We have no new blog this week, just a link to this website: http://www.nomoretraffik.com/

There are 20 plus events running next week around NI, all highlighting the issue of human trafficking in Northern Ireland.  GB is the largest youth organisation in Ireland, so is it not our responsibility to be aware and concerned for the issues that are facing young women in our country?

Have a look and go along to find out more!

Sarah

Words are an intricate part of our world, we use them when we’re talking, texting, writing or using sign. Without our words we’d be lost.  The Bible has a lot to say about our words, from the start right through to the end God’s guiding his people, showing them what’s pleasing to Him and what’s likely to get them in trouble.

I’ve been filling in application forms recently and it’s caused me to think a lot about words, in particular those we use to describe ourselves. When we’re telling prospective employers about ourselves we always talk about the golden parts of our personality, team working abilities, cheerful, bubbly, insightful characteristics. We manipulate experiences from our past to present this flawless, qualified appearance, gleaming and beautiful.

It stops there though, we don’t extend the liberty of compliments to our real opinion of ourselves. Those golden attributes are so often the very last thing we see in ourselves. I’m no stranger to doing this, being my greatest critic; this is an extract from my journal,

“God I can’t do this. I can’t tell people how wonderful and amazing you are and at the same time feel so
Lonesome,
Unloved,
Broken,
Forgotten,
Out of Place,
Unimportant,
Small.
How can you use someone like me?”

I call this my Moses moment.  In Exodus 3 Moses stands in front of this blazing bush telling God all about his flaws. He tells God about all his less than perfect attributes and God still uses him anyway. This guy who was shy and sinful, God made him a great leader. The week I wrote that prayer full of fears and inadequacies God still used me. He knew where He wanted me and why He wanted me there and my words may have had the ability to make me feel small but they didn’t have the ability to make God small!

When I wrote that list down I made a choice to believe the lie that I only had negative characteristics, I didn’t listen to the incredible promises that God gives us in scripture.

Lonesome,
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31v6 NIV

Unloved,
“I have loved YOU says the LORD”
Malachi 1v2 NIV

Broken,
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted” Luke 4: 18a NKJV

Forgotten,
“I give thanks upon every rememberance of you”
Philippians 1v3 NKJV

Out of Place,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine”
Isaiah 43v1 ESV

Unimportant,
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last”
Matthew 20v16

Small.
“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones come to Him, they are weak but He is strong”
Anna B Warner

When we use our words will we use them to remind ourselves about the promises God has given us or will we use them to beat ourselves down?

From one beautiful, loved, child of God to another
You’re fantastic!
Love Vicky x

(Thanks to Vicky our guest blogger!  She is an Officer in Fisherwick Presbyterian and a member of GEMS.  If you think that you could write a blog then please email gems@gbni.co.uk we would love to hear from you!)

I am not a very patient person. In fact I can be a little touch* grumpy when I have to wait for something.  Though that is not me in the picture that is the kind of face I might make!

* some of my friends may not agree that I am just a little touch grumpy, as opposed to a nightmare to live with because I am so grumpy, but I am the one writing this blog so I can say what I want

But nowadays it’s great….when you have to wait in line for something you can spend your time texting or playing ‘Draw Something’ or flinging angry birds across a screen. Internet connections are now super duper fast, so most downloads are quick. The invention of 24/7 news and the internet, mean that we know what is happening on the other side of the world as soon as it happens. Microwaves mean that you can cook food really quickly rather than having to light a fire and hunt etc before you can eat (unless you are in the Hunger Games!)

Though there are still some things that we have to wait for. Babies still take 9 months to grow in their mum’s tummy. We still need to wait all summer for exam results. You still have to wait until you are 17 before you can learn to drive. If you have a friend like me, who is usually ten minutes late for meeting you, then you will still have to wait for them… but what about the even bigger complicated life changing issues?

We have said on here before that God hears every prayer we ever utter or think. That is true… evidence is found in Psalm 34:15 and Hebrews 4:16 and Psalm 17:6 to name just a few!

