A - Toodyay
B - Mildura
C - Melbourne
D - Canberra
E - Sydney
F - Brisbane
On Boxing Day last year I left my Grandmothers farm outside Toodyay, Western Australia on a crazy cycling trip, with my trusty Logo recumbent tricycle, church-made trailer and a trust in a God in whose hands the paths of our lives are laid. It has been 4 months, 26 days since I left and now I am in Brisbane after cycling over 5250km. As much as it may be cliche to say so, this trip has changed me. God has been faithfully working his plan in all that has happened, unusual and interesting circumstances and Godincidences (coincidences organised by God).
At this point in time I would like to define my trip. When I left I had no set objectives, only the vague notion of spending time with God in the bush. What has occurred is that and so much more. I like to think that perhaps I've achieved something for the Lord on this trip, that it is not just me who has benefited from what I've done and am going to do on the way home.
A lot of people ask me what I have learned on my trip so I'll summarise a few points for you. - I've seen God's plan put into action time and time again, the smallest and the biggest details all being in his plan. Truly God is sovereign and he holds all of time, the beginning and the end in his hand.
- There is an unseen kingdom, in which the angels and demons have glorious battles over the souls of men, where the prayers of everyday saints change the course of history
- The Holy Spirit is alive and well, as active today as he ever was. God speaks to his people today too, in many different ways, when they are humble, available and seek him. He speaks to guide and edify his people, having an active relationship with individual people, Isaiah 46:10 - I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
- The church is much less than what it should be, Christ's bride requires a lot of work before his return, but this is the work of God
And on that note I'd like to have a quick jibe at the absolute lack of hospitality shown to me by 90% of churches I've contacted on my trip. Non-Christians put Christians to shame when it comes to hospitality. Having said that the few that did help me out were generous indeed. However instead of ranting on in my disappointment in God's people I'll leave you with a verse of scripture, Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2).
All glory to God.
Glimpses of Literature to stimulate the hunger:
Isaiah 40:6-8 - "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah 45:3 - I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
1 Corinthians 12:27-29 - Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
To God Be The Glory - Fanny Crosby
To God be the glory, great things He has done;So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
"The church has encouraged a silent divorce between the Word and the Spirit. Divorces are painful, both for the children and the parents. One parent gets custody of the children, and the other only gets to visit occasionally. It breaks the hearts of the parents and the children are much worse off because of the arrangement. Many in the church today are content to live with only one parent. They live with the Word and the Spirit only has limited visiting rights. He just gets to see and touch the kids once in a while. Some of his kids don't even recognise him anymore. Some have become afraid him. Others in the church live with the Spirit and only allow the word sporadic visits. The Spirit doesn't want to raise the kids without the Word. He can see how unruly they are becoming, but he won't force them to do what they must choose with their hearts.
So the church has become a divided family with separate parents. One set of kids is proud of their education and the other set of kids is proud of their freedom. Both think they are better than the other.
The parents are brokenhearted. Because unlike most divorces, they didn't choose this divorce. Their kids did. And the Word and the Spirit both have to honour and endure that choice" - Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God
Pornography - Nathan Combs
Pornography the angry beast
It swallows whole
It chews the least
It devours up the sons of men
And even sons of God swept in
The only cure for this disease
It lies in Christ, the mystery
The devil wants you kept locked in
But it comes to light, the hidden sin
Confess, repent, before made known
And forgiveness accept through Christ God's own
