A Decade of Writing

The 9th of January marked my tenth year of blogging!

That’s a huge milestone for me. So much has happened from making the decision to start blogging. I have met some amazing people, got confident in my writing and even wrote a book.

I remember when I first started. I was afraid because I didn’t know how people would respond to what I was writing, and anxious because I didn’t know anything about blogging. “How was I going to do this” I thought?

But the important thing to note is that I did take the step of faith to start and God has been so good.

I want to encourage you to do what God has put in your heart to do. This is the best time to start. You may be like me who was fearful of the unknown or anxious but God is with you. He will help you as you take that first step. Just start friend.

If you gave up and think it’s too late to start again, you are not too late. God is the God of second chances and He is waiting for you. Don’t bury those desires God has put in you. That’s what the enemy wants you do. He doesn’t want you accomplishing what God has called you to do.

And as I come to the end of the post I want to thank all those who have been with me on this journey, new and old. Your support means so much to me. Here is to another ten years of writing!

Do what God has called you to do friend!

Rolain

We are the church!!

“All this energy issues from Christ: God raised Him from death and set Him on a throne in

deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments,

no name and no power exempt from His rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He

is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the

church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church.

The church is Christ’s body, in which He speaks and acts, by which He fills everything with His presence.”

Ephesians 1:20-23

 

I love this passage of scripture. I love how it describes the role of the church in our lives,

 

“At the center of all this, Christ rules the church.

The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world;

the world is peripheral to the church.

The church is Christ’s body, in which He speaks and acts,

by which He fills everything with His presence. “

 

What a powerful passage of scripture about the church.

According to this scripture, the world is peripheral to the

church and not the other way round but it actually feels like

it’s the other way round. To a lot of people church has become

mundane, boring and irrelevant.

The church has become peripheral to the

world for a lot of Christians.

But that is not the way it’s supposed to be.

The church is meant to be the answer to a dying world.

But some where along the way, we have missed it.

 

I understand the church is not perfect. How can it be?

People make up a church! People are imperfect, people say the wrong

things, people judge, people make mistakes and on and on the list goes…..

But for some reason we have this idea that church is supposed to be this

perfect place! How wrong we are!

Church is messy, church is hard at times but what matters is the big picture.

When Christ comes back He is coming for His Bride (the church)

 

If you didn’t know, the church is not a building. The church are the people in the

building! We are the answer to a lost world. We are meant to show the people THE

way. The church needs to be a light in a dark place. We are meant to make an impact

in our community, city, and nation.

 

But that only happens when the church is the main thing. It happens when the world is peripheral

to the church in our lives and not the other way round.

 

Amen

 

Rolain

What an empty life looks like….

“Then He spoke a parable to them saying:

“The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do,

since I have no room to store my crops?

So he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build

greater, and there I will store all  my crops and my goods.

And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up

for many years, take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”

Luke 12: 16-19

 

We all know how this story ends,

 

“But God said to him, Fool!

This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will

those things be which you have provided?

So is he who lays up treasure, and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:20, 21

 

This story shows us what an empty life looks like.

The rich fool had so much in his hands and instead of using it

to make a difference in people’s lives he thought about how

he could consume it on himself!

 

You can’t make a difference if all you think about is how you

are going to be provided for.

The rich fool could have impacted so many lives but he didn’t.

He didn’t understand what he really had.

 

I have a friend who is a dancer by profession and I watched one of his

dance videos yesterday.

I was so impacted by it and the one thing that stood out to me

was how he was using what God had given him to bring glory to God.

That’s what it’s all about friends.

God has given you talents and gifts but it is all meaningless if you are not

using it to bring glory to His name.

Are you using what God has given you to touch your family, neighbor,

unsaved friend, community, city, nation and world??

That is why you have been given talents and gifts.

That’s why you were created.

Your purpose is always about touching people. When God created

you, He made you in such a way that you would shine in the darkness.

 

My challenge to you is to think about what God has given you.

How can you use it to show God’s love?

How can you use it to impact the people around you?

Your challenge is my challenge.

Let’s make sure we are using the gifts God has given us to bring Him glory.

As I sign off I will leave you watching

my friend’s dance video. I pray

it ministers to you as it did to me….

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

The Tuesday that changed everything……..

I have not written in a while. Not because I had nothing to write about, but because I was involved in a car accident! To be honest I didn’t want to write, I guess it was shock! It is not easy writing about the accident but after a week I know God has been challenging me to write about what happened!

