Excess Baggage

Right now I am a bit of bag lady.

I carry my handbag which is about as big and as heavy as a small rock {but has everything I need it in and more}, my laptop bag for work and a shoe/lunch bag or 'shunch' as I call it.

What is a shunch bag you ask? Well let me explain. I am a bit of a power walker and often I tend to leave an imprint of life where ever I go, often finding I have to reheel my shoes quite frequently. So in an attempt to protect my shoes, I either wear trainers or flats to do the daily commute and carry my work shoes. At the same time I also take my lunch from home and together they sit in the shunch bag.

Now carrying three bags isn't all that fun. Not only is it heavy, but it can start to become impractical. Have you ever tried to sit on a train with three bags on your lap! It's not fun for the person next to you, trust me!

In life we often carry about excess baggage. Extra baggage from our past lives, past regrets, past mistakes and failures. It weighs us down, it takes unnecessary space in our life and it is uncomfortable.

But we don't have to you know.

'Cast all your cares onto me', says the Lord. {1 Peter 5:7}

'Go, your past is forgiven'. {Matthew 9:2}

Isn't it good to know that you can let go off all your excess baggage. Your past IS forgiven. God has taken care of it.

You are set free.

Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

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Valentines Day is less than a week away - don’t forget to share your stories of love!

Relationship Role Models

So, all last week the news has been filled with stories of John Terry who is the captain of the England football team. It is alleged that he cheated on his wife with the girlfriend of one of his team mates, to add insult to injury he got his mistress pregnant, and then paid for her to have an abortion, all the while paying her off to silence her from selling her story to the papers. On Friday he was stripped of his captaincy.

Some people have disagreed with this and have said, what has his personal life got to do with football. I believe the decision taken by the England Coach was the right one.

John Terry is in a position of influence, many young boys {and girls} look up to him, see what he does and emulate. He is a deemed a ‘role model’. Terry’s decision to renege on his marriage vows, whilst a personal choice, {which he tried to keep private}, was made very public by the position he holds.

They appear to have it all. Great careers, great wives, great families and lots of money, but even all of that doesn’t seem to be enough for them. Terry {and Tiger Woods} have made a mockery of their marriage vows by choosing to put their selfish desires over their wives and family. I can only imagine how their wives must feel.

Too many times we hear the same story, man cheats on wife, wife cheats on husband. It’s just awful.

Everyone has that couple who they look up to. You see them, they’re so in love, so made for each other. Everything looks great. Could anything possibly go wrong?

Next thing you hear, they are getting a divorce. It sends shock waves. What happened!

If it can happen to them, can it happen to us?

I remember when Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston broke up. Yes I know that they are not Christians, but they were one of those couples that looked ‘perfect’. When they announced that they were getting a divorce it was disappointing. If they couldn’t make it work in Hollywood, who can.

Nowadays the Obama’s are that couple for me. Their story is interesting to read, the sacrifices made, the ups, the downs. They don’t strike me a couple who would head down to the divorce courts should the going get tough.

Well at least I hope not.

Which couple do you admire {famous or non-famous} and conversely which couple has disappointed you the most?

{pictures from here and here}

Valentines Day is less than a week away - don’t forget to share your stories of love!

Happy Monday! Working on the wedding

The weekend is over already! Hope you had a good one!

This weekend I spent some time working on our wedding invitations. I started them about 8 months ago and they truly are a labour of love. They are being designed in Photoshop, which for a Publisher girl is tough! But I want to challenge myself and use a ‘proper’ software, as my dad would say and I am definitely learning lots. All the artwork has come from iStock and I plan to use the same ‘theme’ throughout all the printed material. Once they leave to go out to guests, I will post on here so you can see the design.

My next design project is the programs. Anyone who is familiar with Photoshop, your advice here would be most welcome. Is this the best software to design it in? There will be several pages with a mixture of text and images. Publisher is calling me! Not sure which route is the best to take.

On a separate note, our Certificate of Approval arrived last week from the Home Office. I briefly wrote about it in an earlier post and back in November we took the decision to apply for one, seeing as it was free and it would potentially widen our options with churches in case when we finalised our new date, our original church was not available.

Look out for Getting Married 101 {UK Edition} Part Deux, which will explain all. You can read Part One here.

 Valentines Day is only a week away - don’t forget to share your stories of love!

Holding Nothing Back

Learnt this song tonight at worship team practice.

Originally written by Tim Hughes, this version is performed by Jesus Culture. I just love the lyrics. Such a great song of worship.

I am chosen, I am free
I am Living for eternity
Free now forever
You picked me up, turned me around
You set my feet on solid ground
Yours now forever

And nothing's gonna hold me back
Nothing's gonna hold me back
Nothing's gonna hold me back

My chains fell off
My heart was free
I'm alive to live for you
I'm alive to live for you
Amazing Love, how can it be?
You give everything for me
You give everything for me
Everything

You washed my sin and shame away
The slate is clean: a brand new day,
Free now forever
Now boldly I approach your throne
To claim this crown through Christ my own
Yours now forever

And nothing's gonna hold me back
Nothing's gonna hold me back
Nothing's gonna hold me back

My chains fell off
My heart was free
I'm alive to live for you
I'm alive to live for you
Amazing Love, how can it be?
You give everything for me
You give everything for me

I'm free to live
Free to give
Free to be
I'm free to love you

Happy Monday! Share your stories of love!

Well can you believe it, we're in February already. Where did January go!

February is the month of...

I thought it would be great this month to share stories of love. Stories of love to encourage and inspire others. Could be how you met your other half, could be a story of an act of love from someone you know, anything.

Send your stories of love here or send me a link to your blog and I will post during Valentine's week.

Let's celebrate love.

Some love-spiration for you!

Genesis 29:20

So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.

Proverbs 15:17

A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.

Proverbs 30:18-19

There are three things that amaze me—

no, four things that I don’t understand:

how an eagle glides through the sky,

how a snake slithers on a rock,

how a ship navigates the ocean,

how a man loves a woman

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 Corinthians 13

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

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