The Signal and The Noise

Just listened to the audio of the service from last Sunday at TLC!! (Get it here - http://www.thrivinglifechurch.co.uk/audio.php

Very interesting!! It's actually something I was thinking about lately, about listening to/for God's voice!

In my own life I'm very aware of the possibility or even inclination to surround myself with 'noise' which could be anything. Life it seems bombards us with what can only be described as almost like a tidal wave of noise, things that distract us, take our attention and focus to horizontal at the expense of the vertical.
Now I'm not saying our interactions and relationships on the horizontal aren't important in fact I think they are vital. It's just sometimes we miss 'the signal' because of the noise or at least lost the picture because of interference.



Very recently I was listening to an Irish singer called Juliet Turner, who sings a song called 'The Signal and The Noise' to be honest not really sure what its about, but there's somethings about that line 'separate the signal from the noise' that challenges me with what noise I allow to impact me to the detriment of missing out on the holy signal.

Jesus says in the Parable of the Good Shepherd in John 10 in verse 4 that his sheep follow him because they know his voice and in v5 they want follow a stranger because they don't know his voice, I wonder which voice is my default, which is the voice I recognise and ultimately follow

I wonder!!

thats what friends are for

Its hard to believe but I've now been going to Thriving Life Church for nearly 10 months, its been an amazing journey... I've went through the have a made the right decision thing, the being lonely thing loads of different emotions... but the more I'm there the more like home it feels....

over the past few month i feel I'm starting to really develop friendships... all my christian life I've longed for friends not just people i know but people i can share this journey with honestly... I'm a long way of that at the minute but i really feel I'm on that road and pointing in the right direction
i have had this kind of friendship in the past but for some reason it ended or at least 'cooled'

so here's to the future

I'm really excited about the vision of TLC... God I believe is going to d ostuff beyond what we could even think and we are thinking BIG ...

bring it on!!!

What Matters More!!!

listening to...

Derek Webb // Stockholm Syndrome

lots of U2

Jars Of Clay // Long Fall Back to Earth

reading....

Cut To The Chase 0.5 by lee and baz

So its been awhile...

I often think about blogging here but never seem to get around to it until.... now

this little blog is about something that's been going round my mind for a while...

its seems to me that sometimes we (including me) are very quick to judge and condemn for whatever reason...

and Ive had to catch myself on several times...

what right have I to judge anyone about anything... i have a friend who has 'only God can judge me' tattooed on his arm... and he has a point

this was brought home to me very recently listening to the 'controversial' song by Derek Webb called 'What Matters More' of his new cd Stockholm Syndrome

I recommend you prayerfully listen to it, but be warned it contains a word that may offend some people...

very interesting that nearly everyone Ive either let listen to the song or told about it have highlighted 'the bad word' while missing the whole point of the song.. loving no matter what and not judging

yeah this kind of thing is very interesting to me how sometimes we can become so focused on one thing and we seem to miss the whole point.

this is a link to the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5pBXY2AkeY

be interested to know what you think

step by step

reading...

samson and the pirate monks - nate larkin

listening...

Supertramp - Breakfast In America // Live In Paris

U2 - NLOTH

so its Sunday....

Friday has been, all hope may have seemed lost, death victorious....

but it's Sunday a new day has dawned the sun has risen on this day as we celebrate the Risen Son.

My friend who is a pastor always calls it Resurrection Sunday...

so on this Resurrection Sunday as we live this journey on this planet I'm encourage by this verse..

It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's Romans 8:11

______________________________________________________

i used to have a box....

Do yourself a favour...check this band out...

O MY WORD...and other teenage expressions of joy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYhqi7rfr6k

might as well jump

last year I had another blog called a Mortal Muses

this post is from that...
just an experience that had a major impact on me

Over the past few years maybe 3 or 4 I've found myself with a kind of deep longing, it's kept me searching, some of that journey is blogged at http://www.amortalmuses.bblgspot.com/ ... but over the past maybe month or so I've really felt this strong tug on my heart, it's a kinda major thing that will affect me and my family as well as other. So over the past while Ive been on this journey seeking God for what to do, what is his view on it, what is his will, and is this tugging on my heart from Him.On this journey Ive prayed, Ive read, Ive talked and Ive listened. Al with the view to making the correct decision. So today I set this morning aside to take myself off to Delamont to spend some time gathering my thoughts, and looking and listening. I had some stuff on my ipod to try and inspire me, some sermons and tunes and it definitely DID help. So off I went for a walk listening, praying longing for some clear direction or at least some direction that what I had been thinking was what God was thinking for my family and I as well.And it started to rain so I headed back to the car, put the back of the seat down and relaxed, looking out the window I noticed something move in the trees, my those trees are stunning, majestic and strong but then shambolic in a way what with their branches going in every direction. What I had seen was a squirrel, so I followed it's meandering journey through the branches with a sense of awe, how was it managing to hold on? Then suddenly it was at the very end of the very last branch. Now what?