 

Last Tuesday……

I was on my way to do shopping when a man ran out on the road unexpectedly! Thank God it was raining because it made me drive slowly! Anyway this guy ran out on the road and before I knew it he was in front of me. I tried to avoid him by turning sharply away from him but I was not successful. I hit him with the side of my bumper which sent him falling to the other lane.

But another car going much faster bumped him and sent him flying in the air. He landed on his head. I was not alone in the car so we jumped out of the car and ran to the man. We called the ambulance a few minutes after that. When they finally arrived they tried to revive him but it was too late, he had lost too much blood. He was declared dead…….

I can’t begin to describe to you the feelings and emotions that I went through. I was in shock! I couldn’t believe he had died! I just stood there in the rain looking at the corpse! I saw life leave him…….

 

God’s goodness……

During this traumatic time a few things happened which I can only describe as God’s amazing love. A friend who I had not seen for at least 5 years saw my car and stopped to help!! I had seen him earlier in the day which was amazing in its self but a few hours later in another part of town he stopped to help me! That was God indeed.

In a few minutes of him leaving another close friend of mine who heard the news arrived! As a guy I was putting on a strong front for the people that were at the scene but when my friend came he understood. He saw through the front I had made. I broke down when he came. We embraced and he kept on telling me, “It wasn’t my fault”! Once again I can’t tell you what that did for me! God knew what I needed. It wasn’t something I could put into words but He knew. When I stopped crying my friend left. But those few minutes he spared were so crucial that day! Sometime after that another friend came. He was driving when he seen me. He turned his car around and came and asked if I needed anything. There was nothing he could do at that precise moment so he left but as I left the scene of the accident with the police he returned with a hot cup of coffee! I had been in the rain the whole time and I was freezing but I never noticed it until he handed me the cup of coffee….!!  God is so good.

 

Lessons learned…..

Things have changed since that day. My relationship with God has gone deeper. It’s crazy to think but a few weeks before the accident I would have days where I would get nothing from the word, just dryness! Nothing would jump out at me but after the accident, it was like I was reading a different bible. The bible I was reading was alive. Every day had something new and something for me, something I could hold on to. My prayer times where different. In actual fact they still are. Something has changed. It’s like the blinders have been taken off. I see God more clearly! When I read my word I see Him, when I listen to music (worship music) I hear Him, I see Him in people when they come to encourage me, and pray for me, when I spend time with Him I feel Him!

Whatever pain or tragedy you are going through know that God has a plan in the midst of the pain! He wants you to run to Him. And as you run to Him, He will comfort and deliver you. He will not leave you to go through the pain alone! He will be with you every step of the way! His hand will be on you……That’s a promise!

 

Today……..

I am still waiting on the police. They are still working on the case and I am waiting for them to come to a decision. They can press charges or let it go. I am believing for the latter! I would really appreciate your prayers in this time!

I am much better than last week. I realize I will never forget what happened that day and I need to make a decision how I go from here. I can live in guilt and blame myself and I can live in fear of driving and so on or I can trust God!

Rolain

She was a nobody but faith………

This is part of three of my series on Hebrews 11. Read part two here. As I start this post I would like to share a verse that got my attention,

[Prompted] by faith Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed along with those who refused to believe and obey, because she had received the spies in peace [without enmity]. Hebrews 11: 31

Rehab is a hero of the faith but I wonder if she sees the same thing?? If we spoke to her now would she say she is a hero proudly? A lot of people read her story and are inspired and it is good but let us look deeper into her life. She was a prostitute and that meant a few things:

– She slept with men for money. It didn’t matter if the man was married or a drunk, or abusive, as long as they had money she would sleep with them.

– She was looked down upon by society.

– It’s very possible she struggled with a low self esteem

– She was finding it hard to make ends meet and maybe that is why she became a prostitute.

– She lived in fear (it’s possible she was threatened by men she slept with)

– No one respected her.

– She may have broken a few families up. It’s possible wives found out their husbands slept with Rahab and left!

– She must have dealt with guilt and condemnation on a regular basis because of the things she had to do. .

– Did she try to commit suicide???

I would like to make something clear before we move on,

I look up to Rahab and in no way am I trying to tear down her reputation and what God had done for her. I am trying to paint a picture of what she probably went through to make you understand what God saved her from. Because despite all the bad she did and all the bad that happened to her, through faith she was saved. Her name is recorded among the Greats because she trusted God! Because of faith she saved her family and was found in Jesus’s lineage!! (Matthew 1:5)

We need faith and without it we can do nothing pleasing to God. Do I understand what faith is? Not really. What I do know is God did amazing things through the people who trusted Him. No matter what people labeled them, or where they grew up, they turned the world upside down!

