Restore Bahrain! Claim your inheritance now Bahrain! Discover your ancient identity!

We all want peace don't we? 

I think we all want to prosper and live in a nice house in a good neighbourhood where our children can grow up without the threat of drugs and violent crime.

We want to see our families and friends grow old without the onset of killer diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's.

Here in Bahrain we want to see the nation unite.  We want to see an end to the political instability, an end to the violence, an end to the armoured cars and constant police presence, an end to the burning tyres that pollute our lungs, an end to the molotovs thrown in anger and hatred.

We want to see this nation restored.  Bahrain was once a land watered by natural springs of sweet water.  

There will be a day when the ground will break open and fresh water will flow from the ground once more, underground rivers will burst through the surface of the desert and life will spring up where there was nothing living.  This will be living water, the water of life and "whoever drinks this water will never thirst."  Jesus says in John 4:14;

"The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Bahrain is also known as Dilmun in ancient history, and has been cited by some historians as one of the possible locations for the original garden of Eden.   

The following words come from one of the world's oldest poems that was first written down some 4,000 years ago in the ancient Sumerian city of Nippur near the Euphrates, using cuneiform wedge script on a clay tablet.

"Dilmun is holy, the land of Dilmun is pure. 

In Dilmun no cry the raven utters, 

Nor does the bird of ill-omen foretell calamity. 

The lion kills not, nor does the ravening wolf 

Snatch away the defenseless lamb. 

Unknown is the wild dog who tears the kid. 

The dove does not conceal its head. 

No one here says, ''My eyes are sick,'' 

No one here says, ''My head is sick,'' 

No one here says, ''I am an old woman,'' 

No one here says, ''I am an old man.'' 

The maiden walks here in innocence. 

No lustrations need to be poured. 

The somber death priest walks not here, 

By Dilmun's walls he has no cause for lamentations.

As you can see the poem describes the situation at the dawn of time in a sacred island paradise called Dilmun, a place closely resembling the Garden of Eden, where death and sickness did not exist and sweet waters flowed.

Whether or not Bahrain was the location of the Garden of Eden is irrelevant but it's a nice thought!  That Bahrain was previously part of the Dilmun empire is an historical fact and I  lay claim to the description above for this country, that we will be without sickness, with no cause for lamentations and that we will once again walk in purity and freedom in a holy land.

Just as other cities and nations are being restored and revived throughout the world we claim it for this region, for Bahrain, for Saudi, for the entire Middle East.

One of the most prominent examples of a city changed by a move of God seems to be Kampala in Uganda; a country whose economy was predicted to collapse by the year 2000 because 33.3 percent of the population had AIDS.  The World Health Organisation surmised that the inevitability of the situation would be that the country would soon be occupied only by widows and orphans.

So what did the people of Kampala do?  They turned to God.  They prayed and sought God's will for their land, for their people, for their nation.  I will attempt to summarise briefly what happened so please forgive me for any inaccuracies as I am not an historian or expert on the region.

The first major shift was caused by God challenging the people to pray for those in government and speak blessings over them instead of cursing them for the corruption and incompetence that was rife throughout the city and indeed the country.

Proverbs 11:11 says "Through the Blessing of the righteous the City is exalted"

On transformourworld.org it describes how this change in mindset impacted positively on the government and paved the way for changes.

A door was opened to spend time blessings the muslim mayor of Kampala City, who had just returned from a pilgrimage in Mecca.

The mayor raised his hands in worship as he exclaimed praise to the Lord for sending a helping hand in the midst of the severe criticism he was facing from the public. "Thank you for praying for me, " he said, " now I know that you are the true people of God, if you will invite me, I will come to your church!

Fastforward to 2011, and God has miraculously opened a door. A new statute was passed putting Kampala directly under the authority of the Central Government. This paved the way for the appointment of a born-again christian as Executive Director of the city. Within four months of her appointment she recovered over US$ 20 million of cash hidden in secret accounts. Brand new construction equipment  was also recovered and for the first time order was returned to the streets of Kampala as illegal street vendors were band. We are praising God for the release of resources and the transformation happening in the City as a result of speaking Blessings to the City. 

