Living Letters Archives - Shades of Trees

Take away

I enjoy getting take away food, cause I don’t have to think about what to cook, shop for the cook if need be, allocate the time to cook and chop and prepare the meal. I don’t have to wash anything after but I do feel guilty as I know that take away food is not necessarily healthy food. I know we can’t live on take away food everyday for the rest of our lives.

This is how I feel regarding listening to other churches sermons. I’m not saying the food they offering is unhealthy but we don’t know them, we don’t have a relationship with them. We can’t just call them up and ask to chat or ask for prayer or help.

Our elders are preparing good wholesome food straight from the word of God. They live amongst us, they are following God and trying to be more like Jesus as we all should. As you fellowship with them before or after church, at the prayer meetings of home groups or socials, you hear the meal process and can pray into it for the person preaching and the people coming to eat.

Get connected to your local church today, we are Christ’s body and we need each other.

Psalm 111 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 12 January 2021

Glitter

If you’ve worked with glitter, you know it goes everywhere, you don’t remember touching your face but a visitor points it out. On the table, the chair, the floor, the ruler, your arm, your daughter and she didn’t help with the glitter activity.

Imagine you spending time on your knees in God’s presence, worshipping, praying, listening, reading His word. Glitter falling on you from heaven. You hug and kiss your hubby and kids good bye in the morning and some of your glitter gets stuck on them. You driving and you decide to offer a lift and some glitter drifts onto your passenger as they smile in appreciation. You greet the shop assistant and your glitter travels…

Your husband sees someone on the side of the road with a flat tyre and offers to change it for them, glitter tansfers in the handshake of thanks…

Your daughter listens to a friends worries and maybe she didn’t even say a word but her glitter goes…

Your son encourages a mate and the high five sparkles with glitter…

Thank You Lord God that you have blessed us with this glitter gift of your love. That is so freely given and so easily transferred.

Romans 5:8 1 John 4:7-21 11 January 2021

Living Water

A neighbour that was moving decided to give my son there angel fish. Over the years the tank grew and different varities of fish came and went but with it always a constant, the fish tank had to be cleaned and topped up with water. I imagined our fish swimming in just a fraction of water and felt very sorry for them. I also assume that they wouldn’t last long living like this.

The same for our lives, we can’t survive in just a shallow pool with stale water. We need constant filling up. As we often giving of ourselves as well. Where do we go to get this living water?

My help comes from the Lord, He created the very breath I breathe and knows my inner being. He knows my coming and my going. He loves me. He chose me. He is the bread of life, the Great I Am.

John 7:37-38 Revelation 7:17 Psalm 121 3 January 2021

Left Behind

I dreamt of been left behind, which was a most unpleasant experience. My husband and my mom, each in their own vehicles just drove off and left me. I was afraid, it was dark and it felt dangerous.

A group of people came and asked me for directions, I was using google maps on my phone to try and help them. Somehow I became distracted and they swapped my phone for another small, cheap imitation.

I don’t want to be left behind. It was a frightful experience. We often try and help people, that is who God has called us to be. Sadly the devil already has a hold on them, causing them to lie, cheat and steal. Some will turn and change their ways and follow the Lord but not all. Don’t become deceived by smooth talkers.

Matthew 24 25 December 2020

Food

When people are training their bodies for a sporting event, they have a special diet to help their bodies get all the nutrients and energy they need. We are God’s disciples and we are in training, our food is not physical food but spiritual food.

Our elders are sharing good spiritual food with us everyday on Facebook and on a Sunday. God’s word has been given to us freely thankfully in the country we living in. We have multiply bible versions in our homes, we have bibles on our phones and easily accessible on our computers.

Are we even receiving that meal that we need? Do we know it’s there? Freely available for those who have ears to listen. I challenge you all to come training with me, to eat the word daily and see the changes in your hearts and minds.

We ask God to come and do a mighty work in each one of us. We can’t carry on the way we have been. Let’s take this training seriously as we ought, our families lives depend on it, our friends souls, our work colleagues, our community. Come Lord Jesus come!

1 Timothy 4:6-15 24 December 2020

Marriage

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God’s will judge the adulterer…

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” and let the one who hears say , “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

1 Corinthians 7:29 …time is short…the world is passing away… An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs – how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – how he can please his wife – and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit…live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

John 3:29 “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”

Christians are having affairs with the world. Stand out, reach out, speak out.

22 December 2020

The Lord wants change

Our priorities are skew, they have shifted. There is an urgency, we can’t have our little quiet times the way they once were. Time to change gear, shift the energy up.

December 2020

Family

I’m reminded again how important family is, your close family, extended family, adopted family, long lost cousins, and church family. Make the effort to call them, make a plan to see them. It’s beneficial all round. The laughs, the memories and making new ones together.

29 November 2020

Leaf Blower

Working in a friend’s garden today. A guy came with a leaf blower and was blowing the dirt and leaves around. It cleaned the area, sort of, just the loose stuff that was on the surface. It didn’t move the caked dirt and it didn’t pull the weeds out.

With our lives we can’t just blow dry our hair and think everything is perfect, we’ve got to get our hands dirty and get down and pull those weeds out by the roots. It can be a constant battle but overtime it will become easier and easier.

21 November 2020

Shoes

Shoes are made to go out into the world.

God is working in us, our lives are changing and he has asked us to go into all the world.

The places we go to may not be easy.

4 November 2020 James 2:14-18