Thursday, 4 August 2011

Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champion. Life in the wasted places Isaiah 43:18-20 (NIV) Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. So this week we have decided that we will not live in the past any longer but rather the now that God is doing and the future He has promised. We will be people who live with a hunger to both perceive the new thing He is doing in our lives and to “go with it”. When we do, it will always cause a divinely-orchestrated way to appear in the seemingly dead-end desert times of our life, and God will show you a way forward where there seemed to be none. The promise for those who dare to live in the new thing is also that He makes streams flow in the wastelands or "wasted places" and they become no longer wasted but refreshed, vibrant and fittingly used for His purposes. Why? Because the promised streams of His life are now running through it, and everywhere the river of His life flows things come to life. God loves to revive, renew and re-purpose wasted things, whether they be wasted lands, buildings, people or talents. When God turns up, waste becomes potential. Walk with God with a hunger for what He wants to do today and you will witness His power of transformation, changing wasted things into flourishing successful testimonies of grace. Are there wastelands or “wasted areas” in your life? Commit them to the Lord today, allow Him access to them and you will be glad you did. Have a great day, and remember God is doing a new thing so keep your eyes peeled for it! Andy Subscribe today FREE! If you've been sent this e-mail by a friend, and enjoyed having a fresh, inspiring thought delivered to your Inbox, then we'd love for you to subscribe to Breakfast of Champions so that you can receive it every morning.

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Monday, 20 June 2011

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

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Good morning, Champion.

Worship is a due response

Luke 17:15-16 (NKJV)

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

When I close my eyes and think of this lone leper, returning to thank Jesus for what He had done for him, I get a lovely picture of it simply being what we call worship. Yes, he was a Samaritan and that meant he was the least likely of the ten to ever worship Jesus for who He was, but that makes it even more powerful.

 

Jesus deserving worship is not a cultural thing but an "everyone who has had their lives changed by Him" thing. Worship, like faith, is a due response, something that He deserves. He is not only due our worship but the best of it.

 

Remember, worship is ‘worth-ship’ (the placing of your worth on someone or something). When you take time in your day to worship God you put your worth on Him; and yes, He so deserves it! A great key to remember is that we do not worship Him for what He does, but for who He is. If you only worship Him for what He does your worship life will be like a roller coaster – it will be up and down according to the varying situations of your life. But if you worship Him for who He is you can have consistency in your worship that only ever then increases when He does you good in one way or another.

 

God loves your worship because it is something you choose to give away. It can’t be snatched or demanded, rather it is freely given from one to another. Every human has worship in them to give away and you see many give it to differing things and people on a daily basis. Some give their worship to football teams, and others to cars or pop stars. It is good for us to enjoy other things but to always make sure that the best of our worship (our greatest shout of adoration) is reserved for our King, Jesus.

 

Today, give God what He is due. Give Him your worship; don’t just give it because He has done something for you, give it to Him for who He is.

 

Bless you,

 

Andy

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Tuesday, 17 May 2011

Breakfast of Champions - Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champion. It really is an issue of whatever Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) 
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Welcome to another day where you have the opportunity to live and function in the God-established, eternal principle of seedtime and harvest, knowing confidently that what you choose to sow you will reap. For me the key word in today's verse is whatever because it declares that the principle includes whatever you sow in absolutely any and every area of your life. It is effective across every square inch of the landscape of your existence. Think about this – the eternal principle of sowing and reaping is relevant today in: 1. Your health and fitness 2. Your finances and wealth 3. Your relationships 4. And especially your spiritual relationship with your Creator These are just a few very significant areas you need to purpose to sow well in. With these areas, and with all the others, we can be certain that what we put in always affects what we get out.