From the day I first read this I have started to pray blessings over the government and ruling family of Bahrain and Saudi and over the religious leaders in this region.  I am trusting in God that He will move in this place.  That as we work together with Him to breathe life into these nations, we shall see revival, we shall see a land flooded with joy, peace and love as it was created to be.  

We ask God not just to change the atmosphere but to transform the landscape and restore Bahrain to its original Dilmun beauty, a land where sweet water springs flowed in desert places and there was no fear of sickness or death, just peace and joy and love.

Amen

A Leap of Faith!

Recently I have come across this quote by Kriss Vallotton several times:

"If you were 10x bolder what would you do with your life? If your answer is any different then what you are doing then you have reduced your life to embrace your fear."

I've always considered myself quite a bold person and have certainly made some bold decisions in my life.  However, looking back I'm not sure if "stupid" would have been a better word for some of my past actions!

So now I feel God is calling me to be bolder.  
What does boldness look like when you are bold because of Jesus?  
Doing dumb stuff that is going to get you sacked, put in jail or deported is not necessarily bold.  

If God calls you to do something big, something dangerous or risky however, it doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be subjected to any of the above.  You only have to look at Paul's life to understand what being truly committed to Christ means.  It could mean jail, physical suffering, it could mean death.

Those are scary things. 

But Paul knew that what he was doing was God's work.  He knew that Jesus was at his side.  He was truly empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In short, he had faith.

He was bold because of his faith.

So in praying about how I am to be bolder and remain in the knowledge that I'm walking exactly the path God has predestined for me I started to think about the strength of my faith.  

It's not just about boldness, it's about faith.  

I was reminded of that wonderful song by Christy Nockels "Waiting here for you" which says:

"If faith can move the mountains, let the mountains move." 

Do we have faith to move mountains?  Do I?

Jesus says in Mark 11:23-24: 
"Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

So this is our faith, it is written in God's word.  Do we believe it?  If it doesn't happen is that because we don't have the faith for it?

Since moving to Bahrain in 2002 I have grown to love my adopted country, the people, the culture, the landscape even.  From a very young age I have had a burning desire to be in this region and when I got the opportunity to come here to work I knew that this was my destiny.  Even before I knew Christ and what God was calling me to.

Since 2002 I have seen changes in the region and particularly in Bahrain which have angered me, saddened me and caused me to question what I was doing here.

However, even in the face of losing my job, my business, my husband and on occasion my sanity, my love for this country has grown to bursting point.  

Bahrain is a country in turmoil with weekly acts of protest and demonstration against the police and the government.  It has become normal for us to divert around burning tyres, molotovs and oil spread across the highway.  We have lost our perception of what is acceptable.  As a country we have lost our peace and our love and our unity.  I say "our" because I consider myself a citizen of this country, this island that when I arrived was called "the land of sunny smiles", this little desert that God can hold in his hand is my home.  As members of this community we are responsible for the environment we live in.  If we don't like what's happening then we have to do something.  We have to be bold.  And that doesn't mean entering into political discussions about who is right and wrong, it means standing for what we believe in.  Standing for Love, Peace, Joy.  

Regions are transformed not by political debates but by prayer, by a move of God.  

We want peace, we want to turn the hearts of this nation to the Father, we want to see multitudes saved........

What are we doing about it?  Yes I'm sure we are praying from the comfort of our homes but God is calling us out of our comfort zones.  To change the atmosphere in the village we have to pray God's presence into that village, surely it's much harder to do that from a distance.  Yes people can get healed through long distance prayer but the number of people who have received divine healing when someone prays for them and lays on hands is significantly higher I'm sure you will agree. 

You may think as I do, but will God really use me?  We know He can use us, but will He?  

