You blink and it’s gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, two weeks ago we had our last Christian Union of the term, and until September.

Thats one year of university over and done with. Crazy right?

Five of us took over the leadership of the Christian Union in January this year and it has just been a blessing to see how He, our amazing God is working here. We’re all first years, so we didn’t really have a clue as to what we were doing or how things functioned, yet, we’ve been so encouraged and amazed so far!

We’ve looked at the spiritual disciplines, handed out creme eggs to ravenous students around campus, provided free tea and toast to a club full of people, heard incredible stories from a Bornean, and much much more. But, ultimately, we’ve spent amazing times building each other up, praying together, worshipping together, and watching, and telling of how God is using us and working in our lives.

I personally have seen God’s provision in providing me a place in halls after a lot of praying and waiting. I have known His guidance, and have seen His plan fall so perfectly into place. I can, and have seen the continual work that He is doing in me, looking at where i have come from, and where i am now. And, within this monstrous exam period I’ve just waded through, I’ve been taught how to trust again. My problems and worries in reality are small, and even smaller when they are placed in my Creator’s hands. Laying everything over to Him with the knowledge that he cares, and knows what is best, (1 Peter 5:7) has been so liberating and has taught me that nothing is possible in my own strength, and that i need to cling on to Him more than ever.

So, for September we have even bigger visions, even crazier dreams with the largest expectation of what God is going to do right where we are. Please join us on this journey, and please pray that a snippet of God’s Kingdom will come down in this South East London metropolitan.

1 Peter 2:9- 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.

God Bless America

As the views of this blog are mainly from Americans, i thought it only necessary that i devoted a blog entry to you and your country, talking about a few personal pros and cons.

- I love chaos, especially when groups of friends/family all wear them together.

- I LOVEEE disney…thanks Walt.

- I love the history of America, and John Wayne…why isn’t there more men like him?

-Food. Oooooh food. s’mores, oreos, butterfingers, Reese’s, Twinkies, Jolly ranchers, Life savers, peanut M&M’S, Big red. oh boy oh boy.

-I love English/American pronunciation differences…aluminium for example.

- I love that you have birthed some amazing writers…namely Fitzgerald and Carson Mccullers.

-Your star spangled banner probably beats our union jack…maybe.

-I love that i can use an american accent whenever I’m doing a sarcastic voice or a funny remark…i wonder if that works both ways.

I do however…

-feel sad that Americans think British people have bad teeth. I only learnt this was the case last year whilst chatting to some Americans in Kenya. Just because the Bristish population don’t schedule regular time to dye our teeth white with harmful products, doesn’t mean our teeth are bad. I think you should re-think that.

-I feel sad you don’t have a monarchy.

and that you don’t drink tea (excuse me if you do)

-I feel sad you don’t eat yorkshire puddings on a regular basis or maybe even know they exist.

-and have you ever seen an electric kettle?

thats about as good as I’ve got…and it seems that the pros are outweighing the cons…BUT, don’t go thinking you’re better than us now….England will always be the land of dreams.

Over and out x

He has risen!

Things didn’t end on Good Friday because our Saviour conquered death and rose from the grave!

Oh HAPPY day.

Glory to the one.

The cross.

 

The King on the cross.

Isaiah 53:3-5

“He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering… He took up our pain and bore our suffering… He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him and by His wounds we are healed.”

Today is a day like no other. I almost feel when it gets to Easter Sunday that nearly 2,000 years later the world should stop for a day in surrender and adoration of such an amazing sacrifice. That Jesus would die on a cross for a sinner like me, and that my sin alone was enough to have taken him there.

He was betrayed, mocked, flogged, jeered and taunted, and a crown of thorns was placed on His head. He was innocent, yet, He made the ultimate sacrifice for all of eternity, a pre-destined sacrifice reaching back to the beginning of time and dying for the sin of Adam, the sin of Moses, the sin of the Thief on the cross. He too hauled the sins of our future transgressions and bore them upon Himself and put an end to it all by paying the penalty for sin at Calvary that day.

What love.

His body was broken so ours could be healed, He was forsaken so we could be accepted, He conquered death so we could have everlasting life.

Stop working to earn God’s love, and start living out a life of thankfulness, He paid the ultimate sacrifice to draw us near to him. Cling to that old rugged cross today and forever more knowing because of His great love, His overwhelming and incomprehensible love, that we have been redeemed, justified, and have the hope of eternity.

Thank you doesn’t cover it.

How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure. That He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns His face away. As wounds with mar the chosen one, bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon the cross, my sin upon His shoulders. Ashamed I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held Him there until it was accomplished, His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom. But i WILL boast in Jesus Christ his death and resurrection. Why should i gain from His reward, I cannot give an answer, but this I know with all my heart. His wounds have paid my ransom.

Palm Sunday.

John 12:12-15

 The next day the large crowd that had come to the Passover Festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the King of Israel! Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the scripture says, ‘Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Here comes your king, riding on a young donkey.’

 

Palm Sunday allows us to prepare out hearts for the pain of passion and the joy of resurrection. So this week, lets lay our hearts bare singing praise, thanks and adoration for this wonderful sacrifice and the hope we have in a risen Saviour.

