Disconnected dream seeks context and meaning

A couple of days ago I woke up with a thought. It made a lot of sense then in that limbo like semi dreaming state between being awake and asleep. Problem is I really can't remember the exact thought or the context in which it seemed to make so much sense.

it was a question along the lines of;

"Has modern Christianity over spiritualised the secular while under spiritualising God and faith?"

So here's my challenge. Help me find the context in which this comment made so much sense! What do you think? is there anything to it? ?r was this dream glimpse nothing more than that; a glimpse of a random piece of dreaming?

Self Injury

About a year ago I went to a training seminar on teen issues. It dealt with some of the deep stuff that teenagers deal with and how, as Youth Workers we can help. One of the subject discussed in that seminar was Self Injury. At that point in my life this was not a subject or issue I had any experience of. I'd heard of it but had never had a direct encounter with it, but somehow that segment of the seminar leaped out at me as if I could almost tangibly feel God telling me ‘Get ready. You’re going to be encountering this’. That feeling was overwhelmingly strong so I did a little background reading and a little praying and went on with my life.

Well, it almost a year later that I actually encountered it but I thank God that he gave me some warning. I have no idea how I’d have reacted if I’d been unprepared. As it is, I'm doing what I can to help. I'm not sure why God pressed this particular issue so deeply into my heart but I suspect this is not the only time I'm going to encounter this.

I know there are so many others out there who are hurting, crying, dieing inside and for whom Self Injury is the only way they know how to cope. If that's you my heart cries for you. My soul cries for you. I’m no-one special, but i burn within to reach out to those who hurt. I wish I could find a way to tell you how much you are loved, how special God thinks you are, I wish I could hug you, be there with you, i wish you could know that God wants to take you up in his arms and hold you until there are no more tears, that Jesus weeps for your pain, that he cries out in intercession for you, that he longs for you to know his love and and healing.

I hadn't planned to write these words, but for some reason my heart is breaking and I feel compelled to write this. I don't know if anyone will read it or if I'm writing to a vacuum BUT I can't ignore the feeling that there's someone out there crying out to be loved. If you're reading this post, if it's somehow meant for you, please, please please, whoever you are, don’t do this alone. There are people out there who care and who can help. Know that you are loved and I am praying for you.

I’m going to end and post this now before I second guess myself and change my mind.

Prayer

This cartoon is from ASBO Jesus. It's one of the sites I check every day, makes me laugh and makes me think. enjoy.

Blogging/Living

You know, this blogging thing is hard. I have so much i want to say, so much stuff in my head but I can't seem to work out what I should write. Too much. too much going on I can barely sort through it so I end up typing nothing. Sometimes I think about something I want to say but there's too much background to it and it ends up being easier to say nothing. most of the time I'm lazy, sometimes I'm discouraged because nobody reads this anyway, sometimes I'm too busy. Mostly I just have no idea what to say. Not because I have nothing to say but because I have too much to say and I have no idea how to sort through it all.

Honestly? Much of the time in blogging as in the rest of my life I have no idea what I'm doing, why I'm doing it or how I should do it. Whatever it is.

Make of that what you will.

Resolutions or Reflections?

It's that time of year when everyone seems to making resolutions that they won't keep. That your new years resolutions will be broken seems to be almost as much a tradition as making them. So why bother? I think a lot of the reason for this is that people make 'resolutions' for the wrong reasons. Does anyone really ask "why am I doing this?" If you're making a resolution just because it's traditional to make a lame resolution in the New Year then it's really no surprise when it doesn't get kept. These things rarely seem to be thought through. So here's my take on it all, which I will quite arrogantly declare to be far superior to the usual philosophy of New Year.
I just read what I'd writen so far, throught about what i was about to write and decided it was all spectacularly dull.

so I'll leave you with this; instead of making empty resolutions, why not use this time of year as an opportunity for reflecting on where you've been, looking at where you are and setting some goals for where you want to go. if it has thought and reason behind it theres more chance of it being meaningful.

just a thought.

Happy New Year Everyone

Shorter posts

from now on I will try to keep my posts shorter. Why? Because I've been accused of rambling on too much. So I'll try.

On a side note I have now posted more times this month than any other month since I started this blog... it's a good sign.

Lest we Forget

Christmas can be a very stressful and emotional time for a lot of people

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:10-14

Whenever this season seems to be getting extra crazy I like to take a little time out and meditate on this passage.simple. beautiful.

Never fails to bring me back to what really matters

Merry Christmas everyone!