My Hope is Found

The other week I wrote a post about finding joy in the hard times, recognising that oftentimes it can be hard in amongst the trials and tribulations that one faces. Especially if you’ve been saddled with things not of your own making.

I shared that due to my faith, I can find joy in the hard times! As my faith has enabled me to hold on to the Hope that comes in believing that better days are ahead of me, regardless of what I am facing today.

You see, my faith has helped me more than I’d care to imagine! It has helped me get through some pretty tough trials and tribulations that I’ve faced throughout my life. And it continues to do so, as I work through the challenges that my health condition Scleroderma brings, which you can read about here.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus. My faith comes from knowing that in Him alone, my hope is found. He is my solid ground, my cornerstone and when things go awry – I can trust in His love for me. Like the writers of the well-known contemporary Christian hymn, “In Christ Alone” I know that this to be true for me and can be for anybody 🙂

Written in 2002, “In Christ Alone” was a collaborative effort between Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. “The song came about in an unusual way,” Townend explains.

“Keith and I met in the autumn of 2000 at a worship event, and we resolved to try to work together on some songs. A few weeks later Keith sent some melody ideas, and the first one on the CD was a magnificent, haunting melody that I loved, and immediately started writing down some lyrical ideas on what I felt should be a timeless theme commensurate with the melody.

So the theme of the life, death, resurrection of Christ, and the implications of that for us just began to tumble out, and when we got together later on to fine tune it, we felt we had encapsulated what we wanted to say.”

Townend writes; “The lyric [of this song] excites me because it places our hope, our assurance, our eternal destiny in the right place—on the solid foundation of Christ. I know in my own life I need reminding continually not to live by my feelings or my circumstances, but by the unchanging truth of the gospel.” *

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

I too need to be constantly reminded that despite all the stuff that I’m facing in life, all the changes that I’m dealing with, that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I can’t rely on my feelings or certain circumstances that surround me I need to grasp a hold of the truth that in Him there is life! Christopher Reeve is attributed as saying that “once you choose hope anything is possible”.

Another song that resonates with me is Tuhia which was written by Aaron Hardy from Te Rautini, formerly known as Link. It has become an influential worship song throughout the church in Aotearoa (New Zealand) over the past few years and I just love the bridge (refrain);

Your love has freed us
We’re free indeed
Spoken to our pain,
revealing hope again

The thing is, Jesus not only frees us from the bondage, penalty and guilt of sin – He also increases our capacity to love, to experience peace in amongst the trials and tribulations of life that we face, to have joy, to find rest, to have hope, and to enjoy life.

In John 10:10 Jesus says “… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (New International Version)

We can have hope because of who God is and what He wants for each and every one of us.

Lamentations 3:22-26 says that “It is because of the Lord’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great and beyond measure is His faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion and my inheritance,” says my soul;

“Therefore I have hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.” The Lord is good to those who wait [confidently] for Him, To those who seek Him [on the authority of God’s word]. It is good that one waits quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Amplified Bible)

I’d like to leave you with a piece of music that has been written by Roger Trigg for, and premiered by Enfield Citadel Band (Bandmaster Jonathan Corry) on 11th October, 2013.

According to the World of Brass site the work formed part of the band’s annual pre-contest festival on the eve of the National Brass Band Championships which are held in the august surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall, London each year. 

The words ‘my hope’ appear in both hymns that are referenced in the music. The notes ‘E’, ‘C’, ‘B’ also feature throughout the work as homage to Enfield Citadel Band.

The verse of ‘My hope is built on nothing less’ (S.A.S.B. 662), to the tune ‘Solid Rock’ (T.B. 446), is then introduced and forms the basis of the end of the first section – set in the minor, unlike the usual setting of the melody. The more sedate middle section that follows features an original theme, again using the notes ‘E’, ‘C’, ‘B’ as a melodic stimulus.

The tune ‘Michael’ (Herbert Howells), to which the text ‘All my hope on God is founded’ (S.A.S.B. 530) is sung, provided the original impetus for this work. The song features as a new addition to The Salvation Army’s 2015 iteration of its song book. It is a noble tune and there are big majestic, organ-like sounds utilised in its final treatment which brings the work to a climactic end.

I hope you enjoy it and contemplate what has been written about where I have found my hope and where you too can find yours.

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace, may you find rest for your soul and may He give you strength for today, and hope for tomorrow.

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

* As featured in an article entitled ‘Song Story: “In Christ Alone”‘ written by Debra Akins for Crosswalk.com

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How Can We Develop Joy?

