So this week I asked a group of “older” ladies for some wisdom. I asked them to imagine they could venture back in time to share some advice with their young adult selves. One friend wrote this “Dream big dreams and believe anything is possible. Take giant leaps of faith and have adventures. Laugh lots and don’t take things too seriously! Believe what God says about you, treasure it in your heart and live from that place” 

Now we can probably agree that this advice is pretty good – but there was something else about it that had a profound impact on me. You see, I know this friend has suffered pain and illness throughout her young adult years. I know something of the deep heartache and loss she experiences each day as she continues with the huge restrictions this illness places upon her life. Yet she lives with a heart full of faith and generosity and, battling in ways most of us can only imagine, she writes about big dreams and adventures.

So what about us? In varying measure we will all experience disappointment, restrictions and pain and I am firmly of the belief that it’s good to be honest about those things. But in that place it is also vital to keep dreaming with God and believing what He says about us. Because, as my friend went on to write, The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love. (Zeph 3:17) There is more of Him ahead for us all, He loves us and because of this we will always have hope.

And here’s the latest batch of dates for you:-

This Sunday 13 May we’re really looking forward to enjoying lunch together @ TLC after the second service. Later on we have a relaxed Open House 7pm @ the Intern’s HouseSun

20 May – Open House will be at the brand new exciting venue of Roger’s House  

Wed 23  May – M68 for Men/Unveiled for Women – 7:30pm @ TLC come along, worship, learn and have fun sharing the journey together.

Sun 27 May – The Room – 7pm @TLC - as well as enjoying the fridge, fireplace and 3 ducks for the last time this year we will be encountering God together in a really good opportunity to go deeper in worship.

Sun 3 June Open House 7pm @ the Intern’s House

Saturday 9 June  before we say goodbye to many of you we will be having our very special end-of-academic-year, SUMMER CELEBRATION!! The invitations are ready for you this weekend!

And I would really like to highlight the opportunity to get baptised on Sun 3 June. If you have decided to follow Jesus then this is your next step – just get yourself along to a baptism class in either of our Sunday services – it would be great to send some of you off for the summer ‘freshly baptised’!

God bless you all so very, very much. May His healing and hope keep growing and growing inside you.

With my love

Joy x

And I also feel strongly that I should highlight last Sunday’s sermon to you again (http://www.trinitylifechurch.org.uk/messages/#message-2012-04-22am.) Walking in the light. Why? Because this message of grace and hope carries the Father’s heart for us all. Jesus said in John 10: 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.Recently, I have encountered the light of God bringing amazing healing to an area of pain in my life – an area in which, for a while, ‘the thief’ appeared to be stealing many things, killing my dreams and destroying my hope. It’s easy in that place to believe the lie that you are too flawed, too broken or too sinful to ever find freedom, but I want to declare to you as loudly as I can in an email – THIS IS NOT TRUE.  Wherever you are at, whatever trap you find yourself in, however dark it seems right now, Jesus has come looking for you, reaching out to take your hand and lead you into the light. He is your healer, He is your freedom, He is your hope. He has come so that you can have life.

If this is difficult for you, then my heart is to encourage you to keep going and to find someone you trust to pray with. Someone who will cheer you on and speak truth into your heart along the way.

And as a special treat for you I have (nearly) all the dates for the summer term below:-

Saturday 28 April – Globe Event – 7:30pm @ TLC - for all international students to enjoy a relaxed, fun and friendly evening together, bring a friend – the more the merrier.

Sun 6 May – Open House starts again  7pm @ the Intern’s  House

Sun 13 May we will be having Lunch together @ TLC after the second service, followed by Open House 7pm @ the Intern’s House

Sun 20 May – Open House will be at the brand new exciting venue of Roger’s House  

Wed 23  May – M68 for Men/Unveiled for Women – 7:30pm @ TLC come along and worship, learn and have fun sharing the journey together.

Sun 27 May – The Room – 7pm @TLC - as well as enjoying the fridge, fireplace and 3 ducks for the last time this year we will be encountering God together in a really good opportunity to go deeper in worship.

Sun 3 June Open House 7pm @ the Intern’s House

Saturday 9 June  before we say goodbye to many of you we will be having our very special end-of-academic-year, SUMMER CELEBRATION!! More details will follow very soon but it’s worth getting in your diary right now!

There will be a few additions – in particular some more dates for Globe Life at Jordan and Sarah’s – but you can rest assured I will keep you posted.

God bless you all, may He protect you, smile on you and be gracious to you. May He show you His favour and give you His peace.

With my love

Joy x

iCloud is something I do not understand. Somehow, documents, pictures,music or anything stored on one device owned by me will be automatically available on another at the touch of an on-screen button.