Think about the area of worship in your life: If you put your energy and passion into worshipping God it is amazing what you will harvest out of it, while the person standing next to you not entering in can leave the exact same worship experience with apparently nothing. Why? One sowed, the other did not. Look at that same verse from The Message translation: Galatians 6:7-8 (Message) 
Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others – ignoring God! – harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. Let us today again be motivated to make sure: 1. We are sowing wisely throughout the entirety of the garden of our life, and that we are not mocking God and deceiving ourselves. We should be actively partaking in this dynamic principle on a daily basis. 2. We are happy with the seed we are using – that we are making sure that we are not going to end up with a harvest of bitter weeds but instead the finest wheat! Finally, I love the last part of that verse about responding to God. Let our hearts ever be tender enough to hear the voice of the Lord calling us to sow, and when we do hear Him may we be courageous enough to respond to it even when it does not seem to make sense. Bless you, Andy

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XY Tour

Sunday, 8 May 2011

Friday, 29 April 2011

London

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

See yourself through His eyes Jeremiah 29:11–14 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity." We have been looking at these verses all week, and drawn some great principles from it: • God has plans for you; you don’t have to settle for yours or other people's. • His plans are to do you good and involve health, wealth and future. • He wants to daily reveal to us the true potential we have within; that which He packed in us before we were born. • He is not looking for superstars - just faithful, agreeable people who will say "Yes!" even when they feel potentially unable in their own ability. The Bible is full of people that were unlikely but chosen by God; to name just a few: Moses: On the run, speech impediment – God uses him to deliver a nation from captivity. Gideon: Found hiding in a wine press with nothing positive to say – God uses him to lead armies into battle, totally outnumbered. David: Was a shepherd boy, overlooked and despised by his own family – God saw a king, the king of all Israel. Rahab: A prostitute – God used her to lead the children of Israel through a vital part of their journey. The Bible has so many more. The point is, God has plans for you! Don’t worry about what you think you can do - if He calls you to a purpose He has equipped you for it; that’s grace. Couple more thoughts When we discover His plans for our lives we know, according to the above verses, that when we pray He listens. That’s a great thought for today: know in your heart when you pray to the Father that He listens. He may be running a universe but He will take time to stop and listen to you. Also, He is there to be found by us - all we need to do is seek Him with all of our hearts. He is not hiding not to be found, but to see if anyone can be bothered. Be bothered! Seek Him and He promises you will find Him. Thirdly, He promises to bring us ever out of captivity. Remember what Galatians says: "It was for freedom that Christ has set you free". God wants to daily break the power of captivity in our lives, whether it be emotional, financial or any other area. His plans for you are freedom, freedom in every area of your life – who the Son sets free is free indeed. Today, Champion, submit to Him, worship Him, commit your ways to Him and let Him lead you out of captivity and into freedom beyond what you have ever known. Bless you, I pray you have a great weekend. Let's live for the King and advance His kingdom. Andy

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Thursday, 7 April 2011

Football Tournament

Pill Hub - Our Winners. Kings Generation do it again!!

Football

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Tuesday, 5 April 2011

Katie Blog - Uganda Mission

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Having an amazing time out here its all very different and challanging but thats where god is strengthening me and pushing me to grow

 

The girls here at the house have been fab helping me to settle and i cant get my head around that im with christians wherever i go theres constantly talk about jesus, singing, praising and holding conversations and each time im encouraged by something its amazing to be at a chritsian organisiation. love it.....

 

Each morning when we start work at 7 am yes i said 7am ha!! we go to the superviser and they tell us which room to go in and my 1st day i was in with the babies who are sick either malnourished or have cerabal pausy (cant spell it ) so that was a challenge in its self but again god gave me the wisdom and strength to get on with it as ive never worked with babies and small children with these conditions before but just to see one smile from a baby who cant move from the neck down or to help one to eat is amazing and the nannies sing jesus songs to them and u should see their smiles

 

I got to work with a little boy for a few days called Cooper, he was 3/4 years old not exactly sure as he came in from the hospital after his mother broke both his legs, so his dad dropped him to the hospital and gave a false name and address and left so they had no way of being contacted so we took him in, he was gorgeous.... the 1st say i saw him he was crying so i went over not realising he had broken legs and was like 'hey would u like a cuddle?' and he said 'yes' so im like 'stand up' and he couldnt so i tell the nanny he may be crying cos he has a bad leg and she then tells me they are broken, bless him. Trust me....