It only takes one person to make the first move.  Maybe its you, or me.... It's not just pastors and those in high positions that are called by God, we all are.  God can use anyone.  Just as He used the Samaritan woman in John 4:7-26 to transform the city of Sychar in Samaria.  When she shared her newfound faith with others in the city "many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony" (John 4:39)
   
I talked earlier about some of my past actions being "stupid" rather than bold.  I was not walking with God during those times and there is always a question of motive if God is not at the heart of your boldness.  

If God has called you to be bold you need the faith for it.  So is it a question of boldness or faith?  Or do the two go hand in hand.

The words "leap of faith" come to mind.  We need to take that step, that leap, out of our comfort zones and into our destiny.  Perhaps we do not have enough faith but that does not mean we can't step out in faith, the leap that will plunge us into a deeper faith, a total reliance on our Father to be with us in all things.

Will we let God empower us to save nations? Are we prepared to risk everything for His sake?

Are we prepared to die?  Not just die to yourself but actually lay down your life for Him.  It's not just a metaphor.  

Jesus says in Luke 14:26

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, even their own life--such a person cannot be my disciple."

I never understood this until now.  

Are we willing to show Him that nothing else matters more than to follow Him and do what He has commanded us to do.  To follow Him no matter what, to the ends of the earth if necessary.

How much do you want it?  How much do you want revival?  How much do you want to be the person God created you to be?

If we become 10x bolder I think God will increase our faith proportionately.

My prayer for this is quite simple:

You are the Lord, my God, my Father in Heaven, creator of all things, I love you and I will do whatever it takes.  Give me the boldness to step out in faith and to worship you in spirit and truth and bring your Kingdom to this nation through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Anoint me Father that I may radiate your Glory and bring your Love, Peace and Joy to this nation.  More Lord, bring it on!!  

In Jesus Mighty and precious Name,

Amen

Would you give someone your last rolo?

What is it you value in life?  In essence, what is your last rolo?  Your hard earned cash?  Your precious time? Knowledge?  Wisdom?  Friendship?  Love?

For many of us the thing we value most is whatever we have least of.  When we have very little it can be very hard to give it away, but if like the poor woman in Mark 12:41-44, our love is so great that we give all we have, then it will be a very great blessing.

“Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

However, if you find yourself giving your time or your money in a resentful manner then better to withdraw for it will bring no fruit nor joy to anyone.  

God's Word says "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."  2 Corinthians 9:7-8

When we talk about giving it is natural to automatically think of money, charitable donations, financial blessings, sponsorship and tithing.  However, to some people time is an even more valuable commodity.  In fact, in days gone by when I was in more advantageous financial circumstances I would pay any amount of money just to get out of doing what I would consider "time wasting" activities.  

My favourite phrase was "time is money and my time is worth more than most people's money".  Back then I didn't really have time for anyone, I hated small talk and the idea of sitting and chatting with friends was positively alien to me.  I wanted to spend my time only in leisure and adrenalin pursuits such as competition sailing, endurance horse racing and show jumping.  I hate to admit it now but most conversation was goal orientated and driven by self promotion and ambition.  

On the other hand I was much freer with my money than I was with my time, but that was not so much out of a genuine desire to be generous but more because I wanted to show I was kind hearted.  The truth was that I didn't really value money.  Although we hadn't grown up in a wealthy household, my adult life had been one of prosperity and I had never had to worry about money at all so I fostered an easy come, easy go sort of attitude.  This was actually a form of rebellion against my upbringing of "look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves". 

I would give money and never expect anything in return just because it made me feel better about myself as a person.  However, the tables suddenly turned on my financial situation and I lost everything I had ever earned.  From that day on I began to resent parting with any money at all.  Just as I had resented giving my time, I now felt a bitter resentment every time I had to hand over any of my hard earned cash.  

I had lost my marriage, my business, my life savings and I now had a son to support as well.  The next few years were challenging to say the least.  I certainly had to adjust my spending which also spurred resentment.  I started looking back on all the money that I had frittered away on causes, people, pursuits and whatever else had come to mind.  Even today if I don't surrender it to God on a daily basis I feel bitterness creeping back in.  

