Shipdham Community Church

Being Valentine

2010-02-16T13:46:00.000Z

"When I found the one my heart loves, I held him and would not let him go..." (Song of Songs 3:4)

Another Valentine's Day is past. No doubt the usual enormous quantity of cards, flowers and chocolates was bought and exchanged. It is said that only Christmas exceeds Valentine's Day in the number of greeting cards sent.

The true identity of Saint Valentine is not known. One legend holds that he was a kindly priest of the third century who continued to perform marriages despite an imperial ban. It seems that the Roman Emperor Claudius was upset at the number of men who refused to serve in his army because of their desire to stay home with their wives, so he outlawed marriage. And Fr. Valentine was beheaded for his trouble. Another tale tells of a medieval monk named Valentine who carried messages back and forth between men in prison and their loved ones. Many stories attach to this special day, but the fact is we don't know about St. Valentine.

But we know about love. We know how wonderful it is - and sometimes how disappointing. We know how naturally it comes to us - and how difficult it can often be. We know much we want it - and what risks it may carry. I asked a friend who had spent his career as a general surgeon what the most difficult kind of surgery had been for him. "Fixing hearts," he said, "because I know the cost of failure." He could as well have been describing love.

There is risk in giving love and risk in receiving it. Often the kids in orphanages where I've shared in ministry stand back when we arrive. They have had their hearts broken before, being abandoned by those they loved, and they don't know if they want to go there again. One can hear the fear in their voices when they ask if we're coming back to see them again, can feel it in the tightness of that last hug as we board our bus to leave. Yet love we must. It's a risk we have to take for life to be healthy and full. The title alone of psychologist Smiley Blanton's book gives the whole picture: "Love or Perish."

So love. Love God with all your heart. Take the chance on what that might mean for you. Love your neighbour - and your spouse and your parents and your kids - in the same measure as you do yourself. Valentine's Day is past, but today is still a time, as King Solomon said, to hold them and not let them go..

By Dr. Michael Halleen

Haiti Survivor Wismond Exantus

2010-02-15T11:52:00.001Z

Wednesday 13th January will be a day that the world will never forget ... One of those days that you and I will remember what we were doing and where we were, when we heard the news of the Haiti 7.0 Richter Scale Earthquake...

I, like many have sat in front of the television and watched as men and women from all around the world have rallied and risen to the challenge to help in the rescue - many have contributed financially - many have given of their time and expertise - and many prayers have been said!

I have watched as the "Rapid Response Teams" from the different nations with their different languages have all worked together with a common cause and one purpose - "To rescue those who are lost!"

The scale of the disaster grows daily - people coming to terms with their loss 600,000 people have been made homeless according to some reports that I have read.

One news report shows a man being rescued after 11 days of being buried beneath rubble... Wismond Exantus is extricated from the rubble and taken to the hospital to be checked over - when interviewed this was his story!

Wismond Exantus
- Whilst I was buried I prayed! - "God if you rescue me from this, I will be your servant forever..."

- How did you pass the time? - "I prayed and recited Psalms..."

- When asked what will be the first thing you will do when you are discharged from this hospital? - "I will find a church to give thanks to God"

During this day let's remember the advice from Wismond Exantus ...

- We have all been rescued from sin and the appropriate response is a life long service to God ... don't give up!

- When we feel things getting on top of us ... keep praying and keep worshipping ... it pays to praise!

- Give thanks ... count your blessings!

Galatians 5:1 "It was for freedom that Christ has set us free"

Live this day the way God intends you to live...

Bridges

2010-02-15T11:46:00.001Z

When anything in life brings pain,
Or anyone upsets my day,
If I can build a bridge to God
His peace will chase my fears away.

When problems leave me tense, unstrung,
And peace of mind cannot be found,
If I can build a bridge of faith,
He'll lift me up to higher ground.

If I can build a bridge of trust
To span the tensions of my day,
God's grace and understanding love
Will be a light upon my way.

No difficulty large or small,
Can come between my Lord and me
If I can build a bridge of prayer
To feel His presence constantly.

(Author Unknown)

A Short Thought

2010-01-25T13:53:00.001Z

Say to yourself, "I am loved by God more than I can either conceive or understand." Let this fill all your soul and all your prayers and never leave you. You will soon see that this is the way to find God.

(Henri De Tourville)

Courage

2010-01-25T13:52:00.001Z

I used to think courageous people were those of the type that would jump into icy water and save someone from drowning and of course those people are courageous. However, that doesn't mean courage isn't accessible to "non water" people. For those who face challenges of the simple stuff of life (all of us), then courage helps us deal with whatever life throws at us, it aids in keeping an even keel through things and equips us with fortitude to work through failure. Realising that sickness, discouragement and loss comes in all shapes and sizes I am coming to understand that our lives get smaller or larger in direct proportion to our courage.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it is doing what is right in spite of fear. Don't think that if you have fear, courage has somehow evaded you. Look fear in the face and focus on what is right, and then DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO - AFRAID IF NECESSARY. That is what courage is. John Wayne said, "Courage is being scared to deathand saddling up anyway."

General George Patton said, "If we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows not fear, I have never seen a brave man. All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened. The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on."

People of faith have an advantage because 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, "God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." How comforting and liberating is that?

My prayer for every one of us is that we live our lives with courage.

Ken Williamson
(AoG National Leadership Team)

Harvesters of Signs

2010-01-25T13:48:00.001Z

(God) took (Abraham) outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (Genesis 15:5)

God had promised Abraham and Sarah that they would be founders of a great nation and a blessing to the earth. They had kept their part of the bargain and gone where God told them to go. They had trusted and believed. But the years had piled up like sand in the desert and no child had been born to them. True, God had brought them into a new land as promised, but what good was that if there was no one to leave it to?

The story of Sarah and Abraham is a story of barrenness - not only of their inability to have children, but also of a world in which our prayers go unanswered, our deepest hopes remain unborn. As for Abraham, so also for us the time comes when we want action. Abraham, speaking for us all, says to God, in essence, "The land is fine, Lord, but what about the child you promised?"

We who worship the God of Abraham and Sarah and believe that the promised blessing is also for us feel the urgency in his question. We have asked it from the depths of our hearts too. Why am I unable to find a meaningful job? Where is the good health for which I've prayed? Will there ever be someone to love me? How long must we live in fear of terrorism?

As Abraham's question cut through the night air, God gave him a sign. He took him outdoors, beneath a sky powdered with stars, and said again that he and Sarah would have descendants to outnumber the lights of heaven. It was not an explanation but simply a reiteration of the promise. It meant Don't give up! Keep the faith! I'm still around!

Faith is a gift, something we receive rather than achieve. Some receive it in great measure, others less so. But all of us, like Abraham, are called to be observers of signs. When he grew tired of waiting, he saw in the stars something that helped him persevere. Our signs may be more subtle - a kind word, a gentle hand, a beautiful thing that reminds us of the Creator's love. Harvest those signs. Share them. Each one, great or small, helps us in the long and difficult wait for the fulfillment of God's promises.

(Dr. Michael A. Halleen)

God Can

2010-01-25T13:45:00.001Z

When you feel unlovable, unworthy and unclean, when you think that no one can heal you:
Remember, Friend, God Can.

When you think that you are unforgivable for your guilt and your shame:
Remember, Friend, God Can.

When you think that all is hidden and no one can see within:
Remember, Friend, God Can.

And when you have reached the bottom and you think that no one can hear:
Remember, my dear Friend,God Can.

And when you think that no one can love the real person deep inside of you:
Remember, my dear Friend, God Does.

(author unknown)

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

James 3:17
The King James Version

(Shared by Sarah from China)

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The Power of a Waste Pencil

2010-01-25T13:43:00.001Z

She was a janitor at a school in India. Her husband died soon after her marriage, she didn't have any family in the area. She struggled with the responsibility of raising her kids. For the last twenty years, she's continued to sweep classrooms at local schools.

One day, though, she had a radical idea: I want to give. It was followed-up by a reasonable yet confusing thought: But what can I possibly give?

When she narrated her desire to a friend, he told her a story. "Gandhi used to write many letters. One day, Kakasaheb Kalelkar, a famous Indian author, saw him writing with a tiny pencil and immediately offered Gandhi a bigger pencil from his pocket. Gandhi politely said that he didn't need it. The next day, he saw Gandhi scrambling to find his pencil and Kakasaheb again offered him a pencil saying, 'Your pencil was so small anyway.' Gandhi gently replied, 'But a child had given me that pencil.' And he carried on the search for that small pencil.

Sharing this story, he tells this sweeper woman: "You sweep schools everyday. And so, you must see all kinds of small pencils that kids throw away. Why don't you collect those and I'll give them to little kids who can't afford pencils and teach them how to write and draw." She liked that idea. In addition to pencils, she even collected erasers, sharpeners, and a few miscellaneous oddities. And every so often, when her bag gets full, she hands it off to her friend to give away to the needy. That was her ritual.

When she found out that I was in town (I'm good friends with her kids), she insisted that I come over for a meal. Due to my hectic set of commitments, I wasn't able to go over for a meal but told her that I'd definitely join her for some snacks. So I went for breakfast one day, with my friend who originally shared Gandhi's story with her. She had cooked up a simple feast of love, which we thoroughly enjoyed! We gave her a shawl, explaining that someone had gifted it to us the night before and we couldn't really use it. And as we were leaving, she handed us a pink, almost ripped, and heavy plastic bag.