Today I had the opportunity to take some time out in my day / week and return to one of those places that always seems to refresh me and bring me joy – Zealandia!

The world’s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary, with a 500-year vision to connect people with nature and help native wildlife flourish in Wellington and beyond.

The sun came out periodically which is always a huge blessing as we welcome the first signs of spring. A variety of birds were gleefully chirping and whistling away, as the hectic hustle and bustle of the world slowly went about its busyness just a few kilometers away

As I was taking my time to catch a breath or two after a brisk walk up the main track (well at least it was a brisk walk for me with my health condition), it got me thinking about the whole area of joy, thankfulness and gratitude.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working through a module on the University of Michigan’s RENEW Fatigue Study, looking at the area of Gratitude. Recording entries (currency) into my positive piggy bank, so that at the end of the month I will get to close my account and see all the things that I have been grateful for over the past month.

You see, positive thinking is an important part of managing my energy, as how I think and feel about things can have a detrimental affect on my health and well-being.

Studies have shown that positive thinking can help; reduce negative moods, decrease fatigue and improve sleep, decrease anxiety, block pain signals in the brain to reduce the pain responses and decrease stress.

As I was taking another much needed rest on my walk around Zealandia admiring the lower dam between the totara trees, I was reminded of a devotion on YouVersion that I read the other day about a psalm that recognises and celebrates the joyfulness of the Israelite people as they returned to Jerusalem (refer to Psalm 126). Along with one on Lectio 365 and another on Rhema’s Word for Today, which I read last week (included below) which were all looking at the area of Joy.

You see, gratefulness, thankfulness, joy is like a muscle; the more you develop it, the stronger it becomes. So, how can we develop joy in our lives?

Here are some exercises to help you to increase and develop inner joy:

Show more gratitude.

‘Give thanks in all circumstances’
(1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV). Note, it doesn’t say be thankful for all circumstances, but in them. Hans Seyle, the father of modern stress studies, says gratitude produces more emotional energy than any other attitude. 

So look for more ways to express gratitude. Email or call someone to tell someone you care about them. And remember to express gratitude to God.

The psalmist says, ‘With my song I praise him’ (Psalm 28:7 NIV). If you’re not naturally a joyful person, start singing praises to God and watch your attitude change.

Look for ways to give.

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35 NIV). Someone has jokingly said, ‘When it comes to giving, many people will stop at nothing.’ What does the Bible reveal? ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV). Why? Because you are most like God when you give, and he doesn’t give grudgingly. Your giving actually determines how much you receive from God!

The Bible says when you give him the first of your income, he will ‘throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it’ (Malachi 3:10 NIV).

You cannot outgive God. As the old farmer said, ‘I shovel it into God’s storehouse, and he shovels it into mine – but God has a bigger shovel.’

Start serving others.

As long as you live with a sense of entitlement believing that others should serve you, your joy gauge will be reading ’empty’. Jesus said it’s in giving away your life to others that you find abundant life (see Mark 8:35).

Paul reminds us: ‘Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do’ (Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV).

The happiest people are typically too busy helping others to ask themselves, ‘Am I happy?’ Find a cause greater than self-interest, and pour your life into it. If you do, your legacy will be much greater than your life span.

Share your faith with someone.

‘There is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents’
(Luke 15:10 NLT).

Your greatest joy in life will be the result of trusting in Christ as your Saviour.

And your second-greatest joy will come from introducing others to him.

Imagine sharing your faith with someone. They may not respond at the time, but you have still sown the seed of God’s word.

Later, they commit their lives to Christ. Perhaps you didn’t know it. But imagine them meeting you in Heaven and saying, ‘I want to thank you for taking the time. I’m here because you cared enough to tell me about Jesus.’ You say, ‘I’ve lost my joy.’ Question: when was the last time you shared your faith with someone or led them to Christ?

Regardless if you have faith or believe in God, or not – it is extremely beneficial to find ways in which you can show and acknowledge gratitude and identify the little things that bring you joy. It is important to find ways in which you can give back to others and serve wherever you are able, to help others less fortunate than you. And share your faith (or journey) with others so that they can find encouragement

Maybe you need to set aside some time to write down on a piece of paper, or type a note on your device, all of the good things you can think of in the past day, week, month, or even year that you are grateful for.

It may be as simple as getting up this morning and seeing the sun for the first time in a while, or that you have been able to sleep in a bed.

The truth is there are innumerable things that we can be thankful for.