Sometimes you don't even realise that you are still harbouring resentment.  A while ago someone who is close to me pointed out that any money given begrudgingly doesn't carry a blessing.  Hence, the scripture quoted at the opening "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."  2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Since coming to Christ my attitude towards people has totally changed.  I now love to meet with people and will make every effort to give others the benefit of my time.  God has brought so many wonderful people into my life who have really taught me the beauty of friendship and love.  I make every effort to meet with and get to know new people from every sphere of life in the hope that I can show the love of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit working in me. 

Without noticing it seemed that my priorities had switched.  Whereas before I would give away money without a second thought, but would begrudge even five minutes of my time, I now find myself in the reverse situation.  I no longer consider my time my own, I gave of myself freely and without any resentment to whoever came across my path, whereas financially I had unwittingly become resentful about parting with my hard earned cash.  

Thanks to the honesty of a very close friend, I immediately redressed the balance and asked that God bless every penny, every pound, every fils and every dinar that passes from my hand into the hands of another.  In fact as is my usual trait, I went from one extreme to the other.  I now found myself wanting to give and give but had not the means to do so.  It's amazing how God is able to change our hearts.  

I love the verse in Proverbs 11:24 "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.  A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."

Certainly when you give your time freely to others you gain friendships and become rich in loving relationships.  I also have an amazing testimony of how the Holy Spirit convicted me about tithing with incredible results which I wrote about in a previous blog "Giving is always good - don't you agree?"

I now place equal value on everything God has given to me.  If someone is in need of time, love, friendship, money, or anything else that I can offer, then I'm there.  And God has a habit of putting me in some pretty interesting and often challenging situations which I certainly would have run a mile from a few months ago.  

God asks us to see everyone as He sees them; as His children; sons and daughters of the King of Kings.  So if put like that then how could we not give our real or metaphoric last rolo to someone whom God loves just as He loves us, and just as He loves His only begotten son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  

Father God,

You knew us before we were born, you called us by name, you know every hair on our heads.  You gave us all we have and you knit us together in our mother's womb.  

Help us to understand the love you have for us is the same as the love you have for Jesus; the same love that is inside us because we are made in your image.  Send your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts to overflowing with your love so that it will spill over into the hearts of everyone whom our lives touch.  Send us out to be your ambassadors in the world.  Ambassadors of your love, your peace and your joy.

Help us to be cheerful givers and to listen to your voice as to how and when we are to give and to always be obedient to your Holy Spirit.

I ask in Jesus name,

Amen.

Half full or half empty??

The concept of half full or half empty is an interesting one.  If you are half full then you are anticipating reaching fullness.  If you are half empty then you are anticipating emptiness, the end, nothingness.

A few years ago I was listening to a relative complaining about this and that, bemoaning imagined and real illnesses.  Suddenly another relative interrupted "well, we're all dying from the moment we're born aren't we?  It's downhill all the way!".  How depressing.  Put like that it's not surprising many people wonder what on earth we are here for.  I prefer to think of life as an upward journey, not a downhill spiral.

But many of us will probably be saying to ourselves, if not aloud "it's all very well for you, you don't have this, that and the other problem".  

Well I used to be one of those people.  I always looked at my life and compared it unfavourably with others.  The grass was always greener; the cup half empty.  

At one time I felt that although I had everything I needed materialistically, I felt empty inside, angry at my life, hating the world and everyone in it.  Then suddenly, I lost almost everything, my marriage, my business, my friends, my horses, and to put the icing on the cake, I was pregnant.  

But the moment my son was born I swallowed it all, I just looked at his perfect little form and knew I had to do something to transform myself into someone worthy of being his mummy.  Instead of looking at the facts; no job, no money, no husband; I chose to look at the possibilities and see opportunities.  Having no job meant I could spend more time with my baby son, I could always earn money because I could teach music in my house, being single would mean I wouldn't have anyone to argue with ;-)  

Now that glass was most definitely half full.  