Lord make us ready.

 

Let there be oil in my lamp, let the fire not go out, when i hear the Bridegroom comes.

..Make us ready.

So take my lamp set it on a hill, set it on a lamp stand, i won’t be hidden

-Harvest Bashta

 

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

In February last year i went to Kenya. I can somehow still find a way to slip this into every conversation, and the haunting yet such deep, and treasured hold that country still has over me is so prominent.  Each Wednesday i would travel into the slums of Kibera to help lead a bible study with a group of women. Each and every woman i came into contact with there was HIV positive and they shared a shop in which they made beautiful jewellery, bags and clothing to afford to eat, live and send their children to school. It was the highlight of my week spending time with them, listening to them lifting their voices in complete adoration and praise to our Father. They prayed with such honesty and delight, they tithed from the pittance they earned, and they would dance, dance before Jesus, smiling and delighting in the wonders of His everlasting love.

A few days before Easter we took the ladies for a day trip. This meant leaving the confines, stench and humidity of the slums, and taking them to a park on the other side of Nairobi.  Any trip outside of the slums cues the ladies to doll themselves up to the nines, and boy did they do that. Better than sunday best, they were coated with luminosity, hats and all. When we arrived, they flung wide the doors of the minibus, slung the shoes, and they ran and they ran. They skipped, rolled, jumped, screamed…they were literally drenched in joy. I have never seen a group of people so happy to be alive and I’m not sure i will until i reach heaven.

As the women gathered around me later that day and i read them the Easter story, some of them wept, overwhelmed. The power that had conquered the grave was living inside of them, dwelling so deep. Despite everything on earth binding them: health, money, security, fees and whatever else, they were TRULY free because when a heart is dwelling with the Spirit of the Lord there is real freedom, there is liberation.

I long still to this day, for a taste of that freedom. For God to break the chains which bind me to this world and to let freedom reign over every part of my life.

Stress, stress, stress.

Stress. Something I’ve been doing all too much of recently. I was looking for a passage in my bible the other day and instead came across something i’d written alongside a verse in James. I have no idea where it came from, but it was much needed this week, and here it is:

Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, strong enough, powerful enough and loving enough to take care of whats happening in our lives. Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience and lack of grace. These behaviours communicate that its okay to sin, and not trust God because this stuff is somehow acceptable. Worry and stress proves arrogance. It declares our tendency to forget that we’ve been forgiven, that our lives here our brief and that we’re headed for a place where we won’t be lonely, we wont hurt or be afraid again, and in the context of Gods strength our problems are small indeed. Sometimes stress and anxiety seem easier. Easier to let the mind run wild with the worry, than to exercise discipline. But are stress and worry evidences of a soul too lazy to keep gaze fixed on God?

Stress brings no joy, but the comfort of Gods saving grace does. Lets bathe in that grace here and forever on.

Doxa clothing.

Mission Statement:

Doxa Clothing (Greek for Glory) is a Christ Driven lifestyle/streetwear brand that has no set trend and that strives to be so much more than just a clothing brand. Doxa Clothing seeks to show God’s Love through everything we do, breaking all boundaries and uniting and inspiring people.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

 

Keeping it in the family. Doxa clothing is run by my brother Josh and his good friend Ben (below) , and i think its about time  you knew (if you didn’t know already), a little about them and what they do so you can jump on the Doxa dreaming bandwagon with us.  The rest is their very own words about Doxa’s vision, and if you want to find out more or to purchase some of their beautiful clothing visit www.doxaclothing.co.uk, tweet them or Facebook them.

At Doxa Clothing our aim is to be a Christ-driven lifestyle/streetwear brand that represents our faith and shares the love of God. We make no attempt to hide or mask who we are, we simply love God, love life and love people!

We are constantly seeking new ways and new opportunities at Doxa Clothing. It is our belief that Doxa is to be much more than just a clothing brand. We started Doxa because we wanted to be an agent of change. We wanted to share the story of God through what we did. It is our desire to branch out into as many areas as we feel right to do so. Many of you know the links we have with places like St Monicah’s in Kenya. We simply want to see Doxa clothing grow to enable us to help others and develop new projects and ministries.

We would love for example to have a Doxa Coffee House and a Doxa shop. We would love to be producing and selling products from Africa through our work at St Monicah’s in Kenya. This would help us to show exactly where products come from and would enable you as the consumers to see that when you buy with Doxa, you are investing in people and places that really need it. We would love to be supporting many missions and ministries through our work at Doxa.

As a brand with Christian values we want to be faithful to God and to what he requires of us.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mark 16:15

Was Jesus one to hang about with all the big wigs or was he down at people level, with the ones that society rejected, the ones in need, the children. God’s heart poured out for the disenfranchised.

We want to share the love that people are seeking and deserve

We want to be able to provide people with jobs from poverty stricken countries

We want to share the hope that we have

We want to become a community and to unite

We want to create clothes that people can feel a part of and even relate to

We want that for each time you put on Doxa Clothing a new story of hope begins

This is our dream, we are not there yet, but with your help and prayers, we can and God willing, we will get to see this vision fulfilled.