Wednesday, 10 December 2008

Just Quickly (God is Faithful)

Alright, so a proper update at the end of this week. But God is faithful, as has been evidenced to me in 2 ways this week:

1 - I got a first in my first essay this year! Yay!

2 - Mo, the homeless guy I met 2 or 3 weeks ago outside Sainsbury's - I was rushing past, needed to pee, ignored him, got convicted at the urinal, got chatting to him afterwards first out of guilt then out of interest, we sat in Subway for an hour chatting and enjoying good food and invited him to church but never saw him so kept on praying because he was kinda suicidal - well, he got saved, and healed.

Basically, I got a text from Toby (Fordwestern, absolute legend, part of Church Planters Inc.) that at Alpha, he prayed for a guy with a foot broken in 2 places and he got miraculously healed and then saved, and it was the first time Toby had ever done anything like that, and he was amazed. Anyway, I thought nothing of it, till I heard the dude was homeless. I sent Toby a quick text to ask if his name was Mo - it was.

Mo turned up to the Alpha supper that night looking for some food and, in the same way I had spoken to him at first, out of guilt. He was telling Toby that he met someone from CCK a few weeks back and had been meaning to come - kept on saying it, but couldn't remember my name - and got talking with Toby about stuff that was going on. Toby prayed for his foot, and he got healed. There and then. When I met Mo, his foot was in a massive cast, resting on the railing behind him, while he stumbled about with crutches. By the end of the night, he was literally jumping around up and down on his cast. He then "prayed the prayer", accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his heart, and thus got a new heart and became a new creation, holy in the sight of God, justified and redeemed through the powerful propitiatory work of Jesus.

Words cannot express how happy I am! I have not been this happy all term - and it's been a term full of belly laughs and happiness. But this was incredible. I was jumping up and down on the phone to Toby. This, as far as I know, is the first guy God has used me to bless and be a part of his salvation. To God be the glory, that he talks to us and uses us like this! I am so happy, because I met Mo at a rough place in his life. Earlier that week, he tried to throw himself under a bus, but he "couldn't even do that right" as he said it. He'd lost contact with his sons, he'd lost his best friend who that day had flown back to Australia, he wasn't used to this homeless thing - he talked about "my ****ing teeth! I had beautiful ****ing teeth! Now look at them! I can't stand the sight of them now". He's an artist (you can tell, he's got that glint in his eye) and all he wanted was a home - somewhere to go, somewhere nice to sleep at night, a nice warm bed in a nice hotel, watch some TV. But I didn't know how to tell him about Jesus. I didn't think it was right to preach him the gospel, or to pray with him outright then (other times, I've felt God definitely tell me to pray with people there and then, like Dan who I met at the bus stop), but I didn't know what to do. So I invited him to church - he'd been told he "wasn't welcome" at the last one he went to - and left it at that, and took to praying for him.

And now he is sure of eternal rest and comfort, better than one night in a hotel with some TV. Though his teeth have fallen out, and outwardly he wastes away, inside he has been regenerated and made a new creation - and on the outside, on his foot, too! I am so excited, so amazed at God's beautiful grace, His compassion and mercy, I can't contain it or express it properly. Yes, God is holy, yes God is full of wrath and righteous and very, very different from us. But his heart is for the poor, for the downcast and the humble. And he uses people who will listen to his whispers in supermarket toilets to help work miracles, physical and spiritual.

Our God saves. Hallelujah!!!

Monday, 8 December 2008

5 days!!

So, in 5 days, I will travel 190 miles and mark the end of my first term at uni. I will leave the romanticising for later, but right now, I'm enjoying life so much!

This morning I slept in till 11am, got up, spent a while praying, playing worship stuff on my electric guitar with distoooorrrtttiiiooonnnn and generally chilling out, having the loudest quiet time possible. This is following 2 very good Biblical instructions:

"Of the writing of books there is no end, and much study is weariness"

and

"Rejoice, young men, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes, knowing that for all these God will judge".

Joel preached excellently on following your own heart - something he usually tells people off for doing, but actually, something safe with a renewed new creation sanctified heart. So, it is excellent and Biblical to enjoy Arcade Fire and blues and good films (and not just PGs) and good food and bitter and port and good real coffee and belly laughter and banter and curry and fun times. "Love God, and do what you like". It sounds dangerous and scary and slightly heretical - listen to it. It's good.

Also, I have 2 essays due this week. 1 is finished. 1 just needs reorganising. And those are the only 2 things I have to do this week. God has been particularly gracious to me this term in letting me chill a lot. He has helped me get work done in perfect timing - not too early that I neglect good things as they come, not too late so I'm not stressin'. But it's been a good balance. I'm soo chilled out now. It's awesome.

Anyway, I have a lecture in about 15 minutes, so I'd better leave. I'll post again this week, probably more than once, with lots of reflections about different stuff over the last 10 weeks. But, as way of preparation: family, when I come home:

I shave with razor blades, I like medium curries, blues, John Mayer, port, real ale, and not just filter coffee. I also drink tea now. And my hair is different, but you probably wouldn't notice :P also, if I occasionally slip into a northern accent, blame Tom Walker. In fact, blame him for most of this.

Party!