Camera in One Hand, a Sword in the Other

Hi all,

Once upon a time, God made such a glorious Spring day that a certain young warrior couldn't resist but going outside, reading God’s word and enjoying His Creation (and perhaps taking a few photos of it, too!) So with camera in one hand and her trusty sword in the other, our young heroine boldly marched off on an epic journey that would lead her to a most wonderous place – her own backyard. There, she would come face to face with such dangers as clothes lines swooping in from above to entangle her head; burs lurking in the grass, ready to pounce on unprotected toes; and a particularly vicious (and fluffy) guinea pig known only as ‘Bubbles’...

One by one, the young warrior overcame these obstacles and soon reached her goal, taking many pictures along the way:

A Trusty Sword

A Trusty Double-Edged Sword...

A Trusty, Double-Edged Sword That Really is Quite Photogenic...

Bubbles :)

'Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.' (Psalm 119:105)

Put on the Full Armour of God...

God bless,

~KR Ludlow~

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12

New Religion

Just a short stroy I wrote, designed to make people think.
Enjoy :)

God bless,
~KR Ludlow~

New Religion

Rosie stepped off the bus, clutching her book to her chest as she began walking home. As she walked, she contemplated the ‘new’ religion many of her friends now followed. Well, it wasn’t ‘new’ exactly – it had been around for a while. But compared to other religions, it was fairly recent.

Many of her friends had tried to make her convert – had tried to force their beliefs on her. The girl hugged her book even tighter as she walked – she already knew the truth. She would not convert.

This particular religion had some very unusual ideas indeed, about God; about the origins of the universe; about life in general; and about what happens after death. Rosie felt rather sad about the whole thing, but people will believe what they want to believe. This religion had many leaders, speakers and preachers who told their followers what to believe. They worshipped many different idols. They persuaded others that their beliefs were ‘fact’ and the ‘truth’ and that anyone who didn’t believe were simply ‘stupid’ or perhaps had been ‘mislead.’ They spoke of freedom, of happiness, of living life to the fullest. But in Rosie’s opinion, their beliefs spoke quite the opposite. The followers hung off every word and believed them to be fact yet only few actually lived as though it were true.

This system of belief had also infiltrated schools. Children were being taught these beliefs as though they were fact. They were being forced to learn about them, complete assignments on them and write about them to pass their exams. No wonder so many of her friends now believed it to be true; as true as the law of gravity. Rosie sighed as she stepped over a puddle. Many followers of this religion had closed their eyes and minds off to anything other than what their ’religious leaders’ told them.

“Oy Rosie!”
She stopped. It was Garry. Garry had always been somewhat of a bully, even in primary school.
“Oy Rosie, what ya got there,” he sneered. “Is that a bible.”
“Why, yes it is,” Rosie said pleasantly, knowing what Garry was about to say next.
“Why you got a Bible, Rosie? Don’t ya know? There is no God! Only stupid people believe there’s a God. Why don’t you start thinking for yourself, Rosie? Why don't ya do your research on evolution. There is no God.”
“If that’s what you want to believe, that’s your choice, Garry,” Rosie said as she walked away.

Yes, many of her friends had decided to follow this religion, atheism - Garry included. But Rosie already knew the truth. She would not convert.

The Cheese in the Trap

Temptation comes in all shapes and sizes. It is not some red dude sitting on your shoulder, but rather anything that tries to take your focus off God. It can disguise itself; making itself hard to see or hiding in something that seems good. It is the cheese in the trap; the bait on the hook; the inviting pond filled with hidden crocodiles; the Trojan horse; the lure of the angler fish. It finds many ways to disguise itself - in entertainment; in another person or relationship; in habits; in food or drink; in desires; in the form of a snake...
It is that voice that tells us "God won't mind," "it's not too bad," just this once," "you were born this way," "God doesn't love you," "you'll enjoy it."
The next time temptation comes a-calling, turn to God and focus on the truth instead.

God bless
~KR Ludlow~

Let's Start up a Rebellion!

I'll admit it - I can be something of a rebel sometimes. For instance, my socks never match and I am all for pirates (none of this 'ninja's are better' nonsense). Rebellion seems to be a common thing these days but I find it rather funny that many of those who claim to be rebelling against the world are, in fact, accidentally conforming to it instead!

Anyway, here's a rebellious little poem about rebelling against the world.
Enjoy :)

Be a Rebel
(By KR Ludlow)

All those worldly values
Instilled in us since birth,
All those worldly teachings
Spread right across the earth.

The world tells us to conform,
It tells us what to wear,
It tells us how to act and think...
Go on, be a rebel.

The world tells us to give up hope,
To give up faith and love,
To blindly follow evolution...
Go on, be a rebel.

We're taught lessons of disrespect,
We're taught to disobey,
To think only of one self...
Go on, be a rebel.

We're told and told 'there is no God'
And told to believe it's true,
Discouraged to seek truth for ourselves...
Go on, be a rebel.

We're persuaded into apathy,
Encouraged in self idolatry,
Convinced there's nothing more to life...
Go on, be rebel.