Confused, I opened up that plastic bag, and saw those small pencil, erasers and sharpeners. Wow.

It's hard to stay balanced, in the presence of something so valuable. In the next hour, I had to address a couple hundred people, and shared the story of a sweeper woman. As I opened up that pink plastic bag and held a fistful of these small pencils and erasers, it was hard for even the emcee to hold back the tears! I left the bag out for people to keep a material token of this sweeper woman's lesson -- it matters not what you give, but the amount of love you put into that giving. Everything, including the ripped plastic bag, was gone before I could take a second look.

The humble offering had a certain power that simply can't be bought. I felt it, everyone felt it.

(Cup O'Cheer compiled by: Kimberly B. Quiggle)

A Thought for Today

2010-01-14T14:23:00.000Z

We do not segment our lives, giving some time to God, some to our business or schooling, while keeping parts to ourselves. The idea is to live all of our lives in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the honor and glory of God. That is what the Christian life is all about.

R. C. Sproul

Vision, Value & Victory

2010-01-14T14:22:00.000Z

Ephesians 1:18-20
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he calledhis holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.

The wisdom of the apostle Paul found in this fantastic letter is so needed in the church of our day. With outstanding apostolic insight, he prayed for the church at Ephesus and three key things emerged:

-          The Believer's Vision His prayer is that the believers will live with hearts flooded with an understanding of the future to which God has called them. Too many Christians are caught in the past, or consumed with the present, and make little space in their thinking for the amazing promise that God has placed in our futures. Having your today, shaped by your confidence in tomorrow, has an outstanding effect on issues of purpose and priority.
-          The Believer's Value The values of each Christian is not secured by what they own, what they drive, or where they live. Paul said, I want each believer to fully understand that what really makes them rich is the inheritance that God has given to His people. The Christian believer, who has even the most humble of earthly possessions, has access to all the riches of Christ.
-          The Believer's Victory As far as God is concerned, all power struggles ended at the cross of Christ. His might was never more powerfully displayed than in his victory over the dominion of eternal darkness. Because of the Cross of Christ, we win! Paul said this very same power is currently available to all who believe in Christ.

My prayer today is that you will have a fresh revelation of the following...
-          What God has in store for you
-          All that God has deposited in you
-          And all the power that is available to you

Don't leave home without this.

Doug Williams
(AoG National Leadership Team)

I am the way

2009-12-26T14:58:00.001Z

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

Judaism sees salvation as a judgment day decision based on morality. Hindus anticipate multiple reincarnations in the soul's journey through the cosmos. Buddhism guides your life according to the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-fold Path, Muslims earn their way to Allah through the Five Pillars of Faith. Many Philosophers deem life after death as hidden and unknown, 'a great leap in the dark'. Some people clump Jesus Christ with Moses, Mohammad, Confucius and other spiritual leaders.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Many people object to this, "All roads lead to Heaven." But how can they?

Buddhists look towards Nirvana, achieved after no less than 547 reincarnations. Christians believe in one life, one death, and an eternity of enjoying God. Humanists don't acknowledge a creator of life. Jesus claims to be the source of life. Spiritualist read your palms. Christians consult the Bible. Hindus perceive a plural and impersonal God. Christ-followers believe that there is only one God.

Every non-Christian religion says, "you can save you". Jesus says, "My death on a cross saves you." All road don't lead to London, all ships don't sail to Australia and all aeroplane flights don't land in Rome. Every path does not lead to God. Jesus blazed a stand-alone trail void of all self-salvation. He cleared a one-of-a-kind passageway uncluttered by human effort. He offers us a unique invitation I which He works and we trust. He dies and we live, He invites and we believe.

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. (John 6:29)

© 2009 The Word for Today. Used with permission. Free issues of The Word for Today daily devotional are available from UCBwrite to United Christian Broadcasters, Westport Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST6 4JF

Lost Christmas

2009-12-23T13:47:00.002Z

Why wait till Christmas time again is here?
Why spend those precious hours in hectic ways
Doing the things that you could do all year
And let the noise of whirl of festival days
Drown out the angel's song? Why not take time
To lift the eyes to candles in the sky;
To walk some silent night, while carols chime
And hear the hush of wings brush softly by?
Take time to mediate: to catch the spell
Of childish trust, that simple faith you knew
When love was everywhere, and all was well...
The gift you lost may now come back to you.
Seek not for Christmas in the busy mart
But cradled somewhere in a trusting heart.

(Rachel Van Crème)

Who is this baby?

2009-12-22T14:01:00.001Z

In chemistry, He turned water to wine.
In biology, He was born without the normal conception.
In physics, He disapproved the law of gravity when He ascended into heaven.
In economics, He disapproved the law of diminishing return by feeding 5,000 men with two fishes and 5 loaves of bread.
In medicine, He cured the sick and the blind without administering a single dose of drugs.
In history, He is the beginning and the end.
In government, He said that he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace.
In religion, He said no one comes to the Father except through him;
So. Who is He? He is Jesus! The greatest man in history.

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
He had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

Christmas Shopping

2009-12-18T10:00:00.001Z

A woman was out Christmas shopping with her two children.

After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else
imaginable, and after hours of hearing both her children asking for
everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the lift
with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the Christmas season.

Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every concert and show, taste
all the Christmas food and treats, getting that perfect gift for every
single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on
our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who
sent us a card.

Finally the lift doors opened and there was already a crowd in the car. She
pushed her way into the car dragging her two kids and all the bags of stuff
in with her.

When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and stated, "Whoever
started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot."

From the back of the car, everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't
worry, we already crucified Him."

The rest of the trip down in the lift was pretty quiet.

Don't forget this year to keep the One who started this whole Christmas
thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word.

If we all did it, just think of how different this whole world would be.
(Luke 2:1-20)

(author unknown)

Value

2009-12-11T14:54:00.000Z

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God....Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Luke 12:6, 7)

A radio news item reported the theft of a fleet of two hundred racing pigeons. The owner estimated the loss at $75,000. Noting the apparent increase in the value of birds since Biblical times, I took comfort again in the words of Jesus about our worth in the sight of God.

Like sparrows, we sometimes feel helpless in the face of difficult circumstances. As birds are pushed or pulled by the wind's currents, we too endure forces and events we cannot control.

I stood near a young couple during an early Christmas shopping rush. Arms loaded with packages and bags, they were clearly exhausted. The woman held up a pewter mug with a ship and some scrollwork designed into it, saying, her voice full of the weariness that only such shopping can produce, "You need something for your dad. Maybe you can give him this."

The man reached for the price tag, then turned away with a scowl. "He's not worth that much," he muttered.

I stared at this couple for a few moments longer than I should have. What had the father done so to spoil his son's regard for him? What price would have been right? Perhaps the young man himself did not feel valued by his dad and so was unwilling to confer value in return. How much difference would it have made if he had recognized his own worth - as well as his father's-in the sight of God?

We are known. We are loved. We are treasured by our Creator. So also are our dads and our daughters, our customers and our colleagues, our sisters and our spouses. God cares profoundly for sparrows and racing pigeons, and each of us is worth more than many of them.

We do well to regard one another - and ourselves - in that light.

(c) 2009 Dr. Michael A. Halleen. Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.

In Christ we have...

2009-12-09T19:42:00.000Z

IN CHRIST WE HAVE

A love that can never be fathomed;
A life that can never die;
A righteousness that can never be tarnished;
A peace that can never be understood;
A rest that can never be disturbed;
A joy that can never be diminished;
A hope that can never be disappointed;
A glory that can never be clouded;
A light that can never be darkened;
A happiness that can never be interrupted;
A strength that can never be enfeebled;
A purity that can never be defiled;
A beauty that can never be marred;
A wisdom that can never be baffled;
A resource that can never be exhausted.

(Author Unknown)

When our memories exceed our dreams...

2009-12-06T17:13:00.001Z

Probably like many of you I was recently reviewing the past year and considering 2010. During this period of reflection, I was once again impacted by a powerful quote I once read and it reminded me of the constant challenge we face to keep ourselves and our churches advancing.

'When our memories exceed our dreams, the end is near.'

I do find that statement a bit scary as I can be nostalgic and enjoy memories of the past; however, I understand we can't live there. I suppose we have this constant challenge of 'learning from the past, living in the present and always thinking future.' If we don't consistently do this there is a tendency to drift into maintenance mode, this can then lead to complacency and then failure. David did this 'when kings went to war David stayed at home'. Sampson did this 'I will just do what I did before', this sounds to me like he was living on past successes. Complacency is a subtle, slow, creeping disease, so let's make sure in 2010 that 'our memories don't exceed our dreams.'

Ian Watson
(AoG National Leadership Team)

I Choose...

2009-12-06T17:05:00.001Z

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race.

The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. And so I choose:

I CHOOSE LOVE
   No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY
   I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE
   I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE
   I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Rather than complaining that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS
   I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone, kind to the rich, for they are afraid, and kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS
   I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will see the good in others when it is hard to find. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS
   Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS
   Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL
   I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal. I choose self-control.

LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL
   The Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek God's face. And then when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

(author unknown)

Christmas Meditations from the Bible

2009-11-28T09:17:00.001Z

Like most of you I'm looking forward to eating the chocolates in my advent
calendar. Here's an advent calendar with a difference. This year I'd like to
encourage you to read just one verse from the Bible each day as the
excitement builds up to Christmas day. They will help you to remember the
real reason for the season. The verses are printed here so you don't need to
look them up.

