Andy B Matters, by the BerryBunch

Instagram, devotional, pauseforthought, SpeakTruth, GoDo, honesty, thought, Godstuff, onelifeliveit, onelifeliveit, time, heart, drain, radiator, distance, armslength, privacy, selfpreservation,

S06E019, Connections We Don’t Want! Andy B 2 Minute Video

Have you ever heard the words ‘drains’ and ‘radiators’ in relation to people? Simply put there are people who can drain the life away from us and there are people who can radiate heat towards us.

In our lives we need to always be cautious about who has access to our time because there will always be people who can happily waste it for us. We are simply exercising wisdom by being selective of how much access to us people have.

It doesn’t mean we need to be rude, but there are people who know where I live and are welcome at any time, without any notice. They are people radiate warmth and we feel better by simply being with them.

There are many others who simply don’t need to know our street address.

And, in my case, this includes family members. These are not healthy people to have around, so they don’t have access to my home. Why? Because it is absolutely righteous to control who has access to our heart.

I only have a finite amount of time to give to this world and I simply look to Jesus – there were people He made time for, and people He didn’t and that is something we all need to consider for our own lives.

Just a thought…

Andy B

I used to think that light only ever travelled in a straight direction. When I was in school I discovered that light can actually bend around things too. It’s tricky stuff! More than that, it changes throughout the day.

From the perspective of, well, humanity, that change is great. Generally speaking you would wake up as the light gets brighter, and fall asleep as the darkness grows.

Unless you’re recording in a studio, then Light Can Be Tricky!

We’ve made many videos over the past few years and the one thing I quickly came to value, was the ability to control the light. So, as a result, we always heavy black out curtains or blinds to ensure that any light we use is created – and controlled - by us. And this works well, right up the point that you forget to close the curtains until after you’re in the middle of filming an interview when getting up to close those curtains is either not possible, or you left it too late and have to just carry on.

Light Can Be Tricky. Just saying!

Just a thought…

Andy B

S06E017, Change Is Good. No Really! Andy B 2 Minute Video

I like change. Actually, I love change! Change is the variety of life. However, while I really like it, I do sometimes forget to duck.

Ever bought a replacement car? You put some things in the boot (trunk), go to stand up and you crack your head on the boot – all because the new car doesn’t open as high as the last one.

It doesn’t matter how happy you are with your new vehicle! Forget to adapt to the change, and you’ll likely have a headache metaphorically or physically!

There are some people who are simply, stubbornly, resistant to change. They need to be challenged and, sometimes, forced to accept a change. There are others who may simply be wary of change because they’ve banged their head too may times.

Let’s show a little compassion and be gentle with those who are right to struggle. And exercise that same level of compassion with the resistant ones too.

Just a thought…

Andy B

Instagram, devotional, pauseforthought, SpeakTruth, GoDo, honesty, thought, Godstuff, onelifeliveit, onelifeliveit,

S06E016, A Different Perspective Helps! Andy B 2 Minute Video

Life can throw us a curve ball. You know, for ages, I had absolutely no clue what that meant. A ball can’t curve! Unless, of course, it does. And if you can spin that ball fast enough, and throw it far enough, you’ll see how it can curve through the air – just like a car drifting a round a corner: wheels one way the car going another with the drive wheels spinning.

And that is what life can do – it can leave us reeling.

The whole point of a curve ball, of course – whether that is a baseball, a football or a snooker ball, is to make that object do things the other team wasn’t expecting: got get a goal, score a goal past the defenders, get out of a snooker.

When we’re on the defending side of that ball, it can be oh so very cruel!

A crippling illness; a concentration camp – these are terrible things. But, even with something as tragic as a terminal diagnosis or the evil of a concentration camp, there is still much possibility for joy.

I don’t speak for myself here – I’m paraphrasing from The Hiding Place, written by Corrie Ten Boom about her WWII experience in a concentration camp and for a lovely lady I met with an illness which left her utterly devoid of any sense of independence.

Yet both of those women found a way to pursue joy. And that is something I am not good at. But I’m not good at it yet - how about you?

Just a thought…

Andy B

Instagram, devotional, pauseforthought, SpeakTruth, GoDo, honesty, thought, Godstuff, onelifeliveit, onelifeliveit, phoneafriend, getadvice, nomanisanisland, askforhelp,

S06E015, Phone A Friend, Andy B 2 Minute Video

Friends are great to have around us, but friends who know they can speak into our lives with things that we’re not necessarily going to want to hear are even better.

I’ve always ensured that I have a few people I trust with all sorts of details of my life, so when I got and ask them advice they already know lots about me, and they know they have permission to speak into my life things that I might not want to hear.

