My God

Following on from my previous post, someone pointed me to this song by Stuart Townend, My God. It fits the whole idea of Kintsukuroi wonderfully, so thought I would share it with you.

My God takes the broken and makes them whole.

A Pause in Lent 3

I have been doing a Mission Shaped Ministry Course run by Fresh Expressions over the past few months and this weekend was an overnight stay. At the end of it, in small groups, we had to come up with a short worship service. Our group chose God's Grace we played this song by Neil Diamond - Pretty Amazing Grace. I am not sure if Neil Diamond intended it to be about Jesus, but I do think the words just show so much about God's grace in our lives.

Pretty amazing grace is what You showed me
Pretty amazing grace is who You are
I was an empty vessel
You filled me up inside
And with amazing grace restored my pride

Pretty amazing grace is how You saved me
And with amazing grace reclaimed my heart
Love in the midst of chaos
Calm in the heat of war
Showed with amazing grace what love was for

You forgave my insensitivity
And my attempt to then mislead You
You stood beside a wretch like me
Your pretty amazing grace was all I needed.

Stumbled inside the doorway of Your chapel
Humbled in God by everything I found
Beauty and love surround me
Freed me from what I fear
Ask for amazing grace and You appear

You overcame my loss of hope and faith
Gave me a truth I could believe in
You led me to a higher place
Showed Your amazing grace
When grace was what I needed

Look in a mirror I see Your reflection
Open a book You live on every page
I fall and You're there to lift me
Share every road I climb
And with amazing grace You ease my mind

Came to You with empty pockets first
When I returned I was rich man
Didn't believe love could quench my thirst
But with amazing grace You showed me that it can

In Your amazing grace I had a vision
From that amazing place I came to be
Into the night I wandered
Wandering aimlessly
Found Your amazing grace to comfort me.

Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing

You overcame my loss of hope and faith,
Gave me a truth I could believe in.
You led me to that higher place
Showed me that love and truth and hope and grace were all I needed.

A reminder to us that God's grace is sufficient for all our needs and is freely available to all who look for it.

This has been a busy and amazing weekend as this morning I was ordained as an elder in the Church.

God's grace is pretty amazing!

This post is part of A Pause in Lent hosted by Angie.

A Pause in Advent 2- Peace

Thinking about peace today as it is the second Sunday in Advent. I hadn't heard this song before until someone posted it on Facebook, so I thought I would share it with you.

Peace is something we would all like - I wonder what you think of when we say the word. As I write this the wind is howling outside and there have been snow flurries today - not exactly a peaceful night! God has promised us peace - but His peace is not necessarily an absence of trouble, or worries, or howling winds - it is his presence with us in these situations which bring us the peace.

Despite our busy, hectic lives we can have God's peace with us.

This is part of A Pause in Advent, which is being hosted this year by Angela, why not pop over to her blog here and read some of the other posts.

A Pause in Advent 1 - Hope

100 years ago amidst the fighting a remarkable thing happened - guns were put down and enemies came together, to play football, to share together. For a brief interlude the fighting was forgotten and both sides were as one. For a brief moment there was Hope.

On this first Sunday in Advent we should remember that Hope, the Hope that the Christ child brings to the world.

Today there is still fighting, still wars, but we can still have Hope. Tearfund have produced resources for you to hold your own Silent Night Carol Service, to remember that night so long ago and also to remember the conflicts still going on today. You can find the information here

Candle of the Lord

I heard this song last week for the first time and was very moved by it, so thought I would share it here.

I am the candle of the Lord

How great the darkness, how deep the need!
How vast the problems of indiff'rence, hate and greed.
A world rejecting, the truth once known,
And slipping down into a nightmare of its own.
Is there a light that's strong enough to go,
And metamorphosise the darkness that we know?

I am, the candle of the Lord
And truth and love more powerful than sword!
O fan the flame, its single gleam diffuse
And let my spirit be the light that you can use
I am, the candle of the Lord
Light me

How bright the light is, from soul to soul,
A myriad tiny flames expanding to a whole,
How strong the truth it, when joined as one,
And what a miracle this shining could become,
It could transform the darkness that we know,
And clearly light the way mankind must try to go.

I am, the candle of the Lord
And truth and love more powerful than sword!
O fan the flame, its single gleam diffuse
And let my spirit be the light that you can use
I am, the candle of the Lord

Light me, o light me