I can see clearly now...

Hi everyone in Blogland.

The sun is here. Contrary to public belief it has not abandoned this nation but was just on sabbatical! It has put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. It doesn't take a lot to put a smile on my face but the sun coming out will never fail. I love the sun! As Johnny Nash so famously sang:

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

More and more people are telling me that they are loving what God is doing at the moment. It really feels that many who have been struggling for so long can see clearly now. God is removing obstacles, dark clouds and blindness from people's vision and they can truly see our bright, bright Son. Young people are giving their lives to our wonderful Jesus because the Holy Spirit is revealing the amazing love of our Dad in Heaven. God is literally coming into our meetings and removing blindness from their eyes and saying "Ta-da! here I am and it's going to be a bright, bright Son-shiny day."

One of the profoundest things that God spoke to me about recently was with regards to one of the primary reasons that He sent the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Verse 18 says that Jesus will not leave us as orphans but will send the Holy Spirit! What does it say in Romans 8 about the Holy Spirit? Verses 14-17 show us that the Spirit we received from God was the Spirit of adoption by which we cry "Abba, Father!" or "Daddy!" If we fully understand this then we will have the clearest view of the Father and our lives will be incredibly bright. It is fantastic that we will never know what it is like to be without a Dad because the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and His desire is to constantly reveal the Father to us.

As a church we are seeking to help everyone who is part of us to experience the Father's love. So I was very encouraged when someone was talking to me about a conversation they had had with someone new to us. The new person said that she has felt incredibly loved by so many in the church and that it felt like the Father's love. Wow! Did you just read that right? The church is loving people with the Father's love and it is having a profound effect on them. Another person said that her sister-in-law came to church recently and had a great experience. She told me that she just watched with joy as about ten to twelve people spoke with her sister-in-law over the course of the morning! Listen brothers and sister, we can can have the best worship, the most profound preaching and the funkiest website, but if we don't have love then we are a clanging cymbal and it counts for nothing! I love our DNA and see it as the most vital part of this church's existence. It is about love, love, love! For God so loved...How great is the love the Father has LAVISHED on us...the reason we love is because He first LOVED us, etc...etc...

I can see clearly now not because the rain has gone but because of the love my Dad in heaven has shone into my heart! He has cleared out all the dross and muck and cleared a path so that I can run into His arms and gaze into His eyes of pure, blazing love. I am a free son of the living God and so are you my friend. It is done and so am I for now. Until next time:

It is a bright, bright, Sun-shiny day!!!

Love you all,

Neil