In reality it was pretty dire, but I went back to Bahrain anyway, to my beautiful house where I had been living until the 7th month of my pregnancy, with 3 house mates who'd now left me to pay all the rent.  That was also a hidden blessing - I now had the whole house for my son and my new home teaching practice.  I managed to retain most of my students and then shortly afterwards I was head hunted for a great job as Director of Performing Arts at the British School of Bahrain.  This was so awesome, I would be able to continue teaching all my students through their own academy program but also earn a guaranteed income and be able to provide a secure future for my son.  

Two years on I found faith in Jesus Christ.  Following this it looked like I was once again set to lose everything.  But I had my health, I had my son, and now, God was on my side.  He would provide.  I lost my job and the financial and educational security it would have provided for my son, but, I gained so much more!  I got the opportunity to live my dream.  To set up Inspire Bahrain, a vision that was given to me by God.  To provide training and opportunities in the performing arts scene across Bahrain but without the constraints of working in an organisation such as a school.  Now I could combine the corporate training, performance development and team building that I loved with the music and drama coaching and kids activities which I was so passionate about.  It would also give me opportunities to work with different areas of the community and really reach out to parts of society that would otherwise be overlooked or would indeed, overlook us!  

I could have stared hard into my glass and seen the empty side of things.  Again, no money, again, no security, again, no husband.  But instead I've never felt so much joy, and the support I received from my new church family at Rivers of Joy was like nothing I had ever experienced.  It certainly helps you to remain positive when you surround yourself with positive people.  The more I got to know these people over the past 2 years the more I understood why they were so positive and I let their way of life and their love, the love of Christ, rub off on me.  

Matthew 10:39 says, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." 

If I had tried to hang on to my old life, my old job, my marriage even, I would have lost everything, I would not be the person I am today.  Instead I handed it all over to God who showed me a better way, His way.  Now my glass is no longer half empty, or even half full.  No, it's overflowing with joy, with love, with peace.    





Dear Lord,

You are the way, the truth and the life.  You know our struggles, you know our weaknesses, you know our strengths.  Nothing is hidden from you.  

Thank you that when we repent from our self indulgence and self pity you are there to work all things for good.  Thank you for healing us in body, mind and spirit.  

Thank you that you are the Provider, our Jehovah Jireh who is always there to fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we never run on empty.  There is none like you oh God.  Father, give us the strength to turn around, to start again, to walk the better way with you to light our path.  

Lord I pray that you will come into the hearts of those who are feeling half empty and fill them so that they might know your peace and love, your power and glory, in this world and the next.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.

Sometimes it's okay to be selfish........

Surely to be selfish means to put yourself first, to do what's best for you.  There are many dictionary definitions but my favourite is  "concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc.".  Most definitions include words such as "without concern or regard for others", which is what puts the negative slant on it.  If it wasn't for that unfortunate turn of phrase which is so often associated with selfishness then I would see that being selfish sounds like a pretty good idea.  After all, if you don't look after yourself then your not going to be much use looking after anyone else!

If more time was spent learning how to look after our own physical, mental and spiritual welfare then there would be a lot fewer sick, depressed, impoverished and lonely people in the world.

Do you ever find yourself in the unhappy position of feeling that what you're doing is a waste of time, or a waste of money?  Perhaps a meeting with an unyielding client or lazy employee or buying a birthday present for someone only out of a feeling of duty.....  Does this make you resentful or do you continue to wake up with a smile on your face?

Perhaps your entire working life has never provided you with any fulfilment or sense of achievement.  Or you really don't want to spend your weekends with your sister and her kids or your ageing mother, your monosyllabic husband or even your wife who just spends your money like water.  And you've started to realise that your mates down the pub are all spongers in it for what they can get, a free drink and a listening ear, when the last thing you need is to hear their unending tales of woe.  After all, your life is much worse.  Your wife ran off with someone else, your kids only come to you when they need money and you used to be a lot better off financially than you are since you set up your own business.  Looking around you it seems plainly obvious that you're a lot worse off than any of your friends.

So you become more resentful......  

