Baking

I love to bake.  Actually I just LOVE cooking and all types of food work.  god has given me a passion and I know that he will use it for his will.  At Carey Baptist College, it's missions week this week and there is a lot about oversesas missions and it has got me thinking about missions in New Zealand.  I've heard people say something along the lines of 'You need to leave NZ to do mission because people in NZ have already heard about Christ.' I'm sorry but I disagree.  Yes, there are countries where no-one has heard about Christ and what he has done for us and it's awesome if you go over there to spread the good news, but there is still SO much to be done in New Zealand and it makes me super angry and annoyed that people don't glorify those doing mission work within their communities the same way that they glorify those who go overseas.  God has given me a passion to do training as a pastry chef and in the future I dream of opening my own cafe which the church will be able to use as a place of outreach in the community and within the church itself.  This is part of my dream that I believe God has given me and it's within my own country.  This is my mission field and it's just as important as going overseas.

Reading the Bible

I've been extremely slack over the past couple of months where reading the bible is concerned.  I actually haven't been reading it at all over the past year really.  It's not very good of me and to be honest, I'm at the stage now where I just need to read it because I need that peace, the sense of security that comes with reading God's word.  I'm a tad stressed and tired at the moment and I ended up in my room after a bit of a disagreement with a family member tonight and I was lying on my couch in my room trying to figure out what is making me so scared and anxious.  Just gradually, I felt like I needed that peace that I get from reading the bible.  But for some reason I was hesitant.  I didn't know where to start and this, my friends, is what has been my problem for the past year.  I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO START!  To be honest, I think most Christians struggle with this.  We get told that we have to read the bible every day because this is a way that God speaks to us and this is just another connection that we have to him, BUT that's where our instruction stops. We sit there and think 'Hang on, so I'm ment to read the bible, but where do I start?'  And then we get encouraged to write with our bible reading and do some sort of devotion with it, but if you're anything like me, it stops happening after a few weeks.

When I got my urge  to go and read the bible tonight, I also got a thought, some encouragement from God, that went along the lines of 'Maybe God just wants you to read it.' So I opened my bible to the Psalms.  I found peace in Psalm 121.  This is the one where it starts off 'I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from?'  I love this Psalm.  For me, it brings me great comfort and peace.

So.  I would like to encourage you just to pick up your bible and read.  It doesn't matter where it is or how long the passage is, just read.  And then do the same tomorrow and then the day after and then the next day, until it becomes a habit.  I'm going to try this and I'm sure I'll let you know how it's going sometime in the future.

Until next time,
God bless and happy reading,

Sophie.

P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Patience

I hate waiting.  I'm not very patient especially when I'm wanting something to happen.  When talking to my Grandma about waiting and patience, she asked me if I had asked God for the ability to be patient recently?  I don't know what God is doing at the moment or what's going to happen, but I can say this - that it is SO hard waiting.  I wish that God would just show us sometimes.  That on the odd occasion, he would show us what he's doing and WHY he's doing it.

Hope your week is going well :)

The ever waiting,
Sophie

A Taste Of Our Own Medicine

Every now and again, I go back and read through old journals and this blog.  Sometimes it's hilarious - especially the ones from primary school and Intermediate.  It's all 'I love so and so because he's so dreamy' or 'I think so and so likes me because he sat next to me today in class.'  But then I read the stuff in journals from the past couple of years and boy oh boy do they hit me.  I read these entries that I wrote 1 or 2 years ago and God just pulls out all that he wants me to see.  They speak to me SO much, it's incredible.  I love it how God can use the things that we write or say to encourage others, to encourage our own selves several years later.  To me, that just proves that he has everything planned out.  I try not to ask why or how because that will just lead to confusion, but I do trust.

Listen to the song 'It Is Well' by The Ember days.  It's one that really speaks to me and brings peace to me every time I hear it.  You can also download it for free here.  The rest of the EP is amazing as well, so you may as well download the rest of the songs.  And don't worry, it's all legal :P

Anyway, God is good and that in its self is awesome.

God Bless
xo

Absolute Peace

Lord, I don't know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead me to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt

Oh, Lord, you are the author
Redeeming what's been done
You hold us in the present
And all that is to come

Lord, we don't know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead us to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt



Lord (I Don't Know) - Newsboys


Over the past week I have been claiming this verses, proclaiming them over my life and some stuff that is happening in my life at the moment.  And God has given me this absolute peace about the future and the things that I am working through at the moment.  He has assured me that everything is going to work out no matter what has happened or is going to happen.  Proclaim these verses and God will give you peace.

Sophie

Waiting

We all get told to wait on God and what he is going to do in our lives, and for some situations I can completely agree with this, but there are times where we need to take a leap of faith and take a stab in the dark.  We can't just sit around waiting for God to do something because that isn't faith, faith is living God's word.  It's putting the commandments in the Bible into action.  The commandments like trust me, don't be afraid, love one another as I love you.  We need to trust God and we can't be scared because God has everything in control.  We may not understand, but we need to trust.  This is something that I'm discovering at the moment with some stuff that is happening in my life.  I have found great comfort in the the bible verse Proverbs 3.5-6 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  But in all your ways commit to him and he will make your paths straight.'   Over the past couple of weeks the part about not leaning on your own understanding has been brought into a new light for me.  I don't understand what is happening or what is going to happen, but I can trust God.  He knows why everything is happening and what is going to happen, but while he reveals to me his plan for my life and what is going to happen in the future,  I need to step out in faith and put my words into actions, because without actions, my faith is nothing.

Sophie

It's Been a While...

So it's been a while since I've done a new post and I'm really sorry about that. This is a place where I post my thoughts about God and being a Christian etc, but recently, I haven't wanted to share what has been happening with me as it's quite personal. Lets just say that life ain't that great at the moment. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite as I'm saying and writing all these things that a 'good' christian should say but in reality, I'm struggling to believe it and apply it in my own life.

As I continue through the struggles that I am facing I need you to pray for me. Pray that I may know God the way that he wants me to know him. Pray that I may come to a place where I know that no matter what happens, God is in control. Pray that I may be able to put God in control of my life.

Sophie