In my mind, being blessed with a vivid imagination and a complete lack of understanding as to what actually happens to all the millions of bits of precious information that must be floating around somewhere in cyber never-never land, I have a mental picture… I imagine there is some ethereal, otherworldly storehouse, like an extra-white Apple store in the clouds somewhere, possibly guarded by Internet angels, ready for dispatch at the speed of light when asked for!

And it got me thinking…Does God, who, after all, has thought processes infinitely higher and greater than the inventors of any computer system, past, present or future, have a sort-of iCloud?

What about the prayers we pray? Is it time and energy wasted? When we don’t see immediate answers, what is happening? Are they being ‘held’ somewhere in the divine iCloud?

I have been thinking of the long-term impact of prayer. A prayer is a seed. For a season, it may disappear into the ground, but it will never be lost, and will bear fruit that lasts forever and will impact the future.

Like labelling documents for storage and retrieval or choosing to plant seed in the right soil and the right part of the garden, I have become convinced that specific, intentional prayers are essential. As one great church leader said: ‘God does not answer vague prayers.’ I have been challenged to reactivate specific promises and prayers for specific people and situations and to determine to keep praying them until the matter is ‘ prayed through’.

How long that will take is an unknown, but I do know that in God’s iCloud these specific prayers are marked ‘high priority’ and that each one is held.

Roll on the day when He says, as He did to Daniel:

The moment you began praying, a  command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God.   

Daniel  9:23

with love,

Written on my ipad!

Susan x

But I can’t, and recently it’s not just Tintin that hasn’t been so inspirational. I have some decisions to make and with every book, sermon and conversation that’s come my way, I’ve been on the lookout for some spiritual neon lights – preferably declaring ‘this is the way’ – hoping to put aside uncertainty and get running down a beautifully lit path.

In the absence of these neon lights however, I’ve had to stop and wait. Gradually different decisions have become important – will I choose to trust and worship without knowing what’s ahead? Is my relationship with God more vital, more life-giving than having the answers? Feeling feel like Thomas when he said, ‘Lord we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way’, will I believe that Jesus’ reply, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life’ (John 14:5-7) is all I need to go forward?

And how about you? Undoubtedly there will be changes ahead, decisions to be made and often it’s obvious which way to go. Sometimes though, for a while, it really won’t be clear. If you feel uncertain and hesitant I want to encourage you to choose to trust, to worship and keep believing that Jesus is your only way –  these daily heart decisions are the biggest and most important we can ever make.

And I will finish with one date for all you international students – we are planning a Globe get together for international students on 28 April – Anastasia will be in contact soon with more details.

In the meantime, may you be very, very blessed, if you’re away then keep listening to our TLC messages online, and if you’re in Leicester I hope to see you at Moat on Sunday.

With lots of love,
Joy x

Tony and I feel we can look back on a term full of God’s blessing. Seeing people find Jesus, many growing in faith, students being baptised – these are very special memories. For us personally, a week at the Father’s House Trust was an incredible gift. This was followed by a beautiful sense of God’s presence at our 18-25’s weekend away – a huge highlight – and I feel so blessed and grateful to be His treasured child.

Then this week I tripped up – difficult to believe I know, but occasionally it happens!! I made a mess of something and it affected people I care about. And I find I have a challenge on my hands – whilst I know I need to repent and change can I also believe that I am still blessed and still his treasured child when I get it wrong – or do I hold an image of an angry God who withdraws from me when I fail, a God to whom I will always be a disappointment?

And I want to tell you how I’ve been merrily skipping along in the truth, but in actual fact it’s taken time to get there – I don’t want it to take time, I want to be perfect right now. Being perfect seems safer. But then that still small voice speaks again ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ (2 Cor 12:9) and I am back in the safest place there is – the place of His acceptance, forgiveness and love – because through the cross he draws us close to Himself, the place He has always wanted us to be.

So this Easter I pray that you will be in that safe place too – not trying to figure it all out on your own, not striving to be good enough, not fearful of making mistakes, but depending on His grace, walking in His approval, knowing that “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10) – it’s a really good place!

And if you’re still in Leicester we look forward to seeing you over the holidays – all the dates you need to know are here on the website and I will no doubt be in contact with a few more dates for you soon!

May you be massively blessed with knowing His presence and goodness in your life,

with my love

Joy x

The film moves me so much because it stirs in me my intense dislike of racism, bullying and injustice. When you look at the terrible things humans have done to one another over the centuries and the potential for hatred it is easy to point the finger and blame others and forget that injustice continues today. People are still discriminated against because of their skin colour, religious beliefs and convictions. Slavery is also very much alive in our world. People are held against their will, men and women are trafficked for the pleasure and profit of others and children are abused. In parts of our world, converts to Christianity are in fear of their lives and people live each day in pain. And in our own city bullying is real, people are crushed and damaged and the heart of God whispers out.

There is so much noise today and yet his whisper still speaks out to us.

