What I've learnt this year...

Hey everyone,

So it's the end of another year- seriously, where did all that time go?

It's been for me such a year of growth, discovery, fun times and overcoming challenges- there's been ups, downs and at times it's been a real roller coaster, but to be honest, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

But I think the greatest thing about this year has been that I've learnt lots of really important lessons, ones that I hope will ensure my life to come will be lived to the fullest. Hopefully, they will also help you to live your life to the fullest too.

So here we go, the lessons learnt from 2013... (don't worry I'll try to keep this as short as possible!)

• That no matter how far away I am, or how often I talk to them, I'll always have my friends beside me, P.S. you all rock!


• There's no use worrying over past mistakes- everyone makes them and God's mercy overcomes them, so the best thing to do is to learn from them and move on with life.


• We can all make a difference in our lives. From the simplest thing like playing football with a bunch of school students on a retreat to sharing a few minutes with the old lady down the street, these little things can make a world of difference in a persons life.


• When you've got an issue, sort it out, rather than running away from it. Sometimes it may seem daunting but you'll have peace a lot faster if you work through problems rather than using your energy to keep trying to run away from them.


• On this same note- make sure you are constantly communicating with people, asking how they are when you enter work or school in the morning, talking to friends about how they really are, spending time talking to those you find hard to get along with- this is the key to ensuring healthy relationships and a better understanding of those who might irk us.


• Be grateful and find a time for gratitude every day- more on this one tomorrow!


• When you live Jesus in your life, people notice and it changes them, so if you believe, then don't just say... do and be like Christ calls us to.


• Everything happens for a reason and has a time and place. God has our lives so amazingly planned that while we might not know why things occur, he does and we just need to trust in that and know he does things for a reason that will lead to our ultimate happiness.


• Be yourself. No one wants or needs you to be anything else. Use your gifts and talents to do God's calling and be prepared to enjoy the journey that will come from it. Don't ever compare yourself to others and know you are unique and wonderfully made by God.


• And finally, enjoy life. Make sure you thank the Lord for every single thing that happens in your day (more on this tomorrow!) and have fun at every moment. Even during the difficult times, look for the good around and keep smiling on the inside.

I thank you all for being part of this amazing year and I hope that you all have a great end to 2013. Tune in tomorrow for the New Year post, it's going to be a great way to start 2014!

Keep the faith

Hey everyone :)

Hope you've all had a great Christmas and are enjoying the end of the year. I pray that you, your friends and family continue to experience the blessings of God during this time of celebrating the birth of Christ our saviour.

Ok so with the greetings out of the way, I'd like to tell you a little story.

Now I support a sporting team who has not won a game in 2 years, yes you heard correctly- 2 years! It's been a tough struggle and while there was plenty of excitement when the team and it's management were changed this year, the first few matches have yet to produce a winning result and while there are signs of improvement, this could be another year of no success.

Despite this, I, along with thousand of other fans continue to support the team. We wear our merchandise with pride, pay money to see the team play in their home ground, go to fan days, tweet, message and like the updates. We are in this for the long haul, we are there regardless of what happens. Now this isn't the only team I can write about. I currently have two American sports teams who are running last in their division and have another two sporting teams that have only recently hit successful seasons after years of outs. For the ardent sports fan, there is sort of a knowledge that these things happen, but you must keep supporting, for out of the ashes comes great reward, somewhere down the line.

Now you might be wondering, why on earth, on a blog that is about God and faith, did I just write three paragraphs on sports? Well it's funny, because when we look at our faith and at sports, there's some similarities.

We as Catholics and Christians are proud of our faith- we go to church, we live out our faith in all we do, we try to be the best light of Jesus we can be to the world.

The thing is though, we live in society where we are faced too often with the situation that those who we are talking to say they don't believe, they can't believe or more to the point, they've stopped believing- that they once upon a time believed but unanswered prayers, tragedy, religion not being cool, scandals they've read about in media etc. have made them turned their back. In some cases, I know in years gone past I've heard these stories and related to them, because when things don't go the way I want them to, I've questioned why God didn't help out.

While we are willing to support sporting teams even after players are splashed on front pages for scandals, the team hasn't won a game in longer than we care to remember, they keep coming last in the comp... it seems that sometimes, one unanswered prayer or situation that isn't ideal to us, and we're ready to stop trusting God and start trying to do everything ourselves. This is despite the fact that this is the guy who created the universe, the very earth we stand on, the air we breathe. The very God who can create amazing sunsets, amazing natural landscapes and constantly surprises me in life in ways I know I'll never understand.

When you think about it that way, it's kind of crazy to think of anyone who could imagine not believing, yet we do. Maybe it's time for us to start believing like we do in our sporting teams, with the heart that no matter what happens we will stick by till the end.

I know it's the way I see things with God these days. Despite all that happens, like a sports fan of a team, I keep strong in the fact that God is there, that he is with me and that I can trust in him. I also however have in the last few years, realised that things aren't always going to go the way I planned for them to, but that God will always make things turn out the way they need to. Sometimes, it's important to realise that just because prayer isn't answered the way we want it to, doesn't mean it isn't answered, or just as importantly, it isn't going to be answered.

In a lot of cases, if you are open to it, you'll see God answer the prayer in a way you could never have thought possible. In other cases, it's all about patience- being able to realise that you have a whole lifetime in which this prayer could be answered- you might not have your prayer answered this year, but it could be the next, or the decade after that- trust that God has it sorted and know he won't not answer any prayer, he loves us all too much to not answer.

For the last few months, I had been praying for a family member who we were awaiting a visa for. We were only wanting a month, but that seemed to be a struggle to get. A few weeks ago though, after months of prayer- we got news that this family member got a visa, not for a month, but a whole year- it's funny how God works sometimes!

This Christmas season, we have been given the great renewal of faith in the birth of Jesus Christ. In cities around the world, there is an uprising of joy and excitement in the arrival of the Saviour. My call to each one of you is to keep that flame firing no matter what. I have seen this year that with that flame in your heart, even the most disinterested teenager can't helped but be intrigued. Be like the ardent sporting fan- never give up, never give in, do as Jesus calls us to and be his light to the world no matter what!

I'll be praying for you all in this journey and ask you keep praying for me. Pray also for the continual experiencing of the love of Jesus in those who don't know or have lapsed in their faith, for through prayer, all is possible.

P.S. For those wondering where my last post on my NET journey is... it's coming... hopefully I'll be able to write something in the new year!