Reason no. 171...

Thank you God for rest. Thank you for modelling it right at the beginning of creation and that's something You want us to copy. Reason no. 171 :)

Reason no. 170...

Another little poem:

You stay the same through the ages,

Your grace covers all my days,

Your love is so lavish and so free,

Your faithfulness is dependable,

You are the unshakable foundation,

Your peace transcends understanding,

Your name brings victory,

You're the banner leading us to safety,

You're the strong and mighty refuge,

You are the righteous judge,

You're all knowing and all-seeing,

Your arms are wide open,

You're the God who forgives undeservedly,

You're the One who is for me,

God: You are my God! 

Reason no. 170 :)

Reason no. 169...

Yesterday evening, we looked at what praise looks like in the bible. It was challenging as it can be so easy to put our British mindset on and stick to what we're comfortable doing. When you look at the translations of 'praise' back into hebrew: we see 'barak' means to kneel down (Psalm 103:1-2), 'tehilah' means to sing (Psalm 33:1), 'towdah' means to extend hands in adoration (Psalm 42:4), 'shabach' means to shout (145:4), and 'halal' means to be clamorously foolish (Psalm 15:1). It's so challenging to see what praise looks like in the bible and what my praise to God actually looks like...What I was reminded of yesterday was just how worthy God actually is and that as we step out in our praise we see God breakthrough in new ways. Reason no. 169 :)

https://sites.google.com/site/worshipbasic101/about-praise--worship/hebrews--greek-words-for-praise

Reason no. 168...

I love stories of God breaking through...heard an amazing story that was shared at my church back home: from a diagnosis of cancer to being cancer free as a result of God stepping in!! Wow!!! God's soooooo good! Reason no. 168 :)

Reason no. 167...

Today we had baptisms and dedications at church. It was incredible! One testimony shared by some parents reminded me of how God cares about it all, He knows what lies ahead, He doesn't leave us to face situations alone, He can use situations for His glory and nothing is a surprise to Him! It was amazing...reason no. 167 :)

Reason no. 166...

A couple of weeks ago I tried guava juice for the first time - it's soooooo tasty! After church I ventured over to a supermarket that sells food and drink from around the world and got some for myself. One thing that I love about being in Manchester is having such an international influence in the city. Reason no. 166 :)

Reason no. 165...

Finally got round to watching  'The Notebook' for the first time - such a good film and a lovely way to spend my Sunday afternoon :) It was a present from my dad. Every Valentine's day my dad has given me something little along with a card and this year he gave me a amazon voucher :) It's such a lovely idea! Reason no. 165 :)

Reason no. 164...

Yesterday was great! I had another games evening with a few friends and we made a few pancakes too. I had yet another lovely evening. Reason no. 164 :)

Reason no. 163...

On Friday, I had a lovely evening with some of the people in my flat. We had a chinese meal followed by a few rounds of a game. It was so nice! Reason no. 163 :)

Reason no. 162...

A poem based on: The Lord's Prayer...

You are my father,

You've made me Your daughter:

Accepted, loved and adopted.

You are the perfect father -

One so generous, kind and compassionate.

Your arms are wide open

and into Your embrace I go.

Always loving and slow to anger.

You're watching over me -

protecting and guiding me.

In You I can find rest.

You are my God -

my Father, King and Savior.

You're so worthy of all my adoration.

So holy, so glorious -

there is no other who can compare.

You are God and Your Word stands true.

Your faithfulness, Your peace, Your grace.

Every promise You've spoken -

not one has ever failed.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

let heaven invade Earth.

Your plans, Your purposes, Your desires.

I want to see breakthrough come:

Salvation, healing, restoration,

love, joy and hope,

over individuals, relationships and cities.

You have so much in store -

more than I'll ever dare dream of.

You are my provider,

one so generous and one who knows no lack,

You meet my needs and always provide in excess,

I will come in confidence -

knowing that You are a good father,

One who loves giving good gifts to His children.

With nothing being impossible for You,

today I will trust and watch You provide.

You forgive - more than I deserve,

You know every mistake I've made - 

my thoughts, words, actions,

my motives and all my insecurities.