Tues 1 - The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found
favour with God. Luke 1:30

Weds 2 - For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37

Thurs 3 - He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up
the humble. Luke 1:52

Fri 4 - An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Joseph
son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what
is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:20b-21a

Sat 5 - While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and
she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. Luke 2:6-7a

Sun 6 - She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there
was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7b

Mon 7 - The angel said to the shepherds, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good
news of great joy that will be for all the people. " Luke 2:10

Tues 8 - "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his
favour rests." Luke 2:14

Weds 9 - When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had
been told them about this child. Luke 2:17

Thurs 10 - Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her
heart. Luke 2:19

Fri 11 - The Magi asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the
Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." Matthew
2:2

Sat 12 - Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts.
Matthew 2:11b

Sun 13 - The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those
living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Matthew 4:16

Mon 14 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. John 1:1

Tues 15 - In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 1:4

Wed 16 - He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the
world did not recognise him. John 1:10

Thurs 17 - Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

Fri 18 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:14a

Sat 19 - "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant
in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation." Luke 2:29-30

Sun 20 - Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is
destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign
that will be spoken against." Luke 2:34

Mon 21 - They will call him Immanuel--which means, God with us. Matthew
1:23b

Tues 22 - When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had
commanded him. Matthew 1:24

Weds 23 - "I am the Lord's servant," Mary an swered. "May it be to me as you
have said." Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38

Thurs 24 - And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom,
and the grace of God was upon him. Luke 2:40

Fri 25 - Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is
Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

May the blessings of Christmas be with you always.

What Would He Say?

2009-11-18T08:53:00.000Z

If He should come today
And find my hands so full
Of future plans, however fair,
In which my Saviour had no share,
What would He say?

If He should come today
And find I had not told
One soul about my heavenly Friend
Whose blessings all my way attend,
What would He say?

If He should come today,
Would I be glad, quite glad?
Remembering He had died for all,
And none through me had heard His call,
What would He say?

God...

2009-11-18T08:51:00.001Z

God is the most obligated being that there is. He is obligated by his own
nature. He is infinite in his wisdom; therefore he can never do anything
that is unwise. He is infinite in his justice; therefore he can never do
anything that is unjust. He is infinite in his goodness; therefore he can
never do anything that is not good. He is infinite in his truth; therefore
it is impossible that he should lie.

(J. Gresham Machen)

Living dependant upon God

2009-11-18T08:49:00.001Z

Learning to be dependent on God is a life time discipline. My friend Van Shore from Brisbane, a glowing example of the power of the gospel - healed from the inside out, gave me a valuable insight which has helped my journey. He said...

Live:
Transparent - without MASKS
Vulnerable - without WALLS
Responsible - without EXCUSES

Be more intentional in your dependence on God and let's see what happens!

David Shearman
(AoG Leadership Team)

Lord Prop Us Up

2009-11-18T08:47:00.001Z

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, "Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side." After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.

He answered, "Well sir, you see, it's like this... I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time; it's withstood a lot of weather; it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standing. But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.

Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time. I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, 'cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning at times.

Sometimes we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing leaning toward self pity, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't.

So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leaning side', so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.''

(Author Unknown)

Faith

2009-11-05T13:31:00.001Z

There's no faith like that of children. They know that God is quiet and calm and wonderful- big and interested in them, and kind. Their requests of God usually are reasonable and honest, modest. They seldom ask for more than they deserve. They know of no reason why the world, in fact, shouldn't be mostly good.

(The Leader)

Prayer

2009-11-01T19:25:00.001Z

Prayer is aspiration. The self-satisfied disregard it. They who reach for higher things find it a necessity.

Prayer is a discipline. They who seek meaning and purpose in life discover it a wise teacher.

Prayer is an art. We perfect it through practice.

Gradually, the interval between prayer and deed diminishes - until, at last, all life becomes a sanctuary.

Alvin Fine

Sven Wonders of the World

2009-11-01T19:20:00.001Z

A group of American students was asked to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet, so she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. TO SEE
2. TO TASTE
3. TO TOUCH
4. TO HEAR."

She hesitated a little, and then added,

"5. TO FEEL
6. TO LAUGH
7. AND TO LOVE."

The room was so full of silence you could have heard a pin drop.

Those things we overlook as simple and ordinary are truly wondrous. This is a gentle reminder that the most precious things in life cannot be bought...but are gifts from above. (James 1:17)

Four Things God wants everyone to know...

2009-10-18T10:54:00.001+01:00

What can you say to someone who's about to pass from this life to the next? And what can you say to those who love them?

I've been thinking about both of those questions the past few weeks, as a close friend of ours was facing what she and all of us knew would be her last few days on earth.

As I prayed about what to say to her, I felt like God shared with me four things that He wanted me to share with her, four things that I believe God wants everyone to know. Here's what I told her :

1) God is real.
2) Heaven is real.
3) Jesus is the way.
4) Don't be afraid.

I knew she believed these things, but I just wanted to remind her just how real they were, so I just shared those things over and over with her during those final days.

When she finally passed away, her family asked if I would say a few words at the funeral service, so I asked God what He would want me to share with them. It turns out that they're the same four things that Jesus said to His disciples on the night before He died. They're recorded in the Bible in the book of John, chapter 14.

The first thing that Jesus said to them was this:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me" (John 14:1).

It was like Jesus was saying to them, "I know this is going to be a hard time for you. But God is real. He's really here. He really cares. You can trust Him, and you can trust Me, too."

Then Jesus told them that heaven was real, too. He said:

"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am" (John 14:2-3).

Throughout His whole life and ministry, Jesus preached about the reality of heaven. Even when He was challenged and some people questioned Him about the resurrection of the dead, Jesus said:

"You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God" (Matthew 22:29).

Heaven is real, and it must be really incredible. Although God hasn't told us everything that awaits us in heaven, He has told us what won't be in heaven--and that alone is worth it! There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. There will be no more night, and we won't even need the light of the sun, for the Lord Himself will give the light (see Revelation 21:4,23-25 and 22:5).

The song-writer Keith Green said, "I can't wait to get to heaven!" He said that if God took six days to make all that we can see here on the earth, imagine what heaven is like, because Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us--and He's been working on it for 2,000 years!

God wants you to know that He is real, and He wants you to know that heaven is real, too.

That's third thing Jesus told His disciples was how to get to heaven, because He didn't want them--or anyone--to miss it. He said:

"You know the way to the place where I am going."

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we don't know where You are going, so how can we know the way?"

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'" (John 14:4-6).

It was like Jesus was saying, "If you believe in Me, put your faith in Me, keep on following Me, then you'll end up in the same place that I'm going--and that's heaven!"

Jesus wants us all to keep putting our faith in Him for everything in our life. That's why He came to earth, to die for our sins so we could be free from them--forgiven--and be with Him forever.

Having shared with them these three things--that God is real, that heaven is real, and that He was the way--Jesus shared with them the fourth thing: Don't be afraid. Jesus said:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27b).

I'm sure He said it because He knew that they might very well be afraid. He knew that sometimes facing life is even harder than facing death, because of all the challenges that we have here. But Jesus reminded them of the same things that I'm reminding you. God is real. Heaven is real. Jesus is the way. You don't have to be afraid.

Always remember that God loves you, He cares about you and He will take care of you. He will watch over you, He will never leave you, and He will never forsake you. Don't be afraid.

by Eric Elder

Great Big God

2009-10-16T20:20:00.001+01:00

One day on the way home from church a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this morning confused me."

The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?

The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?"

"Yes, that's true," the mother replied.

"He also said that God lives within us. Is that true too?"

Again the mother replied, "Yes."

"Well," said the girl. "If God is bigger than us and he lives in us, wouldn't He show through?"

Opening Up the Bible

2009-10-09T14:49:00.002+01:00

A scholarly foreigner was employed to translate the New Testament into his native language. After a while, he exclaimed, "What a marvelous Book this is!" "Why do you think so?" asked the missionary. "Because it tells me so exactly about myself. It knows all that is in me. The One who made this Book must be the One who made me!"

Supplements

2009-10-09T09:37:00.001+01:00

"I pray that . . . (God) may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." (Ephesians 3:16)

The fitness center in which I work out several times a week has pictures on the wall of club members who have won prizes in regional bodybuilding contests. One of them is of a fierce looking man who often has his workout at the same time of day-early morning - as I do. He has a shaved head, long mustache and eyes that bore holes through the air. His time in the gym is alone time - Mr. Bodybuilder never speaks to anyone or even acknowledges that others of us are in the gym. The picture on the wall of his finely chiseled body in full flex pose, wearing the championship belt of the Masters Division (age 50 and above), is a reminder of who the alpha male is in this neck of the woods.

One holiday morning the club attendant was late arriving. Several of us sat in our cars, listening to radios, waiting for the doors to open. Mr. Bodybuilder drove up in a canary-yellow convertible and started pacing up and down on the strip mall sidewalk. After a five-minute wait, he strode back to his car and said the only words I've ever heard him speak: "I can't wait! I've got supplements to take!"

The only supplements I take are jam on toast and cream in coffee. But apparently there are additives available that do more than stimulate the palate. Some seem to help one look like a Michelangelo statue. What if there were also supplements available to help improve one's attitude? A friendship pill, a good-cheer capsule, or a relax-and-smile tablet might help some I know. Some need persistence supplements, others could use a self-worth additive. Many would benefit from salting their breakfast with determination and a positive spirit.