However God is not a magic genie. He will not answer every prayer by going ‘abracadabra here is this lovely new Barbour coat that you really want and prayed for, plus it is free!’ While that would be nice, it would cause absolute chaos around the world. Sometimes He will say yes, and sometimes He will say no. Never because He doesn’t want us to have something, but because He will only give us what He has planned for us to make our lives amazing.

I have experienced times when God has answered a prayer by saying yes or no, but the hardest answer I have found is when He says, ‘Yes, but just not yet.’ Grrr!! It can be so frustrating!

The problem is that we don’t really understand all the implications of what we ask for. We might think that we want straight/curly/blonde/dark/long/short/red/dip dyed/highlighted hair, or think we need to get that part in the school play… but God sees the whole big picture. He knows that we might really want to be invited to that party, but actually if we go then we would let peer pressure get to us and end up getting drunk. Or we might not get onto that course at uni or college, because actually God has a completely different plan for your life which is much better than you could ever have dreamt up! (Romans 8:28) Yup, this can really suck and it can be really difficult, but this is also the time when we need to turn to God the most. (Psalm 62:8)

There has been something I have been praying about recently, and God seems to be telling me just to have patience to see where it goes. Remember what I said about being grumpy when I have to wait… well I think I have been a complete grumpy moody nightmare to be around for the last few weeks! Having said that, I have also found that I am turning to God more. I have been praying for wisdom and guidance (how grown up and mature does that sound!)  I also started reading the Psalms from the start, and you know something, they are really amazing poems and songs.

I find it easier to read long passages in the Message translation sometimes, and one night over Easter, I started at Psalm 1 and just kept reading Psalm after Psalm. In some of these songs, the writer is literally crying out to God and asking why He hasn’t intervened and got him out of trouble. In some he is pouring out his heart in confession of his sins to God and begging for forgiveness. Others are poems written to praise God and thank Him for what He has done in their life. I would really urge you to read them yourself. It is encouraging to know that messed up, broken people, just like you, have felt the same emotions for centuries, and God was there for them, just as much as He is for you and me today!

Psalm 13 sums up this whole blog!  The anger and doubt that we feel followed by those times when we run towards God, finishing with praise and confirmation when He answers us:

^1-2 Long enough, God— you’ve ignored me long enough.
I’ve looked at the back of your head
long enough. Long enough
I’ve carried this ton of trouble,
lived with a stomach full of pain.
Long enough my arrogant enemies
have looked down their noses at me.

^3-4 Take a good look at me, God, my God;
I want to look life in the eye,
So no enemy can get the best of me
or laugh when I fall on my face.

^5-6 I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms—
I’m celebrating your rescue.
I’m singing at the top of my lungs,
I’m so full of answered prayers.

One verse that made me think about GB, were these first few verses from Psalm 8:

‘God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.
Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.’

Think of all the GB displays and parents nights that have been going on recently. Think of all those little Explorers singing songs about God. As we get older, things do get more complicated. God knows this and wants to be a part of your life to help you with this, but when you get totally fed up waiting, remind yourself that He is in charge and all knowing, perhaps by listening to those toddlers sing their hearts out about God!

God has a plan for your life, we just have to trust Him, having a child like faith! But trusting Him doesn’t take the waiting away, the secret is that rather than spending your time waiting being angry, or playing angry birds, we should spend that time worshipping God and growing closer to Him, because by waiting He will strengthen us! (Isaiah 40:31) When you come out the other side you will see exactly why you had to wait!

A not quite as grumpy but still trying really hard to be patient Sarah

This week’s blog is all about one of my favorite websites at the moment year27.com  I come across this site when I googled a Bible verse to find the reference a few months ago.  The illustrations and basically the whole idea of the project just appealed to me so much that I contacted Jill, the creative genius behind the site.  She generously allowed us to use two of her illustrations in the Spiritual Sparkles (the free magazine that has been sent out to every company for Seniors and Brigaders), and I couldn’t resist emailing her some questions to post on this blog.  Have a read, go and visit her site and get thinking about how you could use your gifts to serve God!   Sarah

Hi Jill, tell us a bit about yourself!

