Sell everything and start again? Worked for us :) However, I guess moving to the other side of the world will do that to a person..lol!

Hooray! Hooray!! Hooray!!! SO excited for the Hodge Lodge headin' south! I now have Arrested Development in my head, and it's all your fault :)

Off the cuff, this may sound like a liberal and controversial statement, but - I don't think our desires and God's will have to be mutually exclusive. If we are in love with God, then our desires merge more and more into those which reflect His will.

I'm certainly not saying that it is easy (not at all), but just that I think we need to recognise that not everything we want to do is necessarily wrong or in conflict with God's word. I guess it's part of whether we see God as a punisher or a "rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

I'm CERTAINLY not saying that anything goes, goodness no, PLEASE hear my heart on this. I don't advocate a liberal lifestyle where we do anything we like & then run to God for forgiveness. For our desires to match His will takes that aforementioned diligence, a constant check in our spirits, and a daily realisation of HOW. HE. LOVES. US. Sometimes we do have to act first in faith, sometimes we have to wait on God for that prompt. There may not be a hard and fast answer (unless it's completely contrary to the bible). But sometimes we're too reluctant to act as we anticipate God will show us what to do in a blinding flash of light, and that never comes. It makes me think of a statement we heard in church on Sunday - people who wait for miracle to miracle actually live in a state of crisis.

I do feel that in some (I reiterate) some grey area decisions, God is quite happy for us to make our own way - in the same way that not everything is beneficial - some things may be acceptable, but not necessarily the BEST way. I don't think God is poised to hit us with a large stick if we live average lives (I don't mean lukewarm, I just mean.....'good' Christian lives), but I know He'd prefer us to live in the fullness of all He has for us (an AMAZING relationship being lived out).

Not that any of that necessarily answers your question...more of an offshoot answer :) Nobody beat me up, ok? :)

Mandy, I just HAVE to meet you IRL and hug you hard (& throw off any lingering British reserve!) ;)

Love you, love your heart, and love that you talk with such clarity when I'm sure you don't always feel it. And yes, praying for you, this is a subject very close to home.

Cogs are turning here (Slowly, cos it's cold)....I'll see what I can come up with!

and saying to someone "nice Bobs!" sounds like a euphemism.

You might need to ask the guys at Bluetree first, seeing as they wrote the song. :-D

These pictures make me smile from ear to ear. Love them a lot!

And I think I know someone who can look after all the radio communications for the next 3 big events....:)

I'd rather turn the question on it's head, and say that the church SHOULD be positioning itself to provide good counsel to the world, instead of what has traditionally happened - less counsel, more shouting, or ever more evident, a shying away from talking about things that would actually make a difference. We get so caught up in political correctness sometimes that we feel the world are just going to think we're preaching at them, but in reality, people are so hungry for balance, wisdom and a lack of personal agenda. The church NEEDS to provide that. That's the essence of the 'good news'.