Returning to New Zealand after serving overseas for a few weeks assisting people in Nepal after the devastating earthquake I was extremely grateful for light switches that actually worked and instant hot-water systems that meant that I could have a long relaxing bath after a tiring day amongst other things.

We can never take what we have for granted and should always try to be thankful and grateful regardless what we have to face because someone is always going to be worse off than us.

Now don’t get me wrong I am not grateful that I have been lumbered with Scleroderma.

Over the past few days or so, there are parts of me which have been lingering in the woe is me space, as I’ve had a few bad moments of late where I’ve felt completely wiped out and even today is a bit of a struggle.

This disease sucks and it can be difficult to live with let alone be joyful especially when the pain sets in or fatigue hits.

However, I will try and use my experiences and hopeful optimism, irregardless of how I am feeling, to hopefully make someone else’s life just a tad brighter.
How about you?

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

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Finding that Sweet Spot

After having to deal with prolonged periods of general tiredness and fatigue brought on by my health condition and the need to isolate during the highs of the coronavirus pandemic, I have had periods where it is has been strongly recommended by my specialists to stay at home to work.

It has meant that I’ve had to adapt to working online more or less full time, being part of Zoom & Teams meetings and phone calls etc.

Occasionally getting out and about to meet with people in-person at a cafe usually outside of the busy periods or at least in well ventilated spaces.

I’ve had to grapple with limiting my exposure to groups of people and even now I still have to be cautious in group settings, due to the latest round of infusions that I’ve had which raises my susceptibility to any kind of virus. 

This brings with it many challenges and issues as well as opportunities to look at how I can continue to offer support and encouragement to those within my spheres of ministry and work within in my sweet spot.

Which is that special place where we feel that we are living life to the full:

• achieving our calling,
• enjoying the things that we love,
• and relishing in those things which we are good at.

It has also meant that I have learnt the art of multitasking – I am living proof that men can do it 😀

As I’ve mentioned previously I’ve been a part of the University of Michigan’s RENEW Fatigue Study and I have been reading Jordan Raynor’s book Redeeming your time along with other articles and posts relating to sleep, fatigue, time management etc.

So I was intrigued when Carey Nieuwhof recently posted on his blog ‘The Three Hour Workday (The Sobering and Liberating Truth About Your Peak Hours As a Leader)‘

A couple of things stood out.

Firstly, “most leaders have only three to five deeply productive hours in a day when their energy is at its peak.” Secondly, “to maximize your peak hours, you not only need to discover when you’re at your best, but what you’re best at” in those times.

Carey then outlines that we are at our best when we are working in our gifting, passion and impact sweet spot. The challenge we have though is when everything and everyone else starts to compete for our time. We need to be intentional about guarding it, not just within the work hours allotted to us, but also when we are out of the office.

You see, in ministry this is where the lines get extremely blurred, there are only 24hrs in a day and once they are used up we can never get them back. Therefore, we need to remember that we determine how we are going to spend them. 

We need to learn how to prioritise our time! Working out what we need and want to do each day and figuring out what is really important to us individually and which things (tasks / projects etc.) are a lower priority in our work and home lives.

You see, things that are not as important can either be put off to a later time, or dropped altogether. Which brings us to the important aspect of delegation, as there are some things that you and I can probably put off or drop altogether and other things that could more than likely be assigned to someone else to do, if they really need to get done at some point.   

The 34th President of the United States is credited with developing the Eisenhower Matrix which helps us with the decision making in this area, as we need to determine what is urgent and what is important, and those things that are less urgent and important we can set aside or delegate to others.  

So, how are you spending your time? Are you working in your sweet spot? Are you letting everything and everyone crowd in on your time? Or, are you being intentional with the time that you have?

The thing is often we may do this in our work life and at home due to the pressing needs in those areas – But we also need to do this in our ministry and figure out what our sweet spot in ministry is!

That way our ministry is fulfilling, uplifting, enlightening, inspiring, satisfying and ultimately God-honouring. 

Afterall, God has created us to fulfill certain things to the best of our skills, abilities and passions with the resources at our disposal.

I wonder though, if all to often we fall into patterns of doing the mundane, just because. Because it is easy, repetitive and creates a sense of structure and order.

Many of us are more than likely familiar with the song working nine-to-five, and for many years this was solely because that was expected of you, especially within certain work environments.

With the advent of seven days a week trading and even 24/7 trading however, we have created other routines – many of which are not necessarily healthy for us.

I can remember working a split shift so that I could coordinate expectations for the night shift and follow-up with the day shift, all the while doing ministry on the side. In effect I was burning the candle at both ends and eventually something had to give. 

