Tuesday, December 27, 2011

A second chance is Heaven's heart

Rend Collective release there new album, Homemade Worship By Handmade People , in January. Here is an amazing song called SECOND CHANCE.

Love the lyric: A SECOND CHANCE IS HEAVENS HEART.



My future hangs on this
You make preciousness from dust
Please don't
Stop creating me

Your blood offers the chance
To rewind to innocence
Reborn
Perfect as a child

Oh Your cross it changes everything
There my world begins again with You
Oh Your cross it's where my hope restarts
A second chance is Heaven's heart

When sin and ugliness
Collide with redemption's kiss
Beauty
Awakens by romance

Always inside this mess
I have found forgiveness
Mercy
As infinite as You

Countless second chances
We've been given at the cross

Fragments of brokenness
Salvaged by the art of grace
You craft
Life from our mistakes

Black skies of my regrets
Outshone by this kindness
New life
Dawns over my soul

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas - The Incarnation



Man's maker was made man,
that He, Ruler of the stars,
might nurse at His mother's breast;
that the Bread might hunger,
the Fountain thirst,
the Light sleep,
the Way be tired on its journey;
that the Truth might be accused of false witness,
the Teacher be beaten with whips,
the Foundation be suspended on wood;
that Strength might grow weak;
that the Healer might be wounded;
that Life might die.
~Augustine

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The humility of God


But not withstanding the humility of his appearance in Bethlehem, such was the dignity of his person, and such the magnitude and grandeur of the work for which he came into the world, that angels descended from heaven to publish the glad tidings to the children of men. True, no ambassadors were sent to the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem, and none to the senate of Rome, to proclaim the coming of the Prince of Peace; but never was there such an ambassage on earth, to announce the birth of a royal son as that which came to the shepherds of Bethlehem. When he appeared among men, the order was given in heaven that all the angels of God should worship him; and their example was followed by wise men upon earth. - Christmas Evans

It almost seems to be bread into us that if we do anything good or achieve some sort of success we have to tell as a many people as possible as quickly as possible.

We now have the tools at our finger tips through our smart phones to get the message out effectively and efficently.

This is certainly not all bad to celebrate good news with others is brilliant. But sometimes I am not sure if we want people to celebrate how wonderful the news is or how wonderful we are. Our insecurities continue to grapple for our attention.

God has no such insecurities but in his divine greatness manages to choose humility.

In humility choosing hillside instead of a parliament building.
In humility choosing shepherds rather than kings.
In humility choosing a teenage girl rather than a princess.
In humility choosing a carpenters workshop rather than a palace.

Humility was God's best choice in Jesus and it can our best choice too!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Trust His Heart


Thanks to Tim Stevens for reminding me of this song: When you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart. Tim and his church are facing challenging times stand with them in prayer today.

All things work for our good
Though sometimes we don’t see how they could
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blind us to the truth
Our Father knows what best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim
And you just don’t see Him
Remember you’re never alone

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don’t understand
When you don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand
Trust His heart
Trust His heart

He sees the master plan
And He holds our future in His hand
So don’t live as those who have no hope
All our hope is found in Him
We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and the last
And like a tapestry
He’s weaving you and me
To someday be just like Him

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don’t understand
When you don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand
Trust His heart
Trust His heart
He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don’t understand
When you don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand
Trust His heart
Trust His heart

Monday, December 12, 2011

Uncle Jimmy


Last night my dad called to tell me that his brother James had passed away. His health had been failing for some time so in the end the phone call was not really a surprise, but still sad to get it.

James was known to me as Uncle Jimmy. Many people referred to him as Barber James. He had a small Barber shop in my home village of Inverallochy for a number of years before he moved to Edinburgh. I actually don't remember him living in North East Scotland but decades later the nick name of Barber James still stuck. That's village life!

But having an uncle living in Edinburgh as I was growing up was a treat as we often would go and stay with him and his wife Margaret in Willowbrae Road. There were many highlights to these holidays. Crazy putting at Portobello, getting drenched in the rain at Edinburgh military tattoo but the highlight was always visiting Luca's Ice Cream Shop in Mussleburgh. (It has got to be the best in the country).

Then for some reason completely missed by me, we would set off ice cream in hand and drive round a local camp site with the grown ups making comments on where people were from judging by the number plates on there car. To this day I'm not sure why but I had my ice cream.

But more than anything I knew that Uncle Jimmy loved Jesus. On our visits we would always attend the services at the Musselburgh AOG Church where he served faithfully for many many years. His son Steve took over the pastorate for many years and his grand children love Jesus. Not a bad legacy!

Somehow I have a feeling that he heard the words from our saviours yesterday - Well done Uncle Jimmy you were a good and faithful servant.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Label's Lie

"Everyone is broken. It doesn't matter what other people think I should add up to, it doesn't matter what the world thinks about me. You are not alone dude!" - Steve

Jesus is into label's of Grace.

HT POTSC


LABELS LIE - STEVE from PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE on Vimeo.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Collective not Celebrity Worship

This year one of the band's that visited MKCC was Rend Collective. We really had a great time with them as they lead us in praising our saviour Jesus.

There new album comes out in January. Homemade Worship by Handmade people

The video below explains the ethos of the band and introduces the new album.

There out look is refreshing in the age of celebrity yes even Christian celebrity.

"Our heart is that no one will find an individual that they can elevate but they will see us all as one. That's even why we have two lead singers."



Friday, December 09, 2011

Waiting....


In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. - Luke 2 v 25 

I hate waiting.
I get impatient when I'm sitting in the car and the kids seem to be taking an age just to exit the front door of the house.
I mutter unmentionable things if the driver in front delays when clearly there was a huge space in the traffic.
I feel some tension in my stomach if waiting a couple of weeks for those results at the Doctors. 

Sometimes you wait so long you just give up. 

Not Simeon, he along with the Israel nation had been waiting for their salvation 100's of years.
Most probably decided it was not going to happen. Not Simeon
Most would have said God had been silent for 400 years. Not Simeon. 
He was eagerly watching and waiting for the ADVENT. 

Simeon had been waiting with PRAYERFUL EXPECTANCY & he had the Holy Spirit so to him God was not silent. 

We on the other side of the divide of history are also WAITING.
Waiting for the Second Advent 
Lets wait in PRAYER
Lets wait with EXPECTANCY
Lets wait listening to the HOLY SPIRIT 

Loved this video on ADVENT by the Village Church.

Thursday, December 01, 2011

Stunned

So when you go home each week from these messages (Church), be stunned that you are a beneficiary of mercy – be reminded and stunned that you and I deserve nothing but wrath from God, and in Christ receive nothing but mercy from him. Be stunned. And then pray that God would make you merciful to the undeserving. - John Piper