We're taught to buy, to steal, to hoard, 
We're taught to lie and hate,
We're taught to lust instead of love...
Go on, be a rebel.

All these worldly values
Instilled in us since birth,
All these worldly teachings...
Seriously, who wants to be conformed? 

So go ahead, be different,
Go against the flow,
Make a stand; think for yourself...
Go on, be a rebel!

God bless
~KR Ludlow~

"Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will."
Romans 12:2

Avocados of Awesomesauceness

If I was a fruit tree, I have to say I would be an avocado tree. There's nothing quite like sitting down to a nice plate of avocado on toast. Or avocado on crumpets. Or avocado in sushi. Or just avocado by itself!
There is always that excited thrill that comes from slicing a knife through the crispy outer shell; the anticipation of savouring the fresh green goodness hidden within. But sometimes the fruit does not hold up to the expectations. Instead of vibrant green, the inside is sometimes plagued with brown spots that must be cut away. Sometimes the fruit is rotten and bruised and is only fit for the bin. Other times it is hard and dry; the result of unreleased potential (i.e unripe) 

Yes, if I were a fruit tree, I would definitely be an avocado tree. While you may never see avocados sprouting from my ears, God has called me to produce fruit (and He has called you to as well). And trust me, this fruit is much better than avocados!

The fruit I am talking about is the fruit of the spirit - love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  A branch that is connected to a good fruit tree will produce good fruit. It does not need to push or strain - the fruit will come naturally as it is connected to the rest of the tree.
If we live in Christ, and grow in Him, we will produce good fruit (whether we are aware of it or not). A branch that has been cut off, however, will not produce fruit as it is not connected to the tree. Instead, it withers and dies on the ground at the base of the trunk and is only useful as firewood. Likewise, if we are not living in Christ - if we do not have that connection with Him - we cannot produce good fruit. 

Like those avocados I mentioned earlier, some fruit we produce may not be good. Some might be rotten and sinful inside and out and must be cut off and thrown away so better fruit might be grown in it's place. Some fruit may bear the bad marks of sin - marks that God can cut away, leaving only the good bits. Some fruit may be hard and bitter and require the help of the Holy Spirit to ripen it up so it becomes juicy and sweet.

God can truly produce some great fruit through us as long as we remain in Him.

What sort of fruit tree are you?

God bless.
KR Ludlow

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23

Getting into God's Word

God is fact. He is not 'likely.' He is not even just 'very likely.' He is certain. And if He is certain, His word is certain. No ifs buts or maybes. Every word of His Word is true - even those passages that make us feel uncomfortable; those stories or events that seem impossible, or at very best improbable; those passages that challenge us; those passages we would rather forget; those passages that require a bit of digging and a lot of wisdom to fully understand. The Bible is filled with God's promises and instructions for life; it is God's word to us. He can use it in conjunction with His Holy Spirit to teach us more about who He is; what He has done and how we can grow in our relationship with Him. It is a book that is meant to be read, not just left on a shelf to collect dust.

God bless,
~KR Ludlow~

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting and training in righteousness."
2 Timothy 3:16

Armour and Helmets and Swords, Oh My!

Believe it or not, we are at war. Not a physical war, but rather one of a spiritual nature. A furious battle that constantly rages on whether we're aware of it or not. On one end of the battlefield a formidable army charges; wielding black swords of deception, hurling fiery darts of sin and firing catapults of guilt. Their arrows are dipped in poisonous lies and their shiny armoured exteriors hide the decay of death inside. This is the army of worldly values; of the devil and of our own sinful nature. They care nothing for the poor souls they fool into serving them; their deceptive whispers of freedom as empty as their false promises of power. This army has already been defeated and will one day be wiped out completely.

On the other end of the battlefield is another army, led by a captain riding a white horse. This army is clothed in body armour of righteousness with belts of truth. Their feet are firmly encased in shoes of the peace that comes from the gospel and their heads are covered with helmets of salvation. In one hand, each warrior grips a shield of faith to protect them from Satan's relentless attacks. In the other hand each wields a double edged sword of the spirit. This army is a joyful army for their captain, Jesus, has already won the war.

There is, however, another group of people on the battlefield. This group sit, completely unprotected, in the middle of the all the fighting. Some are content to sit back watch the battle around, them but do not wish to join. Some have their eyes closed and their fingers in their ears, trying to ignore the whole thing. Some have given up the fight. Some are confused and do not know what side to join. Others want to join the army led by Jesus, but do not know how to. Whilst some of this group are trampled to death by their own sinful nature, others stand and approach Jesus, who has been calling for them the whole time. Each of these people are lovingly welcomed, enlisted and equipped for battle.

This is a battle that rages everyday. Though we may not physically be attacked with weapons, we are constantly bombarded with the lies of Satan; through the TV, the Internet, those glossy magazines, advertisements, our own sinful desires...
Although we may not physically be running around with swords,we have the full armour of God (although it will not do much if we simply leave it on the shelf to collect dust).
Although we may not be standing on a physical battlefield, we are on the spiritual battlefield each and everyday.

Are you prepared for battle?

God bless,
KR Ludlow

"Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."
Ephesians 6:11