Yes I was earning some good money (back in the day), but I was running myself ragged and my relationships where being affected.  

There have been times in my ministry when this has also been the case due to the requirements of the role at the time, be that an appointed one, or one that I have voluntarily taken on board due to the need.

I’m thinking back to my experiences with Earthquake Emergency Relief both here and overseas – there is a time and space for us each to go above and beyond.

If you love what you are doing, are gifted at it and it moves your ministry forward – this is your sweet spot.

We need space and time to find and experience our sweet spot – I believe we are working and ministering at our best when we are in partnership with God, and our sweet spot is where we will do what needs to be done because we have the right motivation and desire. This is when we are maximising our potential and fulfilling our god-ordained purpose and mission to the best of our abilities, skills and passions.

The thing is, when I spend time with God and set aside time for the ones that He has placed in my life, then I am able to do all things out of the overflow of my heart.

Romans 15:13 reminds me to “pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (The Voice)

You see, peace within the chaos is finding ones sweet spot. I hope and pray that you will find yours and do all that you can to protect it 🙂

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Where will you find joy?

Ever had one of those moments when no matter how hard you try the pieces of the puzzle you are doing, or a project that you are working on, or a task that your trying to complete at work or even at home just isn’t coming together?

I’m sure we can all relate! 😃

Well, I’ve been experiencing that for a while now with a jigsaw puzzle that I’ve had on the go for over a month.

Maybe it’s my eyesight, or my condition, or just the fact that I’m a bit older than I used to be, but this puzzle has certainly tried my patience at times and I have grown frustrated with myself.

I’m finding that the light coming through the windows into the dining room has to be just right so that I can make out the subtle colour variations and irregularities with shading. I’ve also been finding that even when the colouring on the pieces do match their may be slight variations with the puzzle piece itself that leads me having to undo things a number of times just so that it matches up right.

So, for the past week I’ve had to set it aside and concentrate on doing some other stuff for a while. In many regards the weather has certainly helped as it’s been blowing a gale and raining, which means that the light hasn’t been right anyway.

Sitting down over the weekend to finally complete the puzzle has given me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. I even messaged some of my family who’ve seen this work in progress so that I could share my joy and sense of fulfillment 🥳

But it got me thinking; Where will you find joy?

In this moment I found joy in completing a puzzle – a trivial thing for some maybe, but it goes much deeper than that.

Over the past few months I’ve been sharing some of my morning devotions looking at the Book of Psalms from the YouVersion Bible App. As I’ve been journeying through them I’ve been drawing inspiration and encouragement for my own life from the many poems, prayers, hymns and meditations contained within these writings.

I’m constantly being reminded to rejoice in the small things of life, to sing psalms of praise and thanks, to shout aloud to our Creator God for not only the big things that we see all around us, but also all the small things as well – I wonder though how often do we do this? Really!!!

We are blessed in so many ways that maybe we have become binded to the things that we should be grateful for.

When we look around at all of the issues that threaten the world in which we live in at present, we can often feel quite perplexed. The pieces of the puzzle are not coming together in the way that we would have imagined. Successive governments, systems, policies and procedures have been trying for decades to ‘fix‘ the many issues that appear to plague the many puzzle pieces of our lives. In fact it’s almost as if the closer we get to achieving some part of the puzzle, the next part becomes even more complex and we may even need to unravel some of the pieces that we had put together not that long ago.

This was the case for me and the puzzle that I finally completed, did I mention that it was the biggest puzzle I’ve done in a long time, a total of 2,000 pieces! Now that its complete to looks quite impressive but it did take numerous attempts to get the right pieces in the right place, every now and again I’d have to take a piece or two out all together to redo an area to get it right. 

I recently read a couple of quotes the first says; “Life is like a giant puzzle. Everyday we struggle to find all its pieces to make it into a complete picture.“

The second also seems to relate to life stating that; “It all depends on you to put the pieces of the puzzle together in order to see the big picture. And when you get to the end of it, and all the pieces are in the right place, then you are happy. And if they’re not in the right place, then you have to rearrange them until you are happy.“

The many psalmists that wrote the Book of Psalms can relate to these sentiments and it would appear that the prophet Habakkuk can also identify with us on them. Habakkuk takes his concerns to God and it’s almost as if Habakkuk is having an argument with God over the way things appear, which to him at least seem unfathomable. He is having doubts that he’ll be able to see whatever it is that he deems the completed picture of the puzzle of life.