So after that he would sit in my lap and just be nursed but then complained of a bad tummy so for the next few days he was sad and i continued to nurse him, then tuesday i got him up and dressed and again he complained of a bad tummy.

 

Cut a long story short sadly Cooper passed away that tuesday afternoon of a blood clot, it is sooo sad and sureel as it was so unexpected, the great thing was that he loved the bible the guys would sit at lunch time and if they had a bible he would say 'come' 'come' to be read a story and he would thank god that he would get healed one day......

 

The culture he is soo different i found it really hard and was upset but in private as the Ugandans and nannies just get on with it as they are used to it happening, its mad to see. 

So we had a funeral for him yesterday which was lovely and people got up and spoke about his short lived life and we gave thanx for having the opportunity to sow into the short time we had.

 

Soooo as u can tell ive had a challenging, emotional 1st week but also a great week i will keep u updated and pleased continue to pray for boldness as im out here.

 

Thanx again for all your support i really appreciate it

 

katie x x 

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Friday, 25 February 2011

Pappa's Kitchen

Newport Family Day

If you Really Knew Me

Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champion. Live with an ex-rated heart Daniel 6:3 (The Message)
 But Daniel, brimming with spirit and intelligence, so completely outclassed the other vice-regents and governors that the king decided to put him in charge of the whole kingdom. Let us finish the week where we started off, with Daniel and the topic of living with a spirit of excellence. When people met Daniel, they encountered a spirit and heart marked with a big X. His heart was truly ex-rated, and so should our hearts be in the purest sense. Our hearts and lives should be: • Expectant: His Spirit is the atmosphere of faith; His residency causes us to dream and think big. Be believing for great things today, independent of what you are currently going through or facing. • Excited: let your passion for your God and His plans for you flow out of you like a river today. Believe in what He has promised you and get excited. Be positively infectious to others in your world (that’s called evangelism). • Extravagant: live big, especially when it comes to God; give big and live big. Live to do more than enough and not just 'what will do'. Give the best of your worship – indeed, your life – and not what is left at the end when everyone else has had their bit. • And, of course, live Excellently: as we said yesterday, don’t live trying to do what you can’t with what you don’t have, but do the very best you can with what you do have! Sadly, too many times when people meet christians they meet people who are negatively ex-rated. They experience and encounter people who are Exhausted, Extinguished and even seemingly Exhumed (just dug up from the grave!), but never let that be us. Let’s purpose to live to turn their heads for Jesus! Have an awesome day of influence and impact. God bless,

 Andy Subscribe today FREE! If you've been sent this e-mail by a friend, and enjoyed having a fresh, inspiring thought delivered to your Inbox, then we'd love for you to subscribe to Breakfast of Champions so that you can receive it every morning.

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Thursday, 10 February 2011

Andy Elmes : Purpose of Life

Good morning, Champion. What’s the purpose of your life? Acts 13:36-37 (NIV)
 For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. There can be no greater testimonial to a life well lived than this statement found in the book of Acts. Our days are like currency, precious coins kept in the purse of our existence. Our days, as with natural wealth, can be numbered in amount, though no man knows the amount each of us have left but God. When the coins (days) of our life are spent they are gone, and there are no refunds. This sobering thought should motivate us to live with cause and passion. What is important is not to fear them being spent, but rather make sure we are investing each one of them wisely. When they are spent it is what was purchased or accomplished with them that determines their worth or success. This should motivate us all to spend our days well. Believers should not fear death because Christ has beaten it. Rather, death should inspire us to live our lives well and on purpose. 

