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Carrie Lloyd Shaw
  • home
  • about me
  • blog
  • podcast
  • the gospel initiative
    • god
    • the bible
    • humanity
    • the fall
    • sin
    • the promise
    • the covenant
  • get in touch
  • E-mail: [email protected]
  • Jul 27 2020 July 27, 2020June 18, 2021

    Why Belonging To A Local Church Isn’t Optional

    ByCarrie Shaw InPersonal 2
    Reading Time: 7 minutes

    The last six months have been an unsettling and disruptive time for millions of people around the globe. The impact of COVID-19 on our ordinary routines and daily habits has been, in many cases, bewildering. The ways in which we would usually connect have had to adapt to these new and strange times – and it seems we’re not out of the woods just yet. Our lives may not return to normal any time soon,…

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  • Three years ago I didn’t need glasses. My eyesight had always been perfect, something I took for granted and never even thought about. And then, out of the blue , I discovered I could no longer thread a needle. I simply couldn’t see clearly enough to get that pesky little thread through the teeny tiny hole. Such a mundane, insignificant task but a profoundly disturbing shift in my world. I was getting older. Two years ago, my hair was still the natural colour I was born with, albeit with a little highlighting help from time to time from the hairdresser. But not now. Little strands of silvery grey have begun appearing, a determined challenge to my perception that time wasn’t affecting me, merely moving around me. Which isn’t true of course, although for many years we only see our interaction with time in a positive light. We grow in height, in strength, in capacity, in knowledge, in experience, in maturity, heading toward the pinnacle of human existence, never considering the sober reality that once we’ve reached the summit there’s only one place left to go. There is something incredibly profound about the human experience; the knowledge that we were made for more, that God has placed eternity in our hearts, juxtaposed against the reality that we cannot stem the tide of time, a close companion to our own mortality and eventual death. What is humanity, oh God, that you are mindful of us! This photo was taken just the other day and I remember feeling that strange and beautiful collision of truths; the joy of being so alive and the sure knowledge that one day I will die. Yet knowing Jesus changes everything. As Jesus himself said, “Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” (continued in comments) 👇 #carrielloydshaw #christian #christianblogger #christianbloggersofinstagram #christianpodcast #christianpodcasters #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #bloggersofinstagram #faith #life #doubt #gospel #jesus #grace #hope #letstalk #australia #christian #christianity #life #death #aging #abundantlife #eternity
  • Have you ever stopped, in the still, eerie silence that follows a storm and realised that the armies of God were fighting for you in that storm? Have you ever felt like Elisha’s servant, for whom the veil of human comprehension was lifted for a brief moment, and who saw the mountains full of horses and chariots of fire all around him? In the dark night of the soul, have you ever despaired of making it through and yet, as the first streaks of dawn crept over the horizon, you felt new strength and renewed courage wash over you? Have you ever felt the gentle breath of the Holy Spirit brush past you and experienced circumstances so strange, you knew it was no coincidence that you were here, this place, at this moment? A moment so profound that you wondered whether you ought not remove your shoes and fall to your knees? This is sacred space, every tread of each foot made in the presence of God. This is holy ground and yet we need not be afraid. This may be war but the battle belongs to the Lord. “Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear, and stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” (Psalm 35:1) #carrielloydshaw #christian #christianblogger #christianbloggersofinstagram #christianpodcast #christianpodcasters #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #bloggersofinstagram #faith #life #doubt #gospel #jesus #grace #hope #letstalk #australia #christian #christianity #identity #iamwhoyousayiam #thebattle #thebattleisthelords #holyground #holyspirit
  • I am who you say I am. #carrielloydshaw #christian #christianblogger #christianbloggersofinstagram #christianpodcast #christianpodcasters #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #bloggersofinstagram #faith #life #doubt #gospel #jesus #grace #hope #letstalk #australia #christian #christianity #identity #iamwhoyousayiam
  • "Living with intention doesn’t complicate life or overstress it, it simplifies life. It allows you to live on your terms, proactively, in the direction of your purpose. It clarifies everything that you’re surrounded by and allows you to strip away the complexities that don’t fit with your desired goals, aligning what you do with your personal values and who you intend to become." I came across the bones of these thoughts this week when trekking through documents and papers and, gosh, what a strange feeling it was to have 'a word in season' preached to me from my past self. Nothing could have been more relevant or relatable right now and I find myself sitting back and raising my hands in gratefulness and awe, at words already spoken, long forgotten, and resurrected for my benefit today. It's never our work, it's always His. 🙌 Maybe they'll be helpful for you too... (links in bio) #carrielloydshaw #christian #christianblogger #christianbloggersofinstagram #christianpodcast #christianpodcasters #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #bloggersofinstagram #faith #life #doubt #gospel #jesus #grace #hope #letstalk #australia #christian #christianity #walkingbythespirit #intention #intentionality #livingintentionlly #being #doing #proactive #reactive #guidedbythestar
