Reason no. 732....

My fiance is coming to stay with my family for a week :) Yay! 

Reason no. 732 :)

Reason no. 731...

'Baby Jesus, laying in a manger, teaches us that the everyday decisions of life are as much a part of our destiny as the big doors of opportunity that we await.'

Reason no. 731 :)

Reason no. 730...

Yesterday a  friend posted on facebook something Justin Bieber said:

"See growing up I...I always felt like I had to be the best at everything. Because I, I just didn't think I was good enough. And maybe if I was good at something, that I'd get recognition from that. But I quickly found out that, I wasn't going to get the recognition that I wanted or that I needed. Because, because people aren't perfect. And, by not being perfect you, you sometimes can disappoint people. And with God, it's like He's perfect in me and He never disappoints. So I just get my recognition from Him, and give Him recognition."

Thank you God that you are perfect in me. I thank you that You never never disappoint . God let me get my recognition from You, not from the people around me. God I thank you that even if I were to fail my degree, or fail by others consider to be a fail, I'd have You who is perfect living in me and because of that I will never be a failure - how could I be?! Thank you God! Reason no, 730 :)

Reason no. 729...

God is here.

Reason no. 729 :)

Reason no. 728...

'Is the way God defines excellence the same way we define it?' 

Wendy Mann

Reason no. 728 :)

Reason no. 727...

Yesterday I went for a lovely meal with my amazing fiance at the Alchemist - very yummy food :) Less than 7 months to go!!!! Reason no. 727 :)

Reason no. 726...

The best moment on placement was helping a child who could not produce a 'sh' sound (it always came out as 's') and teaching her how to say it...4 weeks later and she can now produce it in spontaneous speech!! Reason no. 726 :)

Reason no. 725...

I'm grateful for having had clinical educators on placement who were really organized and knew what I was going to be assessed on at the end. It meant that the mark I got at the end was the most accurate reflection of how I did over the 6 weeks. Reason no. 725 :)

Reason no. 724...

Tomorrow's train tickets were free! Last time I didn't have the seat I'd booked so they gave me a full refund which paid for my ticket this time :) Reason no. 724 :)

Reason no. 723...

Placement is finished! It's now the Christmas holidays - yay!!!!! I get to head home tomorrow and see my wonderful family! Reason no. 723 :)

Reason no. 722...

Having been not able to put the heating on for ages but it's now on! I'm so grateful for living in a warm house! Reason no. 722 :)

Reason no. 721...

5/6 of the way through my placement! I've learnt so much and am so excited to be able to one day become a speech and language therapist! :) Reason no. 721 :)

Reason no. 720...

Prayer...Mark Batterson: 'Praying is planting. Each prayer is like a seed that gets planted. It disappears for a season but it eventually bears fruit that blesses future generations. Even when we die, our prayers don't. Prayer is the inheritance we receive and the legacy we leave.' Reason no. 720 :)

Reason no. 719...

There is victory in praising God in the midst of the hard times! Today I was reminded that being persistent in prayer is key.

Reason no. 719 :)

Reason no. 718...

Several months later and I'm back! I was sat on the bus listening to a talk and was reminded of the power of writing down the things that God does and the things that God teaches us...it was all about building for the next generation, not just building for the here and now. By writing things down the next generation can learn what took me ages to discover and then they can go far further than I did in a much shorter space of time! Reason no. 718 :)

Reason no. 717...

'You taught my feet to dance upon disappointment'

You release joy and allow my gaze to be lifted from my circumstances to someone who is far greater and who is conqueror! Reason no. 717 :)

Reason no. 716...

'....Your love crushing every lie.'

Reason no. 716 :)

Reason no. 715...

'God wants to know you more than you want to know Him.'

Reason no. 715 :)

Reason no. 714...

'Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.' 

Psalm 62:8

Thank you God that regardless of the situation I'm facing, You are a place of refuge,You are a strong foundation that never gives way and You are a shield that is my protection. 

Reason no. 714 :)

Reason no. 713...

I am grateful for my housemates. I have ended up living with a nice group of friends and being able to stay in the same house with them is great! Reason no. 713 :)

Reason no. 712...

I am grateful for having some amazing parents who are being so helpful with starting to plan the wedding! Reason no. 712 :)

Reason no. 711...

'Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.' 

Psalm 34:8-9

Reason no. 711 :)

Reason no. 710...

My little sister has started university! She's all grown-up!! :') So thankful that she has a lovely flat...such a blessing for her living with a few introverts and a flat that likes playing games together! Also one of the guys in the flat is a christian too - a huge answer to prayer :) Reason no. 710 :)

Reason no. 709...

My sin is dealt with: past, present and future.

Jesus' death is sufficient to atone my every wrong doing.

Your death paid the price, freeing me from the clutch of sin.

You say to confess my sins to You and You are faithful and just to forgive.

Forgiveness restores the broken relationship.

The sin-barrier separating me from you is demolished.

In Your presence I now stand:

not just a citizen who is free, but a daughter of the King.

What love is this? Your death bought my freedom!

Reason no. 709 :)

Reason no. 708...

'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.' 

1 John 1:9

What an amazing promise! 

Reason no. 708 :)

Reason no. 707...

'Whatever I face You are by my side.'

How amazing to have God with me in everything I face. In the good times, in the hard times - God promises never to leave me. He is faithful. Nothing that I face can become too much or too big for Him. He is totally dependable and can be totally trusted. Reason no. 707 :)

Reason no. 706...

It's amazing how I wrote this poem over 2 years ago, yet this week it fitted perfectly into a situation I was facing!

Victorious. Triumphant. Conquering.

You have defeated darkness, sin and death.

In You, I am raised up and strengthened,

I am equipped against the enemy.

The armour of God is mine for the taking:

truth, righteousness, faith,

the gospel of peace and salvation.

On the side of the undefeated Champion,

How could I ever lose?

You are greater. You are stronger.

No-one compares to You.

Even in the depths of the valleys,

Never have I been abandoned,

Every step taken, You are by my side.

Struggles, disappointmets, hard times,

Through it all, I'll cling to You,

For You are faithful and the rock unshakeable,

You are a solid foundation,

Whom I can trust at all times,

You are the God who never changes,

Who sees me through all circumstances.

Because of You, I'll claim the victory!


Reason no. 706 :)

Reason no. 705...

'God is all-powerful and all-good. Isn't that great? Praise God for His omnipotence! Wouldn't it be terrifying if He were very powerful, but not totally powerful? Wouldn't it be dreadful if He almost had control of the seasons, the tides and the orbits of suns and moons. Imagine living in a world where God was not quite sovereign. Alternatively, imagine His being totally sovreign but not consistently good. What torture it would be for the universe if God's morality were less than perfect, if He had cruel streaks, or if He didn't care about right and wrong! We'd feel very insecure if an angel leaked the news, "God's power will run down in twenty-five years because creating and sustaining the universe has taken so much out of Him!" ' 

Terry Virgo: The Spirit-filled Church

Reason no. 705 :)

Reason no. 704...