Many people spend their lives on purposes that have no benefit to anyone outside of themselves, that carry no eternal significance or reward. In this life they may have much, but in the life to come they could find themselves bankrupt. Mark 8:36
 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? As followers of Jesus we have chosen something far better than living for riches – we have chosen to spend the currency of our days, as David did, for the purposes of God. As we do this daily we release the kingdom of God, changing people’s lives for the better and, at the same time, we get to live a life worth living. Live on purpose – don’t drift through life, like a boat on the ocean without a rudder, but walk with bold steps of divine purpose today. Live for Jesus and the advancement of His kingdom on the earth. Live on purpose today, Champion. Andy Subscribe today FREE! If you've been sent this e-mail by a friend, and enjoyed having a fresh, inspiring thought delivered to your Inbox, then we'd love for you to subscribe to Breakfast of Champions so that you can receive it every morning.

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Monday, 7 February 2011

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. The world starts with your world Mark 16:15-16 (NKJV) And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned". When you read this commission – that we all have in common – it can seem very daunting, especially if you read it in one of the older translations of the Bible. I want to take a couple of days to break it down and make it more do-able for everyday folk. Firstly we need to remind ourselves that this is the Great Commission not the Great Suggestion. Jesus has commissioned us (His body) to be busy with the incredible honour of introducing others to Him and helping them to be His followers too. If this is important to Him it should be important to us. But again, it should be something that is fueled by desire from the heart not obligation from the mind. So let’s start at the very beginning: "Go ye into all the world". How huge and seemingly undoable is that? Let’s re-look at it to make it something that we can all get busy with. Before you pack and set sail for Africa or the remote regions of China let’s consider your individual world. After all, the disciples were told to go first to their city, Jerusalem, then to surrounding areas, then finally to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). We must all realise the first world we need to be passionate to represent Jesus in effectively is the one that is unique to us right now. Without going anywhere you have a very real world that is unique to you, made up of your friends, neighbours, people you work or go to school with. The first people we need to go to with the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done is surely them, because if you don’t take responsibility for them who will? This personal world can actually be the most demanding one – let’s face, it in many ways it is easier go to the ends of the earth and stand up for Jesus with people that do not know you! You can project anything or impersonate anyone. But with the people in our everyday world you have to live it out too, because they know you and will be watching to see if you live it or just talk it, right? This does not need to be a negative reality but rather a strength to you. As you purpose to live out the new life God has given you in an authentic way you will catch the attention of those who know you; the changed life you live out before them will prompt the questions that you want to be asked. So don’t read the Great Commission and think you have to rush out and buy an air ticket for a mission trip some place far off; rather, ask the Holy Spirit to show you the people in your Jerusalem (immediate world) that need God, and ask Him for the courage to reach out to them on a daily basis. When the life you daily live matches the words that come out of your mouth, that will turn some heads for sure. GO INTO YOUR WORLD God bless, Andy

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Saturday, 5 February 2011

If you really knew me

If you really knew me you would know that I cry myself to sleep most evening. I think I am a waste of space and don't want to tell anyone I am depressed. (by young person in school)

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If you really knew me

Monday, 31 January 2011

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

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Let the spotlight remain on the Star (cont’d)

Colossians 1:15-18 (NKJV)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

As we said last week, like the Apostle Paul let us ever keep the spotlight of fame upon the One who deserves it.

 

Let’s continue this morning to look at why:

 

1. He is the head of the Church, not us.

We are the body and it is good for us to remember this. He will always be the head and, by faith, we are joined to Him and find our life in Him. Just as in the natural, the same life that is in the head is in the body. When you realise this you can enjoy His life flowing in you and through you every day. Because you are, by faith, connected to Christ who is the head of the Church, you can know His mind and thoughts for every situation you may face.

 

2. He is the firstborn from the dead.

Because He has risen from the dead we have no need to fear death. He beat the grave and it has no legal right to hold us. When our lives are ‘spent’ (hopefully spent well) and we close our eyes to this life, we will rise to be with the Father, just as He did.