What was impressive about Mr. Bodybuilder's commitment was his discipline. His supplements were taken at a certain time, with determined regularity. Nothing was going to prevent that from happening. The benefit of similar discipline in prayer . . . in study . . . in serving those in need . . . in worship . . . in building relationships within one's family-who can tell what kind of championship awaits the one who faithfully develops the inner being?

So when I saw another man on an exercise bike in the gym reading a Bible the other morning, I strode back to my car thinking, "I've got supplements to take!"

Isn't it strange...

2009-10-07T15:37:00.001+01:00

Isn't it strange how a £20 note seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?
Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?
Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?
Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel?
Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or sports matches but they do whatever is possible to sit at the back row in Church?
Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 months before the day so we can include it in our diary, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?
Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others; but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?
Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say but we question the words in the Bible?
Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?

Author Unknown

Some Quotes on Happiness

2009-10-03T10:18:00.000+01:00

Happiness is an attitude of mind, born of the simple determination to be happy under all outward circumstances.
J. Donald Walters

Happiness is not a state to arrive at but, rather, a manner of traveling.
Samuel Johnson

Your unhappiness is not due to your want of a fortune or high position or fame or sufficient vitamins. It is due not to a want of something outside of you, but to a want of something inside you. You were made for perfect happiness. No wonder everything short of God disappoints you.
Fulton Sheen

The happiest people seem to be those who have no particular cause for being happy except that they are so.
William Ralph Inge

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.
James Oppenheim

The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one has to do.
James M. Barrie

Success is getting what you want; Happiness is wanting what you get.
Dale Carnegie

If happiness could be bought, we'd be unhappy with the price.
(unknown)

I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.
Martha Washington

Some Quotes to Ponder

2009-09-24T15:57:00.001+01:00

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond, "In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven."
Rick Warren

I think Christianity is sometimes overlooked, unfortunately. It's a very realistic faith.
Cliff Richard

'I think if Jesus were alive today he'd be a really together person; he'd have street cred. He would go and sit in Soho, like he did in Bible times, and get talking to the people.
Bobby Ball

He who is filled with love is filled with God himself.
St Augustine

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing
Edmund Burke

The Devil is not afraid of a dust-covered Bible.

Satnav or Road Map?

2009-09-13T10:30:00.001+01:00

'By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going' (Hebrews 11:8)

I find myself becoming more and dependent on my Satnav. Once upon a time a journey often meant poring over a map, plotting each stage and then trying to make sense of it while on the move. Making a mistake usually led to self-aggravation or a lively debate with the passenger-navigator about who was to blame for getting us so hopelessly lost.

Not any more! I tap in the destination postcode and then leave it all to the screen on the dashboard and its voice 'Jane' who, I have to say, has the patience and sweet nature of a saint. I just know 'she' will be with me all the way, keeping me on track and gently redirecting me if I take a wrong turning.

So what about spiritual guidance? It seems to me that it is more like a Satnav than a road map. Sure, we would like God to show us every twist and turn of our lives in advance, but it's usually more a matter of 'one step at a time'. He tells enough for the moment, but then we just have to get on the road and trust Him to take us on the best route to our destination.

It always surprises me that although Abraham knew he was heading for the Promised Land he didn't know, or need to know, the exact route in advance or what would happen on the way. He simply obeyed God's Instructions each day; which is probably a good definition of 'living by faith'.

I have to admit that 'Jane' is not infallible: she once took me into the Channel Tunnel terminal instead of nearby Capel-le-Ferne (maybe she got it confused with Calais). But God makes no mistakes, and if we follow the heavenly Satnav – the leading of His Spirit - He will take us on the right way to the right place. Here's a great promise: ‛I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you' (Psalm 32:8, RSV).

Are you willing to listen to His voice and trust Him for the next stage of your journey?

Andrew Parfitt (AoG Regional Leader – South East)

The rescue in ‘restriction’

2009-09-13T09:40:00.001+01:00

And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar…Genesis 19:30

This passage in Genesis outlines the angelic mission to rescue Lot and his family from the destruction that is about to devastate the city called Sodom, their city. Lot has made his wealth in that city, and now loses all he has worked, as well as his home, and even his wife! We find him pleading with the angel to let him escape to a nearby city, the angel agrees and waits for him to make the journey there (19:21-22). This city is called Zoar, and it means 'small'.

How many times has God had to rescue us from the folly of our own decisions! When we should have exercised greater caution and insight but did not. I am sure that you, like me, can recall both the loss and regret of moments like that. But God in His wisdom has a place to hide us during such seasons; it's called 'Zoar' a place of restriction and limitation. A good place to recalibrate, review and refocus our priorities. There is no need to be anxious in 'Zoar', embrace your restrictions and live peacefully with the limitation, until God resets your course.

That is the ideal…. but Lot was afraid of 'Zoar' and settled for a cave! Running from Zoar only led to more problems and they were huge. The alcohol could never really remove the pain of his loss, and the confusion of incest that overshadowed his family, led to the production of the Ammonites and Moabites. The wickedness of these people cast some of the darkest moral shadows in biblical history. Zoar had to be better than this!

If you are in the season of recovery and restoration, rest deeply in the limitations of recuperation that are designed to secure you a better future. Are you facing the challenge of lost opportunity? Don't become a cave dweller, but focus on the mercy and favor of God (19:19; 21) and be grateful that the loss of some things does not mean the loss of everything!

Doug Williams (AoG Leadership Team)

Instruments of God

2009-09-13T09:34:00.001+01:00

For years my husband and I enjoyed our daily walks together. Sometimes we talked quietly other times we were just together in silence.

But our walks lost their glow when, after an illness, I had to walk as therapy. It changed our gait, our buoyancy. Moreover, it was changing my attitude. What's the use, I thought. It's doing no good.

Then one day a little note arrived in the mail. It said: "Keep it you two lovebirds! You make my day as you pass my window every afternoon. Looking so fit and happy. I am a shut-in and don't know what I would do without the inspiration you give. 'Things will get better' your presence seems to say..."

Each of us is an instrument of God, sometimes inspiring one another without knowing it. This week, let someone know what they secretly give you.

June Masters Bacher

Baptism Service

2009-08-30T08:07:00.002+01:00

This month we're busy preparing for our baptism service. This will be the first baptism service that we've held at East End Chapel and the first ever baptisms by full immersion in Shipdham. Baptism is an exciting service in the life of a believer—it marks their decision to follow Jesus and demonstrates a turning away from the old sinful life to a new life as a child of God. A milestone in their Christian lives. It's a joyful service of celebration for the candidates; their families and friends and the church as a whole.

For the candidates it's a chance to make their faith public—to nail their colours to the mast—to show the world what they believe. It's also an act of obedience as we are commanded in the bible to 'repent and be baptised' (Acts 2:38).

If you've never seen a baptism by full immersion before, or would like to know more about baptism or about following Jesus then why not come along to the service at 2:30pm on 27 September —everyone is most welcome.

Windscreen Wipers

2009-08-21T08:46:00.001+01:00

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick.

Suddenly, my son Matthew spoke up from his relaxed position in the front seat: "Mom, I'm thinking of something."

This announcement usually meant he had been pondering some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all that his seven-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"The rain," he began, "is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away."

After the chill bumps raced up my arms, I was able to respond.

"That's really good, Matthew."

Then my curiosity broke in. How far would my little boy take this revelation?

So I asked, "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?"

Matthew didn't hesitate one moment with his answer: "We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us."

I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.

(author unknown)

Humiliation or Humility?

2009-08-21T08:44:00.001+01:00

I was half-way through facilitating an intensive 34-week Bible study class. One day I received a phone call from one of the men in the class. Immediately following my "hello," he proceeded to tell me everything I had done wrong as a facilitator. "You are arrogant and incompetent. You think you know everything, when in reality you know very little. I can't imagine why the church allows you to teach this class, or why you are even allowed to remain on the staff! I will not be back to your class!" He continued for several minutes. Then, without giving me an opportunity to respond, he hung up the phone.

I sat in stunned silence. I felt devastated, wounded, and shaken. I was caught completely off guard! Until his call, I felt the class was going well. The members were committed in their work and attendance. They had been studying and sharing on a deep level. We were experiencing transformation personally and as a group. I could not imagine what had prompted the angry monologue on the phone.

I went home that day, unable to shake the feelings of humiliation and failure. I tried rationalizing the situation based on my perception of the man's personality. He was, after all, critical of many things in the church. He was a "recovering" alcoholic. He had been married and divorced a number of times, and was even now estranged from most of his family. Therefore, maybe I didn't have to put much stock in his criticism!

But the phone call continued to nag at me. I had always been overly sensitive to criticism. I found myself asking, "How will I deal with this? What if there is truth in what he is saying? Am I supposed to learn something here?"

As I began to ponder and pray, I engaged in a conversation with God. "Okay, God, I now know what humiliation is. But it sounds like humility is what I really need. So how do I go about getting this humility thing?" I can still remember where I was standing when God's answer came, crystal clear, into my mind. "Do not seek after humility, for it will forever elude you. Instead, seek My face. Only then can you find humility, and what's more, you won't even be aware of it. But others will be." Humility is one of those funny things. Once you think you have it, you can be assured that you don't! True humility only comes as we seek the face of God, and seek to have His mind, heart, and motives in all we do.

One definition of humiliation is "to lower the pride of." Humility, on the other hand, is defined as "humbleness of mind." We can move from the humiliation of having our pride lowered to humility when we recognize our short-comings and are willing to face our situation again with pure motives. Our relationships at work and at home will benefit when we are truly humble as Christ was humble.

