BRAND NEW

So...


In life its not about numbers,  although numbers help with things it dosent mean they are everything! but right now im going against this quote and am doing something radical...

Im changing my blogging site to be on Facebook, It means that i will be putting HOPEFULLY my daily devotionals on there, it also means that i will be putting any updates.. Prayer points, Or any information about me and my team and what im up to all on there...  the reason i am doing this is because my Blog is going so well! right now i am getting 78 people reading my blog A WEEK! now this is amazing and im so thankful for that, but im aiming higher...   i want to reach and speak to as many people as i can, facebook is a growing thing and so many people are on it, so i feel that will be the best place for me to reach the christians and the non christians!

so i really want to encourage you to 'LIKE'  my facebook page, there you can see all i am doing and it will be like what im doing on here but more daily and more information

if it fails, then i will come back to this, but right now i feel i am missing an opportunity to do something great and reach more people.. so like my page the link is bellow

thankyou for following me this far in my year out and i hope you continue to follow me through facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Luke-Thomas-My-life-on-my-years-out/217439218349852?sk=wall


if you dont have facebook but would still like updates please email me on luke.al.thomas@gmail.com and i will send them to you privately  :)

The famous Donkey

So this week was the first week back this week from our holidays over Christmas!  It was great to see everyone again, my Burnley team, the pais directorship and then yesterday to see a lot of the Pais teams across the county. I was at a worship event last night called Fuel, and someone who wasn’t on pais came up to me and said ‘It’s amazing to see how exited the pais teams are to be back after Christmas, how raring to go they are and how much they want to impact the communities this year! That was an amazing thing to hear, and it was just great that I wasn’t the only person exited for this year to happen!  This week has been quite a relaxed one, me and my team were trying to get back into the idea of working again. We went into one school this week, and this is the school that we normally get 70 young people at! This week we got about 40 young people and they listened really well (as well as can be expected at lunch time) and they responded well too! I also managed to go shopping with my host to buy some gadgets and bits and bops for my church youth group! We are starting this week with 3 events that are going no for the youth and young people! For the first time in a few years there will be a young person’s house group aimed at 15-18 year olds, there will also be a new Christians for maybe people who are a bit older, and then we have a youth social! So this looks like it will be my regular weekly plan doing these 3 things so this year looks very exiting, I also have 2 big events planed, one where a pais team comes to Oswestry and leads a worship event and the Sunday morning service this will be in Easter, then I also have a plan to bring a good friend from oswestry up to Cliviger to help me lead a kids club for the Mount Zion kids and community kids. That will be during the Easter period as well, so is going to be a busy Month in April!!

            I was challenged so much when reading a book this week..! I got given some money to buy some things from Soul survivor when I got baptised, so when I was looking around the website two books jumped out at me. 1 was wasteland? (Encountering God in the desert) and the second was Story lines!  So this week I started reading Wastelands, and this book is all about when were in a place of fear, or a place in which we feel we are alone, without any one around or feeling God isn’t with us (the Desert) and how we can meet with God in this place and turn this desert into the best things that’s happened to you! So this book has been amazing for me, but you know what there was one line in the book which challenged me more then anything else, it wasn’t a quote from Mike Pilivachi (the author)  but from Matt Redman (Worship leader)  the book goes on to say this ‘ My Friend Matt Redman often tells a story about a Donkey. There was once a donkey that came rushing up to its mother, and said ‘mum you will never believe what just happened to me today. I was standing on my own tied to a post, when two men came and untied me.  They le me down the middle of this road. You won’t believe this mum, but lots of people came out of their houses and started waving and cheering me, some even tore braches from the trees and waved them at me. Then some of the men took their coats off and lay them in the middle of the road so I could on them, they did it for me mum, I must be famous! The mummy donkey said ‘it wasn’t for you son who they were cheering, it was the one who was on your back’ matt then says ‘whenever I lead worship and people cheer and clap I remember this isn’t for me, this is for the God who is with us, I am just the Donkey.  Now I love that story, and it challenged me so much! God is the leader, god is in charge, we are just the donkey we are just the things that allows God to go somewhere, we are not important, I bet the donkey that lead Jesus that day just continued its work and probably was tied back up afterwards, we are just the donkeys in this world.. the real master, who deserves praise, is the one who is on our backs, the one who is leading us

Have a great week J

2012 the year of ....?