Without, it would seem, much thought, it jumped. I mean 'flying' through the air kind of jumping. And in a breath taking moment it landed on the next tree the next part of its journey, and off it went.On the way home for some reason I couldn't get the squirrel out of my thoughts.Was there possibly something I could take from what I had seen and apply it to my situation?On reflection, the squirrel had, though it probably didn't go through the seem thought process as me, a few options it could have taken, it could have gone back to where it had been, or it could have hung on at the very end of the very last branch or as it did it could have jumped to the next part of the journey, the adjoining tree.Maybe, just maybe, in this journey I am on Ive got the same choices and two of them for me just don't come into it....

so I might as well JUMP

and I did

and now for some dodgy poetry...

I wrote this about a year ago after hearing some bad news concerning a friend who is ill and who according to the medical profession didn't have long... sometimes they get it wrong...This was borne out of a sense of frustration but knowing THERE IS HOPE...

We are forgotten and discarded
A wasteland and vacant lot
We threw our arms around you
And you give us what is not
You turned your back and laughed
As you dragged us through this place
Leaving us with nothing
but dirt in our nails and on our face
but you will not overcome
this death is the not the end
we can feel the smile of love
beckoning as a friend
and we hold onto promises given
‘I’ll fight for you, just hold you peace’

a better day is coming
grace leads us past where others cease

Get on your boots

listening to...

Get On Your boots//U2

Popmart Live from Mexico//U2

reading...

U2 by U2

What? is this for real? another markmews blog?

well yes exactly, and the proof is the fact you're already several sentences into reading it. :)

So just back to work after 4 days off, never a nice thing

though i enjoyed the time off even though they was quite a bit off sickness in the Reid's household.

Amy had been ill for about a week with pains in her head and blurred vision, so lots of doctor and hospital visits especially for Jean. Eventually the doc says it's migraines but I got my doubt, she also got new specs so hopefully they will help.

After spending the week looking forward to going to church on Sunday, I wasn't able to attend. As when jean got up Sunday morning she was really quite ill, so I stayed home with her. felt sorry for her she really look ill. But after a few hours sleep and some medication she was starting to feel better.

Even the dog was sick. What a day!!!

At church we are learning about influence, which we all have. I suppose it's how we use it that counts.

It's really made me think about what sort of influence I am being on everyone I come into contact with.

To be honest, it probably not always for the good, but hopefully that'll not be as often as I learn from this teaching.

if you're interested why not have a listen here

http://www.thrivinglifechurch.co.uk/audio.php and look for the series influence

or better still why not come along on a Sunday morning at 10.30am if you can

all the relevant direction are here..

http://www.thrivinglifechurch.co.uk/contact.php

You'll probably notice I'm listening and reading about U2 alot..

the new single has been unleashed...

I've listened to it about 30 times and to be honest the jury is still out, but I always same to be not too sure on the lead of single from a new U2 CD

listen for yourself here

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yEMXkaqxf0s

Isn't eBay great/ been going bit crazy on it, but mu surplus seems to be selling..!!!!

that's about it for now...

there was something else but I can't remember at the moment

BTW was my birthday on Monday...... and now 50 is closer that 40 was........ whooo scary thought :)

blessings M

...and that's the Mews

Listening to...

Ray Lamontage, Rend Collective Experiment

Reading...

Crazy Love and Messy Spiritual

So...

Blogs are us... or so it would seem :)

Once again a new year seems to bring a new attempt at blogging by yours truly...

i really do hope to make this a regular thing... but then I always say that....

The BIG news for me coming out of 2008 is that after 21 years Jean and I have left the church we had been attending in Comber...

A MASSIVE step and not taken lightly may I had... loads of reasons to move (but that's another story :) )

we are now going to Thriving Life Church (http://www.thrivinglifechurch.org/) in Ards. Very different from where we've been but I'm excited, looking forward to the adventure, yes that's right church an adventure. Can't wait to get stuck in..

So I've called this blog 'Mark Mews' a wee play on words. I was driving through some of the back streets in Ards and came across a wee street just off Mark Street called, can you guess? yes Mark Mews, That's it n the photo on top of page....

We brought in 2009 at a party at Trevor and Meta's with the rest of the Patterson clan, was a good night but I was knackered and I had to get p at 6am ish for work.

Here's some photo's

Mo has our undivided attention

Emz and Stu all fancy dressed up

Jean and the girls ready to party ;)

Just to finish this blog...

read this at start of year...giving me food for thought

'we will reap a harvest IF we do not give up - Gal 6:9.

hmmmm!!! maybe more on that later

btw start getting excited.. new U2 album 'No Line On The Horizon' coming in March. What?? no excitement

OK just me then