I am a graphic designer and my husband is the college and worship pastor for a church in Spearfish, South Dakota. We moved to Spearfish from Texas (1200 miles away) to help plant a new church in Aug. 2011. We work with college students at Black Hills State University. We have learned that less than 10% of the students at BHSU profess to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We have a dog (boxer) named Abbey and we just bought a house here in South Dakota. We LOVE to travel and try out new kinds of food. I own my own freelance graphic design business and work out of my house each day.  We live about 45 minutes from Mount Rushmore – this is the mountain that has huge faces of former US presidents carved into it.

Tell us briefly what year27.com is all about.
Year 27 is a way for me to celebrate that my 27th birthday is on 12-12-12 this year. I thought that was kind of cool, but I also thought that it was a great opportunity to be able to make a difference in our world. I am passionate about seeing unreached people groups around the world coming to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I am really excited about how One Verse is bringing the Bible to unreached people groups and how the Word of God is transforming lives everyday. The Word of God is living and active and it has definitely changed my life!

What made you challenge yourself to do this every day for a year?
I spend about 80% of my day on a computer. I sometimes get tired of this, so I like to open up my sketchbook and draw. A few times last year, I would open up my sketchbook and “doodle” a verse that I read in the Bible that day. I showed the “doodled” verses to some friends and they thought that they were really cool. When I started thinking about how I could use my birthday (and my life) to make a difference, I knew that art had to play a big role in it because it is part of who am I am and what I do. I have had friends who will take a year or so and commit to reading the entire Bible and I have had friends who pick a subject and create pieces of art everyday for a period of time. It is interesting to see how doing something on a very regular, disciplined basis helps you to grow. One thing that these “doodles” are doing for me is actually creating a hunger and thirst for the Word. I don’t just open up my Bible and pick a random verse to doodle, I pick one that is speaking to me specifically that day…it’s part of my daily time that I spend with God.

Have you any favourite illustrations so far?

Hehe, yes. I do actually. Here are a few of them:

(This is Sarah’s fave too!)

You are obviously very creative, tell us how you use your artistic ability to honour God.
Well, I’ve known from the time I was in high school that I wanted to do something with art. I took a art class at school and I loved every minute of it. I decided to be a graphic designer because I was reading a magazine for Christian girls and didn’t think it was as “cool” as Seventeen magazine and others like it. So, I made it my goal to grow and design a Christian magazine for girls that was “cool” and relevant to their everyday lives. Of course, that is a little different than what I am doing now, but essentially is the same thing. I am a freelance graphic designer – most of my clients are churches in the United States. I actually have one church that I design things for that is located in Preston, England! When I design logos and publications for churches, my goal is to make them as “cool” and relevant to their communities as possible. I believe that design can impact people in a huge way and I want to impact people for Jesus!

You are only a few months in, but have you learned anything from the experience so far?
Yes. I’m learning a LOT more of the Bible because I am accountable to reading it everyday. I’m also learning a little bit about keeping commitments. At this point, I think that some people would be disappointed if I just stopped doodling tomorrow. Last, I’m learning to rely on God for His provision with this project. God provides the right verses each day and He moves people to give money for Bible translation and if anyone gets the glory for this project – it will be Him. It is His Word that is going to change lives and He has a plan for how the Ehty people in South Asia are going to hear His Word in their own heart language. Sometimes I get down on myself because I wish more people were getting involved or more verses had been given already – but I am always reminded that God has a plan and He is in control and all I need to do is be faithful to what He has called me to do!

Why did you choose to support the Ehty people?
I did a lot of research on the One Verse website before I picked the Ehty people. In the end, ALL of the language projects on their site NEED support. It was a hard decision. Something that stood out to me about the Ehty people is that they are a heavily persecuted people. There are less than 20 believers in this people group and some have even turned away from their faith in God because they were too scared of making a stand for God. This breaks my heart! I think about all of the Bible verses that talk about persecution and then all of the ones that talk about how God is with us and for us and loves us. I really believe that when the Ehty people have the Bible in their own heart language they will have the tool necessary to persevere! They will be able to get to know God in a deeper way – and I think that this will strengthen their faith! That’s why I am supporting them – because they need encouragement and they need God’s Word!