What are the whispers in you that cry out? A single mum said to me recently how sad she was at the lack of strong men of God who will love God and commit to their wives and children to be faithful, loyal men. I agree and I hear the whisper of God. So today I stand up again and say that with God’s help I will be one of those men – are there other men who will join me in standing?

I spoke with a man recently who has found Jesus who explained that having tried most sin options he was left empty with an ache in his heart and a new desire to make a difference in the world and do something with his life. He has begun to hear that whisper. And what will we do for the thousands of people in Leicester who live without peace and forgiveness and do not hear the whisper of a loving heavenly Father?

In my life certain whispers are becoming a shout:

1. Every life is precious and every person is made in the image of God and made to have a relationship with him through Jesus.

2. Wherever you are right now, if you take a step towards the Father he will run to you and you can know a fresh start.

3. God cries out across our city: “THE FATHER LOVES YOU.”

4. The church exists for more than ourselves. We must become deeper worshippers, stronger believers, more healed and secure and reach out to the world.

5. Compassion to broken people has to be our business.

6. Whatever the problem, the leader of our church – Jesus – has the answer.

7. May our doors be open to everyone that you love God.

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for I am about to pass by”…and then came a gentle whisper: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1 Kings 19:11-13

He whispers to you and me the same words as he did to Elijah: “What are you doing here?”

I pray your response is like mine and a growing army of people here at TLC:

“I am loving you, my life is yours, I am serving, giving, praying and active in my church and I am making a difference in my life”

And God is at work in TLC – people are being saved and discipled and loved and I sense that He is walking with us and whispering to us: “This is the right way, more of this”. TLC lets keep walking with him and listening to his whisper and just perhaps we might see what we have longed for.

Keep listening to any Sunday messages you missed by connecting to the TLC website.

The best is ahead

David

I can also report that 5 days spent at the Father’s House Trust are 5 days very well spent. Now isn’t the time to inflict every detail upon you (do a hear a collective sigh of relief?!) and I probably have enough to process for at least the rest of this decade, but what I can express is summed up in Isaiah 63:7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD. You see somewhere over the last few years, whilst my head knew it was true, my heart had lost sight of the fact that God is kind. He’s kind and it changes everything! I keep repeating it to myself in amazement – HE’S KIND, HE’S KIND, HE’S KIND!! Now some of you are reading this thinking I must be incredibly stupid to have forgotten this eternal truth – you have experienced His kindness for yourself and you live with the deep security of knowing His heart towards you. Others are planning to avoid me – we all know there’s no-one more irritating than the person who has recently returned from a “life changing conference”!

And then I think there are a few others who may be wondering if you can experience this kindness too…maybe your heart has lost sight of this very simple truth, maybe you never really knew it, maybe your experience of life has been too painful, too confusing or too difficult… if that is you then I want to encourage you – it’s OK to feel like that and it’s OK to tell God that’s how you feel. And then I want to encourage you that He has a plan to show you His heart in a way that is designed just for you. It may take time, you may need to receive healing and comfort first, it may sometimes be a difficult journey, but I am convinced that He wants you to know He is kind and that He wants you to experience this kindness for yourself.

And I am also convinced that you should read and take note of the following dates!

This Sunday – BAPTISMS in the second service – extremely exciting  to see five wonderful students get baptised – it’s going to be fantastic – I hope as many of you can be there as possible.

Wed 21 March – 7:30pm @ TLC Building – Unveiled our monthly group for women to worship/pray/listen/laugh and eat cake together – I’m looking forward to another lovely evening. Unfortunately there will be No M68 for the men this month – though if you wear something flowery we might let you join the ladies…..

23-25 March – COMEAWAY2012 – I’m getting excited about the weekend away now – so many very lovely people are signed up for a really, really great time. There is still time to join us – if you are undecided please know that we would LOVE you to part of it all – but please let me know tomorrow – because it’s time to sort the practicalities of food/sleeping, etc. For those of you who have already got your name down I intend to send you details on Monday about what you need to bring and what we will be getting up to and feel free to ask any questions.

And I also want to highlight Heart for the House – our opportunity to give something beyond our usual tithe. If you haven’t seen the video click here.. http://www.trinitylifechurch.org.uk/youtube.php?id=c9cNnFUw8L0&width=560&height=349 and if you’re concerned you ’re going to miss out because you’re  at the weekend away, fear not, we will do some simultaneous giving in Herefordshire too – it’s going to be fun!

Hope to see you tomorrow at Moat, with lots of love,

Joy x

This resonates with a deep part of  me that knows that this is the life I want to live…a life of journey and a life of worship…of pilgrimage and praise. The tent that says we will not settle to a cosy, no challenge, comfortable life but stay listening to the Father’s voice and stepping out in obedience- wherever it leads.

