Rubbish

Notice rubbish today and do something about it. Some people are trashing up the world with their mess. Take this challenge literally or figuratively. Whether you take rubbish as harmful ideas, bad attitudes, reckless morality or as physical rubbish, try to clean the world up a little. Do it for God’s sake and do it with love.

Jesus

If you want to bump in to God, getting to know Jesus is an excellent place to start. God is mysterious. When God came to be one of us, he was a physical human being. Jesus is much easier to understand and to picture because he was like us. Jesus came in person to show us what God is like. No one can really have a good understanding of God, without knowing Jesus. In fact Jesus said, “No one comes to the father except through me.”

Here are some ways that you can get to know Jesus better.

1.  Read the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Bible. (You could use highlighter pens and colour all the bits that challenge you in one colour, the ones that inspire you in another colour and the parts that you have questions about in another.)

2.  When you pray, direct your prayers to Jesus. Talk to and listen to Jesus.

3.  Ask people who are friends with Jesus to tell you about him.

4.  Go to church or to a Christian Bible study group to learn about Jesus.

5.  Ask Jesus to come into your life and to be with you so that you can get to know him.

Friends

Friends, like God, can be there for you. Who are your true friends? What do they do that puts them in that category? What do you do to be a true friend to others? Reach out to some of your friends today. Ring them up or call on them or (at worst) email them. Ask how they are going and have time to actually listen – for the long hall if that’s what they need. Let them serve you too if they want to know what’s really going on for you lately, and open up your heart to them.

Journaling

Keep a prayer journal, like a spiritual diary, where you record what’s going on for you in a kind of chat format with God. Write your prayers of praise and thanks, your confessions, your asking prayers, and your conversational chatty thoughts being aware that God is reading as you write.

Many people get distracted when they pray just in their thoughts. Writing prayers can help to keep you focused, and to know where to come back to if you do drift off in a daydream for a while.

You might use your prayer journal once a week, every day, once a month, whatever works for you and God.

Motivation

God motivates us to do good in the lives of others, and with our own lives. God can motivate us to do our best in our careers, our study, our relationships, our service, our hobbies. Tap in to God for motivation to get moving on the things that really matter.

Lightning

Wow! God's power. God is surely the ultimate scientist! Next time there's a thunder storm, enjoy it as a reminder of God's awesome power revealed through creation.