By Judi Mayne

I am what I am

2009-07-27T20:28:00.002+01:00

"By the grace of God I am what I am, and (God's) grace to me was not without effect." (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Early in my ministry career I was a college chaplain and often spoke at youth retreats. On one such occasion I was traveling from Chicago to Seattle with two college students who were to provide music. We were on United Airlines which at that time scheduled flight attendants to work together for an entire month. Somewhere over South Dakota the crew announced that because this was the last day of their working together, they were going to celebrate by holding a talent contest for passengers. The winner would receive a bottle of champagne.

Bob, one of my musician companions, immediately pulled his guitar down from the overhead luggage bin and went to the front of the plane with a handful of other hopefuls. I knew the others had no chance - none - against this extraordinarily talented young man with a flair for performance.

The passengers on our DC-10 were treated to a series of lame jokes and old songs crooned badly - and then Bob. He sang a peppy song he had written using invented words that was a hit at every youth retreat. He engaged his audience at 35,000 feet and soon had them singing his nonsense syllables with gusto. Returning to his seat at the rear of the plane to loud applause, grinning from east to west, Bob proudly displayed his bottle of champagne. "What else could I do?" he said. "I am what I am - an entertainer!"

It's a great mercy to be able to accept the circumstances and opportunities - and limitations - which make up my life in this moment. To receive and work within them, not lamenting that they are not stronger.or other.than they are right now - this is the meaning of living by grace. I am what I am. Greater still is the mercy of hope, the ability to embrace my sample of life while looking forward to what's next. It's not enough to say, "I'm stuck here; I can do no other." Grace is dynamic. Full of hope, I accept with gratitude the circumstances of today, but I live with the promise of tomorrow. I'm becoming what I ought to be.

A young man whose body and speech were severely affected by cerebral palsy spoke at a meeting I attended. "What you see is a handicapped person," he said. "I am what I am. But in here," he continued, pointing to his head, "I'm All-Star second baseman, turning double plays and headed to the Hall of Fame." I was moved. Grace is not without effect.

Mike Halleen
You can contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net to be added to his weekly devotional email list, "Monday Moments."

SHE WILL ALWAYS BE THE ONE

2009-07-22T22:00:00.002+01:00

One day last week I woke up in a lousy mood. Why? We were out of coffee. I was late paying a MasterCard bill. My favorite clock had just stopped working.

I didn't even think of saying, "Good morning," to my husband Bob. After all, we've been waking up together for 31 years. As usual, we both got out of bed and headed right to our desks.

I checked e-mail and replied to people who were complaining about rainy days as if we were all living through a catastrophic disaster.

One more e-mail remained. It was from a fellow named John. And it turned out to be a breath-stopping shock.

The first time John wrote to me was about a year ago. He was responding to a column I had written about relationship troubles that Bob and I had overcome:

"Hello Saralee,

My wife Donna pointed out an article by you she found moving. It brought her to tears. I'm a grown man who can be very emotional. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a happy ending and everything was fine. Few couples these days enjoy the closeness that you have with your spouse. I am proud to say that I have been with my beloved for 26 years and she's still the one."

When I saw his name on this current e-mail, I was hoping to read more about his loving marriage. He wrote:

"Two days ago my wife fell down a flight of stairs. I lost the only girl I will ever love. She was only 54 and in perfect health."

I stared at his words as my life was overhauled in less than one minute. Thank God.

I could hear Bob in his study. He was in a bad mood because he kept getting cut off during a phone call to our veterinarian. I asked him to come in and read John's e-mail.

As he was reading, his demeanor changed. In slow motion, he went from appearing uptight and annoyed to sadly calm. With a deep sigh he said, "Thank you for having me read this."

I cried as I re-read the rest of John's note: "She was an organ donor and I am told that because of her good health she can help as many as 50 people. It has been nice talking to you about the love with our spouses."

I responded, "Your e-mail made me think about so many stupid things I get upset about. You gave me a huge wake-up call as to what matters in life and what doesn't." When I asked for his permission to write about this lesson, he kindly agreed and said, "I'm sure Donna would be honored."

I am the one honored to be writing about Donna's many legacies. She selflessly has changed the lives of 50 people by giving precious gifts from her body. Through the words of her adoring husband, she leaves behind and continues to teach the profound yet often overlooked lesson: Love is what is most important. I am also hoping she will help many realize, the way I did,
that most everything is small potatoes compared to love, life and death.

And so this morning, it didn't faze me that I was out of computer paper when a deadline was imminent or that we, along with many others, are so hurting for money that we're on food stamps.

In silence, I said, "Thank you, John, for being so open with me about your tender love affair. Thank you for showing me that living in the moment is the path to joy, because all future moments are truly unpredictable. Thank you, Donna, for showing me that giving, in its most gracious and noble form, is done without expecting anything in return. Eternally, you will always be 'the one' - for John - for 50 peoples' lives you will now be an extraordinary part of . . . and for me."

And then I said, "Good morning," to Bob.

By Saralee Perel
Saralee Perel welcomes e-mails at sperel@saraleeperel.com or via her website: www.saraleeperel.com.

Freedom!

2009-07-22T19:08:00.001+01:00

Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set you free, therefore do not be entangled again by the yoke of slavery."

It is for freedom that Christ set you free. That is an interesting comment...freedom so I could be free. Free so I can be free. Why would Christ say something like this?

How many of us are still trapped by religion? How many of us are Christians yet are still bound up by a whole bunch of rules. How many of us live our lives like prisoners? How many of us are entangled by the yoke of slavery?

Christ came to set us free but He also came to give us freedom. The cross is "free". The battle was won at the cross. If you accept Christ as your savior, you are forgiven and you are free. But He came to give us freedom -- "it is for freedom that Christ has set you free.." It is for freedom (the goal) that Christ has set you free (the act). The goal is freedom - that is the resurrection. The power in what Christ did wasn't so much in dying on the cross. The power came in the resurrection.

Too often, the church focuses on the "free" part and ignores the freedom. He came to give us freedom. He came to give us freedom from the chains and yoke of slavery that tie us down. Unfortunately, we live within fences of "religion" that tell us what we can/can't do and a bunch of rules. We don't live passionately or dangerously because we fear what others will think of us. We are free - we'll go to heaven - but we don't enjoy the freedom Christ came to give us.

Brad Evangelista pictured this with a great story. When he was a young kid, he had a paper route. Everyday, he'd mount his Schwin and head off to deliver papers. A block away from his house lived a huge dog that was half wolf, half bear. The dog was huge and the dog hated Brad. Everyday, the dog would see him coming and everyday, he'd sit up on his porch and start barking as Brad approached. As Brad got closer, the dog would explode off the porch and tear towards Brad with blood dripping from his mouth. Right as Brad got to the house the dog would be in full sprint ready to take Brad apart running as fast as his four paws would deliver him toward his lunch. As Brad got to the dog, he'd pull out a paper. Right as the dog was about to eat Brad, he'd screech to halt at the fence that separated him from his meal. As Brad rolled by, he'd take his paper and drag it against the fence all the way down to the corner. This aggravated his adversary and gave Brad a daily victory against the beast.

One day Brad came rolling by and the daily ritual played itself out again -- this time with a shocking turn. As Brad approached, the beast leapt from the porch and charged him. Brad pulled his paper out to aggravate the dog and grinned in anticipation. Right as he approached the fence, his discovered in terror that the fence that separated him from the dog was gone! There was nothing to stop the dog from eating him for lunch. The dog approached faster than ever and Brad knew he was dead meat. He stood up on the seat of the bike and was prepared to kick the dog and swat him with the paper. But right as the dog was about to leave the yard and knock Brad off the bike...he slammed to a stop right where the fence used to be. The dog didn't know the fence was gone and out of habit, he stopped short.

The dog had freedom but he didn't know it. He remained trapped in the prison of his own making. In his mind, he was forever tied to that yard. Someone came along and removed the barrier that entrapped him but he didn't know freedom was his for the taking (or that Brad was his lunch for the taking!).

It is a great picture for us. Christ has taken down the fences that trap us in the ordinary life. He came that we might have life and have it abundantly. Seize the day!

Adrian Warnock www.adrianwarnock.com

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

2009-07-22T19:01:00.003+01:00

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does a loving God allow death, sickness and other hard things to happen to His people? I have pondered those questions many times and although I am not eloquent in speech or an astute Bible student I have settled those questions in my own mind.

The year 1998 is a year that I will never forget! In January my dear Mother lost her fight with cancer. It was her desire that she die at home and my husband and I honored that request. She breathed her last one afternoon with us at her side. She had been sick for about 2 years and in a way it was a relief to us because she had suffered so long and now she was at rest. But - knowing she was no longer suffering and that she was in a better place didn't soften our sorrow and as we picked up the pieces of our lives we often mentioned to each other how much we missed her.

Then came the very worst day of my life. It was in early December, 1998, in Ocean Springs, MS. I was awakened in the night by the sound of my beloved husband's heart attack. He was lying on the floor at the foot of our bed - breathing his last! This was a man who was - seemingly - in the bloom of health. He was involved in fulfilling a dream - his dream of running across the United States - something he had dreamed about for several years, and there he was lying dead on the floor of our motor home.

Even beginning to explain all the things that went through my mind that early morning --- I don't have the words to describe, even now over 10 years later. My life, my other self, the love of my life lay dead at my feet. God where are you? The blur of the funeral, decisions, where to live, what to do?

