machroi's Comments

inprogress : Moving Tips Wanted!

Tue, 31 May 2011 14:10:27 +0000

Sell everything and start again? Worked for us :) However, I guess moving to the other side of the world will do that to a person..lol!

inprogress : Big Announcement

Sun, 29 May 2011 19:03:56 +0000

Hooray! Hooray!! Hooray!!! SO excited for the Hodge Lodge headin' south! I now have Arrested Development in my head, and it's all your fault :)

inprogress : How?

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:14:52 +0000

Off the cuff, this may sound like a liberal and controversial statement, but - I don't think our desires and God's will have to be mutually exclusive. If we are in love with God, then our desires merge more and more into those which reflect His will. I'm certainly not saying that it is easy (not at all), but just that I think we need to recognise that not everything we want to do is necessarily wrong or in conflict with God's word. I guess it's part of whether we see God as a punisher or a "rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." I'm CERTAINLY not saying that anything goes, goodness no, PLEASE hear my heart on this. I don't advocate a liberal lifestyle where we do anything we like & then run to God for forgiveness. For our desires to match His will takes that aforementioned diligence, a constant check in our spirits, and a daily realisation of HOW. HE. LOVES. US. Sometimes we do have to act first in faith, sometimes we have to wait on God for that prompt. There may not be a hard and fast answer (unless it's completely contrary to the bible). But sometimes we're too reluctant to act as we anticipate God will show us what to do in a blinding flash of light, and that never comes. It makes me think of a statement we heard in church on Sunday - people who wait for miracle to miracle actually live in a state of crisis. I do feel that in some (I reiterate) some grey area decisions, God is quite happy for us to make our own way - in the same way that not everything is beneficial - some things may be acceptable, but not necessarily the BEST way. I don't think God is poised to hit us with a large stick if we live average lives (I don't mean lukewarm, I just mean.....'good' Christian lives), but I know He'd prefer us to live in the fullness of all He has for us (an AMAZING relationship being lived out). Not that any of that necessarily answers your question...more of an offshoot answer :) Nobody beat me up, ok? :)

Whats this life for : Ladies Week: Mandy Thompson aka @MandyThompson

Thu, 4 Nov 2010 11:32:13 +0000

Mandy, I just HAVE to meet you IRL and hug you hard (& throw off any lingering British reserve!) ;) Love you, love your heart, and love that you talk with such clarity when I'm sure you don't always feel it. And yes, praying for you, this is a subject very close to home.

inprogress : community creatives...i need your help.

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:04:57 +0000

Cogs are turning here (Slowly, cos it's cold)....I'll see what I can come up with!

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Having our ideas stolen by pop culture. (Finally!)

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:03:15 +0000

and saying to someone "nice Bobs!" sounds like a euphemism.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Having our ideas stolen by pop culture. (Finally!)

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:58:11 +0000

You might need to ask the guys at Bluetree first, seeing as they wrote the song. :-D

LGP Blog : Helen & Jesse // ePics

Fri, 2 Jul 2010 18:29:29 +0000

These pictures make me smile from ear to ear. Love them a lot!

LGP Blog : Jenni & Brian // Vow Renewals

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:03:45 +0000

And I think I know someone who can look after all the radio communications for the next 3 big events....:)

mattknisely.com : Question

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:07:19 +0000

I'd rather turn the question on it's head, and say that the church SHOULD be positioning itself to provide good counsel to the world, instead of what has traditionally happened - less counsel, more shouting, or ever more evident, a shying away from talking about things that would actually make a difference. We get so caught up in political correctness sometimes that we feel the world are just going to think we're preaching at them, but in reality, people are so hungry for balance, wisdom and a lack of personal agenda. The church NEEDS to provide that. That's the essence of the 'good news'.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Worst. Cat Adoption. Photo. Ever.

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:38:57 +0000

Adam Lambert performs his new hit single from the musical ' Cats'.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Worst. Cat Adoption. Photo. Ever.

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:16:18 +0000

"And like Jonah from the belly of a whale, Fluffy was relieved when Basement Cat spewed him onto a soft cushion."

mattknisely.com : This Too Shall Pass: Get Inspired

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:26:04 +0000

It makes me think of the Honda Accord advert here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ve4M4UsJQo - I love clever stuff like this!