My best friend proposed to me on 4th September and I said YES!!!! He took me to Lyme park and got down on one knee - very romantic!! He's so loving, caring, thoughtful, understanding and generous! Reason no. 704 :)

Reason no. 703...

The Wensleydale cheese factory is amazing! I love cheese - a huge amount! In the shop you can try about 15-20 different types of cheese! AMAZING! Reason no. 703 :)

Reason no. 702...

A very lovely family holiday in the lake district with my extended family :) It's such a beautiful part of the country - at times it felt like we could have been abroad! We did lots of walks, saw a couple of castles, went on a boat ride and went to the place where Wensleydale cheese is made! It was really nice to spend some quality time with my family. They are so lovely and generous :) We played lots of games and watched several films - a typical Moore family holiday!! Reason no. 702 :)

Reason no. 701...

A month has gone since I last wrote anything! Where has the time gone?! This past month has had so many blessings I want to make sure I write about them. It has also been a very busy month, hence the lack of posts (combined with getting out of the habit of sitting down and typing them out!).

Anyway, I am so grateful that my laptop is now fixed! For 2 weeks it got sent off to be repaired. It means that instead of having a flickering screen image, I now have a lovely clear screen to look at! I'm grateful that my parents are generous to pay monthly for any possible problems that may occur. It means that if there are any problems they are free of charge to be fixed! This is a huge blessing as every year I seem to have something go wrong! From having a trojan on the computer, to having a broken fan, to the broken screen - they've all been fixed! Reason no. 701 :)

Reason no. 700...

1 Peter 2:9-10

'But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.'

Thank you God that I stand chosen by you. Thank you that it wasn't by chance, but you knew exactly what you were doing when you placed me in your family. Thank you that I belong to You! I am Yours! Reason no. 700 :)

Reason no. 699...

Charles Spurgeon: 

'If the Spirit of God be in you, He will make you love the Word of God.'

Really encouraging! Reason no. 699 :)

Reason no. 698...

I'm grateful for the summer I have had so far! God has been good! It's been a time of rest, God provided me a job for over 3 weeks working with students from around the world (which I love) and then Newday was amazing for being reminded of just how amazing God is! It was incredible to see God save many many many people who said YES to living a life for Jesus, He healed many many many people, then seeing God bring individuals into greater freedom and seeing the Church stand together and worship Him! Absolutely wonderful! Reason no. 698 :)

Reason no. 697...

Today I'm grateful for the rain! It's been really hot for the past week or so, now it's a nice refreshing temperature! Reason no. 697 :)

Reason no. 696...

Today my boyfriend and best friend, David, is coming to Ashford for a few days! Reason no. 696 :)

Reason no. 695...

1 Samuel 2:30...

'I will honor those who honor me, but I will dishonor those who ignore me.'

That's an amazing promise! God help me to honor You in all that I do! Reason no. 695 :)

Reason no. 694...

Amazing truth in one of the lines from one of the Newday songs! 

'God is not constrained to clouds or temples, curtain torn in two, spirit breaking out.'

Reason no. 694 :)

Reason no. 693...

'If God is big enough to blame in your troubles, then He is also big enough for you to trust him in the midst of them too.' 

Phil Moore

Reason no. 693 :)

Reason no. 692...

I love how God has put me in a family that enjoy playing board games! It is definitely one thing I enjoy most about coming home! Reason no. 692 :)

Reason no. 691...

Yesterday I went to the chiropodist and I now have lovely smooth heels! It is definitely so much better than having really hard and cracked heels! Reason no. 691 :)

Reason no. 690...

The weather has been amazing this past week: so much sunshine and almost no rain - ideal weather for camping! Reason no. 690 :)

Reason no. 689...

This week I was reminded just how much I can trust God with my money. Everything in this world belongs to Him - it's all His. Everything I own, all the money I have is down to Him. He's provided me with so much because He is a generous God. He really is not a stingy God - His storehouses are full and they're overflowing! If I'm happy to trust God with my eternal salvation, I'm pretty sure I can trust Him with meeting my needs in the day to day too! Therefore I can be free to give it back to Him and not worry if my bank balance is decreasing as He will provide for my each and every need! What that will look like in the day to day, I'm not too sure yet! But He is my Provider and He is extremely generous! Reason no. 689 :)

Reason no. 688...

Yesterday I came back after a week at Newday (christian youth camp)! God is good, He's alive and loves spending time with His children. I went with my church in Manchester and it was incredible! Yesterday before we started packing up, I went for a walk around the camp site at 5:30 in the morning and God reminded me of what He has done this year! Last summer God told me to move churches, which was scary and I had no idea what lay ahead. But God was very good to me. He put me in a church where family is right at the heart of it, He's given me an amazing boyfriend (definitely not what I was expecting!) and He's given me the opportunity to get alongside some great young people! One of the talks in the 12-14s was all about to church and how we all have a role to play - each person's uniqueness makes up the church. This week God has shown me that there is value in being an introvert. It would be something that would really annoy me about myself, I would always see it as second best to being an extrovert, but God actually values that so much and can use my introvertedness in what God has called me to do! Reason no. 688 :)

Reason no. 687...

Psalm 40:2-3...

Thank you God that You have lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; You set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. You put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to You my God.

Reason no. 687 :)

Reason no. 686...

Prayer is powerful. It's amazing how a situation can shift in the matter of hours because of the King breaking in! Reason no. 686 :)

Reason no. 685...

The other day I had the opportunity to give one of the Chinese kids at the school I'm working at his English name!! Reason no. 685 :)

Reason no. 684...

'...I'm not like everyone else. I'm saved and called by my Lord Jesus Christ. I'm a citizen of heaven deployed in ......., my earthly home, to accomplish his mission. I strive to live out his plans for my life whilst resisting the temptation to simply get his validation on my own personal plans.'

This was in an email I received today. It's so easy to get caught up with our earthly home, but forget that our citizenship lies somewhere else. My perspective certainly needs shifting! But the amazing thing is, He can do it! Reason no. 684 :)

Reason no. 683...

Pray BIG. Believe BIG. Expect BIG! 

'For with God nothing will be impossible!' 

(Luke 1:37)

Christine Cane

Reason no. 683 :)

Reason no. 682...

Newday ( a Christian youth camp) is in less than 2 weeks! Super excited! :) Reason no. 682 :)

Reason no. 681...

Blue skies and the sun is shining! I love the location of the school I'm living and working in. Over the road is a lovely walking area alongside lots of fields - beautiful scenery! Reason no. 681:)

Reason no. 680...

Tomorrow I'm spending the day in London with my amazing boyfriend! I can't wait, not only is it a day off work, but means I can see him in person, not just over Skype! Reason no. 680 :)

Reason no. 679...

'A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.' 

Proverbs 16:23

Reason no. 679 :)

Reason no. 678...

Thank you God that I am free from what other people think of me! Thank you God that you overwrite it!! Reason no. 678 :)

Reason no. 677...

'Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for, through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.'

Proverbs 16:6

Thank you God that my sin is atoned for! I am free :)

Reason no. 677 :)

Reason no. 676...

I do like quotes and this one is good!

'Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.'

Winston Churchill

Reason no. 675...

Last week I got my results for the year! I am so incredibly grateful for passing every exam and every assignment and God giving me the grace to do well in my subject! Thank you God that not only did you help me get onto the course, but you continue to help me each year with every assignment, bit of revision and exam sat! You are faithful and You will continue to be as I go into next year! Reason no. 675 :)

Reason no. 674...

Reading through Proverbs and I'm amazed at the sheer quantity of wisdom in just a few pages. It's so practical and gives a good foundation for growing as a person, relating with people, situations that come up in the work place and so much more. God really knows what He is talking about! Reason no. 674 :)

Reason no. 673...

Yesterday I took a group of students to Brighton! It was lovely having chips on the beach,exploring the lanes and the weather changing from being grey and miserable to dry and sunny! Reason no. 673 :) 

Reason no. 672...

Having cooked breakfast, amazing food and getting my room cleaned several times a week is definitely a lovely treat whilst working for the summer school for a few weeks :) Reason no. 672 :)

Reason no. 671...

Yesterday I helped with a day trip to London. We took the kids to the Science Museum, which was great! It's amazing that the museum is free, seeing as there's much to see and do there :) Reason no. 671 :)

Reason no. 670...

Yesterday I stumbled across some amazing quotes  that I must have wrote down a few years ago (I didn't write where they're from though!)...

'We are all just ordinary people, with the potential to do extraordinary things because we have an extraordinary God.'

'God wants our everything - not to limit us or stop us enjoying life - rather to release us in His appointed calling.'

'...if He gave everything for me, and knows what's best for me, then surely it makes sense giving it all back to him to use for his purposes and for His glory.'

Reason no. 670 :)

Reason no. 669...

Tomorrow I start my summer job in the international school! Last year was great - I absolutely loved spending time with students from around the world! Thank you God for Your provision of the job, Thank you that You go before me and Thank You God that I do not need to worry about it. Reason no. 669 :)

Reason no. 668...

Thank you Jesus that your death on the cross was sufficient to deal with all my sins: past, present and future! Amazing :) Reason no. 668 :)

Reason no. 667...

A wonderful day in London with my boyfriend on Saturday! I'm grateful for fast trains - both Ashford to London, but also Manchester to London, which made it easier for us to meet up :) Reason no. 667 :)

Reason no. 666...

Proverbs 8:17

'I (wisdom) love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.'

What an incredible promise! God's wisdom goes beyond understanding and He gives it to those who look for it. I certainly need more of God's wisdom both in the day-to-day but also in the bigger things in life too! Thank you God that You give wisdom and I'm hungry for more of it in my life. Thank you God that 'the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom' (Proverbs 9:10) so God will you increase my fear of You. God will you bring fresh revelation of who You are so that my perspective of Your greatness might shift and increase.

Reason no. 666 :)

Reason no. 665...

What an amazing promise! 

Proverbs 3: 5-6...

'Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

    and he will make your paths straight.'

I really love reading through Proverbs and discovering loads of little gems of wisdom! Reading it and just seeing God equipping you to do life well. He doesn't leave us to work through life by ourselves but gives wisdom and insight for us. Thank you God! Reason no. 665 :)

Reason no. 664...

Yesterday I spent 6 hours traveling, which was very very very long! But I got to catch-up with a couple of friends from Horsham and have a lovely meal out! I'm grateful for God sustaining friendships and for blessing me with some great friends whilst doing my year out! Reason no. 664 :)

Reason no. 663...

'You are faithful, 

You never give up on me,

You are able to finish what You started in me,

You are stable through all these stages that life can bring,

You remain.'

Thank you Father!

Reason no. 663 :)

Reason no. 662...

Proverbs 2:1-8...amazing!

'My son, if you accept my words

    and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom

    and applying your heart to understanding—

indeed, if you call out for insight

    and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver

    and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

    and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;

    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He holds success in store for the upright,

    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

for he guards the course of the just

    and protects the way of his faithful ones.'

God loves it when we ask for wisdom. Solomon became King incredibly young and God told him that he could ask for absolutely anything he wanted and he would give it to him. Out of all the things he could ask for Solomon chose wisdom, he recognized that he knew very little about being a leader and having to rule over an entire nation. As a result of such a request, God added on blessing him with wealth and long life, and made him wiser than anyone else who has ever lived. God clearly regards wisdom highly! The amazing thing is that God gives it to us too!

Reason no. 662 :)

Reason no. 661...

Next week my sister is off to Bosnia for a mission trip! I'm so excited for her! God's provision for the trip has been incredible :) Reason no. 661 :)

Reason no. 660...

Being back home and sorting through some of my stuff in my room, I found some old bible study notes I used when I was in year 7 (10 years ago!). One of the quotes I found was: 'If prayer lags, then life sags.' Since being back home God's really reminded me in the value of prayer and how He wants to shape my prayer life and the impact prayer can have! Reason no. 660 :)

Reason no. 659...

'Hannah (a lady in the bible) did not wear a mask before God or man, knowing that God isn't shaken by emotions or grief, but actually treasures her cries and keeps  her tears in His 'bottle' (Psalm 56:8).' 

Stef Liston

Reason no. 659 :)

Reason no. 658...

'One person alone in intercession is enough to make a difference.'

Reason no. 658 :)

Reason no. 657...

'God loves demonstrating His power and glory,because when His glory is seen, His people rejoice and celebrate at what an amazing God they have, and His enemies quake and go into hiding - perfect!' 

Stef Liston

Reason no. 657 :)

Reason no. 656...

On Thursday I traveled back home for summer. My boyfriend came down for a few days as well, which has been truly great :) The weather's been amazing so we've spent time in Hythe, Canterbury, Samphire Hoe, etc. We also went to see my sister's A-level art exhibition - she's so talented!! The past few days have been an amazing way to start the summer holiday and just have a rest :) Reason no. 656 :)

Reason no. 655...

'Prayer is the power by which that comes to pass which otherwise would not take place.'

Andrew Murray

Reason no. 655 :)

Reason no. 654...

This week I weeded...from having weeds that came up to higher than my waist for over half the year, I can now see the ground below!! I'm grateful for having the time to do all the various little jobs around the house, so that it'll be a nice place to come back to when I return! Reason no. 654 :)

Reason no. 653...

On Monday was the Speech and Language Therapy course's ball. It was a lovely evening and great to see people before we all part ways for our 3 months long summer! Reason  no. 653 :)

Reason no. 652...

'I wasn't born to be nice, I was born to be a son of God.'

Reason no. 652 :)

Reason no. 651...

You went to such great lengths to bring the Israelites out of the bondage of the Egyptians. What great lengths You have already gone to to bring me into Your family! Reason no. 651 :)

Reason no. 650...