Today I say sorry again

and lay them at the foot of the cross.

You are so faithful to forgive

and I thank you that condemnation has no place.

May You help me to forgive,

like You have so beautifully forgiven me.

You are so good.

I thank You that You are a God who helps.

You know what it means to be tempted.

You know all that I struggle with.

I ask for Your strength and Your protection -

in every step that I take today.

You know me and You love me.

Please help me again today.

Let it be all to Your glory.

Amen.

Having not written a poem in so long: reason no. 162 :)

Reason no. 161...

Thank you God for the family You've given me. Reason no. 161 :)

Reason no. 160...

Thank you God for catch-up TV. I love being able to sit down and relax, especially after a day of lectures - that's definitely what I'll be doing later today!! Reason no. 160 :)

Reason no. 159...

Today was results day! I'm so happy with them :)  And the best thing is - no re-sits are required! YAY! Reason no. 159 :)

Reason no. 158...

Just cooked such a lovely lunch! It's the first time in just over a week I've had to do any cooking, so I've had a nice break and have been able to appreciate other people cooking instead! Reason no. 158 :)

Reason no. 157...

I love looking out of my window and looking into the distance. The ground is at different levels. That means that people in the distance appear to be walking in mid-air - weird, but it makes me laugh!  Equally, there's so many trees  into the distance that it gives the impression that I'm living in the country side and definitely not 5 minutes away from uni! Reason no. 157 :)

Reason no. 156...

Today I listened to a past talk about cultivating a life of prayer. It was so good and challenging. It can be so easy to bring a list of things before God, but actually  prayer is so much more than a shopping list! Prayer is an invitation from God, allowing us to join with Him and His purposes. When we pray from the basis of God's character and His promises we can have such confidence. Why? Because God is faithful, He does not lie and He does not change. Abraham is one person who stands on this basis and from that makes His requests to God. God wants us to be persistent and not give up. What we see in the bible is that if we don't give up and are asking in line of His will - He will give it to us! How amazing to be able to be involved with what God is doing! Reason no. 156 :) 

Reason no. 155...

Today I made this sign to go up in my room...why? Because of what will follow. It results in thinking about who He is, all that He has done and inviting Him into different situations...Reason no. 155 :)

Reason no. 154...

Romans 5:8...'But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us.' What amazing news! Where I am right now, regardless of what I have said, thought or done, today, this week, year, since I became a Christian...God's love is totally unconditional. The fact that God takes me as I am - wow wow wow!!!! :) Reason no. 154 :)

Reason no. 153...

Jesus has authority! There's such an assurance in knowing that there's nothing that He can't do and nothing that won't listen to Him. In Mark 4:41, it says: 'Even the wind and the waves obey him!' When Jesus speaks darkness flees. At the mention of His name demons run. To know that Jesus is triumphant over all is incredible. Now to live in the fullness of that!! Reason no. 153 :)

Reason no. 152...

Last week was amazing: seeing God break in and bring salvation! Reason no. 152 :)

Reason no. 151...

Thank you God that although I'm so tired from the past week, I can come with confidence before my Father and know You will meet my needs today. You are a good Dad and I am Your daughter. You are the One who gives good gifts to Your children (Matthew 7:11). Thank you that You are the source of strength, the source of hope and the source of confidence. Reason no. 151 :)

Reason no. 150...

Being reminded of the immense freedom that comes from knowing that I am loved unconditionally and accepted by Jesus. If He is for me, what can stand against?! God knows my every thought and my every action, yet continues to love me. Despite my insecurities and all the unnecessary worries I have, I can constantly return to Him know that He is an unshakable foundation. The fact that He is not distant, yet alive and speaking today is so amazing and so worth celebrating! Reason no. 150 :)

Reason no. 149...

This week is the Christian Union's mission week. This morning we heard loads of amazing stories of people coming along and hearing the incredible news of Jesus already! I can't wait to see what God does the rest of the week. Being reminded of the awesomeness of Jesus and just how much you can trust the bible is fantastic! Reason no. 149 :)

Reason no. 148...