http://davesharpe.biz/ : Writing to a cat

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:21:07 +0000

Talking from personal experience, I know many people who got their cat from Doncaster, and were quite happy with it. I was a poor relation, because I got my cat from Burgess Hill myself, and many people laughed as the cats from there were considered substandard, even though it was the same breed as those from Doncaster - but I have to say, it was the best cat I ever knew. However, I had to visit it for extended stays, and was unable to write to it, so it's not for everyone. However, all this to say that there's nothing wrong with the cats from Malvern either - but I've also found that cats who are experiencing transition while their breeders change premises can be nothing but trouble. Personal experience also. :)

http://davesharpe.biz/ : Soul, mind and body

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 12:25:50 +0000

Well, Acts 19:6 talks of the twelve speaking in other tongues and prophesying, as opposed to earlier in Acts when it talks of believers receiving tongues and praising God - I'd say prophecy is a message from God about His actions, or a revelation, rather than straight praising of God. Of course - as we see in 1 Corinthians 14, to speak tongues without interpretation is futile for others, as they won't understand. I think it's the presence of an interpreter that distinguishes a) the gift of tongues as edifying for the body and a message of God for the congregation, from b) praying in tongues as edifying to the speaker alone. As a personal aside (& off topic to the question slightly) I have heard tongues in a few formats. Some tongues speaking sounds like, well, tongues (if you've been around Pentecostal churches for a while like I have, you know what I mean!). Other tongues contain words that I can identify as a particular 'earthly' language, and I know the person speaking doesn't know that language at all, so it's not a case of mixing words. The third, and thankfully not as frequent, is an evil tongue that's not of God at all. I was in a meeting once & during the prayer someone started 'speaking in tongues', but it felt as if ice was being issued out (I find that when the Holy Spirit is moving I generally start feeling warm, just one of those things!) but this was horrible, and I KNEW that it was mocking God. I really felt like something was being released and it wasn't good. Lots of prayer later, and it was dealt with. Like I said, it hasn't happened very often, and I don't really want to experience it again.

http://davesharpe.biz/ : Soul, mind and body

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 15:12:04 +0000

Oh and another note on the Hebrews verse - only our spirit is immortal, our soul & body are not, so it's clarifies in my mind that soul/spirit are separate but still closely entwined. The Word can make that distinction more clear.

http://davesharpe.biz/ : Soul, mind and body

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:31:28 +0000

I think David (King David, as opposed to my husband David..lol) speaks to his soul (as made up of mind/will/emotions) because we aren't robots, and often times our response to external challenge and stimuli is one of choice. Call it self-talk if you will. Rather than setting a pattern of mankind not thinking about our reactions, God shows us that emotional maturity and wisdom is tied up with thinking about our actions. Being in control of our response rather than our emotions controlling us. Our emotions can make a difference to how we act, and also how we physically feel - recovery times from illness and surgery as one example. It goes beyond emotion into our mindsets - how we think about things is not set in stone, no matter how many times we get told it is. Otherwise, there would be no evidence of change once we become Christians. I guess the analogy is like the Holy Spirit moving in, cleaning house, and taking over more and more room as and when we let Him. We still possess our own spirit, but we have to allow it to be attuned to Him. I guess a mirror is the mention of spiritual gifts likes tongues in the bible - one type of tongues to edify, another to communicate a message from God. It's part of sanctification, something that doesn't get talked about much outside 'holiness' denominations (Church of the Nazarene/Salvation Army/Methodists etc) - and it's an old argument - are we made holy upon salvation, or is it a progressive action? I know which I believe it to be, and it has a lot to do with us not being perfect upon salvation, but rather 'being perfected'. And in case I'm misunderstood, it's not us that does the perfecting. Our responsibility is to live in a manner that is wide open for the encroachment of the Holy Spirit upon our own spirit, soul & body. Again, not about us. Man, this is a subject that you can dig into for years - lots of depth there!

Love is Greater Than : My Worst Enemy

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:27:38 +0000

Bit of a shameless plug here, but I've started to do an online study called The Lord's Table http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/courses/lords-... , and it's helping me address why I eat, and why most of the reasons I want to lose weight, while noble, aren't making me focus on the right things, or could lead to me constantly frustrated. I can't say I'm the best 'student' of the course, but there's definitely a shift in my relationship with food, and I like that. A lot. And the fact it's free :-)

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : The scared straight marriage speech.

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 15:02:19 +0000

Never, ever EVER criticize, mock or humiliate your spouse in front of other people, even in jest. EVER. It's not fair, it hurts, and even if your spouse seems to laugh, never underestimate the effect you may be having on their self esteem or thoughts. This goes both ways, it's not just a husband to wife thing (as it's traditionally seen). No 'my husband is useless at that' or 'I wish my wife could cook like that' or 'don't be stupid'. Not only that, it makes your friends uncomfortable. As believers, we're meant to edify and build one another up, but it scares me how many people undergo an imperceptible shift in their minds; to the point where it becomes 'edify each other (except my spouse - they are fair game)'. You're meant to be one flesh, for crying out loud! Stepping off soapbox...

lynse leanne : 2010...

Sun, 3 Jan 2010 08:43:39 +0000

Well you COULD make some of the recipes on my blog... :-) Otherwise go check out one of my favourite food blogs: www.thegoodmoodfoodblog.com - Donal Skehan is 23 (I think!) from Dublin, has just had his first cookbook published, and is also a bonafide pop star (his band, Industry, have had 2 number ones in Ireland) - he tweets back too (and is as cute as a button, but I'm so old that is probably a bit wrong to say that!). More importantly, his food is fresh, yummy, not difficult to make and I like his food ethos. I'm such a groupie, it's quite embarrassing. Sorry.