Well I normally start my blogs by saying what has been going on in my week at work, but luckily for me and lots of people I had time of for Christmas, so apart from lying in bed till 2pm seeing my friends and family, and celebrating new year I haven't really done much! I got to lead worship again at my home church today, which was great and was really nice to be back and to see the church and to lead the church in worship...

But what for this year, during church this morning I mentioned a list of things which have happened to me this year already! And it shocked me when reading them out about how much God has been involved in my life in the last 4months! It's a bit like a hot bath... When your in it for a while you don't feel the heat, but when you jump out the cold hits you and you realise how nice it was in it! And it's like that when I came home for Christmas..l I got to jump out of this place and look back and just go wow this is amazing! So god has been touching and working in my 2011 but what about 2012 ... A year of greatness or a year off sadness?


I like to think of going into 2012 like going into a new book when being dyslexic! if you go into the book thinking of the last book, then you aren't going to be focusing on the new book, you will be thinking of the old book, getting confused in the new book, and eventually you will wish you could start the book again! But if you go into a new book with an open mind, you go into the new book haven't learnt from the old book so in terms of dyslexia you go into the new book with new techniques on how to read the new book, then the new book will be easier and better for you! I'm taking that as 2012.... I'm going to learn from my 2011 experience and use them to help me enjoy and benefit from 2012 more! I always feel the way you go into a new year will effect how you come out! I ougo in negatively, unhappy and angry. You will come out worse... By if you goin happy then you will come out a lot better! And thats the idea that I'm Going into this year with... I'm not going to make resolutions.. Or things which I want to complete this year... Im going in saying I want this year to be the Year I offer myself to god the most so he can use me a lot more then I have allowed him to up until now


Hope everyone had a great new year...

Encouragement

SO this seems like it just might be my last blog before Christmas, who knows i may do one next week so keep looking :)  SO last week was a good week, we had an assembly tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday and Friday at one of the schools we go to, this was in ordser to advertise our lunch club, we spoke about the True meaning of Christmas to over 800 pupils in this week, and when we had out lunch club, we could see the difference as ther was alot more peopel popping there head into the room we were in, so a very succsesful week!  so what else happened this week? well we were able to talk to lots of other schools about what christmas really is... and that CHRISTmas is about christ, i did something called the offereing talk at our youth evennt Friday, and talked about why giving is so important!  i also had a chance to play with a group of people from a place not far dowen the road, and they were doing an event called 'the chirstmas lie' this was about people who love christmas but not for the right reason, and what chrsitmas was all about, so it was a worship event with a bit of a talk in the middle! was great, and 3 people gave there lives to Jesus and was just a great event and really well done! we also had our second meeting with our new christians group, which was great another two people came this week so was great to chatting and learning about gGod with people who are seeking God more and more! this week i have also been planning my new house group for 15-18 year old so we have baught a few bits and bobs for it, and started advertising it proporly to the right people, so things are looking exting for this group after christmas that is starting!


I was really encouraged this week.... i sent a message to two friends asking them to send me bible verse's just randomly, no explanation and they ended up being very similar to each other! they both spokje about looking to God first in all things, and remaining happy in all situations! this was really good for me, because as i look around to lots of different people in the world, and see the opporunities people are getting and the situations that people are being placed in, and i wish i was like them , i wish i could be in there boots rather then my own! but i feel that God was trying to say to me that i should be happy and be glad in what im doing! in phillipians 4v6 it says 'Don't worry about anything instead, pray  about everything, tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done' this very week i was told by someone that they fast once a week in order to spend time praying and speaking to God and asking him for help and praising him and so on... so i really feel like this is something im going to start doing in the new year... i will prayt to god overf the christmas period and ask him if this is what i should be doing, and if so what day shouyld i do it? so im really going to be seeking God first this christmas and hoping that i can keep chirstmas this year what is really should be about CHRISTmas!!!!!!!!!!