Simply put, there are always people – who I don’t name – because those relationships matter so much to me; they are people who I turn to when I have something where I simply don’t know what to do. Or, sometimes, because I just need a sounding board or someone to encourage me to do what I already knew I should do, but needed some confidence to do!

Don’t just surround yourself with people who you know will agree with you – find a few people who can speak into your life things you don’t want to hear too.

It’s a game changer!

Just a thought…

Andy B

Instagram, devotional, pauseforthought, SpeakTruth, GoDo, honesty, thought, Godstuff, onelifeliveit, onelifeliveit, feelings, thoughts, reality, change, fickle, steadfast, phoneafriend, perspectives,

S06E014, Feelings Can Be Fickle… Andy B 2 Minute Video

Sometimes we need to get a better perspective on what we can see. Because, what we see, may not be what we actually see!

A child can look down the road, and see the same cars as an adult. However, an adult has height and that makes the ability to judge the speed of those cars so much more accurate.

A different perspective can literally become a life saver!

Don’t ever just trust your feelings without checking out what those feelings are telling you.

An example I’ve used many times is that of feeling full, spotting the dessert trolley in a restaurant, gorging yourself on chocolate cake – only to think you feel hungry because you see something nice to eat.

Feelings lie. And, just like the example of working out how fast a car is moving along a road towards us, a fresh perspective can be a life changing help.

So, if you’re feeling something, check it out by asking a trusted friend - who can see a bit better; clearer; dispassionately to you.

We can be wrong even if we’re right, and this goes for feelings too!

Just a thought…

Andy B

Eating an apple is good for your teeth and gums, or so I was told. Unless, that is, you’re on blood thinners when eating an apple may be a little more challenging.

There is a solution though – cut it up!

Actually I’ve got one better recently as I eat an apple during the start of my weekday radio show because I now use a fork!

Don’t worry, I haven’t lost the plot. It’s just that if I eat it with my fingers, while I no longer have the issue of blood thinners ruining the simple pleasure of eating an apple, I do have to think of others. And, if I eat it with my fingers, I’ll leave sticky evidence all over our Broadcast Studio Computer keyboard and mouse.

Not much fun for the next presenter who comes along!

Is there anyone in your life who could benefit from a similar, simple, soul enriching change to something you do?

Ok, ‘soul enriching’ might be stretching the point (but it was a third word starting with the letter “S”. But, who knows what simple changes you could make to improve the life of someone else?

Just a thought…

Andy B

Ever had a splinter that came straight out didn’t cause any issues? No, me neither!

When we get a splinter we have a few choices. One is to try and ignore it and hope it comes out on its own. Or you could use a needle to try and help it out. Leave it too long and you could end up needing medical help due to infection. But there is another option!

Years ago I had a splinter which was deep enough that trying to get it out myself would have bee, well, considerably ill advised. A quick chat at my local pharmacy and I was sent away with some Magnesium Sulphate Paste BP to apply under a plaster until the splinter came out.

I duly followed the instructions and a few days later out popped the splinter - when I had a quick check with a sterilised needle.

No real pain. Cool.

Don’t leave splinters where they are – whether in your skin, or perhaps emotional splinters.

Don’t allow those hurts to sit and fester. Deal with them!!

Just a thought…

Andy B

S06E011, Memories Are Great, But…, Andy B 2 Minute Video

It’s great when you can have a wonderful, comforting, memory to look back on. From the birth of your first child to a special holiday when everything just worked to relax and refresh you.

It’s a good thing to have those things to look back to and, sometimes, to hold on to through more difficult times.

It can be easy to look back to ‘easier times’ and miss how far we’ve come as a person; as a family; as a business; as a community group.

As a nation we can hark back to ‘the olden days’ when times were great and cars were better. But, however we fell about yesteryear, today’s cars are safer even if, perhaps, the styling seems to have been done by same person when they were having a bad day.

The bible tells us not to make plans for the future and expect them to happen. But I think that applies, just as aptly, to not looking back too much either; don’t make plans to miss today by looking backwards too often – or you might just walk into a piece of street furniture or into a pit because are not looking where you’re going in the moment.

Just a thought…

Andy B

When we think of God’s provision, we’re not talking about simply getting ‘stuff’! I can promise you that if God has asked you to do something that He will absolutely ensure you have al l you need to accomplish all He is asking you to do.

The trouble is that we tend, as humans, to interpret what God is saying through our own minds and experience.

It makes sense! But that is why we need to check in with others to make sure that what we think God asked us to do is actually what God asked us to do.

He will never cause to stumble and fail – that is simply outside of His nature. But God is not all that likely to do what we expect Him to do.

So, next time you’re considering stamping your feet “because God failed to equip you” you might want to take a moment to go look up Isaiah 55:8-9:

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Just a thought…

Andy B