  • Hard things don’t stop being hard things. We learn instead how to wrap the edges, soften the sharp lines, and to store them away in the drawers of memory. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to stretch, to adjust, to grow around our wounds so that they no longer trouble us in quite the same way. And, in time, our wounds slowly heal. But the scars will remain, a reminder and a lesson of hard things endured and overcome, but never erased. If you’re in the middle of hard things right now, my heart is with you. I’m praying for the gentle comfort of His Spirit to surround you today, to smooth those painful edges and to shift those difficult moments toward distant memories. Through it all, I pray your eyes will remain fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who knew a thing or two about hard things and has promised to never leave us nor forsake us in ours. 🙏 “Behold I have a friend The Spirit breathing holy fire within My ever present help Speaking truth when I can't find it Light up this broken heart and light my way 'Til my time on earth is done Oh, Holy Spirit Breathe in me like Kingdom come Oh, Holy Spirit Let Your work in me be done” #carrielloydshaw #christian #christianblogger #christianbloggersofinstagram #christianpodcast #christianpodcasters #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #bloggersofinstagram #faith #life #doubt #gospel #jesus #grace #hope #letstalk #australia #christian #christianity #hardthings #memories #wounds #holyspirit #thecomforter
  • Have you ever considered that many of the beliefs or doctrines you hold to be absolute are merely one person’s speculation or interpretation? Have you ever laid out your interpretations against another person’s and thought, you know what, the way they see things 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑠? Have you ever considered you might be wrong? Have you ever wondered whether it’s 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 that’s the important thing or whether it’s 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 that really matters? Or asked yourself lately, what is it that is 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑒? People will try to tell you the Bible is black and white on every subject but it’s not, not by half. There’s plenty of grey, and bold, glorious colour too. There’s space for openness and conversation and listening and learning and for seeing things from different angles. It’s a living book, this word of God, intimately speaking to each one of us as if it were written for us alone. It contains a kind of magic, a mystical power that changes our hearts and transforms our lives. And so sometimes we’ll hear its song like a harmony played on different instruments. And yet holding these harmonies together is the beautiful melody, always true, always constant, always trustworthy: We believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
the third day he rose from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy universal church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen
  • In my latest article, I wanted to take a closer look at the phenomenon of celebrity culture that has arisen within the modern Western church and, in particular, the influence this culture has had on the average, ordinary Christian. Writer and editor Katelyn Beaty, in her book Celebrities for Jesus, makes the distinction between fame, a morally neutral state of being known by more people than you know, and celebrity, with its focus on self-promotion and brand-building. “The right kind of fame,” she writes, “arises from a life well lived, not a brand well cultivated.” With the rise of social media and the massive reach of online platforms, anyone can become someone, with something to say and an audience to hear it. The ability to curate a popular (but often artificial) public persona, within the reach of millions, is available through a simple tap of the keyboard. However, this platform is often devoid of personal proximity or systems of accountability and runs the risk of reducing the gospel to merely a vehicle for global Christian consumerism. With our eyes blinded by the bright lights of celebrity, perhaps we’ve forgotten some of the foundational truths of the Christian life, spiritual disciplines that faithful Christians have endeavoured to live out for centuries; ordinary faithfulness, the relevance of the local church, the 'priesthood' of every believer, and, most significantly, the sufficiency of Jesus. You can read 'Without The Applause: Examining Celebrity Culture In The Church' here: https://www.carrielloydshaw.com/without-the-applause-examining-celebrity-culture-in-the-church/ (link in bio). #carrielloydshaw #christian #christianblogger #christianbloggersofinstagram #christianpodcast #christianpodcasters #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #bloggersofinstagram #faith #life #doubt #gospel #jesus #grace #hope #letstalk #australia #christian #christianity #blog #blogarticle #christianblog #celebrity #celebrityculture #christiancelebrity #ordinaryfaithfulness #eugenepeterson #celebritiesforjesus #authenticity
  • You are not defined by your face, your figure, your fears, your failures, your strength of faith or lack thereof. You are defined as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is an illusion. [A word about this post. I chose this photo specifically because I still remember exactly how I felt when it was taken. There was a lot going on in my life back then and, when I saw this pic, I was overwhelmed by feelings of disappointment, comparison, failure, insufficiency, loathing even. They’re strong words I know, but sometimes these are the words we use to talk to ourselves. We have been taught all the wrong ways in which to define ourselves, marking our worth by what we look like or how other people see us. It takes a while to realise that these definitions are all shallow, insubstantial measures of true reality. I have learned to radically define myself as one beloved of God. This is who I truly am, and this is what I remind myself of when feelings of failure, inadequacy or comparison creep in. Perhaps you need reminding of this today too. ❤️] #carrielloydshaw #christian #christianblogger #christianbloggersofinstagram #christianpodcast #christianpodcasters #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #bloggersofinstagram #faith #life #doubt #gospel #jesus #grace #hope #letstalk #australia #christian #christianity #worth #value #defineyourself #belovedofgod #identity #trueidentity
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