In fact, if you want to become really negative and indulge in a veritable pity party then look at how much time and money you've wasted on pointless exercises, meritless meetings and conversations with people who's position in society is only just above oxygen thief, then you may start to feel sick to the stomach.  

Does this make you feel any better?  Probably not.  In fact if you focus on all that then there probably isn't any room left in your heart for joy.  Your face will become etched in smile lines except these lines are smiling upside down!

If you're one of those people who feels all of the above and yet never voices their complaints then you can at least congratulate yourself that you haven't polluted the air with your negativity.  However, by dwelling on these thoughts you are letting something rather unpleasant grow inside you that will gradually squeeze out any hope, joy or peace from your life or worse case scenario it may start to manifest itself physically in your body in the form of cancer or any other disease which often mirrors the effect of your bitterness.

We all know what bitterness tastes like.....  well, it tastes bitter, like that crazy looking Indian vegetable the bitter gourd.  So swallow it - swallow up the bitterness and move on.  When you swallow up the juice of the bitter gourd the results are amazing and it's the same for your state of mind.  When the bitter flavour has left you'll feel rejuvenated, renewed.  "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2 

The bitter gourd has been linked as a cure for all sorts of ills, diabetes and cancer to name a few.  If you haven't tasted it then you really should.  It's awful but well worth it.  A cup of bitter gourd juice drank daily will definitely keep the doctor away, better than an apple any day!!  It's the same with forgiveness and repentance.  You may think that you've forgiven everyone and repented of everything but it's not a one time occurrence.  It's a daily walk.  There are certain people in my life, particularly people from my past, who always manage to stir up the old bitterness in me.  If I let it fester I could easily become that "cups half empty" person.  This doesn't mean that I'm not saved or that I'm not walking with Jesus, it's just a reminder of how much we need Jesus.  How much we need God's grace, His love, His joy, His mercy.  Just like that cup of bitter gourd juice needs to be drank every day, so we need to relive our forgiveness and repent daily.


Recently I was chatting with an old school friend.  We hadn't seen each other for 21 years so naturally we wanted to share our life experiences with each other.  She had been following my blog and everything I've been doing so she knew that it was likely that I would talk to her about Jesus.  By her own admission she liked to play "devil's advocate" challenging everything I said.  It was getting pretty frustrating as it seemed she had an answer for everything.

So we changed the subject and I silently asked the Holy Spirit to show me the way forward in this conversation.
Suddenly she reopened the topic stating how it's unrealistic the way Christians talk about everything being forgiven.  She then asked the kind of question you always hope that someone would never ask you.  She asked if I would forgive someone if they hurt my son and how would I accept if they were in heaven just because they found Jesus.

Whatever happened next was totally surreal and not something that I had ever even thought of before.  

I asked her to think of anyone whom she knew of who had lost a child through murder or a road accident or something.
I asked her to think about what happened to that person who couldn't forgive. What happened to the person who sought revenge?
Did their revenge or their anger and bitterness help them or did it slowly destroy them and ruin their entire life? Surely they may aswell have died with their child. 

We agreed that when put in those terms forgiveness was actually the selfish choice.  If you don't forgive, in the end it will kill you.
So I said choosing Jesus is also the selfish choice.  It's what's best for you, best for your family and best for your future.  Why would you not want love, joy, and peace.

Why would anyone choose death over life.  That's not being selfish, it's being stupid.

Dear Father,

Thank you for your loving kindness, thank you that you can work all things for good, thank you that you have plans to prosper us and not to harm us.  

Forgive us for not always being good stewards of everything you have given us.  Forgive us for being ungrateful and not recognising the blessings that you have bestowed upon us.  

Lord, may your word be a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.  Show me the way to the narrow gate that I may walk in your ways now and every day.

In Jesus Name,

Amen 

Cross pollination - fruit for the future.....

I'm not much of a gardener.  I love having a garden of flowers and fruit and veg but I've been a bit lazy this year, and so have the gardeners by all accounts.  But somehow interesting stuff always grows, just a few seeds strewn here and there; by the birds more often than not; and up come the flowers and the tomatoes.  Or maybe some of the seeds lay dormant in the ground from last year.  