God, You're so amazing!!! Answer to prayer today, so am feeling incredibly encouraged :) Absolutely love seeing God breakthrough into situations time and time again! Reason no. 148 :)

Reason no. 147...

I'm grateful for not having a really busy timetable and a huge work load at the moment. It means I can get involved and do things I would not normally be able to do, but also be able to have time to relax. Reason no. 147 :)

Reason no. 146...

Such a good weekend - went over to Trafford and played crazy golf for a friend's birthday, made some lovely crumpet pizzas and church was great. I love it went God speaks! Reason no. 146 :)

Reason no. 145...

This morning was so encouraging. Today I had a workshop which involved chatting to people with aphasia (which can be caused by a stroke and results in difficulty in processing language). From having been a bit unprepared and having no idea with what to expect I came away smiling and had a lovely conversation. It was a great experience and definitely what I needed at this stage of the course :) Reason no. 145 :)

Reason no. 144...

I had such a lovely evening yesterday with a few friends who came over for a meal. They also brought along and cooked some Chinese dumplings for me and another friend to try...they tasted gooood :)  Then we had lasagne, garlic bread and salad too...followed by an ice-cream-cake-sundae-like-thing! It was such a nice way to end the week ( - I've got another 3 day weekend) :) We also played one of my favorite games: 'Sequence'. One fantastic evening: reason no. 144 :)

Reason no. 143...

Thank you God that you care about the big things and the little things. The details of life do not escape your attention. Reason no. 143 :)

Reason no. 142...

Thank you God for this city, it's bigness and it's diversity, the place where you have positioned me! 

Reason no. 142 :)

Reason no. 141...

Thank you God that You do not lie, You always keep Your promises and in You we have the victory.

This morning I woke up feeling like I was going to make a rubbish speech and language therapist, but this is what God reminded me:

1) This is what God has called me into. He's opened up the doors to get me this far.

2) Remember all that God has already done, not what He hasn't - it's an overflow of His grace! God will provide exactly what I need for each step.

3) I'm still learning!

4) God's love for me is not based on my course or my future job.

5) God is already proud of me.

Reason no. 141 :)

Reason no. 140...

' We wait in hope for the lord; He is our help and our shield.'

Psalm 33:20

Today is a new day and God remains our help, our shield and our protection. Therefore we have HOPE! Reason no. 140 :)

Reason no. 139...

Thank you God that I had a really early night and a good night's sleep! I was asleep before 10:30pm and got over 8 hours sleep...Reason no. 139 :)

Reason no. 138...

Thank you God that as I step out into placement today - You're the One who goes before me. You're the One who's opened up doors to get into Speech and Language Therapy. You know what lies ahead and You're the One who provides all that I need. You're the One who's triumphed over fear and brings the peace that transcends all understanding. You're the One who will help me through - filling me with Your joy, Your love and Your outrageous grace! Thank you God! Reason no. 138 :)

Reason no. 137...

'From a heart of thankfulness comes contentment.' 

I love quotes scattered in truth.

Reason no. 137 :)

Reason no. 136...

I've had one of the loveliest weekends! I've had 3 days off and have spent it with some awesome friends :) From breakfast, to a meal out, to a movie evening, to having pancakes, to catching glimpses of the chinese new year parade in Manchester! It's been good. Reason no. 136 :)

Reason no. 135...

I love how God knows my circumstances so well. This week I've been thinking quite a bit about my finances in different ways and today the sermon was on exactly that issue. God's been so good with provision all my life and I love that He's a faithful God. Today I was reminded that I can trust that He'll not disappoint. Reason no. 135 :)

Reason no. 134...

This week as I was walking down the street I had the most hilarious time! This one guy was walking ahead of me, by himself, but on his phone. The whole way down the road he was in fits of laughter. He couldn't contain it! It wasn't just the sound, but the little bursts of skips that accompanied it! Since I was behind him I was able to watch everyone walking towards him begin to laugh too - including me! That was definitely one of the best, joy-filled walks I've been on in a while...Reason no. 134 :)