The Formation of Faith

The Formation of Faith

 Change and Glow-Oil pastel on paper by Nicole Watson

Help!  I have lost it,

I know it was here.

I was given a portion,

A part to hold dear.

God told me to keep it.

I’ve had a rough ride.

I can’t seem to find,

The faith I’ve let slide.

Oh help me God!

I can’t do this alone.

You told me to ask

And you’d hear from your throne.

“Be still and know,

I am God and I love you,

Though you have wandered,

I forgive and will hold you.

Do not fear my child,

I will not let you fall,

I will bring you through,

Despite of it all.

My mercy’s unending,

My love without cost,

Your faith, although small

Is no longer lost.

Let me refine you,

As purest gold,

Let me renew,

Every part of your soul.

It’s walking through fire,

That burns away dross,

And completes the good work

I began on the cross.

Don’t harden your heart,

Be willing to grow,

Become more like Christ

In you He will glow.

Your faith was not lost,

Precious child of mine,

It was tested and tried,

And was simply refined.”

Faith’s formed and it’s tested,

It does not remain still,

Through faith lives are changed,

And brought into God’s will.

Don, Sam and Koorong

Don is in Townsville.  They had to end up travelling with the army by road and it took much longer than it would normally  to reach Townsville.  They are stationed at the Airforce Base and are supplying support to the army crew who usually work on the Blackhawks. 

I invite you to pray for some things with me:

Sam's 6 monthly heart review is on Friday.  Will you please pray that the news is good, covered by the hand of God himself.  I know a few two year olds that are being told that the Fontan operation is in their not too distant future.  Although I believe in my hear that Sam is not ready for that,  I would like to hear more from God on the subject.  Will you continue to believe with me for a miracle?  Is my faith faltering?  No, I fight these thoughts sometimes; I am as human as the next person.  I'm holding onto God's promise with both hands, I would be lying if I said that my eyes were not sometimes distracted by what I see in front of me.  In the natural I see little change in Sam's heart condition.  Sometimes I think people must think I'm crazy but I don't particularly care.  My God is awesome and mighty to save!

Koorong is currently considering advertising Sam's Heart in their catalogues. Will you please pray that they listen to God and provide an opportunity to share this story with more people?  From what I can gather they will still carry the book but advertising in their catalogue what be amazing.   They are considering it at the moment.

Thank you for visiting Father God with these requests of mine.  We are joined together in spirit as we pray together.

Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week

February 7-14, 2011 is Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Awareness Week

Please keep in mind all of the precious little lives that are affected by this serious illness.  Say a prayer for them each day this week.  Donate some money to help research.  I'm sure there is a local organisation that supports families in your area.  If you know a family that has been affected by this disease send them a little note or card.   Do something small to show you care.

Sam at 3 days of age-after his first heart surgery, October 2008

Sam at almost 2 and a half, living life to the full, January 2011

These children are brave little warriors, often going through more trauma than any adult I know.  They are special gifts from God, full of His strength, courage and determination.  He has a special purpose for each of them and their families.  Their hearts are uniquely joined with God's as he holds them close through all of life's trials. 

To learn more about congenital heart disease please visit:  http://www.heartkids.org.au/

The Perfect Sacrifice

So here is the second installment of the new work God is inspiring me to create.  I hope it blesses you. As always I value your input.  Please feel free to leave comments. 

The Perfect Sacrifice

Hear My Heart-Pencil sketch by Nicole Watson

I've made a mistake Lord,

I’ve sinned once again,

I lied through my teeth,

And caused so much pain.

I need your redemption,

I’ve fallen so far,

I need your salvation

To heal the scars.

I can understand Peter,

When you washed both his feet,

How he begged you,

To make the whole job complete.

“Wash my feet, my head

And both my hands too!”

I surrender my all,

My life is in you.

You don’t demand offerings,

You’ve made that quite clear,

It’s through your good grace,

That we have no fear.

The blood of our Saviour

Will wash away sin,

To open the door,

So all may come in.

Sacrifice perfect,

Not one blemish spot,

Your beautiful son,

He carried the lot.

Our burdens and sins

He nailed to the cross,

No longer condemned

We are no longer lost.

We’re a brand new creation,

Your Word does proclaim,

Life everlasting

No need for sin’s shame.

Such glory awaits us,

No mind comprehends,

We’re no longer strangers,

God calls us his friends.



Help is on the way

Praise God there has been no reports of loss of life yet from cyclone Yasi.  How amazing it is that the cyclone slowed and delayed the huge storm surge they were predicting.  What great mercy God has shown!  I pray God gives each person in those communities today the courage and strength to go through the restoration they now face.