This blog is taken from Spiritual Sparkles.  A free little magazine that was sent out to every company for every Senior & Brigader.  Ask your leader for your copy if you have not received it yet.

You are not a Christian, just because you go to Church.  It does not depend on how well you know your Bible.  Having a Christian family doesn’t count at all, neither does being baptised.  It doesn’t matter if you are a ‘good girl.’  Whilst all these things are important in our walk with Jesus, there is only one way that we can become a Christian and that is giving your life to Christ.

You can do this anytime, anywhere, by saying a simple prayer. Firstly we must confess to God all the things we have done that are sinful.  This is when we realise that we can’t do it on our own!  Then we should be genuinely sorry for the things we have done and ask God to forgive us.  The final step is to ask God to be in our lives. We commit to doing things His way and not our own anymore.

The confusion may arise in that everyone comes to Christ in different ways and at different paces.  For example you may have been brought up in the Church and have been getting closer to God in baby steps your entire life.  Whereas there are others who become a Christian at an event on a specific date.

Whatever your journey to this point, if you have asked Christ to come into your life, you are a Christian… this will never change, even if you are not very good at living like a Christian. You know the times I mean… when you are cheeky or rude and get in trouble.

We all make mistakes and sometimes might feel very far away from God.  The important thing is to keep trying and ask God for help in this.  He promises in Isaiah 49:16, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”  That is a permanent thing, we just have to do our best to follow Him so that we can grow to be more like Him.

Sarah

If a girl slept with 20 men a day, would you judge them? What if she was 15 and was terrified that the men who forced her to do this would cut her nose, hands or lips off if she didn’t?

In these cases should the children be convicted of their crimes or does the responsibility lie with the adults who forced them to do this?

What happens when these children grow up and force other children to do the same thing? What if it is the only life they have ever known?

These are just some of the questions that surround the horrendous issue of child soldiers.

I had originally said that I would write a blog about #KONY2012 last week, but the more I heard and read and thought about this internet phenomenon, the harder it was to write something.

For those who have missed it, the ‘KONY 2012′ campaign was started by a group called Invisible Children. They are an American charity that has been working for and with child soldiers and the issues surrounding them in Uganda for several years. This month they released a video on YouTube which, to say it went viral, is an understatement. As of right now, there have been nearly 84.5 million hits on the video on YouTube. That isn’t even counting the other websites that it has been posted on. You can see it by clicking here if you haven’t already watched it.

The video is 30 mins long, which in itself has surprised me… who would have thought that in the world we live in today that people would sit down and watch a video for a full half hour! I don’t even read to the end of a tweet sometimes, so to sit still for 30 mins took effort.

The video is all about a man called Joseph Kony who has been the leader of a group that have recruited thousands of children to be soldiers and sex slaves. The campaign is designed to make him famous so that governments will have no choice but to take action rather than be humiliated that they haven’t done anything about this evil man… I would say that bit has worked. I had heard of Kony before because of a project I did at university, but generally he was not well known.

That might all sound good so far, but then the criticisms started to surface. Many said that the video oversimplified a very complex issue. The financial history of the charity was called into question. Some felt that asking the USA to get involved in Africa was all about them wanting to dominate another country. Every stupid photo that the guys behind the charity had ever taken were thrown into the spotlight. Google it and you will be there for weeks looking at all these different opinions, arguing from every direction, all thinking they are all right…. I will be honest and say that I have no idea where the truth lurks amongst all these view points.

It got more controversial when the guy who made the video was arrested this week for running naked and screaming through a town in the middle of the day. Today his wife has said that he has had a mental breakdown essentially and will be receiving treatment for several weeks… it’s all a bit confusing!