It's always amazing how in the middle of the Bahrain desert, in areas that have lain barren for years, suddenly, after a heavy rainfall, life will spring up out of the arid ground.  Beautiful desert flowers will appear and then tall reeds will surround a glassy newly formed lake and before you know it, hey presto, we have an oasis - well almost....

How things grow has always fascinated me.  I remember at my primary school when I was about 10 years old, we planted lots of apple trees around the perimeter.  I listened fascinated as my teacher explained which trees had to be planted where because of cross-pollination.  Then when I was planning to buy some fruit trees for our first house there was again, much discussion about all the different varieties and how to cross pollinate in order to produce the best crop yields.  The act of cross pollination occurs through various means of pollen transference, the honey bee, birds and the wind being the most common and although with the best laid plans we can increase the chances of cross pollination by positioning trees of specific varieties in close proximity, there is always a chance that one tree's pollen may be carried far and wide on the wind, even across the seas.

Since living in the Middle East I hadn't thought about such complex fruity matters at all until recently.  It was quite unexpected when it occurred to me during a recent church service that cross pollination is a great model to apply to the wider church as a whole.  In our church Rivers of Joy we've been blessed with three engagements over the past two months and it was on the engagement of the daughter of one of our own members Vinu Thomas Koshy to a young man from another church NEC's English Language Congregation that I had a clear vision of cross pollination.  A wonderful transference of the pollen of one tree to another.  This was clearly going to be a marriage that would bring cross pollination between our churches.  

The vision of each church being like a different tree bearing its own variety of fruit filled me with excitement.  Our fruitful differences should be celebrated and used to bless each other for, as it says in the Word of God; 

"Our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad." 

No matter how far apart the churches would be, metaphorically and geographically speaking, the Holy Spirit will carry out His own special cross pollination using us, His ambassadors, to transfer the vital pollen from one tree to another, crossing continents, breaking down cultural boundaries and bridging the gap between denominations.  At a time where focus is so often on our differences rather than our commonalities we need to embrace every opportunity for cross pollination as in some cases it's almost as if the hand and the foot are no longer joined to the rest of the body.  My prayer is that through the power of the Holy Spirit we will re-unite even the most disparate parts of body of Christ. 

Yes, we all have our home churches and this is not to say that we should flit from tree to tree like a honey bee but that we should always base ourselves in the tree where God has placed us.  As well as being the vessels for cross pollination we are also in part, the blossom which produces the pollen which over time produces the blessed fruit of the tree.  Pollen is seasonal and is a by product of the beautiful blossom, just as we are here on earth for a mere season in eternity.

Looking back on the idea of bees, birds and wind as the main contributors in cross pollination it came to me that the bees are the workers, the people of the church, the pastors and indeed all of us, can ensure the future of cross pollination between the churches, the denominations and indeed the cultures.  The birds are those of us who travel to other countries on mission trips and even just holiday visits who take the time to share their "pollen" with the wider body of believers across the world.  The wind, however, is like the supernatural ability of the Holy Spirit who blows and sows the pollen from one distant land to another thus creating a new and exotic fruit for the future.  A fruit that focuses on a combination of the importance of our shared belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and the rich diversity of our origins.  




Dear Lord,

I thank you that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, that we are all created in your image to love and worship you as the way, the truth and the life.  Thank you for diversity, thank you for making us all so different and for giving us the opportunity to live alongside those of different cultures and experiences that we may grow in the knowledge of your body and your Kingdom.  I ask that you will send your Holy Spirit to nurture our tolerance and patience towards other believers and to always allow your love and grace to fill our hearts and minds so that we can be effective vessels for building your Kingdom. 

In Jesus' Name

Amen

    

90 day challenge - do you want to be brilliant?

A few years ago I met someone who convinced me that the answer to all my problems could be found in self help books and strategic thinking.  And I have to be honest, it was pretty convincing.  

