Philip K Stone

A Fathers Heart…

Last night I went to see wee Isaac Irwin, just into the world for his First day, It made me so excited to see My mate Dean become a father! Anyone reading this that has ever had that experience well, its “priceless”, becoming a father, seeing yourself fall in love with a New creation, a miracle – its class!

As I thought about this last night on the way home from the hospital I couldn’t help but thank God for Loving me, for encouraging me, for blessing me, for saving me, so often in live its we make it out thats its only the big things that count as blessings.

I encourage you today just to acknowledge what Your father God has done for you, and you will have an endless list when you write it down – God wants the best for all His Children, all He asks for in return is our heart. Is that to much to ask? I for one know that its not!

Lord fill me up …..

How often have we cried out to God – Fill Me, Overwhelm me, Capture my heart, renew me, refresh me, Saturate my heart with You, I’m sure we have all prayed things like that, this morning as I was talking to God I heard Him Speak Words of Simplicity to me. As I was asking God to fill me, I paused, God spoke into my life reminding me that to be filled by God, you must be empty first!

God showed me a picture of a milk bottle with a little milk in the bottom, it was being filled with water, instead of going clear it went cloudy, God was saying Phil You need to be empty, cleansed then filled!

So next time You ask God to fill You, remember that before you can be filled by God you must be clean and empty , have a super day!

An Enemy in the Community

Have you ever seen people have a good time in each others company, I’m sure you all have, this is community when its working Right!!! So whats wrong when we walk down the street and see that everyone walks with their head towards the pavement, when You have to spend a few minutes looking before you see a smile, Yes People are stressed ( Christians included), they are under pressure, but could it be that if they shared their burdens that at least they could enjoy life a little?

To many go through life worrying about Bills, I could go on and mention more, but I think in modern day that Money is definately everyones biggest problem, whether if is lack of it, or to much, its the No.1 Problem. Debt is probably the biggest problem within Money. Heres a Business advice line for today,

“If You can’t afford it, don’t let the loan company afford it for You! Cause when you buy its you may realise that there was little wrong with the old one.” (Sorry if you work for one of these loan companies)

And remember whatever you earn and gain in life financially will all stay on earth when Your time is up! So Now the question is, whats there to worry about?

Worry about spending time with your family, about making friends, about being an good influence on the people you spend time with, Stress about finding ways to tell people about Jesus, cause it will be worthwhile! You will be remembered for how good a family man or woman you were, by how you reflected Jesus in your community, not by the car you could or maybe couldn’t afford as it turns out and certainly not by how much debt you left behind! If we lived in our means we would not be in debt – Thats A lesson I have had to learn in the last number of years.

Lets put this enemy of debt out of our town and maybe people will be real again! Don’t let it destroy You, Your to valuable for debt to grip You!

A Presence in the Community

Did You know that we can carry the Presence of God everywhere we go? Seems a strange thing to say when we are always telling eachother to let God Carry us, But we get to go places where maybe our friends from Church don’t get to go, meaning that we have to take on the responsibility of Carrying the Light and Presence of God – Everywhere we go!

What does it mean to Carry the Presence of God?

We don’t become spiritual by reading books about it but rather through experiencing the presence of God, When we have a God encounter we are changed (Well if its a real encounter we WILL change, many have encounters but unforunately put off the change). That change we must carry into our everyday lives acknowledging that it is Christ that is in Us has made the change.

Have You ever been around someone that soaks their whole life in the Presence of God and felt that presence when they are nearby? – Well thats what Carrying the Presence of God feels like to people when its carried to them, there is no 7 steps to this, rather it comes through Time with God and Time in the Presence of God!

How can we carry the Presence of God?

The way I best suggest we carry the Presence of God is no never depart from it, Never allow there to be a cut off point when You are in the Presence of God, Always have God in your mind and your heart, talk to him ongoing, keep in close communion with Him, Its what He desired to do from creation but that got interupted with Sin, Now that You believe in God He wants to commune to you if You make the first move! God will never force you to anything – You have a will, but If you want to live in That Will You and I need to obey His Will! Hard as it may be at times – It will be worth it!

The Practice of the Presence of God is a requirement for all believers who have a heart that is hungry for more of God, and thirsts for God, for the living God.

Go on, Carry the Presence of God with You today!

A Light in the Community

People often comment on craigavon and Lurgan on how dull and dark these towns are, they do this because they look at the bad things that have happened in the past and fail to see the good happening at the present.

As Someone who has moved to Lurgan in the Almost Four years since I married Amy I am Proud to be a citizen of Lurgan, As I see the way peoples Lives are being changed in the Churches in Lurgan and beyond, as People are saved, as Events such as Glo, Vibe, street teams, community fun days bring people out from their worlds of Loneliness, as people meet Loving friends, People begin top see vision again, they begin to see a reason for living, they beging to see a community that they not only can ba a part of but a community that they can contribute to.

In my four years of Living in Lurgan I have to say, the more days that pass, the happier I see people becoming, why? Because God is brewing something in this Town, Its the Light of God (I refer to the churches) is coming out of hiding, its starting to connect with the community and thats what is making the difference! Don’t be suprised in a short space of time when you won’t be able to buy a house in lurgan, becuase it will be Town where God is on the move – And If Gods in town, people will want to be there to!

Come out of the wood work and come and see what God is doing in Lurgan!