Remember last week when we talked about the grey area between black and white? I want you to think about that again…

Initially this campaign seemed to be simple… all white. Bring an evil man to justice. Tick. That is a good thing right? But then when you start to question motives and methods it all gets a bit murky, a bit grey.

Last week when we talked about relationships we said that in GB we are here to give you a Christian perspective on the worldly issues. We pray that girls in our organisation will be able to look at the facts they get from other sources from a Biblical perspective. This is as true for #KONY2012 as it is about relationships.

I do not have any answers for you on this, but here are a few points to consider… signposts to different questions for you to ask yourself, to think about and pray over. We would love to hear your thoughts on this topic in the comments below!

1. Invisible Children is not a Christian organisation. While their methods might have been criticised I really do believe that their intentions were right, but let’s ask ourselves why Christians and the Church have not been shouting louder about this for years. I am sure that there are Christian groups who work in this area, but I do not mean them… I mean us. The internet and 24 hour news means that the knowledge about these atrocities is right there for us to hear about, but what do we ever really do about it?

2. Isn’t the power of Facebook & Twitter amazing! The fact that this video has been watched so many times, that so many people have heard that message is just unreal… and yet anyone of us could use these networks ourselves, but do we? I heard yesterday that they think One Direction have done so well in America because their fans in the UK spend so much time talking about them on Twitter… no offence, but there are more important things in life than One Direction (even if Harry is cute ) but do we even mention Jesus, who we are supposed to have devoted our lives to?

3. The actual prosecution of the men who have committed such horrible crimes in Africa may well take years to happen. The lawyers who will do that work will have spent decades of time learning and writing the laws in order to do this. They will have devoted their careers to this kind of International Law. A lifetime, to bring one man to justice… do you have that dedication to a cause? Would you commit your career to bringing a bit of justice to the world, even after 50 years you were only able to convict one man? Do you use your intellect to worship God in this way by working hard in school?

4. How do you think Jesus would react to these child who have been forced to be soldiers or sexual slaves?  Would He be angry at them?  Would He weep for them?  Would He forgive them?  Would He comfort them?  What if they have never heard about Jesus?  These questions are some of the most difficult that we can ask, but why not challenge yourself?  Go get some books, get into your Bible, ask your youth leaders… find out some answers.

….and to end on a positive note…

5. What about prayer? There is as much discussion about the KONY2012 video going viral as there is about the issues inside in!  Writers and bloggers are asking what impact young people on Facebook can have, but they are forgetting our secret weapon!  We can pray to the Creator of the Universe about these issues and He hears every prayer… we can ALWAYS do something!

I think this is my longest blog yet, but I hope that some of you get something out of it.  Don’t forget to let us and each other know what you think in the comments at the bottom of the page!

Sarah

Look at this picture:

You know that at one end the box is white and at one end it is black, but when exactly does it turn grey? You could give a pretty good guess, but could you say for sure? Now look at your computer screen from the side, it changes again doesn’t it?

There have been two big trending topics this week that have stood out to me, and both deal with issues of black/grey/white. The first we will deal with this week, the second I will cover next week. (I’ll give you a hint KONY 2012!)

The first is close to home and was started when the NSPCC released the first major study of domestic violence among young people. Among the findings was this fact: ‘A third of girls had been forced into sexual acts they didn’t want. Girls with much older boyfriends were found to be especially at risk.’

A campaign that was launched this week (and has been all over Radio One & Facebook which is where I heard about it) is aimed at helping young people see that violence and rape can be within a ‘normal’ relationship with someone your own age. Any sex when one person does not fully consent is considered rape, it does not have to be a stranger or older person for it to be wrong. Watch this video and think to yourself when does this incident become abuse rather than a normal discussion between a boy and girl. Is this a black/grey/white area between abuse/being in a bad mood/normal relationship?

There are so many mixed messages out there about relationships. What is normal? How far it too far? Is everyone doing it? Will he still love me if I don’t have sex? What is considered sex? Does everyone not get angry at some stage?