Finishing exams and being free from study for over 3 months (as long as I don't need to do any re-sits!!) Reason no. 650 :)

Reason no. 649...

Thank you God that my sin is overwritten with Your righteousness and removed completely from Your memory!

Reason no. 649 :)

Reason no. 648...

'Calvary covers it all,

My sin and shame

don't count anymore!'

Reason no. 648 :)

Reason no. 647...

'The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me...'

Psalm 138:8

Reason no. 647 :)

Reason no. 646...

One day God's presence will fill the whole of creation....In the bible there's a lot about temples, a place where God's presence dwells. The tabernacle that Moses built was made up of 3 parts: the Holy of Holies (where God lived), the Holy Place/ Tent of Meeting (where only priests could go) and the court (where normal Israelites were able to go). The Israelites couldn't enter the Holy of Holies. The reason for this is about it being more than just a room. It's about what's inside the room....the presence of the the almighty living God.

'When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of Yahweh on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to Yahweh, saying, "For he is good, for His steadfast love endures forever." 

2 Chronicles 7:3. 

The people have their face to the ground. The awe, the worship, the sheer reverence of having God in their midst evokes a reaction. We have a God who is so holy and so powerful, that simply standing and singing words from a song on a Sunday morning is really not enough! He is holy and so worthy of something so much more.

God's presence is no longer just in the Holy of Holies. In fact with the cross of Jesus and the ripping of the temple curtain,  the world was brought into God's presence but also God's presence was brought into the world (Andrew Wilson). In fact, we are now the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16) meaning God is among us.

One day His presence will fill the whole of creation!

'The city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.' 

Revelation 21:23

Imagine just how glorious He must be...instead of the Sun being the source of light but God Himself - how brightly shining He must be!

Reason no. 646 :)

Reason no. 645...

"Living: He loved me,

Dying: He saved me,

Buried: He carried my sins far away,

Rising: He justifies!"

Reason no. 645 :)

Reason no. 644...

This week I got an assignment back and got a first!!!! SO happy! The focus of the assignment is the area of work I want to end up in the future as well, so was a nice confidence boost! Reason no. 644 :)

Reason no. 643...

'Hopelessness cannot remain when the glory of Your presence fills the room'

Jules Burt 

Reason no. 643 :)

Reason no. 642...

'God always positions us for greatness, not necessarily for prominence, or profile, but always for greatness.' Reason no. 642 :)

Reason no. 641...

Before we are sent by God to do anything, we are loved by Him first! He loves me regardless of how well I do anything! Reason no. 641 :)

Reason no. 640...

'It's your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise to you.' 

I love this line in the song. The fact that the Creator is sustaining my every breath is incredible. The sheer volume of breaths I take every day is huge and each and every one of them is a God-given gift. If it wasn't for God putting the air and the oxygen around me I wouldn't be alive. Because of Him putting breath in my lungs I can make a noise, my vocal chords are able to move. The sounds and the words that come out of my mouth have ultimately all began with Him. Reason no. 640 :)

Reason no. 639...

This morning my church was away on a weekend away so I went along to another church this morning. At the end of the meeting one of the youth came over to me and gave me a prophetic message (a message from God) and a sweet: 'The Holy Spirit goes before you and he will protect you wherever you go. Have faith!' God is not silent but speaks. Thank you God that you promise to protect me! Reason no. 639 :)

Reason no. 638...

Thank you God that we don't have to be perfect to used by You! Heard this yesterday and thought just how amazing is His grace...

'Noah drank too much,

Abraham was too old,

Isaac was a day dreamer,

Jacob was a liar,

Joseph was bullied,

Moses had a speech impediment,

Gideon was afraid,

Rahab was a prostitute,

Jeremiah was too young,

David was an adulterer and murderer,

Elijah was suicidal,

Isaiah preached naked,

Jonah ran away from God,

Naomi was a widow,

Job went bankrupt,

John the baptist ate insects,

Peter denied Christ,

The disciples fell asleep at prayer meetings,

The Samaritan woman was divorced 5 times,

Martha worried about everything,

Paul was too religious,

Timothy always had an answer,

Lazarus was dead.'

If God can use a dead guy and those that messed up, he can use me too! Reason no. 638 :)

Reason no. 637...

'God's blessing is carried by ordinary people!'

Just read this and it's rather amazing!

Reason no. 637 :)

Reason no. 636...

'He takes messed up people and messed up circumstances and weaves them into His eternal plan!' Reason no. 636 :)

Reason no. 635...

'God uses a frightened young teenager, Esther, to save 2 million people.' God used her with her fear and used her regardless of her age. Reason no. 635 :)

Reason no. 634...

On my shopping trip yesterday, I somehow managed to lose my phone! I looked in all my pockets and in my bag, but couldn't find it anywhere! Having spent at least 3 hours out already, I was planning to head home in the next 5-10 minutes - but that plan changed! The first shop I venture back to and ask for the lost and found, it's already been handed in!! Such an answer to prayer! It could have been a completely different story - God is soooooo good!!! Reason no. 634 :)

Reason no. 633...

Yesterday I got a dress for my course's ball that's happening in a couple of weeks time. Having spent ages trying to find a dress I eventually find one. On the price tag it says that it's £45, I take it up to the till and it comes up as only £20 - BARGAIN!!! Love little surprises like that :) Reason no. 633 :)

Reason no. 632...

He is almighty, so powerful and strong! 

He is victorious, never losing a battle!

He is gracious, so kind and so loving!

He is faithful, in the big and the small!

He is the Rock, unshakable and dependable!

He is merciful, forgiving time after time!

He is King, ruling and reigning over all!

He is Savior, giving salvation even to me!

He is rightous, just and capable of all things!

He is the Prince of peace and a place of safety!

My God, my King, how wonderful are you?

Reason no. 632 :)

Reason no. 631...

Yesterday I heard this amazing picture of worship. As we declare our adoration of who He is, like 'You're amazing', He loves it and He absorbs it in. Meanwhile He declares that truth over the nations: prophesying it over them, saying: 'Yes I am!'. Also, He reflects that back to us and says: 'so are you'. Incredible! Reason no. 631 :)

Reason no. 630...

Two exams done, one to go!!! Yay! They didn't go great, which I wasn't very happy about! When that happens I know that I'm getting my identity from the wrong place. If I do rubbish in an exam I feel horrible. If I do great in an exam, I feel amazing. But actually, regardless of how well I do I am loved by the Creator, I am hidden in Christ and the Father is pleased with me. I still stand as the daughter of the King if I fail. I still have a hope and a future and if God's called me to be a Speech and Language Therapist, He's going to get me there regardless of the result I get at the end. Thank you God that You are so good to me! Reason no. 630 :)

Reason no. 629...

Exam today and tomorrow - arghhh! 

Thank you God that you go before me and you already know what is on that exam. Father, I declare peace over this morning knowing that You are the God of peace and You're a Father who loves giving good gifts to his children. I pray that you will show me what to look over in the last couple of hours before the exam. 

