Whats your passion?

Hi there.
How's things?
I hope that all is going well for you.
Today I want to ask you what is your passion?
I was out having a coffee with some friends yesterday, and I came to a common thought, that they were going through the same things.
Both moved from different parts of the world, to Dunedin.
Both of them love working with their hands, and that's how God works.
However he does, require us to take a step up, and see what we can do.
Being not confident in ourselves in what we do, but also, in what God calls us to do.
We will bring Jesus to those who have walked away, or just struggle with daily life.
No matter how shaken we are, or if some decisions have been made for us, we can shake off the things that people say, and just keep our eyes on Christ.
Easy to type, and say, but how hard it is to believe sometimes.
We think of the words like Trust, Obey, and sin.
But what do those mean?
What is sin?

Sin is something that is against the law, and against God's law.
What does it mean by trust?
Humanly speaking, we trust people all the time, we aren't just facing things alone.
Trust isn't just a happy feeling, but also in the dark times, we know we'll get through it.
Sometimes we know people who we know extremely well, and they are fighting depression.
It's in those times, like a text, and email or a card in the mail or phone call just to touch base.
We need more people doing that, and no matter how empty it feels at times, it might just be that those words said on the phone, or text, might have just pulled someone through that day.
Our bosses, or our lectures trust us to show up for work or classes, if we're not they pick up pretty jolly well that there's something wrong.
So what about Obeying?
Obeying, is something, that I find hard to do, because it's hard, we are all human we make mistakes, sometimes it feels mundane, and a bit like a merry go round you're sitting on a horse and you just go around and around, seeing the same scenery.
If life feels like that, it's time for a change, perhaps it's time just to stop, and take one moment in the time, instead of just being a cheerleader on the side of the Christian game.
Obeying is taking the time to seek God, every day and in that we can face things that seem like mountains.
We can start to climb them.
Celeb in the bible saw big things, he saw mountains but he just didn't look at the base of them, he started to climb them.
Has God given you mountains, in your life, that seem simply to hard to face, well just with a prayer he'll be your climbing mentor, and will guide you up them so that you can see the view.
Things that once excited you will return.
Finding your passion, might be lonely, because perhaps you're looking in other areas, not in the talents God's has already given you.
If God has told you to dig deep, you ask him ''how deep Lord.'' and you just keep digging into his word, until you find the gold that is in your mountain, and in your heart, so that you know without a doubt you are his.
Chloe

Time for change?

Hello there.
Lately I've been thinking about change.
Because we are always changing all the time.
We are growing up and always changing, our bodies change all the time.
Our character changes, we either grow or we shrivel up, and close up like a closed up hermit crab living inside a shell.
Sometimes we just hide away, and just close up and look through blinds like Elvis looking through the world from the inside.
We can't live like that all the time,
First of all it's tiring, it's hard keeping up a face, and a good impression.
Nothing can prepare us for what's coming up around the corner.
We can only put our hope in Christ.
That is the only thing that brings me through.
God is always has the upper side, if you're on the down side, even if you loose your job, for no reason, if your employer says you don't have a job, for no reason, you can walk out that door, with a smile.
People will be standing back and wondering, why you're happy, because you know the best is yet to come and it's not over yet.
you might be rejected you might be at the tail end of everything, and over you is God and he's singing over you with love.
I met a girl at MacDonald's the other day, I was with a friend and she told me how she become a Christian, her mother was under aged, and to adopt her out, she was too young to remember what she looked like, she came to Christ because she knew she had to trust in something.
Town was so busy that the only 2 seats available was next to this lovely young Burmese girl.
You might be going through  mud, sweat and tears, you might have no reason why you're crying, you might just be burnt out, you might have no idea why things happen.
I'm not here to wave a magic wand over you and make it all better
But I'm here just to say I'm here and I understand
Even if you're heart thinks no one does.
So look for ''God appointments'' today, lighting up the way, so that your feet won't stumble on the path.
It says that God's love is a lamp until our feet.
So keep up with what you're doing, you'll be right, you're friends understand, and they look out for you.
Chloe

