How to do Spring

Evening all!

So I've been back in London for a week, and the past seven days have been surprisingly hectic. Uni is still ongoing, although with no structure, I'm learning that I need to get things done by myself. I managed to research and write an essay in between starting my new internship, and taking part in some exciting things with the ParliaMentors programme I'm on. 

But, just to fill you in, I had an incredible Easter break, full of the outdoors, the most delightful and beautiful places in Dorset, good friends and good conversations. It was pretty hard to leave. Here are a couple of highlights...

Trudging through the New Forest

Naturey lichen.

On top of the world in Warbarrow Bay

Lyme Regis

Since arriving back in London, I've embarked on one of those overwhelming weeks where I feel more than a little out of my depth, and whilst everyone tells me that's a good thing, it is beyond uncomfortable. In the midst of it all, I've been challenged about trust - the difference between accepting something is true, and actually letting it change you. When you get to trust in God, it means that there is a life of hope, promise and adventure available. I need to get better at not just knowing this, but putting it into practice with all of the things going on in life. Mission for the week ahead I believe.

In an ideal world, this is what we hope to see.

This weekend I had a packed day of dreaming and planning about the student group I help to run. It was a great day of strategising, looking at diagrams and chatting to our team, getting excited about what God might want to in the next six months, as well as years down the line. There's something incredibly exciting about putting these plans together in a building off of Oxford Street on a sunny spring day, the rest of the world passing by as we all sat about thinking about how much we want to see this city made even better than it is. Kinda surreal.

Housemates and cocktails - perfect combination.

  Saturday evening, a friend had organised a private party at The City of London Distillery, an incredible gin bar, tucked down a small lane in one of the oldest parts of London. We arrived slightly late, and by that time the place was heaving with people dressed in snazzy clothes, clutching cocktails and G&Ts. They make their gin on site, and boy was it good. I'd love to pop in there on another evening to see who else was about, but the bar staff were ultra friendly and that's always a plus. 

Gin Distillery

After all of that, I felt it was about time that I had a lie-in and a bit of a rest. This morning I finished the latest Neil Gaimon book I've picked up, and I can thoroughly recommend. Perhaps because it's set in London, I'm a little biased, but the way he blends fiction and reality absolutely blows me away. He writes about a 'London Below', which consists of society's outcasts, every person in the city that drops away, falls beneath the cracks, is ignored by the system. And then he creates an entire universe, showcasing skills and abilities, personalities and adventure. Needless to say I was blown away. 

My afternoon was spent sitting in the sun, with iced coffee before heading to church and then to the pub. It's been the restful day every one should get to have before heading into another manic week. 

What have you been up to?

xo

Love, amour, die Liebe, sayang, 喜爱, láska or even kärlek

Wikipedia describes love as 'an intense feeling of affection'

Dictionary.com describes love as 'a profoundly tender affection for another person'

eHow.com says 'love is a deep and complex emotion.'

I know that none of these come close to the reality. I may be 19, my life may not have spanned centuries, I may be sheltered in my southern coastal town. I may be inexperienced in 'falling in love'.

Still, love is not just an intense feeling. Love is not just affection. I am affectionate to my cats. Would I die for them? Probably not.

As a Christian, I can honestly say that I know love. 1 John 4v8 and 1 John 4v16 declare that 'God is love'. 

Christianity is not about morals. Nor is it about heaven or hell. It's not about someone who created the world and may or may not be important. 

The Gospel is LOVE. And to know God, is to know LOVE. 

Many people hear these verses at some point in their lives, whether at funerals, or weddings, or quoted in supposedly profound films

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

I agree that 'love' is hard to describe. I think in this world, often true love, love that is of God, that is patient and kind, not self-seeking, and full of truth is even harder to feel. Not because it's not freely available, but perhaps, too many of us look in the wrong place.

If God is love, why look anywhere else for actual love. Genuine love. Not just tender affection, profound feeling, or lust or even care. 

My life is built on love. Not a wishy-washy, whimsical feeling that sometimes I feel. Yes, I take great joy in the love of friends and of family, but as much as I may adore them, as much as I may care for them, I know that true love is the love that God offers. He is unchanging, He is never shaken, and therefore there is no chance of me one day waking up and not being loved. 

Want to know how I know that? 1 John 3:16

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."

I said Christianity wasn't about rules. It's about a living relationship with a living God - and that's Jesus. He laid down his life for me, and so I lay down my life as a response.

Don't waste your life on 'love' that is not real love. Pour it out to the one who IS love. Jesus. Christmas is about love, a love that caused God to become human, to live as a human and to die as a human.

Love is not just chemicals in the brain, it is not just lust, or a force that causes you to behave in a bizarre manner. Find that relationship with LOVE himself, and be at peace.

With as much love as I can offer (which in comparison, is a pretty frail amount)
I say goodnight
xxxx

Brain explosion

I'm going to attempt to summarise the insane week I've just returned from, however, brain explosion is likely considering all that's gone on.

So last Wednesday evening, I left Bournemouth to begin my first week of training for FP Impact; the year intern course that I'm doing. After a bit of a shaky start, namely because I wasn't very organised and got a tad panicky about packing, I was dropped at the station and began the nearly four hour journey to Bristol. The train was cramped and tiny, I was a tad concerned it may fall apart but fortunately I got a seat and it didn't crash or anything of the like. I arrived in Bristol, made my way to my host's house and was nicely fed on spaghetti bolognese. It was all a little strange, turning up at someone's house whom I'd never met, and was going to live with all week.