Reason no. 629 :)

Reason no. 628...

You loved me first...'Now I get to love You in return'!!  

Reason no. 628 :)

Reason no. 627....

'Now there's nothing holding me back from You, redeemer of my soul!' 

Reason no. 627 :)

Reason no. 626...

If the universe is still expanding, what is it expanding into? How huge and powerful must God be?! The creator of this universe is still sustaining it! Reason no. 626 :)

Reason no. 625...

He's the one who puts breath in my lungs! 

Reason no. 625 :)

Reason no. 624...

'He is taking perfect care of me. I don't have to worry about anything.'

Reason no. 624 :)

Reason no. 623...

'I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.'

Psalm 3:3

He sustains me. My sleeping and my waking are in his hands. He will keep me going, providing sufficient energy to get through what God has in store for me today :) Reason no. 623 :)

Reason no. 622...

'But blessed is the man...his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of living water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.'

Psalm 1:1-3

I want to be someone who takes the Word and it's the first and the last thing I think about in my day, allowing my day to start and end with Him. God promises amazing things for those who do that too! Reason no. 622 :)

Reason no. 621...

I'm grateful for church family! Reason no. 621 :)

Reason no. 620...

The other day as I walking to the library a man was smiling, singing and whistling as he was walking along the road. I love watching people who have joy and happiness bubbling out of them! Reason no. 620 :)

Reason no. 619...

One of my exams is on: Language Processing, which is really interesting! It's incredible to think how we string together sounds so well that convey a meaning to someone else, or how we can read something that is a bunch of squiggles on a page, that all vary very slightly, but hold so much information and we're then able to understand it! Our brain is remarkable! Reason no. 619 :)

Reason no. 618...

I am thankful that there are Christians who have been voted into parliament and the role God has given them in being in a place of influence. In 1 Timothy 2:2, it tells us to pray for people in 'high positions' and I think this election has reminded me of the importance of that. If a different party had been voted in I think I would just assume that things will be a lot better for the country, but God tells us to pray for them. Having a government covered in prayer is going to be a lot better for our country than a government who people assume are doing a good job. So I want to be someone who's going to pray for our government, not just for the coming week, but someone who is still going to be praying for them 3 years down the line too. Reason no. 618 :)

Reason no. 617...

There's a new government, which is exciting, even if it did not end up how I would have liked to have looked! Although it has the power to influence this country and my life, I'm thankful that we have a God who is 'far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come.' (Ephesians 1:21). God is God and He is sovereign. Reason no. 617 :)

Reason no. 616...

Today is my last lecture of the year: half way through my degree!!! Wooooooo :) Reason no. 616 :)

Reason no. 615...

I am very grateful for my lovely boyfriend and the past 5 weeks :) Reason no. 615 :)

Reason no. 614...

'The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.' 

Psalm 25:14

That's an amazing promise! He's not some distant God. I want to be someone who draws near to him having a fear and reverence of him. He speaks and reveals and I don't want to miss out on that! Reason no. 614 :)

Reason no. 613...

I am grateful for having 9 hours of sleep last night!! Reason no. 613 :)

Reason no. 612...

'The lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.'

Psalm 23:1

Thank you that guide me, that you lead me and protect me. Thank you that watch over me and provide a place of safety for me. Thank you that you satisfy and are more than enough for me. Reason no. 612 :)

Reason no. 611...

Yesterday I went to see Pentatonix ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lExW80sXsHs ) with some friends, which was so good! They're an acapella group. It's amazing what they're able to do with their voice - by themselves and together! Then one of the guys in the group played the cello and beatboxed at the same time - so good! Have a listen: https://www.youtube.com/user/kolusola Reason no. 611 :)

Reason no. 610...

'By the power of Your Word.

I am restored, I am redeemed,

By Your Spirit I am free.'

Reason no. 610 :)

Reason no. 609...

Blessings can be HUGE and blessings can be small! Today I just placed my first ever Sainsbury's order and had a voucher where if I spent £60 I'd get £18 off...so good! It also meant that I could get stationary, cosmetics and food all in one go, rather than visiting several shops or doing several trips! Reason no. 609 :)

Reason no. 608...

Yesterday I submitted my last assignment for the year!! It was hard, but definitely a relief to now have handed it in! In a months time, after exams, I'll be halfway through my degree! Reason no. 608 :)

Reason no. 607...

It's definitely true that God works all things together for good. Today I was thinking about the differences in my housing situation from last year to this year. Last year was fine, it wasn't unpleasant but this year has been so much better. Last year having been put with a bunch of strangers it's not surprising that we were all very different and weren't very close. This year God has blessed me with some amazing housemates and friends, people I can easily be myself around. Having got friends in different houses and hearing some of their stories, it's incredible that my house have not had a single falling out the whole year! From originally dreading the thought of moving into a house last year, God has totally exceeded my expectations! Reason no. 607 :)

Reason no. 606...

The God of justice, justifies me! 

Reason no. 606 :)

Reason no. 605...

I love colour and how a scene so beautiful can exist alongside a busy road!

Reason no. 605 :)

Reason no. 604...

I passed my driving test!!! It's taken a very long time, but I finally got there! Reason no. 604 :)

Reason no. 603...

Yesterday I was given a £2 coin...on the edge that goes around it it says: 'Standing on the shoulders of giants'. Meaning where we are today would not be possible without everything that has gone on before us. But equally one day we will be the giants that the next generation go forward from. The other week I was listening to someone talk about how the generation before us have battled through things so that we don't have to battle through them too, instead it means that we can go further than them and the generation after can go further than us. Reason no. 603 :)

Reason no. 602...

Out of the slimey pit,

Out of the mud and mire,

You've lifted me up,

and seated me in heavenly places.

From darkness into light,

From fear into freedom,

You've chosen me and

made me Your beloved daughter.

You've seen me at my worst,

You've seen my every mistake,

yet Your love for me is unbreakable,

so much stronger than I know.

Your Spirit lives in me - the same power 

that raised Christ from the dead,

carrying peace, carrying joy,

bringing Your presence into every situation.

Your Word stands true,

Every promise You've spoken over me

Will never ever die,

Thank You God that I belong to You.

Reason no. 602 :)

Reason no. 601...

The Father's Love: Olly Knight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivto3nwH_I4

See the love the Father’s shown for us 

He calls us Sons and Daughters so we are, we are

See the Father run with outstretched arms

We’re welcome in his presence yes we are, we are

He loves us with a vast and perfect love 

That fills the heavens, the heavens

He loves us with an overwhelming love 

That fills our hearts, our hearts

He loves us!

See the love the Father’s given us

He loved us first while we were lost in sin, in sin

See the costly, precious sacrifice

He gave his Son to lead us back to Him, to Him

There’s no other love that satisfies my soul

There’s no other love that comes and makes me whole

There’s no other love that fights to bring me home

Your love outbids, Your love outshines them all! 

The lyrics in this song are great! Thank you God that: 'there's no other love that fights to bring me home'! Reason no. 601 :)

Reason no. 600...