And the altar… worshipping, stopping, building, using what we have, sacrificing what is valuable, receiving what He gives us back…Abraham built altars at places of choice, at strategic places on his journey.

We may not build physical altars, but God sees our hearts:  ‘the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit…’Psalm 51:17…’May my prayer be set before you like incense. May the lifting of my hands be like the evening sacrifice’Psalm 141:2…’in view of God’s mercy, offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual worship.’ Romans 12:1

Enjoy some time around the campfire today!

Your friend,

Susan x

So this week I’ve been thinking about belonging. One of my frequent prayers for each one of you, is that you will have a very strong sense of belonging. Firstly and most importantly to our Father – we are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved (Col 3:12) and this is always the foundation of our lives. But my heart is also that you will know you belong in Leicester and, more specifically, that you will know security in belonging to TLC.

I looked up ‘belonging’ in the dictionary and one of the meanings stood out – ‘to be properly or appropriately placed’ – and this is my prayer for you here. Some of you have been part of TLC for many years and some only a few weeks, but if you have decided to make TLC your church then you belong here. It can sometimes take a while to feel ‘properly or appropriately placed’ within a church and if this is a challenge for you at the moment then it would be good for you to ask God to help you find your place. It may help to talk to Tony and I, or one of the other leaders. It may help to join a small group, or a serving team (I’m sure some of you are resisting ‘belonging’ to the 7am set-up team!!) but ultimately your Father wants to place you where you can thrive and bless others and as you trust him he will help you to find the way.

And then of course I have several more dates for you – there really are some fantastic things coming up this month:-

This Sunday morning– there will be baptism teaching in both services for everyone who wants to get baptised. If you’re thinking about it but have some questions this is also a great opportunity for you to find out more. In fact if you’re at TLC on Sunday and haven’t been baptised can I HUGELY recommend that you get yourself along to the teaching.

And then in the evening at the TLC building it’s time for StandOut! If you have a ticket then you’re in for a treat – doors open at 7:30pm. If you still want to come and don’t have a ticket, contact Becka at standoutmakeadifference@live.co.uk.

Thursday 8 March – 7:30pm @ TLC– it’s time for our next Globe Event which is going to be a brilliant fair trade themed evening – bring your friends along – it’s a fun and relaxed evening open to all international students.

Sunday 11 March – it’s our next opportunity to eat together and David and Susan have very kindly opened their home for an 18-25’s invasion – I’m very much looking forward to driving the minibus again and getting us all to the house of Hind for a great afternoon.

And for those of you with a unique ability to ignore information may I announce that 23-25 March is COMEAWAY2012 and that we really want to gather as many of you as possible for a weekend full of good things. There will be food, there will be friendship, there will be beautiful countryside, there will be a lot of fun….and we are asking God to come and meet with us. I believe he is going to answer our prayer and we will be restored, enlarged and inspired as we encounter Him. Booking forms are  available on Sunday and I am genuinely excited about spending the weekend with the lovely people who are already signed up.

That’s all for now, may you be blessed so very, very much, see you soon.

With love,

Joy x

And last week someone spoke to me about looking higher, about God having something bigger, about there being more, and I came away challenged, pondering what it really means to look higher. What counts as ‘bigger’ in God’s kingdom? I would love to present you with the answers – ‘The Complete Looking Higher, Expecting Bigger Manual for Everyday Christians’ – but I can’t. All I know is I have a longing to pray for the sick and see them healed, to use words that bring encouragement and inspiration, to see lonely people loved, hurting people comforted, to see a city transformed because people find Jesus and live in His love, to see God do the things I know only he can do…. I run out of words but this song helps capture some of it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8PYGeNjAqY

And I’m writing about this because I believe if it is time for me to look higher, to believe for something bigger, then the same is true for you. You may not fully know what it means, but may I challenge you again to believe for something more, to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you, to let him increase your faith and your expectation. We cannot do this ourselves but as we fix our eyes on him, he is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Eph 3:20) – that’s worth looking up for!

And as usual I will conclude with some dates for you to remember…

This Sunday 7-9pm – Open House is at Tom and Philippa Hind’s house and you are sure to have fun there!

Wednesday 22 Feb M68 for Men and Unveiled for Women – Join us, 7:30pm at the TLC building for encouragement, inspiration and the opportunity to share a bit of life together.

Sunday 26 Feb – the 11:30 service is a special Guest Service – it will be great to bring your friends along and in the evening The Room is back, 7pm at the TLC building with all the usual fun, cakes and space for us to encounter God together.

Sun 4 March – 7:30pm stand*out at the TLC building – for information and free tickets email Becka standoutmakeadifference@live.co.uk

And don’t forget comeaway2012 is waiting for you 23-25 March – pick up/fill out/return your booking forms on Sunday.

We hope to see you soon, God bless you so very very much

With love

Joy x