This is what the word says about these great men and women of faith,

[Men] of whom the world was not worthy–roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth. (Hebrews 11:38 AMP)

Think about all Rahab could of gone through. How could God use her, one could think but in the end what matters is He did! No one is too far off for God to use!

You might feel like you are of no use and your life doesn’t count for something. You might think you have committed too much sin to ever do anything great or you may be plagued with guilt and condemnation but know God has a plan for you! He wants to do great things through you and that is why He wants you to trust Him. Only God can turn your life into something great but you have to have faith in Him!

Rahab did that. She stepped out in faith to God despite what she had done and what people thought and saved the spies. As she used her faith her life changed never to be the same ever. What an amazing testimony for her. I am going to look forward to meeting her and hearing her story! Her story is an example of what God can do with someone who has faith in Him!

Our faith in God can do things we never imagined ever. It can open doors only God can open. Have faith in Him.

Rolain

Final thoughts before 2013 leaves us forever!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, 2013 is about to leave us forever but before it does there are a few things I would like to reflect on. There are thanks I would like to give and I like I said reflect. I would like to reflect my time as a blogger. It has been an amazing journey so far. There were times I wanted to give up, times I had writers block, times when I doubted myself but I am still here. You will see why very soon…..So here we go.

When did you start?
I started blogging at the start of 2012 and what a journey it has been. I have met so many people and I would like to mention a few of those people towards the end of this post.

Why did you start blogging?
I found out  one of my passions was writing just before starting the blog and needed to know if I was any good. So starting Kingspeech was just supposed to be a ginuea pig but it turned out to much more than that thanks to God. He really knows how to take the small and turn it into something big and even now, I feel like I have just started to see what God has in store.  I want to be a writer so this would be a great plattform to learn how to write from more experienced writers. I am still learning…..

But God is faithful. I have learned so much from blogging. The people I have met are all so amazing. Thank you for your encouragement, correction, and instruction. I never considered myself as the teacher but the student and I still do. I need all the teaching I can get.
God has blessed me beyond my wildest expectations….Next year is going to be crazy!!!!!  In a good way  😉

Here is a small list of people who have really inspired and encouraged me on this journey. We don’t accomplish all God has for us alone. God surrounds us with people to do that and I have had A LOT of people who have helped me. The list you see is a small amount, very small mount of people who have helped me. If you liked a post I wrote or commented on a post of mine or are following my blog you are considered in that circle of people who have helped me and encouraged me and I don’t take that lightly. Here is a list of some of the people who have been there for me and have really inspired me, and supported me through this journey,

Heath and Lea
writersfield
Godgirl
wsforchrist
pjgracecommunity
blossingpebble
ashley  

Like I said, this is a very small list of people who have been insrumental in this blog being here. Thank you all so much and I look forward to going through 2014 with you all. God is good and faithful and I pray a blessing over you all. God bless

Love

Rolain

 

The “Accident” & “Community”!

It has been a crazy week for me. I was involved in a car accident and I wish I could say it wasn’t my fault but it was. I never gave way at an unmanned intersection and crashed into a car. It was the first accident I have ever been involved in. I am ok now but I was pretty shaken up yesterday. I was in shock I guess. Anyway we had to go and collect the policeman and bring him back to the scene where he could record the incident. As all this was going on I was telling all my friends what had happened. I was really overwhelmed by the support I got. People called and messaged me asking how I was. It really blessed me. And that got me thinking about community.

Community is very important. We cannot underestimate the importance of community. We are not an island. God has put people around us to complete us. In actual fact, we are all a community! We are designed with the ability to be a community. It is in a community that we get nourished. God wants you to reach your maximum potential and it is in the setting of community that you do that. Please note, I am talking about a community that has your best interests at heart, a community you can trust, one that loves you. We need community and I seen the power of it yesterday and even today.

Let me finish my story. So yesterday I was told I was supposed to go to court for not giving way! I really didn’t want to go to court. I have never been to court and I was not keen on going. I was scheduled to go to court today at 8:00am but as I was about to get processed for court the policeman changed his mind and just fined me which he was supposed to do in the first place! I believe it was because of the people who were praying for me. Yes I prayed but there was power in what the community was declaring as well!!!

I thank God for the people He has brought into my life. You are all truly a blessing and I am writing this post to honour you all. Your value in my life cannot be measured and I am truly blessed to have you in my life.

My prayer is that you don’t take the people around you for granted. They are in your life to be a blessing.

Rolain