600 reasons of God displaying His goodness! It's amazing to collect all these reasons and to look back and see all the wonderful things He's done in my life! Reason no. 600 :)

Reason no. 599...

This week I've been reading Acts. In the book there's a guy named Stephen. It's amazing to think that nearly 2000 years later he's known for being a man full of the Holy Spirit, full of God's grace, faith and power, someone who did miraculous signs and wonders and someone who men could not stand up against because of the wisdom God gave him! It's amazing what God allowed him to be remembered for! Reason no. 599 :)

Reason no. 598...

This week I found out I passed my phonetics exam!!! The mock, the week before, really didn't go too well. So, it was definitely an answer to prayer that I passed and even got 18% above a pass rate!! Thank you Jesus! Reason no. 598 :)

Reason no. 597...

It is well with my soul!

'My sin, not in part, but the whole, 

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.'

I love how in this hymn and in the Psalms the writers are actively stiring their soul, their heart and their mind into praise. Being reminded of who God is and all that He has done awakens praise in our Spirit! Reason no. 597 :)

Reason no. 596...

Our Father God loves and accepts us everyday through Christ Jesus!

Audacious Devotionals

Thank you God that Your love and Your acceptance of me is daily, thank You that it is not based on anything I've ever done, but completely based on Jesus!

Reason no. 596 :)

Reason no. 595...

The river Stour...creation really does speak of an amazing Creator! Reason no. 595 :)

Reason no. 594...

Amazing! I love the light breaking through the trees, the shadows falling on the green grass and just being outside surrounded by creation! Reason no. 594 :)

Reason no. 593...

This week I've had to fill in all my student finance forms for the coming year, including my NHS bursary claims. Receiving money from the NHS is such a blessing and it's so easy to take it for granted, but it does mean that the amount of debt I'll accumulate over the 4 years is significantly less than it could have been. Plus it's amazing how God knew and spoke about me receiving a bursary before I even had a clue about what I'd end up studying at university! Incredible! Reason no. 593 :)

Reason no. 592...

I love how places like this exist in the midst of a very busy city!

Reason no. 592 :)

Reason no. 591...

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he didn't leave us on own but gave us the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is amazing! Reading through Acts and seeing what happens when Holy Spirit comes and falls on people is exciting: there's a fresh boldness, miraculous signs and wonders are happening and the church is expanding at an exponential rate! Reason no. 591:)

Reason no. 590...

Back home with my lovely family! It's good to see them in person, rather than just over a screen! Plus, lazy evenings in front of the TV are something I haven't done in so long! Reason no. 590 :)

Reason no. 589...

It's been a while, but here's a new poem :)

Accepted, loved, forgiven:

That's me, because of Him!

Adopted into His family,

made His beloved daughter.

He's chosen me before

the creation of the universe.

He holds me and protects me,

providing an unshakable foundation.

He marks me with the Holy Spirit:

a deposit guaranteeing more to come.

His unending mercy follows me

all the days of my life.

The richness of His love,

The depths of His grace,

The abundance of goodness,

How amazing is He, my Father?!

Reason no. 589 :)

Reason no. 588...

He's the provider who meets ALL our needs! He's the Father who loves pouring out His blessings on His children in abundance. Yesterday I heard an incredible story of a church having to pay only £1 for a building that they want to use to bless the community. Then, I was also reminded of my church back home having to pay something like £1 a year for rent for a building that is ultimately being a base for blessing the community. He's the Father who loves surprising us, the Father who loves giving and the Father who loves the town/ city that I live in. Reason no. 588 :)

Reason no. 587...

I should have got a library fine today...but somehow I haven't had to pay! How it's possible that I don't, I'm not too sure, but thank you God! Reason no. 587 :)

Reason no. 586...

It's exciting to imagine your future with God. I was thinking about what I'd love to see as a future Speech and Language Therapist walking with God. I'd love to see children 'find their voice'. I'd love to see restoration happen in families. To see God's presence in the clinic, when people step foot into my room peace, hope and joy come because God's in that room too. I'd love people to encounter God, make supernatural progress in communication/ swallowing abilities. I'd love my colleagues to encounter Jesus and salvation to follow. I'd love the clinic to be a place where people are welcomed and accepted just as they are. I'd love to see people who stutter have Moses experiences! I'd love it to be a place where people are built up and encouraged - after all our words create environments and when we speak we can bring God's heart into situations! I'd love to see waiting times drop and referrals decrease and NHS pressures to be released. Nothing's too much for our God and He says that it's okay to imagine, because He can do even more!! Reason no. 586 :)

Reason no. 585...

1 Corinthians 2:16...

'We have the mind of Christ.'

'Everyone who is a believer has the mind of Christ. This means that we all have the capacity and the opportunity to share the plan, purpose and the perspective of Christ...It doesn't happen when we become good enough, achieve some sort of karma or are more 'spiritual'. If you have accepted Jesus and have been born again, you have His mind.' 

Amazing amazing amazing! I'd never thought about it like that before! 

The Audacious Church Devotionals have been such a blessing! They arrive at 6:10 every morning to my emails (so to my phone), so before I even leave my bed I can read it and then think about what I've just read as I get ready to start the day! Reason no. 585 :)

Reason no. 584...

God has placed some incredibly generous people around me and through it I've  been reminded of God's goodness, provision and His heart to bless in abundance! Reason no. 584 :)

Reason no. 583...

Had a such a lovely day catching up with a friend from Horsham, who came over to Manchester for the day! Hearing stories of what God's doing in Horsham is so exciting! Reason no. 583 :)

Reason no. 582...

Based on Audacious Devotionals...

God has designed and built our minds to be a place where imagination flourishes. When we imagine, we prophecy our future. He promises to take us even further than our imagination can take us.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. 

Ephesians 3:20

This is incredible! The fact that God allows us to dream and imagine and the fact that He uses it for His glory is exciting! I want to be someone who dreams big because I have the faith that God can exceed the dreams and thoughts that come to mind and that nothing is impossible for Him! Reason no. 582 :) 

Reason no. 581...

'Peace comes to us as the balance between time spent 'staying on' Jesus outweighs time spent on worry.'

Reason no. 581 :)

Reason no. 580...

God knows exactly what He is doing even when I have no clue of what I'm doing. He is sovereign, He's working all things together for good and He holds time in His hands. Reason no. 580 :)

Reason no. 579...

I have some amazing housemates, who are so encouraging and so loving! They've been such a blessing to live with this year. I love how God allowed us to cross paths last year and now living together! From being really unsure of how it would all work out living with this group of people, God totally exceeded my expectations of what it would be like to live in a student house! Reason no. 579 :)

Reason no. 578...

It's the Easter holidays! I'm grateful for time off, even if there is still quite a lot of work to be done. There's lots of nice things planned for the next 3 weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing my family again next week! Reason no. 578 :)

Reason no. 577...