In GB we are here to give you a Christian perspective on these worldly issues. We pray that girls in our organisation will be able to look at the facts they get from other sources from a Biblical perspective. We also pray that you will be able to shine this light into the lives of your friends who do not know God, and help them through the confusion that is relationships!

While there have been libraries of books written on this topic, I do not want to get into the do’s and don’t's contained in Scripture. Instead I want to look at this passage from Isaiah 43.
The world today tells young people to go out and have as much sex as you can, but at the same time condemns them for it, and writes them off as useless. Into this world should we as Christians not instead be explaining the security, love and freedom that comes with knowing God. Should we not be teaching them to value themselves as God does?

Being a Christian does not stop bad things happening to you. It may not even stop you getting into a relationship where someone may pressure you into going further than you want sexually… However, being a Christian means knowing just how much God loves you. It is also knowing that God will help you through any situation and the aftermath of it, if you ask Him for help. But you should also note that living your life as Christian and following His commands fully may help you avoid some potentially dangerous situations.

Do you ever pray about the boy you would like to go out with? Do you pray for the boy you are going out with now? Do you pray together? Are you going out with a Christian? Ask yourself these questions and if your answer is no, then maybe you should consider taking action to change that! Who you are in a relationship with is a big part of your life, so why wouldn’t you involve God in it, and ask Him for help?

The NSPCC research also showed that teenagers were reluctant to talk to adults about the violence they were experiencing and most would never report it at all. This is worrying, but it is important that if you have been affected by this you should know where to turn. Sometimes, it will be the ‘good girls’ that find it harder to seek help. Again I could list a ton of different websites, but instead I am going to give you just one phone number. Put this in your phone. They may direct you to other places, but this is a good first step.

It is a big bad scary world out there and sometimes there seems to be nothing but darkness around you, but cling to this verse: “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

Came back next week for part 2!

Sarah

At the start of the week Facebook and Twitter were a flury with a campaign to get the new Matt Redman & LZ7 single to number one in the main stream charts. We did not forget to post the blog on Monday, we just wanted to give the campaign a mid week boast. This is not a campaign to get more money for the artists, instead this song is highlighting the plight of the 27 million people who are in slavery TODAY.

Link in yourselves by liking these pages: http://www.facebook.com/#!/LZ7UK or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matt-Redman/44470964227?sk=wall or http://blog.thea21campaign.org/

I heard about this campaign a wee while ago through Facebook, but it really kicked off a few weeks ago after a Matt Redman concert in Belfast. I will let Ruth, the Captain of Dundrod GB, explain it a bit more:

“I would just like to encourage every one to buy this track!! I was at the Matt Redman concert a couple of weeks ago and it opened my eyes to the number of men, women and children caught up in Human Trafficking!! 27 million is the minimum number of people caught up in this terrible evil industry!!! I want to encourage you to buy this single and let the rest of the world know what is going on and rise up and do something about it!!!!! We can all do something to help…. start by buying this single!!!!”

Ann, who works in the GB online shop, was also at the concert in Belfast with her husband and some friends. She said that as four Presbyterian people in the 50s, the rapping was not their cup of tea, but at the same time, the passion that these artists have for worship and the cause is really inspiring. Although she wasn’t sure about it, she still downloaded the song, and now says that it has really grown on her. So no one has any excuse! You can buy it any of the normal places: iTunes, Amazon, even a good old fashioned shop

Just today, Radio 1 played the song on the mid week chart, which is amazing when you think of the number of people who listen to Radio 1! The issue of human traffiking is such a sad reality, and Northern Ireland is especially affected, but ‘everyday people’ will not be breaking down the doors of brothels or even caring for the victims after they are realeased, and yet this is something we can do…. never underestimate the power of raising awareness!

The whole issue has been very close to my heart over the last few months and I was delighted that Ruth from International Justice Mission (http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Justice-Mission-UK/105213446201178) was able to come along to Wrapped Up and lead us in a prayer for the issue. GBNI will also be releasing a badgework topic on the subject in June for all companies.

GB is the largest youth organisation in the whole of Ireland, let’s live up to our responsibilty and raise awareness of this issue, whatever age you are and whatever musical taste you have!