Things I've learnt from this week

Hi there
I hope all is going well with you.
You might be tired from all your comings and goings. you might not even know what day of the week it is.
I caught up with a friend the other day, it was great, it was really cool to catch up with her, we might do it a bit more often.
Town was crazy in Dunedin, there was a rugby game on, the uni had their science festival on, and it was cadbury week, add in that school holidays.
We managed to get a quick cup of coffee at Mc Cafe, and as we were looking for seats, we sat down, and started talking about our lives and how God has encouraged us this past few weeks.
My friend Becs, talked and shared about, a book she's been reading, and found it encouraging, and then we talked about Christ working in our lives.
We didn't know but sitting opposite a girl was listening in, and wanted to ask us about our stories, we all shared about God.
We all learnt things, in our lives that encourage us, something might not be pretty, it might be that it might have been to other people, it might be to what we do to ourselves.
But be encouraged you're never out of God plan.
It's ok to not be ok, if you're in that empty space right now, you might think that you're on the wrong course, you are not alone, there's someone else who's on that same path.
You might be busy but with the wrong things, you might be pulling out your hair, and God might be asking you if you need to do all those things.
It says in the bible to encourage yourself, in the word of God, and sing songs to him, if you're tired, if you're just plain tired, if you're just wanting it all to stop, you can call out to him, and get the peace that you are wanting.
In my own life, I wrote many suicide notes, I was angry, for many years I secretly sufferred from wanting to die, even when things were going well, there was something going wrong.
I went to God in my anger, I was wanting something more, I wanted this daily, weekly monthly thing to go away, and I prayed daily and looked to Christ, to help me.
And he did slowly but we got there.
God is always there when people let you down, or don't help.
And we are called to encourage ourselves in God, because he is the only thing that lasts.
If you find it hard reading the bible, or perhaps you've heard all the popular easy sermons to hear in your church.
The Lord, is fighting for you. and he never gives up on those who seek him.
To those who seek him with all their hearts.
That's all we need to do.
Dust off the past, and walking brightly into today, tomorrow, this week, because you know you are an overcomer, a fighter, and you've over come bigger things.
It's not over yet.
Chloe

Following your dreams

Hi there,
Just a short quick post today.
Today I want to talk to you about following your dreams.
I'm not a life coach, I can't tell you what you want to do in life or where you want to go.
Perhaps you've got a spark, just one, little spark that ignites your soul.
Perhaps you're thinking it's too late to do something.
Robbie Williams had a song come out in 2011 called ''sing when you're winning.''
And sometimes it's hard to actually see that you're winning, because it might seem like you're not.
It might be that all the fun has gone out of something you once had.
Sometimes you need to take a step back, to analise whats happening, and seek help.
Easy to say, hard to do.
I know that, I know that I know that.
I got told once to stop smiling, at my job, it was like being in hell, it was stiffling hot, people walked off their jobs, people didn't come back, if they came back, all the creativity left them.
It was like being under an iron hand.
Life shouldn't be like that, and it should never be like that, no one should wake up gasping like a fish out of water, thinking about hating their work.
Work is a blessing of God, and if you're in the right work, people are teachable.
People are understanding, people like having you there.
It is important to see the long term goal, and it's important not to let the iron hand rule hard down upon you.
You know that you're there for a reason, and you have what it takes, not go out like the prodigal son, going out for second when he could have had it 1st.
We all have to go through mud at times, and it is messy and hard, but keep on at the task at hand.
Keep plodding, like a horse ploughing up the felid, it will get done evenutally.
If you're a bully at your work, take time out and take it all in.
Chances are you probably weren't like that until the wheels fell off.
Take in what people are saying, and ask for forgiveness, take a few leads from other people, showing weakness is all about making a stronger team.
You don't always have to have it all together.
If you're just holding it onto yourself, who's benifiting from that?
Yourself no one else.
Well that's all that I have to say.
I've got to go to work now.
Chloe