A friend shared this quote yesterday, I thought it was pretty amazing:

'People are equal the same way pennies are equal. Some are bright, others are dull; some are worn smooth, others are sharp and fresh. But all are equal in value for each penny bears the image of the sovereign, each person bears the image of the King of Kings.' 

GK Chesterton

Reason no. 577 :)

Reason no. 576...

'The ultimate utilization of our mind is for worship.'

John Cameron

It's interesting to think about where our minds wonder, what most of our thoughts end up being about. I know for sure that worship is not my default thought position, but it's definitely where I'd like it to be. For He is so worthy of my thoughts and my time, not just X amount of time in my busy day. Reason no. 576 :)

Reason no. 575...

Yesterday I was in bed before 9 and am now feeling so refreshed! I'm grateful for a good nights sleep! Reason no, 575 :)

Reason no. 574...

I find it incredible how our eyes and our brains enable us to read...if you think about it there are only small differences between letters, for example between i and l there's only a small gap which distinguishes them! It clearly takes such skill to be able to read, but for many of us we're blessed with it being quite an effortless task. Reason no, 574 :)

Reason no. 573...

This week has been rather hectic with an exam yesterday and various things happening, including a boiler gushing out water like a waterfall! It flooded the lower half of our kitchen, but through it there were so many things to be thankful for: such as having a 2 floor kitchen - it meant that the water was all contained to the lower half, not having a carpet floor, the plumber was able to come the same day, having no idea how to switch the water off a family we'd met a few times before came over and helped! Reason no. 573 :)

Reason no. 572...

Great lyrics...

'You hold the reins on the sun and the moon, like horses driven by kings. You cover the mountains, the valleys below, with the breadth of your mighty wings. All treasures of wisdom and things to be known are hidden inside your hand.

And in this fortunate turn of events, you ask me to be your friend. You asked me to be your friend.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lwiKg3qQDA

Reason no. 572 :)

Reason no. 571...

'Our praise is a powerful weapon. The word of God says that 'God inhabits the praise of his people', in other words He lives and dwells in our praise. So whenever we praise His power is present and therefore the potential for breakthrough and the miraculous is also present'  

Audacious Church

Reason no. 571 :)

Reason no. 570...

Encouragement has so much power and so much value: it releases truth, brings hope and breaks off lies. Encouragement acts as a reminder of how God sees the person and who He's called them to be. It can release joy and build a person up. Over the years I've been put around certain people who are awesome encouragers and for that I'm so grateful! I definitely want to be someone who encourages! In the bible Jonathan encourages David (1 Samuel 23:16...'And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God.') and that's what he's known for now - many many many years/decades/centuries later! Reason no. 570 :)

Reason no. 569...

I love the contrast of light and dark, day and night, sun and moon, waking and sleeping! It's great how it's not random, but God designed! Reason no. 569 :)

Reason no. 568...

'There's beauty in my brokenness,

There's true love, instead of pain,

There's freedom though You've captured me,

I've got joy instead of mourning!'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9xtmj8Zgc4

He's in the business of transformation!

Reason no. 568 :)

Reason no. 567...

There's beauty in brokenness. So often brokenness is associated with rubbish, failure and being despised. If something is broken it has lost its function and purpose, for example a broken plate can no longer hold a meal upon it. As people we can become broken too. Things people say, things that we do, things that happen to us, things that we think can all affect us. They can have a positive impact or a negative impact. As humans, we often try to hide all signs of brokenness, all the signs of things going wrong, cracks which reveal things that have happened in the past or who we really are. We can try to put up masks to hide it or try to fix our brokenness ourselves.

But, something God's reminded me of this weekend is how He takes our brokenness and He makes it into something beautiful! He takes our failures, our short-comings, our weaknesses and He displays His glory through it. He takes the cracks in my life and brings wholeness and fullness (if I let Him!). 

In Japan, there's some amazing artwork called Kintsugi. Essentially broken pottery is repaired through use of a special lacquer mixed with gold, silver or platinum. Instead of disguising it, the cracks are used to make this piece of artwork even more beautiful. Instead of forgetting about the breakage, it's incorporated into its history. Instead of using an invisible glue to mend the cracks, gold is used - something of immense value!

Throughout all of today, this is what I've been thinking about! The brokenness, the weakness and the struggles are not something to hide for they can display something of Jesus - His love, His healing, His grace and His abounding goodness. He's takes the mistakes, He's takes the insecurities and  He takes the broken-hearted, the broken families and the broken in spirit and He can bring the restoration! 

Reason no. 567 :)

Reason no. 566...

Spring! I love the different seasons and how everything changes within them. It's a little bit warmer, a little bit more sunny and the flowers are starting to pop up! Reason no. 566 :)

Reason no. 565...

A 4 day weekend (due to changes in my timetable!)! Reason no. 565 :)

Reason no. 564...

The bus system near where I live is great! If I've just missed a bus a new one arrives within minutes. Reason no. 564 :)

Reason no. 563...

It's amazing to think that on an average day we swallow over 500 times and the majority of the time nothing goes wrong. The food and liquid end up in our esophagus - not our lungs! The fact that our airway is automatically sealed off when we swallow is amazing as we don't even have to think about it! If we did, eating and drinking would be a much greater life/death experience! Reason no. 563 :)

Reason no. 562...

One of today's lectures was on Language Processing. We were thinking about just how complicated language really is...the fact that spelling (graphemes) of a word don't always correspond with the right speech sounds (phonemes). This means it can be really complicated to learn English, but it's incredible that our brains can process all of this information and allow us to communicate! Reason no. 562 :)

Reason no. 561...

I love how when the Magi found Jesus their response was to bow down and worship him. At the time Jesus had done absolutely nothing, but they knew who he was, what the prophecies had spoken of him and knew what he'd go on to do. At the same time Herod's response was fear, he planned to kill all the boys who were around Jesus's age. 2 responses to a little baby being born. I love how people can't help but have a reaction when they encounter him! Reason no. 561 :)

Reason no. 560...

Thank you God that I can sleep and I can wake up because You sustain me! (Psalm 3) Reason no. 560 :)

Reason no. 559...

I love how after God made everything, He saw that it was good. There was no disappointment with His creation. It was all made as He intended it to be, with no mistakes or errors. He is a creative God and we are made in His image! Reason no. 559 :)

Reason no. 558...

I'm grateful for one of the near-by roads opening up last week. It means that my journey to uni is much quicker than before and means I get to walk through the park too on a lovely spring day. I'm grateful that today my friend was walking back with me as there were some slightly 'strange' people around! Reason no. 558 :)

Reason no. 557...

Good weekend in Blackpool with the Navigators: some great bible teaching, some really good application ideas and it was nice to just get to know some of the people from church a bit better. Reason no. 557 :)

Reason no. 556...

Thank You God, that You're the God of peace!

Reason no. 556 :)

Reason no. 555...

Beautiful day today! I love being able to walk back through the park after a day in uni :)

Reason no. 555 :)

Reason no. 554...

'Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.' 