Sarah

Whilst I have many books gathered over the years, there has been one constant book in my collection that although I’ve had for a long time, I’ve never quite been able to finish cover to cover. I’ll hold my hands up to say this book is the Bible.

I’ve always wanted to read more of it and I admire other people being able to know it intimately.

I always used some kind of devotional book to read the Bible and some nights I would just flick through and re-read some of the highlighted verses in the Bible ones I had underlined from church services in the past. But I wanted to know more. I didn’t want to dip in and out of the water now and again, I wanted to immerse myself and explore God’s word from start to finish.

So when I read of the Biblefresh campaign E100 and that Girls’ Brigade NI were also in support of it, I decided it was time to get serious and commit myself to the challenge of reading 100 scripture passages.

The handy leaflet I downloaded from the website had a personal action plan and I gave myself four months in which to complete the challenge.

Some stories were more familiar than others and I found the Old Testament readings at times quite difficult to follow. But I persevered and slowly and surely the bigger picture unfolded, chapter by chapter.

To help focus my mind and get me thinking, not only did I read the passages, sometimes twice over, but I kept a journal and made comments on each reading. Particular passages resonated with me and I found great wisdom and comfort in them and I made notes to help all the information seep in better.

The concept and the passages of E100 were put together by American Whitney Kuniholm. Around the 25th reading I also purchased his guidebook which gave a page on each reading to help draw out some of the key points. Whilst not essential to do the challenge, they can be of benefit for those difficult passages were you are not quite sure what to make of them.

Time and time again, the big story that I began to picture in the Old Testament was God’s provision. Through this challenge I discovered my favourite book of the OT is the story of Ruth. I know it’s short at four chapters but the Lord says so much through this book. It’s often referred to as a love story but I didn’t see it that way.

The book of Ruth started off with tragedy as both her husband and her father-in-law died suddenly. Not entirely the basis for a happy story as Ruth became a widow and a young one at that. She could have felt remorseful and angry like her mother-in-law became, but she remained faithful to her in-laws and stuck to Naomi even going to a new land that was foreign to her. In return, God blessed her for it and later provided her with a new husband and later a son.

Imagine losing two close members of your family, how would you react? Ruth showed her faith in God at a difficult time in her life, a great encouragement for us all as we deal with unforeseen and trying times in our own lives.

As a farmer’s daughter, I loved how the harvest provided Ruth and Naomi with leftover barley in the field, a beautiful illustration that the Lord provides for our every need – and more.

I never really had an absolute favourite Bible verse until the E100 challenge. Sure there were plenty of verses I liked, knew off by heart from a young girl in Sunday School, but if I’m ever asked the question, I now have an answer. That verse, ok two verses, are found in Proverbs chapter 3, verses 25 and 26.

“Have no fear of sudden disaster or for the ruin that overtakes the wicked – for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.”

What an amazing piece of scripture, in a world where news gets ever depressing, where natural disasters seem to happen more frequently, where the threat of terrorism is ever present. What great hope we can have described so eloquently and succinct in these two verses.

As someone who was made redundant from my job at the start of last year swiftly followed by my father being diagnosed with lymphoma, a skin cancer, these words spoke out to me in buckets. These words confirm God’s love, protection and provision to me, a sinner, undeserving of this fortress that is illustrated so clearly.

Whilst I did the challenge by myself, there is no reason why you can’t get a group of friends together in GB and give it a go, starting your own book club as it were using the E100 books that have been generously provided. Get together after reading the passages or the sections and discuss what God has whispered to you from the pages of His word. Ask each other those questions that arise as you explore new books, new chapters.

I challenge you to find your favourite Bible story, your favourite verse/s, a Bible character you most admire by taking up the E100. Read for yourself the 100 passages, piece together your own understanding of God’s big picture and see what you can discover in this book, this compilation of books that God, once again, has provided for his people for generations and generations to read, learn from and live by.

Rebecca, an Officer from Rathfriland GB

If u fancy writing us a blog just email sarah@gbni.co.uk!