Hello there,
Well it's another day.
Another day, in Dunedin, when I think there's snow in central Otago.
Good for my brother who's coming over from Melbourne to snow board.
What can I share with you today?
Well yesterday I shared with you about friends, and always be on the look out for the outsiders.
Today I want to talk to you about finishing a job you've started.
Because we are all taught to finish well, and not to pike out when things get hard.
Imagine if the Queen just woke up today, turned  Phillip, and just said, ''today dear I can't be bothered keeping all these public meetings i think I'll just stay home and not show up.''
Of course she wouldn't do that, she would always go and show apprication on what she's been shown.
We shouldn't just leave things to other people, to clean up.
If we just do a half done job, it's better not to do it at all, because you haven't put your heart in it.
It would be easyier just to do the job properly.
You might have an off day, but don't let that one bad day go into habit.
Money doesn't grow on trees, but gradually if you save up, it builds on things, and you can get the things you want.
It might not be a first home, it might just be going towards that holiday, or something like that.
Don't despise small beginings.
Don't say that God isn't in it.
He's even in the smallist beginigs, right to making a baby.
He made Eve and Adam, out of dust, small particules of dust.
Don't give people the easy way out, show them what they can raise the bar.
The word of God is also a sword, and sometimes we read it, we need it to go off like a God bomb, inside of us, to get us thinking about how we can help others.
And not hiding it to ourselves, because lets face it.
What fun is that?
We don't have to be all enthusastic, or strange, we just need to do a job, well and good.
To raise the bar, and to stand up for ourselves.
Sometimes we have to have a talk about what life is like.
But you'll be suprised about how many people you are in contact, saying ''I was praying for you the other day, or you're name just popped into my head.''
It might be just a simple email just to encourage people to keep walking towards the light.
Even if you think that you're finished.
It's not over yet.
Chloe

Are you to tired for friends?

Hi there.
I hope that you're well, and keeping warm.
As winter creeps in, we like to hide indoors and just drink our lattes and read.
I do that.
I was on a walk around my area with my brother, and I was dressed in my best skirt, boots and jacket.
I thought we'd go to town have some lunch and have a nice time.
Instead, we walked through farm land, through poo, and walking on sand.
My brother is down from Auckland, and so he saw it as an adventure.
I saw it, as ''oh lets stop at new world and stock up on the latest chocolate cake, or chocolate bar and go and get a coffee while we're at it.''
I was already on our walk, thinking about what to have for lunch.
Oh often do we go through, life looking for the next new thing?
Or the next new goal to achieve.
We are always on the next new hunt.
It got me thinking about the people who are closest to me.
I actually had a thought the other day, on things I've learnt, and things I can actually leave behind.
I can try my best at my job, I can do what I need to do, not just do a half job, but be a team leader.
sometimes we need to get a new mind, sometimes we need to get away and just see how life really is.
If things aren't making you excited ask God for what else he's got in store for you.
This isn't just stabbing in the dark, we're not just waiting around for a second wind.
We are called to go out there, and change what we can.
If you like looking out for the lonely people go and have a cup of tea with them.
If you think you can raise the bar at your work, raise it.
If you're wondering if it's too late to do something, it's never to late.
Live like there's no tomorrow.
Make friends along the way.
Continue with the friends you've got, and look out for others.
Get a healthy out look on life, get plenty of sleep, good food, and exercise, both your body and your faith.
It will be painful at the start, but you're building up friendships that people are looking for.
People will come to you and say, '' you're the only one that offered me......''
So not just close up shop, don't just say another day. '' I'' do it''
Start today.
Don't be too tired to see your friends.
Chloe

simple pleasures

Yesterday, my brother and I went for a walk.
It was, great.
We went to lovers leap, and the chasm.
Knowing me I wasn't really dressed for the occasion, best skirt on, and black boots.
And a wind breaker jacket, I decided to leave my ''hello kitty'' umbrella inside the car.
It was blustery, windy and muddy, but so glad that we got out on a nice day and embraced the elements.
Sometimes we need to put our big undies on and face up to things and enjoy the simple pleasures of taking the time to go for a walk and just enjoy the things that we do.
A friend asked me last night, a very interesting question.
If time, money and wants weren't an issue what would you be doing with your life?
And I want to ask you that same question.
What are you wanting to do, right now on this Dunedin still day, that if time wasn't an issue, or money, or wants. what would you be doing?
Would you try harder at your, job?
Would you take time to listen to the people you had time for?
What would you do?
Have a good think about it, and make a goal today, to write down what you want to do, and stick it up somewhere where you can see it every day and make one move towards that.
Well that's all I have time for today.
I''ll be back tomorrow.
Chloe