Tag Archives: 40 acts

IT IS EASY TO BECOME DEFINED BY THE HARDSHIPS THAT WE FACE. “I’M A SINGLE MOTHER”, “I’M UNEMPLOYED”, “I’M A WIDOWER”, “I’M DISABLED”. WE SOMETIMES LABEL OURSELVES BASED ON OUR NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES, INSTEAD OF USING THOSE EXPERIENCES TO HELP OTHERS. JESUS’ STORY DIDN’T END ON THE CROSS: THREE DAYS LATER HE ROSE AGAIN TO OVERCOME SIN AND DEATH FOREVER. OUR …

If you are holding a grudge or a wound against someone who has hurt you in the past, make this Easter a time to find a way to forgive them. God’s grace will give you the strength to find compassion. Through forgiveness you not only set yourself free but also transform the life of the person you are forgiving. What …

When practising your testimony, have different length versions for different situations. Consider one a trailer for the full movie with perhaps an extended version for that long conversation over a meal. Write it down. Don’t read or memorise a script, but writing can help to focus your thoughts and enable you to spot the important parts. Remember that listening is …

Today’s 40 Act challenge is here. We can all help to break down the attitudinal barriers that lead to the social isolation of people with learning disabilities. A change will come through a combination of prayer and determination to include those we know, who may be on the margins of our community. It can start with a simple conversation, where …

God will use you as you are. I was a sleep-deprived, homesick mother of two little children when God gave me a job to do. The Pamper Club girls saw me every day at school and dragging whining toddlers round the Co-op. I was real. So what I told them about prayer had to be real too. Do what you …

My challenge to you is this. Today make a note of three individuals: Someone the same age as you to be accountable to, someone younger than you to disciple and someone older than you to disciple and mentor you. I nearly forgot to post this.. My Age a friend Younger my daughter Older my Grandad

Is there a local area near you that needs some TLC? Why not organise a community group to tidy it up? Alternatively, persuade your local Council to allow you to create a community orchard in your area. Could you offer to volunteer within a local school to encourage children to care for the natural environment? Whaaaat?!?! Ok so I highly …

Consider the areas of your life in which you have some measure of influence. Perhaps you hold a position of responsibility at your child’s school, or at church. Maybe you write a blog that gets a lot of traffic. Perhaps you’re just naturally sociable and have a wide network of friends. Wherever your influence is, make a decision to use …

Reduce your use of throw-away plastic. Next time you go shopping, take your own reusable bags with you. Replace the plastic cups at work with mugs. Look at the amount of plastic packaging used for food products before you take them off the supermarket shelf. If you’re hoarding used plastic bags at home, take them for recycling. We have one …

Think of ways you can give others the opportunity to talk. Start by asking the next person who serves you in a shop or café how their day is going and make sure you really listen to their answer. This one got me thinking about how many people might be following and listening to these challenges from 40 Acts. As …

Visit fleshandblood.org to register online to give blood, make a date to donate or become an advocate for blood donation. Unfortunately I won’t be participating in this challenge. My blood is useless to me at the moment so won’t be any good for anyone. I’m always battling anaemia.

Think about the way you use your car and consider alternatives to all those journeys. Could you walk, cycle, go by bus or train? If you really have to use the car, think about car sharing. Designate one day a week a ‘car-free zone’. I had a car free day today. Not out of choice really… I usually have to …

This is today’s challenge: Find someone to relinquish your time to today and let them choose the activity. Help a neighbour in need for as long as the task takes, then seek out another task to help them with. Spend the day taking someone on an outing. Put yourself at the beck-and-call of your friend, your spouse, your grandmother. Do …

Come up with a ‘screen-free’ plan and decide how you’ll spend that time with others instead. A world with no screens? I’ve said this before on my blog - I think technology is a good thing! We shouldn’t be trying to go back to the days when everyone played board games etc. That’s just not the way this world is …

Think of your favourite joke, and share it with someone today. Make it your Facebook status, or perhaps tell it over a meal tonight. Have a back-up in case it doesn’t work, and make your back-up a deliberately unfunny joke. That way if your first one falls flat, you and your audience can unite over how bad the second one …