2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Reason no. 554 :)

Reason no. 553...

I've got a new bed and it's sooooo good! Having had various problems with it and trying to get a new one for at least 3 months, today it finally arrived! Reason no. 553 :)

Reason no. 552...

'You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.'

Isaiah 26:3

Reason no. 552 :)

Reason no. 551...

An incredible testimony of outrageous generosity and seeing His provision!

http://newdaygeneration.org/blog/article/Education_Centre_for_Cape_Town?utm_content=buffer11a65&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Reason no. 551 :)

Reason no. 550...

The 5 senses are amazing and how they allow us to interact with the world around us, from eating food to having a conversation, to walking along a high street. I definitely take them for granted, but they're actually such  a blessing and allow me to live the life I enjoy! Reason no. 550 :)

Reason no. 549...

Thank You God that 'You know exactly what we need before we've even said a word'. You know every detail of every situation and none of it escapes Your attention. Thank You God that You care about the big and You most certainly care about the little too! You're the God of power, the God of provision and the God who delights in caring for His children. Reason no. 549 :)

Reason no. 548...

Grace is amazing! If it was all about works, me doing things to please God, I would never do enough, I'd never be able to reach a good enough standard. In fact I would miss the goal time after time, day after day. His grace, His unmerited favor upon me and my life, is a reason to rejoice! Reason no. 548 :)

Reason no. 547...

Thank You God that we don't have to have our lives all together, all sorted, all nice and presentable before coming before You. Thank You that You take the broken, the sinner, the prostitute, the rejected, the greedy tax collectors and You welcome them and You welcome me into Your presence. Reason no. 547 :)

Reason no. 546...

I love that You're a good Father. You've blessed me with an amazing dad, that represents You well, but You're better still. You constantly have time for me. You love talking to me, You love listening to me and You love giving me amazing gifts. You're my protector and You constantly look after me. Even when I've messed up, You don't keep Your distance from me. Thank You! Reason no. 546 :)

Reason no. 545...

Today we looked at what 'Therapy' really is and what it actually looks like for Speech and Language Therapists. In the past, there has been a lot of debate as to whether Speech and Language Therapy is actually beneficial or whether it is a waste of time. As a result of this, the profession has improved and it also means there is a much greater evidence base (than before) for assessments and intervention approaches. This is great news! It means that clients can have more confidence that the treatment they are given is of good quality and it has worked for people like them too. The fact that Speech and Language Therapy was negatively viewed in the past has meant that progress has been made in this field! Reason no. 545 :)

Reason no. 544...

I'm grateful for having lots of amazing single women around me both here in Manchester and whilst I was back in Ashford, especially whilst in youth group. It has definitely made it a lot easier to be content in being single when that's the culture I'm constantly surrounded with. It also meant I had a really nice girl-y Valentine's day this year! Reason no. 544 :)

Reason no. 543...

Every year my dad sends me a valentine's card on valentines day! So cute and such a good idea! It wasn't until this year, when it didn't arrive on the 14th that I realized just how much I appreciated it! Reason no. 543 :)

Reason no. 542...

Lent is here! This year I've decided to send out encouragements to various people over the 40 days, but also my house is doing our own take on the '40 acts' (as a house we're creating our own list of challenges of ways to be generous). It should be rather fun! Reason no. 542 :)

Reason no. 541...

I'm grateful for recipes that allow you to make some amazingly yummy creations! Yesterday I made some chocolate chip cookie dough truffles :) Reason no. 541 :)

Reason no. 540...

I'm grateful for church and that we can come with an expectation that we'll meet and encounter the living God. Thank you God that in Your presence there is wholeness and fullness of joy, there is freedom to be found and that You're a God who is not silent but a God who speaks today. Thank you God that I can come into Your presence because You have made me righteous. Thank you that it is nothing to do with me but absolutely everything to do with You: Your love, Your grace and Your abundant goodness. Reason no. 540 :)

Reason no. 539...

Today the Whitworth Art Gallery re-opened! The gallery has been shut for over a year and ever since I moved to Manchester. It was great to finally see what was inside the building that I walk past every day and even lived next door to last year. The building is great and so modern (with a mix of the old too) and definitely holds a real mix of artwork! Although a lot of it wasn't my taste in art, it was definitely a nice way to spend a morning. Reason no. 539 :)

Reason no. 538...

Some interesting facts about the human body:

• With the 60,000 miles of blood vessels inside the average human body, you could circumnavigate Earth two and a half times.
• Your body produces 25 million new cells each second. Every 13 seconds, you produce more cells than there are people in the United States.
• If the human brain were a computer, it could perform 38 thousand-trillion operations per second. The world’s most powerful supercomputer, BlueGene, can manage only .002% of that.

The human body is soooo incredible! The fact that it all functions so neatly together, it's so easy to forget what goes on to make it function so well. Reason no. 538 :)

Reason no. 537...

Ducks walking on water! Nature makes me smile! Reason no. 537 :)

Reason no. 536...

'But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.'
1 Peter 2:9

Reason no. 536 :)

Reason no. 535...

I love having the time to be creative. 

His light, His joy, His hope breaking through the darkness!

Reason no. 535 :)

Reason no. 534...

'You can start bad and finish good because of the redemptive love of Jesus.'

Christine Caine

Reason no. 534 :)

Reason no. 533...

'I thank my God every time I remember you.' 

Philippians 1:3

God, thank you that there is something to thank you for in every person around me even if they've just really annoyed me. As we thank you for them our perspective of them will shift and we'll begin seeing them more like you do. By thanking you for them we get to call out the truth of who God has made them to be. Reason no. 533 :)

Reason no. 532...

Thank you God for the constant advances in medicine. Diseases that were once un-treatable now have the intervention to reduce pain and sustain life and advancements continue to be made. Reason no. 532 :)

Reason no. 531...

The words in this song are really powerful. Being reminded of the power of the King and the fact that nothing is impossible for Him lays a good foundation for prayer. It's so easy to ask God for something once and then move on, but He wants us to be persistent, to call on Him (knowing He is) and to keep going after Him until the breakthrough comes. 

Breakthrough: Simon Brading

You calm angry storms

You muzzle hurricanes

Water You walked, even the seas obey

There’s nothing that You cannot do

Nothing that’s too difficult for You

You open blind eyes, do many miracles

Raise dead to life, work the impossible

There’s nothing that You cannot do

Nothing that’s too difficult for You

You can shake the highest mountains

You can make the desert sing

More than we can dare imagine

You’re the God whose power

Can answer our prayer

Let Your kingdom come

Let these mountains move

Let unanswered prayer rise again to You

For the more we ask, it’s the more You’ll do

My heart is bursting again

God of power break through

You crushed even death

Now there’s an empty grave

Rose up in strength, to rule eternity

There’s nothing that You cannot do

Nothing that’s too difficult for You

So we rise up in faith, all things are possible

When we call on Your name

O God of miracles

There’s nothing that we cannot do

Nothing that’s impossible with You

Reason no. 531 :)