One particular book really had me gripped.  It was called "How To Be Brilliant - change your ways in 90 days", by a guy called Michael Heppell.  I read it cover to cover.  It was very positive and had me writing, saying and eventually believing statements such as; "I am brilliant because I have brilliant values that lead me to take massive action".  Looking back at this book now I am intrigued to find out what I thought these "brilliant values" actually were....  

In a sense it was all good stuff.  I had written down what I wanted to be brilliant in, and my top answer was "inspiring others".  Little did I know how much this great word "inspire", would feature in my future.  "Being happy" and "leadership" were also quite high on my list.  Well, everyone wants to be happy - don't they?  But I truly had no idea how to attain true happiness.  I knew how to get an adrenaline kick from show jumping, sailing or endurance racing and such activities did give me a certain amount of joy but nothing like I now know and experience on a daily basis.  

Whilst looking through the notes I made in the front cover of Heppell's book I found my dutifully written list of all the reasons that I had not yet achieved "brilliance".  

It seemed like I knew myself quite well after all.  I had listed such things as anger, personal negativity, lack of self control, inability to cope with emotional stress and a desire for my life to be "fixed" by someone else.  

I couldn't actually find my values though....  I had completed the book and yet I still had no real values to call my  own other than the importance of being rich, brilliant and successful.

This was all very well but how was any of this going to change just by writing it down.  It's sometimes good to be aware of your shortcomings but can we really change?  This book claims that in 90 days you can build a plan to achieve your goals.  How?  By "discovering the specific characteristics of brilliant people so that you can learn and model from the best."  

Hang on!!??  So I can only be brilliant by copying other people's strategies, values and, in effect personalities.  Well, anything is possible isn't it?  I'm the living proof of that.  My values certainly changed and it was over a mere 40 day period, not 90!  But it wasn't through reading one of my many glossy self help books or practicing the art of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), it was through the Word of God, by His power, by His presence in my life.  

The only book that can have a lasting effect on your values and therefore your actions is the bible.  The wisdom of God cannot be matched by the work of modern or ancient man.  

I was "transformed by the renewing of my mind".  Romans 12:2 
When you are born again you put away the things of the past.  All my old values and negativities were washed away, I was purified by the blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ.  I'm not saying that the bad stuff vanishes overnight, it doesn't.  It's a process.  But when you understand that you are not changing yourself under your own strength but through the Power and Grace of God it is no longer an uphill battle because someone else is shouldering the load.  Why carry all your burdens when someone far more capable, far stronger, far more wise and altogether brilliant in every way is willing to carry them for you? 

"How to be brilliant" claims to be able to transform you in only 90 days.  I say, give those 90 days to God, let Him change you.  After all, He's the one who made you, He knows who you are truly meant to be.  

In fact, let's up the ante, let's make it 40 days.  God changed me in 40 days, let's see if He can change you.  What have you got to lose?  

Surrender your life to Jesus, let Him do the work.  Let Him repair, rebuild and restore as only He knows how.  After all, what have you got to lose.

Pray this prayer with me now and let God start to work in your life;

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I repent of my sins and ask You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide me and teach me Your ways.  In Your Holy Name I pray.

Amen.

Or this one...

It doesn't stop here.  You now need to allow Jesus to work in your life.  Follow the guidance of His precious Holy Spirit who will convict you in a gentle but firm way.  If you find yourself thinking twice about doing something that before you did without thinking then listen to this voice.  God can only protect you and guide you if you let Him.  

And don't forget, God has already forgiven you, when Jesus died for you.  So don't wallow in self pity and self flagellation.  Instead spend time in prayer and just wait for the Holy Spirit to bring you into His presence.

So put away those books whose covers will fade with time as will their wisdom and decide today to give God a chance.  You choose - 40 days or 90 days.  And I can be sure that before you complete the agreed time period God will have touched your life.  Be prepared for the wonder of God, expect the unexpected.  Live in a perpetual sense of divine expectation.  This is how to be brilliant - by standing before God and reflecting the brilliance of His Glory!

Send me a message if you take up the challenge!!!  I'd love to hear from you.