Don left this morning with the fleet of Blackhawks and they are headed to either Rockhampton or Mackay to help with the recovery and restoration.  Keep him in your prayers.  All of the helpers involved in the cleanup up there will need our prayers and support.  I don't know how long he will be gone.  We asked God if he wanted Don to go and he was asked at the last minute last night, so we know he is in the right place.

It was a bit disrupting for the boys as we had to wake them at 4.30am this morning to run Don to work and say goodbye.  They had no warning of him going to leave.  So pray for us too if you can that the next few weeks will be blessed at home.

Mercy From Yasi

If you aren't already, please spend some time praying for people in the path of cyclone Yasi.  This is now officially the biggest cyclone in Australia's history.  It is affecting a huge area of coastline and the adjacent inland.  The cyclone is due to cross the coast tonight and is estimated to take 24 hours to pass.  That is a long time to be bunkered down somewhere with kids and pets with massive gale force winds. 

Don has already been advised that he will most likely be flying out tomorrow for two weeks with the fleet of blackhawks to help with aid and recovery.  The government is not taking this storm threat lightly and neither should we.

God can protect people even in the midst of the biggest storm.  Call out to him for mercy and protection.

...And here on Earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring of the seas and strange tides.  People will be terrified at what they see coming on the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken... (Luke 21:25-26)

Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.

(Luke 21:36)

What is prayer anyway?

Prayer would have to be one the most beautiful gifts we have ever been given.  Prayer is very simply spending time with God and talking to him.  Did you notice that I didn't just say talking to him? Some of the most amazing time spent praying is when you say nothing but listen to God's voice and soak in his presence.  Prayer is all about building a relationship with your Creator,the God who loves you.  If you love someone or even like them and want to get to know them better, you want to spend time with them right?  It is the same with God.

One of the best ways to get to know the God of the Ages is by reading the letters he has left for you-The Bible.  Yes, each of the books in the bible was a separate scroll, letter or book written by inspiration of God, left here for you to read as a manual for life.  In God's Word (the Bible) you will find history, prophecy that has been fulfilled and some which is still to come to pass, love letters, proverbs, songs, parables and much more, aimed at giving you a glimpse of God's own heart.  It also includes the plan by which God determined he would save your life-through the sacrifice of Jesus-his awesome son (otherwise known as the Gospel).  If you want to know God, you have to read his book.  Believe me you won't regret it.  You don't even have to start at the beginning.  The first book I ever read in the bible was the last one-Revelation.

Secondly, tell God your heart.  There is nothing real in preparing a long winded and eloquent speech to God who already knows what is in your heart anyway.  Tell him how you feel.  If you are happy sing to him, if you are angry yell at him, if you are unsure ask him questions, if you are sad cry out to him.  If you can't find words write him a letter.  Honesty and trust are the way to build a relationship.  Jesus is the best friend you will ever have.  As your relationship grows solid with him over time he will show you all sorts of things you would never have dreamed.  Your own heart will be changed and renewed as you spend time with him.

Thirdly.  Listen to his voice.  As you spend time with someone you learn to recognise their voice.  It's like speaking to a new friend on the phone.  At first you don't recognise the voice because it's unfamiliar.  But it's not long before you recognise it instantly.  God speaks to me in many different ways.  I know for example that he has spoken to me in dreams since I was a child.  He speaks to me through reading his Word (the Bible).  I may have read the same passage 50 times and yet one day I will be reading it and something will fly off the page (metaphorically speaking) and touch my heart.  I know then that he is talking to me personally.  I hear him in my spirit/heart when we are spending time together.  The best I can explain it is when my head and heart are quiet, there are words that come from my heart, not from my head and I know they are from him.  He speaks to me through songs that I listen to, books that I read and often through other people when they share their stories with me.  It really is the most awesome thing in the world.

The last thing I would say about prayer is that it's all about relationship.  Just like our earthly relationships they are awkward if you don't spend time together.  You don't seem to have anything in common, you talk about surface stuff but nothing of real importance and it's a real effort to keep the conversation going.  Your relationship with God is just like that.  If you don't spend time with him it will be awkward at first, you need time to get to know him and trust him.

You see we all have a relationship with God even if you don't want one.  He made you, he knows you, and he loves you.  Jesus is just waiting for you to call him up and hang out with him for a while.  He has missed you heaps and looks forward to the day when he will visit you again and take you back to his house for a celebration dinner.

Pencil sketch of Jesus listening to my prayer -by Nicole Watson

Hear me as I pray O Lord.

Be merciful and answer me!

My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me."

And my heart responds, "Lord I am coming."

(Psalm 27:7-8)