Mark and Helen Smith

Job – helps us to stay positive

The book of Job is a great inspiration when life isn’t going too well! Here are some thoughts, which may help you, if times are a bit hard.

Job 1

We see Job as a righteous man … upright before God. He was very wealthy, Godly, and cared about the right things.

v.6:  God has a conversation with Satan and is confident that Job is undergirded with the principles that make a Man of God … it’s not “stuff” or blessings alone. Satan is given leave to test him.

Total disaster befalls Job… he loses everything… all of his livelihood, his workers and his children, but he blesses the name of the Lord and doesn’t blame God.

Job 2

He loses his health … yet despite his wife’s encouragement to curse God and die, he refuses to blame Him.

So how did Job respond to these very negative situations? Continue Reading…

Keep things simple

Keeping it simple audio

It’s so easy to over-complicate things. It’s so easy to make the Christian Faith so complicated… by putting conditions, ways, rules on church, issues, things that we don’t fully understand – we wrap up in complicated discussions and arguments . We try to justify our “point of view” or our “opinion” and life gets full of head issues!Jesus kept things simple, e.g.:

Follow Me
Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you
Abide in me and I in you and you will bear much good fruit
Do to others as you would have them do to you
I am with you always – to the end of the age.

Why is it that we read in to things, motives behind what others say, or do?
God gave simple instructions in Micah 6: 8 Continue Reading…

Never forget this…

A work in progress

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 (The Message)

“Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.”
I was reading Corinthians in The Message over the weekend, just for a change, and was so struck by this short passage. I have been going over it again and again and just letting it settle in my spirit… God is going to keep me steady and on track!!! Wow! that is such a comfort to know and that He will never give up on me! I love it! All His master plans and designs for my life – He will bring to completion … Paul says it again to the Philippians in Phil.1 v 6 “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.”
It makes me really want to allow God more access to my life to see His handiwork in me – that I might bring Him honour!

Have a “muse” on it yourself … it is a wonderfully encouraging Scripture … a work in progress – a masterpiece at that!

Have a look at some of our pictures from Bec and Emile’s wedding:

Click on the picture above to see more…

Trusting God for the daily stuff of life

Luke 12 : 22 – 34 (Message Bible)

22-24 “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.

25-28 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

29-32 “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

33-34 “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

Trusting God for the daily stuff of life!

So easy to say and talk about, but the practical outworking of it all takes steps of faith … little steps and bigger ones too – but steps nevertheless!

Just remember He loves you so much … He cares so much that you don’t fret or worry over the things that have the potential to wreck you… finances, relationships, direction.etc. He has placed in His Word the promises of His Peace, His provision, His Wisdom, His Grace and mercy… so why do we fret and worry? Possibly because we feel we need to “sort it all out”?!

Possibly!

Could we possibly… “Cast the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” (1Peter 5:7) What amazing Care He has for us!

Can I encourage you today to try for yourself… and see…He is faithful!

Let go and let God!

Be blessed as you learn to trust and rest in Him!

xx Helen

Two become One

Well, it was wonderful…. the wedding… and the preparations. The fun of being together, preparing, planning (even stressing!), talking etc – God is so good!!

It got me thinking again,of how amazing it is – marriage, I mean!

How two separate people , with their own dreams and desires, passions and hopes come together in marriage, and when God is in the centre, they combine to become one!… One dream – together, one heart – together, one passion – together … their future purposeful and blessed ….. it’s amazing the way God brings couples together to be strong in Him to build His kingdom. One can put a thousand to flight, two can put ten thousand to flight! …  such a wonderful plan ……. I’m so for marriage!

Well they were deep thoughts! – I hope you caught some of it!  … I’ll be back when I’ve returned to earth!! haha!!

What an amazing wedding!

So it all happened! Rebecca and Emile are well and truly married. Two ceremonies – one a low key CofE marriage service in St Matthew’s, Fulham, the other, a big celebration in The Crypt on the Green, Clerkenwell, Central London.

What can I say? Well I could explain all the details of the way it looked, who was there, what we did, but that can come later, with pictures. I’d rather talk about the experience … what it felt like. As the bride’s dad, for me it was an incredibly emotional experience, in a really nice way. Travelling with my daughter, in a London cab, to her wedding was just an amazing start, then to walk her down the aisle, her arm on mine, in front of all her friends and family, then to hand her over to her husband – so right, and all I could have dreamed of for her.

Did I cry? Why, yes! Impossible not to on the happiest day of her life!

Mark.

Well Fed

Mark, Helen & Bethany happy now! Still in Nandos.

In Nandos

Helen looking hungry, Mark spinning!

Four days and counting

We’re on the final countdown to Rebecca and Emile’s wedding. And it’s getting really exciting now! Off to London today, to help with preperations there – wow; it really will happen!

All the costs of financing your daughter’s wedding are pretty scary – not that you don’t want to bear them; it’s what you plan for and part of being a dad, but they’re still scary. Helen and I have been praying and asking God to provide our needs. There are some awesome Bible promises regarding the way He suplies all our needs. Think I’ll list some of them when I have some spare minutes.

Anyway, we’ve been praying and, totally out of the blue, a complete and wonderful surprise. Our Church trustees announced yesterday, in the middle of the family service, that they were taking an offering for us for wedding costs. £280 was given – thanks to our Church! Not that it covers all the costs, but it says, “we love you” and reminds us that God is in control! He will look after the rest.

We have a great Church (River of Life) and a wonderful God.

We’ll keep you posted as the countdown continues. Be blessed!

Mark.