 

Finally, the statement that I want to underline is this:

In all things He deserves the preeminence!

 

He deserves the first place and the best place in all that we do. As we go into our busy lives, with all its demands and challenges, we can also walk in incredible blessing as we give Him the first place, the best place. Other ‘things’ you need and want will flow to you and hunt you down if you allow Him to have the place of preeminence in every section of your life - not just today, but always!

 

God bless,

 

Andy

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Tuesday, 25 January 2011

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Where do you go when you are thirsty? John 7:37-38 (NIV) On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Here we see Jesus stand up in the middle of a very busy place and ask a very straight question: "Anyone thirsty?" It was the greatest day of a festival so chances were that a whole bunch of people were thirsty, but Jesus was not referring to a natural thirst – He was not offering chilled Pepsi to those who had been out in the sun to long! He was speaking of the deeper thirst each of us have within, that internal thirst which, in the same way as a natural thirst, drives people to all manner of places looking for quenching or satisfaction. As it was then, so it still is today. People are walking around with a thirst that they do not know how to satisfy. We all did it, running around from place to place, everything from relationships to new fashionable things and places to be. Yet all these other places and things only ever satisfy for a moment, and then the thirst always returns leaving the feeling of dissatisfaction once again. That’s because only the living water which comes from God can truly quench the innermost thirsting of a person. We were designed to drink living water, that spiritual water that comes from the spring of God's own Spirit into the reservoir of our spiritual bellies – our innermost being – then flowing out it waters, refreshes and revives every part of who we are. When God's river starts flowing within us, and we begin to drink from it, every other thirst in our lives is satisfied, and we no longer have to wander around seeking satisfaction from the over vendors we used to visit because we had no other choice. One taste of God's living water and the other stuff simply doesn't cut it anymore. It’s like when you drink a real Coke you can’t go back to the cheap stuff you buy from discount stores – you know the stuff, ten bottles for a pound! Hey Champion, stop your hunting and settling for lesser refreshment, and drink from the living water of God. As you do it will well up inside of you, bringing the satisfaction you have been thirsting for. Drink! God bless, Andy

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Wednesday, 5 January 2011

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions...essential reading

Good morning, Champion.

Let's spend our lives on what is essential, not just important

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NKJV)

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Here is a very short yet very profound little statement that has really gotten into my heart and my life, and turned it upside-down in a positive way. My prayer is that it will do the same to you.

 

So often we can all be involved in so many things that seem so important, but we need to make sure we are busy with the things that are essential. What makes something essential and not just important is this: "Does it matter to God"? We hear in this verse the Apostle Paul underline for the Church what is essential from the viewpoint of God concerning our lives and what we spend it doing.

 

Look at how he introduces these three essential life coordinates: "And now abide . . ." He does not mention law because that had been dealt with by the perfect work of Jesus.

 

Neither does he mention a whole bunch of other church "stuff" that we often may deem important. No, just these three things: Faith, Hope and Love.

 

I like the way it is put in the following translation:

 

1 Corinthians 13:13 (New Century Version)

So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

 

I don't know about you, but I want to spend the currency of my days on things that will continue forever and not just last a moment; and 'forever' does not just mean this life we know now, but all of eternity. You see, the things we do that involve, or are the product of, faith, hope, and love will remain while other things that seemed important at the time will like straw be burnt away and never mentioned in eternity.

 

I don't want to stand in Heaven one day and watch as a whole bunch of stuff I spent my life building disappears in a moment because they were actually only important but not essential. I hope this thought stirs you, Champion, like it has stirred me. It causes me to look at what I am doing and ask myself this: "Am I busying myself with things involving faith, hope, and love?" If not, it's time to get busy with them again because without them I am not giving God anything to be excited about.

 

Hey, let's talk some more tomorrow.

 

Bless you,

 

Andy

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