Even If People Appose You....

Soooooo! this week again has been a great week....   It started off being a very busy week which just got worse and worse with alot of things but it ended really well! my highlight was doing and leading a 'new christians' Bible study at my church! there was 6 of us and went really well,  people seemed to get alot out of it! we did it on Seeking God first in all situations so not just when times get hard but at all times :)  I also got to go to Family Friday which is a family event at my church Mount Zion which was Christmas Unwrapped so was awesome just going into the bible in a family and fun way so was great to see many off my youth there and many people who wouldn't normally come to church!  then i managed to go home on Friday evening and spent a busy weekend at home! firstly being put on a Christmas parade as Joseph (had a drawn on beard and everything!!!!) then spent the day with a good friend catching up ... then was at passion praise in the evening worshiping god with many other people from the area! then on the Sunday was church followed by a dedication meal for a good friend of mines Daughter! was great to spend the weekend at home and see people again and just yeah was awesome!!


People may not kill us for witnessing about Christ, but they may let us know they don't want to hear the truth and try to silence us. Keep honoring God in your conduct and words ; though many may turn against you and your message, some will follow Christ, Remember, Stephen's death had a profound impact on Paul, who later became the world's greatest missionary. even though who oppose you now may later turn to Christ' 


we as a hub (east Lancashire) are studying Acts this year so this week were studying Acts 7 and in my study bible i found this quote! and i think its amazing to hear.... even if people appose us, if people may not physically or verbally abuse us but may emotionally abuse us by not speaking or ignoring us that doesn't matter, stay true to God stay true to what you believe in and what you know is true and one day a miracle may happen like what happened to Saul Later called Paul...  A man who hunted and executed Christians who later wrote many of the books of the New testament and became the greatest missionaries ever to live. remember everything is possible if God is on our side ' Romans 8 v 31 If God is for us then who can ever be against us' 'acts 5vs 39 'if this is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them'




Have a great week :) 

If Our God Is For us....

So i wrote a whole Blog out last week and came onto my blog account today and it didn't send!!! so i wont bother sending it now i will just incorporate the main things from that one into this one here!

         So i spoke in my last blog about me getting back from our 'M4' weekend and things from there have just blossomed, there have been 4 young people starting 'text a prayer' where they put a number on a poster in school in if someone wants prayer they text in and then these people will get together and pray for it! its been great so far and has really made a difference so far 150 texts have been received in two weeks! there is also lots of people wanting to make differences in there schools and colleges, people telling there friends about God telling  people about events going on with the local church and encouraging the people to get along side it and come to the events!  So has been the best result after the M4 we had two young lads from one school who were telling there mates in the lunch club about why Jesus was there Hero and why there friends should go to church! has been amazing and what we do here isn't about us its not about how much we get out of the year, its about blessing these young people and it seems like were doing that and seems like were really  making a difference in their lives!

In terms of my church life things are really growing there, we have got an idea for a new bible study we will be starting for the 15-18 year Old, and ive taken feedback from all these young people and have put together an idea for a once a week meeting, this will start the week after Christmas so its really exiting! also an idea for me leading worship and even doing a preach at my church is coming about so things are looking up and are looking very exiting for this next few months coming up!