God in his mercy helped me through those awful times. My son and daughter came immediately to assist with decisions that had to be made. I was numb. I couldn't think or make good decisions. I am thankful for my family and good friends who helped me through those dark times.

Sadly, I couldn't see any good in my losses. I couldn't see that God in his mercy let my mother go to sleep so she wouldn't suffer anymore. I still don't know why He let my beloved and loving husband die at age 67 but I AM thankful that he didn't live to be an invalid.

Still I struggled, I allowed myself to drift from God - not far - but too far. I muttered things like "why me?". I didn't get an answer, at least not right away.

Fast forward to Christmas 2000. I had moved to Canada by this time to be near my daughter. I had been experiencing severe pain in my right hip and was using a cane to get around. Then one morning I heard a C-R-U-N-C-H and I knew, I just KNEW my hip had broken. 5 years went by in which I endured 10 surgeries on hip and thigh. Surgery #5 resulted in a severe Staph infection in my right thigh and the certainty of losing my leg loomed before me. God in his mercy, didn't let that happen - surgeries 6,7 and 8 resulted in a thorough cleansing of the infection and assured that I would not lose my leg.

Praise God for an excellent doctor and for answering my prayers and those of my friends. As a result of the infection and in the process of the last 2 surgeries, my knee became damaged so that I can no longer walk without a walker but PRAISE GOD I can get around!

It was near Christmas in 2005. I was sitting in my chair talking to a friend on the telephone when my daughter and son-in-law came in my home. They both work and should have been at their jobs so I knew immediately that something had happened. They came to tell me that my youngest son had died. He had been bothered with depression and finally the hopelessness of his life overcame him and he ended his life. What more God? Then I remembered something. God had to sit on his throne in heaven and watch HIS son die on that awful cross. Jesus who lived a sinless life died at Calvary so that you and I can have eternal life. Brothers and sisters - NO ONE knows better than God what it is like to lose a son.

After awhile, as each affliction occurred, I drew closer to God. Once I cried out to God, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The answer came back to me "You have forsaken me". THAT is when I realized that my walk along the Christian pathway had been only a shadow of what it should have been. Now, each day I am walking closer to God. Each day I study His word
and I invite Him into my heart and thank Him for my blessings. I can see, hear, use my hands and live an almost normal life. I have been blessed with loving children and grandchildren and many friends. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else besides where I am.

Friends it is OK to be sad for a little while. Remember the shortest verse in the Bible? "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). Yes, it is all right to feel sad but then remember that Jesus sees our sorrow and He feels sad, too. Never take your eyes off of Jesus. He is there and He cares.

I have read that when a butterfly comes out of its cocoon it has to struggle and if someone unwisely 'helps' the butterfly will not be whole. God gives us struggles so that we can grow to be the people He wants us to be. Everyone's struggles are different but they are for our good - to make us ready for heaven.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13)

Wynona Gordon

Does your telephone control you?

2009-07-18T11:24:00.001+01:00

As you probably know the Amish believe in living a simple life - no
electricity, no telephones, no motorized vehicles. Yet in many of their
communities there is a pay phone.

When asked about this apparent discrepancy one elder explained, 'If the
telephone were in our home it would control us. As long as it is out here we
control it.'

He went on to say, 'Most people drop everything they are doing the instant
the telephone rings and run to answer it. In their lives the telephone takes
precedent over everything. Of course mobile phones have only made this
addiction far worse. The pay telephone, on the other hand, is our servant.
It is there if we need it but we do not allow it to intrude into our lives.'

Keep on Loving

2009-07-18T11:20:00.001+01:00

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I love the Bible! The fact is, we either become totally committed to the Bible and its complete message or we will find ourselves isolating our Christian faith to small parts of our lives. Alternatively we replace biblical truth with legalistic nonsense.

This short passage provides some excellent insights on how to manage interpersonal relationships. Put another way, it gives good advice on how to make life work better and function well. Here are some of the highlights from this chapter:

Firstly, we express love in conscious and deliberate ways. The advice here is to live proactively, not hoping for the best but taking the initiative. We gladly take the obligation of loving others upon ourselves.

Secondly, we learn to live with a commitment to seizing spontaneous moments. Every day becomes an adventure of how we can genuinely express unselfish love.

Finally, the last verse states that we must learn to see the best in others. In other words, life works best for Christ-followers when they approach it with constructive and optimistic hearts. What good thing can happen today?

A pastor by the name of George Crane tells of a woman who sought his advice as she was about to divorce her husband of many years. She had grown to hate him. Crane suggested an ingenious plan: "Go home and act as though you really love him. Tell him how much he means to you. Make him believe that you really love him. When you have convinced him of your undying love you can then drop the bomb and tell him you want a divorce". When she did not return for further advice the minister contacted her about her plans for divorce. Her response was: "I'll never divorce him. I have discovered that I love him too much".

I hope this little devotional will challenge you to keep on loving!!

Paul Alexander (Assemblies of God National Leadership Team)

A Radiant Glow

2009-07-18T11:09:00.001+01:00

At 13 years of age, my parents and I visited an ophthalmologist.

As I sat in the examining chair, my face firmly on the chin rest and pupils dilated, the doctor looked into my eyes, shining a bright light.

"She did inherit it," he said with coldness. "You need to be prepared. There is no cure for this retinal disease."

My father carried the Retinitis Pigmentosa gene causing a deterioration of the retina which, in most cases, results in blindness. Although my brother's retinas seemed to be fine, I'd inherited the gene.

Fifteen years after my initial diagnosis, my father began to lose his eyesight and so did I. He was 55 years old, but I was only 28. In a matter of two years, we had both lost our sight completely.

I focused on the effects of my own darkness. My world crumbled as the black curtain fell, destroying the dreams my husband and I had for us and for our three little boys. But when I turned to God for hope and strength, He responded by opening my eyes to a new revelation.

My father had given me not just the RP gene, but the example of determination and tenacity as well.

We were all living in Bolivia in 1964 when he defied the family's opposition to move to America. He and mom worked tirelessly to satisfy the requirements imposed by the U.S. Immigration Department to enter the country and establish residency.

Once in the states, he overcame humiliation, intense loneliness, helplessness and uncertainty. He endured ridicule due to his lack of fluency in English, but he pressed on. And he managed to gather enough money for the basics -- rent a small apartment, buy modest furniture from thrift stores and put a down payment on a car. Nine months later, he sent airline tickets for my mom, my brother and me.

Decades later, as an American citizen, I look back at what he'd shown me. He taught me the determination to move forward when facing adversity. He set an example proving that humility is crucial to success. He demonstrated the commitment to family and the importance of setting priorities.

His journey taught me valuable lessons for my own path in the darkness. Much like a baby takes its first steps holding tight to his father's hand, my dad held onto God as he stepped from the comfort of our hometown in Bolivia to the unknown in a foreign land.

I did the same as I stepped into the unfamiliarity of a sightless world. Holding onto God's hand, I gained confidence and learned the language of gratitude. With profound appreciation for my father's example, I learned how he had applied a powerful blend of faith and tenacity -- the same blend I used to fulfill my own role as a wife, mom, Sunday school teacher, Spanish court interpreter, inspirational speaker and writer.

What I inherited from my father helped me to see my life with a more radiant and meaningful glow.

by Janet Perez Eckles

Work, Rest and Worship

2009-06-26T10:13:00.001+01:00

Someone once said that 'Time is the new money' meaning that we (western folk in general) used to strive to get more money, but these days we have enough money it is time that we strive for more of.

To realise the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realise the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a pre-mature baby.
To realise the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realise the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realise the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed a train.
To realise the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realise the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics,

God has made us responsible for how we use our time. What kinds of things should be doing with it?

1. Sleeping

Psalm 3:5

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

2. Working

Genesis 2:15

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

3. Eating

Genesis 2:16

And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

4. Exercising

1 Timothy 4:8

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

5. Worshipping

Luke 4:16

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.

6. Resting

Mark 6:31

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

God intended us especially to do three things: -

1. Work

God is a worker and he made us in his image we are made to be workers too. Jesus was a preacher and a carpenter. Paul was a tent-maker and taught the importance of work.

Work is one of the ways in which we can serve and glorify God, quite apart from bringing us pay and often much pleasure.

Those of us still at school do not get paid, but we do have to work (that's why it's called school work), we are investing in our own future.

Because of sin, however, much work (and school work for that matter) is hard.

Genesis 3:17-19

To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

If you read the parable of the labourers in the vineyard you will see that unemployment has been around for thousands of years. There will always be people who are unable to find employment.

Because God intended us to work some people who are unemployed feel less valued and that something is missing from their lives. In reality there is plenty of work that could be done. Work for the Lord (Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" Luke10:2), even voluntary work for the many charities that are begging for help. There is always something that you can do if you want to work.

Yet there are people who are happy, and indeed choose, not to work. The Bible warns against being this way:

Proverbs 10:4

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

This can apply spiritually as well as physically. We can feel unfulfilled, incomplete, useless when we don't work and yet fulfilled, complete and useful when we do. God made us to work.

2. Rest

God rested after creating the heavens and earth in six days. It is this pattern that we need to follow; in fact we are commanded to do it.

Exodus 20:8-11

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

We are commanded to rest for one day in every seven.

During the French Revolution a new calendar was devised consisting of a 10 day week - 9 days of work and 1 day of rest. As you can tell it didn't catch on!!

God knows best! 6 days of work and one of rest.

