Home is where the Heart is

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I in the last few weeks, I have found myself looking for a new job, last week I had my first interview in several weeks, I was hoping to hear earlier this week if I had this particular job and I’ve made several phone calls to the employment agency that got me the interview and kept being told that they were hoping to hear by last Friday, last Friday then become they were hoping to hear last Monday then when I rang on Monday,  there was still no news and was told to call on Wednesday, when I rang on Wednesday I was told no news and to call back today, Friday.  Last night I had a dream in this dream I was talking to one of my friends at church,  and was asked was I was still staying in Southport despite the disappointment of not getting this job,  my answer was of course yes. 

I have since been offered a new job last week,  I felt I needed to contact my ex-employer this was last Friday, over that weekend The Lord reminded me several times that I needed to contact them on Monday.

On Monday morning, I decided to do an online job search, during this job search,  I saw a job advertised for my ex – employer,  I decided to bite the bullet and call them,  I spoke to my contact there, who told that they had rang me the previous Friday to see if I was interested in working for them on a 6 Month Fixed Term Contract starting on the 1^st of October, I readily agreed to rejoin my ex-employer, I didn’t actually apply nor have an interview for my new job,  but because I had gained a great reputation when working for ex-employer previously they offered me this job.

Although I was secretly hoping that the interview I had the previous week would give me the job I applied for,  I had spoken to one of  my of many friends at Church last Sunday and told her that I was confident that the job I had the interview for. This week I decided that working for my ex-employer was plan b and the other job was plan a, I reviewed the evidence about both jobs,  plan a was £1,000 more a year than plan b,  and full time permanent and plan b was full time but a fixed 6 month contract, plan a was 5 days out of 7 days, and involved flexible start and finishes between 8am – 9pm, plan b is Monday to Friday 9am -5pm. I’m involved a great deal in my home church,  and I knew that if I took plan a  I wouldn’t be able to serve as much if I was working evenings and weekends.  I heard last Thursday that I wasn't offered plan a,  and once past my initial disappointment,  I thanked the Lord for providing me with his choice of job for me.

I was in my connect group (home group) last Wednesday, and previously Geoff Grice sent a Text asking us to bring a Bible Passage that has spoken to us recently,  I had prepared something from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 however about an hour before leaving, the Lord bought my attention to this.

Habbukuk 3:17 -19 New American Standard Bible.

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom

And there be no fruit on the vines,

Though the yield of the olive should fail

And the fields produce no food,

Though the flock should be cut off from the fold

And there be no cattle in the stalls,

18 Yet I will exult in the Lord,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God is my strength,

And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,

And makes me walk on my high places.

I now live in Southport, Merseyside having moved here just over 2 years ago from Neath, South Wales I’ve settled here and for the last two years Southport has been my home,  and I’ve committed myself to staying here until I die or until the Lord calls me to be with Him.   I have wandered previously and made a mess of thinks, but thanks be to God who has settled me here in Southport, my heart is here because this is now my home.

I remember visiting here just over 2 years ago,  and being in a mess and my good friend Dave Gregg (one of our Elders) was speaking on a Sunday morning at my church (now) The Community Church, Southport and he quoted at the end of his message he quoted

Numbers 10:29  New American Standard Bible (NASB)

29 Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you’; come with us and we will do you good, for the Lord has promised good concerning Israel.

When I returned back to Neath, while I was praying whether or not to stay there or move here, the Lord bought my attention to some scriptures and because I had moved from pillar to post and back again several times, I told the Lord I would either settle in Neath or move to and settle here in Southport, the Lord reminded me of the story of Isaac and the wells.

Genesis 26:17-25  New American Standard Bible (NASB)

17 And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there.

Quarrel over the Wells

18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarrelled over it too, so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, “At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 The Lord appeared to him the same night and said,

“I am the God of your father Abraham;

Do not fear, for I am with you.

I will bless you, and multiply your descendants,

For the sake of my servant Abraham.”

25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Deuteronomy 8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

God’s Gracious Dealings

8 “All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. 2 You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.

 5 Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. 6 Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

When I moved here, the Lord made me several promises,  and give me the following scripture verses and I had some solid advice from an amazing friend in Swansea, Ralph Bettany who advised me to stay in Southport for at least 5 years and settle down rather than wandering around as I had done previously.

Ezekiel 40:4 New American Standard Bible

he man said to me, “(K)Son of man, (L)see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. (M)Declare to the house of Israel all that you see.”

Jeremiah 29:4-7 and verse 11 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I would like to say a heart full thank you to my church family,  The Community Church,  Southport and my many dear friends there, thank you for welcoming me and making part of your church family, I love you all, and I wouldn’t be who I’m today without you, I would like to thank especially Geoff and Pam Grice, Dave and Su Gregg, Steve and Miriam Smith,  David and Gwen Raynor and John and Julia Sutton-Smith for your love, friendship, sound advice and your prayers.