     If our God is for us...   this is a verse which has really touched are team here in Burnley, we turn to God in all our situations and we look to |God in all we do, and we come up with difficulties,  a school we once got 70 people at a lunch club! one school we once has 0 people! so we have facing these, then we face difficulties with the student that come, some dont care about what we have to say and some do... and then me on a personal level am struggling with the youth at my church as they are finding it hard to make commitments to things and coming along to things because they live so far away from church! so we face difficulties but in ROMANS 8 V 31 it simply says 'If God is for us, who can ever be against us' and then also Acts 5  39  'if it is from God you will never be able to stop them' And this is what has kept me Personally Going and has Kept me positive, if God is with me and in me.  then who can be against me and who can stop me?  simple answer NO ONE...


Thank you to Everyone who let me know that you read my blog was great to see who does read it... and i would love to set one challenge this week for people who are reading this, i don't care if your Christian, NON-christian or somewhere in between this is something i want to challenge you with. some time this week when your experiencing a problem, may it be you have work to do, you have to go somewhere, you've got to speak to someone who you really don't like... then i challenge you to do something, before you do it pray to God... say to God 'God please be with me in what i am about to do' and then go and do it, i bet you something different will happen in this difficult situation, and if it does please let me know, would be great to here from people who have done this and who have seen a difference


Cheers Luke

M4 Weekender!!!!

So this week has been quite a cool one to be honest....

started off the week with a few really good lunch clubs.. one we spoke about Seeking First God... so spoke about why its important to Look to God first in all situations no matter how big or small they are, then we spoke about why is Jesus are Superhero.. so we went into a school and one of the young people actually came to the front and in front of all his friends told us why Jesus was his superhero, was Fantastic to see and he was just a real inspiration to me about doing this. so we had two amazing lunch clubs. Also I helped out at Life Kids which is the weekly kids club that happens at life church was great to be involved and see young people ENJOYING coming to church! and I love it there!  So Yeah the week started of amazing and finished off even better!!!

So the week Ended with Something called M4 Weekender.. this is one off the Pais ideas for mission with Young people. Hence M4 (Mission 4, 4 ideas for mission) so this weekend was Weekender, so the whole point of the weekender is to invite your young people from your church who you cans see are wanting to do more are wanting to be an impact in their schools and communities, so we ended up getting about 40 young people at the event, from around east Lancashire and it was just a weekend of Praising God and giving the young people ideas off how to work in their communities and get them fired up to get out there! so we had some amazing talks from some directors of  Pais GB and hub and team leaders! was great to be involved in it and you could really feel Gods spirit in the event and throughout the weekend. on the last evening off the event  God entered the building and his spirit fell among all of the young people and they just ended up praying for each other! 15 year olds praying for other 15 year olds who they have never met before! it was just phenomenal and i loved ever minute of it!  I was involved with the worship band so got to play with an amazing group of musicians with our goals just being to worship and bless God!!!

   My weekend ended by going to Church Sunday morning and speaking to the church about what im up to and everything, they seem very motivated and exited about ideas i have for the young people at church and are really supporting me well in the ideas i have! i then got to go down to Nelson at the Mission church to watch a lad from the M4 weekender getting baptised! was awesome to go down there and see everyone and one of the Pais workers lead worship and another Spoke and was just great to hear and see them both glorifying God! the service finished and i couldn't find any off the youth anywhere and finally i found them.. all 20 of them were praying with each other in a room in church for about an hour after the service!! come on they were being encouraged to do more by one of the young people who had been on the weekender! was great to see the passion in these young peoples lives and it was a great way to end such a great week

Now we move onto the next stage which is Coaching young people.. we aim to try and SSSS Young people... SO spread the word of God... Spot the young people who are seeking and searching for more.. Stay with the young people who we have spotted then Send the young people out... so over the last few months i have been spreading and spotting young people.. now i am begging to Stay with them and input into their lives and give them encouragement and support in what they want to do over the next year with God!

Time has gone so quick already with Pais, and if the year is continues to be as great as the first few months have been then im looking forward to an AMAZING year!!!

I would love to just find out who and how many people are reading this blog... so would be awesome if you could just send me a quick email on    luke.al.thomas@gmail.com     just so i can get a gage of who is reading it :) 

Thankyou