recently, I realised that I engage with this book a fair bit; on a Sunday at church, when I'm reading it on my own, maybe even via Twitter or Facebook when someone includes a bit of Bible in their status or tweet.

But do I really listen or do I go into autopilot, even with good intentions?

Take a Sunday church service. On a good day, I nod and make a mental note to take on board whatever the preacher is talking about then walk out of church and (more often than not) forget all about it. On a bad day, I spend the preach daydreaming and thinking about what I might have for lunch/dinner. Seriously.

I read something the other day about the Israelites and how, because of their sinfulness, God chose to take away His Word and revelation from their lives. Specifically, in Amos 8, it is so clear that this is the biggest loss for the Israelites, despite the physical problems and challenges that they face. This got me thinking - how often do I view the Bible in this way?

James 1:22 says 'Don't just listen to God's Word. You must do what it says'. It then goes on to say that we deceive ourselves if we don't do this. Eek. All the good intentions in the world can never equal actually applying what we hear or read. That's why I'm trying (and often failing) to more intentionally let the Bible change me and the way I live, in a bid to recognise how privileged I am to be able to readily access God's word and to be obedient.

Join me?

Love Rhi x


PS. Picture of the post...

Proper cute.

A new church experience.

So Britain has been experiencing a heatwave these past few weeks (the rest of the world just call it summer!). I've got to that stage where I'm so hot that I don't know what to do with myself...so I decided to blog!

This morning, myself and the wonderful Amy decided to mix it up a little bit and go to the local gospel church just round the corner from where we now live. Neither of us really knew what to expect and as we walked in, I couldn't help but notice how amazingly we were greeted and welcomed (cue a shout out to the stewards!). We watched countless people (including a VERY cute little boy) spend their time of worship dancing, flag waving and genuinely celebrating Jesus. What a beautiful thing to witness. I loved their joy (though it's good to remember that joy comes in many forms...) and I loved their passion for Jesus.

However, I want to emphasise the word 'new'. Church this morning was so different from anything I've ever experienced before and, if I'm honest, I wasn't 100% comfortable. For one, I've definitely now had my annual dose of the phrase, 'Can I get an Amen?'. Being frivolous aside, there were some things I didn't get and some things that I wasn't sure about. But that's okay. As I came out, I felt pretty overwhelmed and found myself asking the question, 'What just happened?'. The point is, it doesn't matter that I don't get it because I knew wholeheartedly that, despite some differences, these people love Jesus and trust Him for their salvation like I do and want to see His kingdom advanced like I do. Surely that's what's important? Of course, we all have personal preferences but beyond that, we are united because God Himself says we are, as His body and as His representatives on this earth. I'm so glad that God's church goes further than my own understanding and sometimes surpasses my own comfort. Today, I was reminded that God's family is diverse and that it is beautiful when people of all nations, ages and traditions come together to proclaim Jesus.

Thankful for the congregation of believers I encountered this morning and thankful for you!

Much love,

Rhi x

In other news...last week I got into the Wimbledon spirit (wasn't Andy Murray insanely good?!)...

(to clarify, Fedz is definitely not a failure!)