Interestingly God responds to his exhortations and Habakkuk’s response is to write a prayer using a psalm-like format, complete with musical and/or literary notations.

He commences by writing that he has heard all about the Lord and that he is filled with awe by God’s amazing works. He asks that “in this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy.”
Habakkuk 3:2 (New Living Translation) 

The International Children’s Bible puts it this way “Lord, I have heard the news about you. Lord, I am amazed at the powerful things you have done. Do great things once again in our time. Make those things happen again in our own days. Even when you are angry, remember to be gentle with us.” Habakkuk 3:2

Maybe that is our prayer also, especially when the storms of life head our way; in our time of deep need Lord, help us again as you did in years gone by to make sense of the pieces of the puzzle – this thing called life – and help us put the pieces of our fragile lives in the right place for Your glory to shine through.  

Habakkuk concludes this prayer, this psalm by saying “as for me, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will find my joy in the God who delivers me. The Lord God is my strength…“

Throughout the Scriptures we are reminded again and again to put our faith, our trust, our hope, our lives – in God! We are to trust in Him and believe that He will do what only He can do in and through our everyday lives as Paul alludes to in Romans 12:1-2 from the Message;

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.“

And, we are to find joy in all things; the big things and the small things. As for me, I’ll choose to find joy in the journey that God has set before me.  

Habakkuk offers us hope by recognizing how dark and chaotic the world is and inviting us to trust that God will one day sort it all out. Our role in life is not necessarily to put all the pieces of the puzzle back in order, for He is the one that has a much better grasp on the bigger picture of life.
Habakkuk reminds us of our part in History and how we too can express our faith in God, even though we may see and experience many trials and tribulations;
we’ll find joy in the God who delivers! 

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

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Choose Joy

Every morning as part of my devotions & prayers I am reminded of the choice I have in how I approach each new day;

“I choose to rejoice in God’s righteousness and mercy today, joining with the ancient praise of all God’s people in the words of a certain Psalm.“

And over the past few weeks I’ve been guided through the beatitudes, via the Lectio 365 prayer app which you can download here. 

I have also read a number of blogs and other articles in various publications and the following one ‘Cultivating a Life of Worship‘ written by Dallas Willard on the Renovaré site has stood out for me, and the portion I’m sharing below is something I keep coming back too: 

“Love is the foun­da­tion of the spir­i­tu­al life and joy is a key com­po­nent in the Christ life. Joy is not plea­sure, a mere sen­sa­tion, but a per­va­sive and con­stant sense of well-being. Hope in the good­ness of God is joy’s indis­pens­able support. 

In a moment of wor­ship and praise, Paul spon­ta­neous­ly expressed a bene­dic­tion on the Chris­tians in Rome: ​“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believ­ing, that you may abound in hope by the pow­er of the Holy Spir­it” Romans 15:13 (New American Standard Bible). This verse address­es the pro­found needs of the emo­tion­al side of the Chris­tian’s life. 

The great cen­tral terms of life in Christ are ​“faith,” ​“hope,” ​“love,” and ​“peace.” These are not just feel­ings; in sub­stance, they are not feel­ings. They are con­di­tions involv­ing every part of an indi­vid­u­al’s life, includ­ing the body and the social con­text. They serve to equip us for the engage­ments of life. They do, how­ev­er, have feel­ings that accom­pa­ny them, and these pos­i­tive feel­ings abun­dant­ly char­ac­ter­ize those liv­ing in the pres­ence of God.

These feel­ings dis­place the bit­ter and angry feel­ings, that char­ac­ter­ize life ​“in the flesh” — life in human ener­gies only. They even trans­form the sick­en­ing emo­tion­al tones that per­me­ate and large­ly gov­ern the world around us — even many times the Church world. 

Jesus taught us to abide in God’s love ​“that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” John 15:10 – 11 (New American Standard Bible). Our joy is full when there is no room for more. Abid­ing in God’s love pro­vides the unshak­able source of joy, which is in turn the source of peace. All is based in the real­i­ty of God’s grace and goodness. 

Faith, hope, love, joy, and peace—the ​“mag­nif­i­cent five” — are insep­a­ra­ble from one anoth­er and rec­i­p­ro­cal­ly sup­port each oth­er. Try to imag­ine any one with­out the others!“

So as we approach the next day, week, or month let’s approach it with an attitude of ‘joy!’ For that is a choice we each can make – regardless of what is going on in our world, and will help us get through those things that could have us focusing on the wrong things. As James alludes to in his letter “to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (refer to James 1, New International Version).

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

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