Fortunately, she wasn't an axe-wielding maniac and I actually rather enjoyed being her lodger. We had many a laugh so all's good on that front.

Thursday was the official start to FP so bright and early we gathered at The Elmgrove Centre which belongs to City Church. The scared 'Is anyone going to like me?' atmosphere permeated the air but after many a 'get-to-know-you' game, we all relaxed and began to chill out. Thursday was an explanation of what we were going to get up to, followed by an evening with our hosts.

Isla (host) and I, had an exciting evening of 'Save the Last Dance' and about a billion plums... This was the beginning of many a plum comment. Plums have been haunting me ever since...


Friday began with lots of tea and coffee, followed by worship and then some incredible teaching on 'Spiritual Disciples' which covered prayer, bible study, worship, giving and fasting. Considering these are the key foundations, I found this so helpful but so challenging. The evening consisted of an epic social BBQ with the best catering I've seen in a long time and a 6ft BBQ. They sure know how to do Christian food...

Saturday was definitely one of my favourite days. We went on an adventure into Bristol city centre to do some evangelism. This took the form of treasure-hunting where-by you ask God to give you certain pieces of information (which you write down) and these gathered together form a sort of map, or outline, of who you should attempt to find. Within my group, Ali and I had many matching pieces of information that God had revealed to us so we were keen to find the guy 'James' God had told us to seek. Almost to the end of our time treasure-hunting we finally found someone, who fitted the description God had given us. This young guy was astounded that God had sought him out and we were able to pray for him to be healed and blessed. That left my totally buzzing! The remainder of the day was just a great time of looking around and socialising.

We visited John Wesley's chapel, a place of huge historical significance in terms of revival and it was incredible to see where such great things of God had taken place. Along with that, we drank coffee in a beautiful park, visited an old church and crypt and played in the fountains before grabbing some dinner in a trusty old Wetherspoons. A seriously fun day.

Sunday was similar in it's low key approach. We went to church in Bristol, and then some of the guys had a house some of us were able to go back to and share lunch in. Cameron cooked an epic roast dinner and we rambled around in the fields just outside of the city. All very picturesque! And then, their hosts returned home with the most giant mushroom I have ever seen. It was the size of a large beach ball, about 30cm in diameter and called a puffball. The lessons learnt this week are certainly not limited to theology! I feel very well informed on many a theme!! The evening activity was the church prayer meeting!

Monday began our intense training with a in depth study or Romans 1-6, 8 and 12 all based on GRACE. Wow, is all I have to say. Simon Walker, our teacher, teased answers from us and showed us how to look into the scrpiptures for truth. Pretty revealing all in all. Monday evening we ended up in 'spoons again, followed by another pub. Nicely social. Isla and I then may have continued chatting until 2am which hindered my willingness to wake up Tuesday morning...

Nevertheless, it was not a waste of effort and Tuesdays teaching on the Doctrine of Scripture and Hermeneutics was fascinating in terms of history, philosophy and God's sovereignty. Pretty intense stuff so an evening of Independence Day and 'Don't tell the bride' was duly appreciated.

Final day today and we were looking at the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was so exciting to see the promises about being given gifts, and about using them. We moved into some times of practical application and the way God moved in the Prophetic was astounding. It bowled me over completely just the way that God unlocks situations, uses other people to encourage you and just generally loves every detail and worry and hope that we call our lives. After another four hour journey but homeward this time, I am now close to crashing.

However, there has been so much going on this week, so much to be thankful for, so many new friends made, so much learnt, that I feel that my brain may indeed explode with the sheer vastness of what has been happening. This year is guna be a little scary and a lot amazing.

Peace, love and excitement.
x

The musings of Magpie

In England it is the 'summer bank holiday', according to my diary. Now, why we get a summer bank holiday and not a winter one, I really don't understand. Anyway, bank holidays are normally that typical English let down on the sun front. It tends to drizzle, turn grey and cause everyone to hibernate in ancticipation of winter. Not so this weekend, it's been sunny and people have been out and about.


The reason for that introduction is because it gives a little bit of background to my fuzzy lovey feeling that I currently have. This weekend I have once again been struck by the amazingness of my friends. Whether Christian or not, there are aspects and qualities that bless me, reduce me to unreasonably undignified laughter and shape me to be someone different, and hopefully better.

I look back at seasons in my life, at things I've been through that perhaps no one knew about and I'm amazed at where I stand. Like I said, generally feeling all fuzzy-wuzzy inside. Love and friendship does that to you. I'm pleased I'm not the person that I would be on my own, that God didn't abandon me to keep walking those paths that led to destruction and nothing but pride, and I'm seriously pleased that I've been given so many friends that I love spending time with.

In other news, I went to see this film




which made my head go a little woozy and has made me see things with a cartoon 'POW' or 'BOOM' above them for the rest of the day. Didn't quite know what to make of it. Go see it and tell me it doesn't make you feel like you're on drugs. I may give you a prize.


Peace and love
xoxox




PS Magpie appears to be a new name, based on what my name looks like in Elvish. I know, I know, I get cooler and cooler everyday. x