In this day and age it is difficult, if not impossible, for everyone to rest on the same day. Numerous people need to work on Sundays - doctors, nurses, care workers, firemen etc. Interestingly Sabbath doesn't mean Sunday (or even Saturday the Jewish day) it comes from the Hebrew verb shabbath, meaning "to rest from labour", it is simply the day of rest. The Sabbath can be any day of the week the principle is the same 6 days to work and 1 day to rest.

"The sabbath was made for man," (Mark 2:27) as a day of rest and refreshment for the body and of blessing to the soul.

We all need to rest, we cannot keep going forever. We know what happens we burn out, we break down. We all need rest and God has prescribed the right amount.

3. Worship

God intends that we should include worship in our use of time. We do this in two ways: -

- spending time with him daily in private reading our Bible and praying

- and worshipping together as we are now.

Luke 4:16

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.

Jesus was in the habit of going to the synagogue (the Jewish church), in the same way we should be in the habit of going to church whenever we can. We can't always make it, but we should try as much as we can.

To worship God is to recognise his worth or worthiness; to look God-ward, and to acknowledge the value of what we see. The Bible calls this activity "glorifying God" or "giving glory to God".

The Bible shows that we glorify God in seven different ways: -

- praising God for all that he is and all his achievements

- thanking him for his gifts and his goodness to us

- asking him to meet our own and others' needs

- offering him our gifts, our service, and ourselves

- learning about him from his word, read and spoken to us,

- obeying his voice

- telling others about him

All of these things are worship and we are called to do each of them.

Summary

The Bible is our handbook for living our maker's manual for human maintenance and it tells us to include work, rest and worship.

Do our lives have the right balance of work, rest and worship?

A time management expert was once speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration. He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"

Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered.

"Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

In a time sense work, rest and worship are the big rocks. We must put these big rocks in first or we'll never get them in at all. Make these three things your priority and then fill your time up with the smaller, less important things.

We all have the same amount of time in each day, in each week how we use that time will determine how much we get out of it and how we will feel at the end of it. Let's all try to get the balance of our time right God shows us how work, rest and worship.

Stress Management

2009-06-25T16:04:00.001+01:00

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranging from 2 to 5 pounds.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it."

He continued, "If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight. But the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

"And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down."

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Looking Back

2009-06-14T11:48:00.001+01:00

The only time we should look back to yesterday is to look at the positive things that were accomplished to encourage us to do better things today and tomorrow. - Stevie Wonder

Not too early; never too late!

2009-06-14T11:40:00.001+01:00

By Dr. Michael A. Halleen

"Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years." (Genesis 18:11)
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young." (1 Timothy 4:12)

Age isn't related to important achievements. Maturity, yes. Attitude, absolutely. Skill and intelligence, of course. But not age.

Benjamin Franklin, already a successful publisher, inventor, diplomat and signer of the Declaration of Independence, led the convention that drafted the Constitution of the United States. He was eighty-four. A few years earlier, about the time Franklin was signing the Declaration, Mozart was living in Salzburg, having just completed all five of his violin concertos, each one a masterpiece. He was twenty. Age had no bearing on that summer of significant moments.

Some time ago I interviewed a young man seeking a job. At nineteen he lacked spirit, the fire within-if there had ever been one-just an ember. The same day I spoke to a new friend, age eighty-seven, whose voice was alive, eyes shining, energy directed toward what was next. Age is irrelevant. Attitude is everything. Trying, not giving up, caring enough to use the resources we've been given-these are the things that matter.

So William Gladstone at eighty-five was prime minister of England and the world's leading statesman. At seventeen Elizabeth Barrett (Browning) published a volume of serious poetry. Galileo was dictating records of his latest discoveries about the rotation of planets (and hiding them in his mattress in order to avoid punishment as a heretic) when he was seventy-eight. Michelangelo began painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in his early thirties. Insight, determination and genius are not limited by age.

Martin Luther was thirty-four when he walked to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, Germany and posted there the ideas for change he wanted to debate with Church leaders. Abraham, founder of the Hebrew nation at the age of one hundred, might have smiled at how one so young could do something so important while Timothy, at twenty-six the leader of one of the largest Christian churches of the first century, might have wondered what had taken Martin so long.

Beethoven had composed a prodigious quantity of music by the time of his death at fifty-six, while Grandma Moses, the famous 20th century folk artist, didn't take up painting until she was seventy-five. Golf prodigy Michelle Wie turned professional at fifteen, the same summer as my father-in-law, age ninety, made his first hole-in-one.

We're not too young to do something significant. And we're never too old.

Controlling Your Temper

2009-06-14T11:37:00.002+01:00

Ron, a 9-year old boy, was being raised by his mother who didn't know how to cope with his uncontrollable temper. She knew he was angry that his father had abandoned him and she tried professional counseling, but nothing seemed to work.

So she sent Ron to spend the summer on his grandparent's farm. When he came home, he was a changed boy. His mom asked him what happened and he told her that every time he got mad or said anything unkind, Grandpa made him go outside and hammer a big two-inch nail into a two by four. It was hard, and he wasn't allowed back until the nail was all the way in.

After about 20 trips to the shed to get the tools, he decided it was easier to control his temper than hammer those long nails.

"Did you change because you hated the consequences so much?" she asked.

"Well, that was part of it," he said. "After I'd nailed in all the nails and was behaving better, Grandma took me outside and made me pull them out. That was even harder. When I was done, she gave me this note."

He showed it to her, and this is what she read:

"Pulling out the nails is like saying you're sorry. But the holes still remain in the board. You can't fix things by being sorry, but you can stop making new holes. Remember, every time you do something mean and nasty, you're making a hole somewhere in someone. That's what your dad did to you. Please don't do it to anyone else. You're better than that."

Volunteer's Week

2009-06-05T09:26:00.001+01:00

The week of 1-7 June is Volunteer's Weeka national celebration of volunteers and volunteering. One of the week's key aims is to encourage more people to volunteer and put something back into society. In this day and age of 'what's in it for me!' this is a thankless and often fruitless task.

In my work I have contact with numerous voluntary organisations from Scouts to Guides, sports clubs, social clubs, youth clubs, playgroups, PTA's, churchesthe list could go on. One thing that they all have in common is that they are dependent upon volunteers to function properly. The other thing that they have in common is that they all need more volunteers.

Jesus himself said, "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" reflecting this same situation where there are not enough people prepared to do good works for others and meet their needs.

Society has come to rely on many of these are organisations to provide activities and opportunities and to help people. We may use them or turn to them ourselves in our hour of need. If we were to lose them life would be very different for many people. It would detrimentally affect society as a whole.

Why not take some time to consider volunteering?

You can find out more about volunteering by checking out www.voluntarynorfolk.org.uk or www.volunteersweek.org.uk. Alternatively call Voluntary Norfolk on 01603 614474.

If you'd like to volunteer in the village I can steer you in the right direction.

The Law od the Garbage Truck

2009-05-30T11:54:00.002+01:00

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, "Why did you just do that? That guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage -- frustration, anger, disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

YOUR DOCTOR VS. YOUR PASTOR

2009-05-06T11:10:00.001+01:00

YOUR DOCTOR VS. YOUR PASTOR

Your doctor says, "Please disrobe" and you do so without complaint.
Your pastor urges you to dress modestly and you think he's getting too personal.

Your doctor charges enormous fees but you keep going back to him.
Your pastor preaches that you should pay your tithes and you leave the church.

Your doctor inquires about your weight and you discuss the issue.
Your pastor asks how much you pray and you tell him it's none of his business.

Your doctor prescribes a nasty-tasting pill and you take it.
Your pastor feeds you the Word and you refuse to hear it.

Your doctor advises you to change your lifestyle in order to lower your blood pressure.
Your pastor urges you to change your lifestyle and it raises your blood pressure.

Your doctor says you need more tests and you schedule them.
Your pastor says we need more prayer meetings and Bible studies but you're too busy.

Your doctor says there's no help for you but you search high and low for another answer.
Your pastor says "God can help you" and you give up, saying "there's no hope for me."

To your doctor, you're just another customer.
To your pastor, you're a friend and part of the family.

Worrying Times

2009-04-27T10:05:00.001+01:00

In the Bible the prophet Haggai who lived and prophesied during a time of great recession talked about a "shaking of the nations." The times that we live in today are a real shaking of the nations the biggest global recession for more than 25 years. This is having an impact on all of us.

Each month I receive statistics from Credit Action (the people who supply the free Money Manuals that we offer) that show the deepening of the situation:
· 1 person is declared bankrupt or insolvent every 4½ minutes
· Every 10 minutes a property is repossessed
· 2,915 people are made redundant every day
· The government pays £91m interest every day to service our national debt
· The average household debt in the UK is around £9,500 excluding mortgages

Within the church we have our concerns too. Our total income is down 40% on last year, yet our costs are ever increasing.

I am reminded of some verses from the Bible

Matthew 6:35-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteous- ness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about it self. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

If we put the things of God first and foremost in our lives then we are promised that God will provide all of our needs. As a church we can testify to that despite the significant reduction in our income we have not had to reduce our activities or put any projects on hold as the Lord has provided all of our needs. We have renewed our commitment not to increase charges for any of our clubs or activities for 2009.

If you're worried about the effects of the recession read those verses from the Bible again. Let's all put Jesus first and see His provision for our needs we need not worry any more.

Please contact me if you'd like to talk about this confidentially.

A Letter from God

2009-04-25T14:31:00.001+01:00

To My Child,

Good morning, this is GOD.

Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not
need your help. If you encounter a situation you cannot handle, do not
attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (Something For God To Do)
box. It will be addressed in MY TIME, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it nor remove it.
Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem. If it is a
situation you think you are capable of handling, please consult me in prayer
to be sure that it is the proper resolution. Because I do not sleep, nor do
I slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Please rest my child.

If you need to contact me, I am only a prayer away. My prayer line is open
24 hours of your day. I love you and will always be with you wherever you
may go. As with all good things, pass my message on.

Love, GOD

An Obituary For Someone Else

2009-04-19T23:19:00.001+01:00

Our church was saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members, Someone Else.

Someone's passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person's share of the work. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone's list, "Let Someone Else do it." Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results; "Someone Else can work with that group."

It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the most liberal givers in our church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference.

Someone Else was a wonderful person; sometimes appearing superhuman. Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do.

Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did?

When you are asked to help this year, remember -- we can't depend on Someone Else anymore.

Moment by Moment

2009-04-16T23:14:00.001+01:00

There was a small girl whose father was a pastor.

One day, after one of her daddy's sermons, the little girl asked him, "Daddy, can a person go their whole life without sinning?"

"No, honey," the father replied, "I'm sorry, but that's just not possible. Jesus was the only one who could."

"What about a year, Daddy?" the little girl continued. "Can a person go a whole year without sinning?"

"No, I don't think that's possible, either," Daddy said.

"What about a day, Daddy? Can a person go a day without sinning? Maybe just once?"

"Unless they're in the hospital and very, very sick and not even awake, I don't think that's possible, either, honey."

"What about one moment, Daddy? Can a person go one moment without sinning?"

"Yes, dear, I think that is possible."

"Then, Daddy, I want to live my life moment by moment."

An Easter Thought

2009-04-09T16:05:00.001+01:00

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
Had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

Easter Thought

2009-03-29T18:10:00.001+01:00

All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

(Isiaah 40:6-8)

So here we are at Easter, the biggest celebration of the Christian year. If the church was a garden centre it would be full to overflowing this Easter. If we were selling plants - the grass that withers and the flowers that fall - we'd be bustling with people wanting to come and see.

The words of the prophet Isaiah remind us that, like plants, our time here on earth is limited; death is inevitable.

The message of Easter reminds us that, while life on earth is limited, after death comes the resurrection. Unlike life on earth the resurrection will be eternal. Whether that resurrection is to eternal bless (heaven) or eternal condemnation (hell) will depend not on how we have lived our lives but simply in who or what we have put our faith.

Eternal life in heaven comes only from putting our faith in Jesus and his death in the cross for us.

The church has much more to offer than a few plants that wither and fall; it offers real hope not only hope of an exciting and glorious future but also hope of a better life while we are here on earth. Take a few moments to read the words Psalm 1 and the hope and encouragement it contains for those who put their faith in God.

If you want to more about Jesus and the eternal life that He offers why not come along to one of Easter celebrations or pick up a copy of 'Why Jesus?' or 'Journey into Life' from the bookcase.

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man
       who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
       or stand in the way of sinners
       or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
       which yields its fruit in season
       and whose leaf does not wither.
       Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Stand Still

2009-03-21T11:11:00.001Z

The Father has a plan,
though it's hard to see it now.
You feel you're walking all alone,
but He is there no doubt.

When then storm around you rages
and you're tossed to and fro,
when you're faced with life's decisions,
not sure which way to go:

Stand still and let God move.

Standing still is hard to do.

When you feel you have reached the end,
He'll make a way for you.

Stand still and let God move.

When the enemy surrounds you
and walls are closing in,
when the tide is swiftly rising
and you wonder where He's been.

Friend, there never was a moment
when His arms weren't reaching out.
You can rest assured and be secure,
God is moving right now:

Stand still and let God move.
Stand still and let God move.

written by: David Glenn Marshall, Rebecca Isaacs Bowman and Sonya Isaacs
Surrett

Don't Let Worry Fill Your Life

2009-03-20T11:43:00.001Z

Imagine a dense fog blanketing the village to a depth of one hundred feet. All that fog condensed, scientists say, fills one single water tumbler. And there's a picture of worry: in the heat of fear and anxiety, a half glass of worry expands to cloud everything in our vision.

Someone has estimated that 40 percent of our worries never occur . . . 30 percent are already past . . . 12 percent are needless health concerns . . . 10 percent are petty. Only 8 percent of our worries deserve our attention.

Don't wander in the fog of the 92-percent-needless worry.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt. 6:34)

The Frog and the Tower

2009-03-06T09:06:00.000Z

Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began but no one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top."

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one, except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher.

The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. But one continued higher and higher and higher. He just wouldn't give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

All of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it. A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal.

It turned out that the winner was deaf.

The lesson for us: whenever you attempt something worthy in this life there will always be the detractors, shouting loudly that you'll never succeed. At time like this it pays to be deaf towards those detractors and to press on regardless. When you do get there they will quickly change their tune and say, "I knew you could do it!"

THE "I AM RICH!" MENTAL EXERCISE

2009-02-27T20:09:00.001Z

Imagine...

1. Take out all the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. For a bed, use blankets or pads.

2. Take away all of your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit, shirt, or blouse. Leave only one pair of shoes.

3. Empty both the pantry and the refrigerator except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans.

4. Dismantle your bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house.

5. In fact, take away the house itself and move your family into your storage, garden, or tool shed.

6. Place your new "house" in a Shantytown, with hundreds of others exactly like it.

7. Cancel all subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and book clubs. This is no great loss because now you have to imagine that none of you can read, anyway.

8. Imagine there is only one radio for your entire Shantytown.

9. Move the nearest hospital or clinic ten miles away and put a midwife in charge instead of a doctor.

10. Throw away your bank books, stock certificates, pension plans, and insurance policies. Leave the family a cash hoard of ten dollars.

11. Give the head of the family a few acres to cultivate, on which he can raise a few hundred dollars of cash crops ... one-third of which will go the landlord and at least one-tenth to the money lenders.

12. Take your average life expectancy and lop off twenty-five years. At least.

Now you are living in the same conditions in which well over one billion people on the planet live. How rich we are, indeed! Use that wealth responsibly and with compassion.

By Economist Robert Heilbroner

Desiderata

2009-02-22T10:50:00.001Z

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, Be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others - Even the dull and ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons - they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, For always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career - However humble, it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is. Many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection, neither be cynical about love. For in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, It is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the council of the years, Gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune, But do not distress yourself with imaginings - Many fears are borne of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe. No less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, Keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann (1906)

Whodunit?

2009-02-19T21:20:00.001Z

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:20-27

And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morningthe fifth day.

And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

The word whodunit is actually in the dictionary. It means 'detective story'. The most important whodunit of all time is the question of creation.

Some people wish the Bible said, "In the beginning God wasn't needed." To them it's unacceptable to say, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" or "Let us make man in our image". Instead they believe that, after an explosion of energy and matter, somehow an atmosphere conducive to life was formed. Then, single-celled organisms morphed into the exceedingly complex life forms that we have today. No need for God, they say, for it all happened naturally. On an earth and in an atmosphere not of anyone's making, forces with a blueprint designed by no-one joined together to place the earth perfectly for life to thrive.

What we do with "In the beginning God" is at the centre of it all. We must either believe His Word and everything His Word claims or we must believe that our meaningless lives resulted from an accidental, mindless chain reaction. What a stark contrast to "Let us make man in our image"!

In the beginning. Was it God? Or was it chance? Our answer to this whodunit reveals whether or not we worship the awesome God of creation.

Only God could create the cosmos out of nothing.

True Valentines

2009-02-13T16:38:00.001Z

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. (1 John 4:7)

Valentine's Day is coming up.This love business is a tricky thing. In western culture, we have it all wrapped up with emotion, as though love springs from liking someone enough to have warm feelings toward them. In fact, love is a way of acting toward another, regardless of feelings.

Mr. Alwin was my English teacher in high school and director of the junior class play in which I had a role requiring me to kiss Sally Brunzell. Inexperienced at sixteen, I had never kissed a girl before, and my first attempts in rehearsal were evidently awkward even beyond what's expected in a high school play. Mr. Alwin called Sally and me into his classroom after school one afternoon and told us we had to improve. "I want you to practice here and now," he said, "until you get it right!" He judiciously kept the door open and remained at his desk while we went to the back of the room to practice.

"No, no, no!" he said loudly after our first faltering attempts. "What's the matter with you, Halleen?" (The fault obviously was mine.) I mumbled something to the effect that I could kiss Sally better if we loved each other. "Feelings have nothing to do with how to kiss her!" he roared from across the room. "This is for the stage!" He proceeded to give me specific direction on the proper techniques of a stage kiss. It was the first time I had to think about separating feelings of love from actions of love.

A few years later, while in college and living with my widowed grandfather, I asked him about something we had read in a student Bible study about loving God. I confessed that I was having a hard time mustering up any feelings for God. "Love for God has nothing to do with feelings," this wise veteran preacher told me. "To love God is to obey God. It's about what you do, not what you feel."

Mr. Alwin's classroom and my grandfather's dinner table were two places where I began to understand love's reality. Feelings come and go, but actions can be carried out with a degree of consistency. If love demands that I feel warm and cozy toward an enemy, or even a friend, I'm lost. But if it requires only that I act in a way that is kind and truthful, whatever my feelings, there's hope. And that's the love to which God calls us. That's being a *true* valentine.

Sally's and my stage kiss was carried out successfully. "I knew you could do it," Mr. Alwin said.

(c) 2009 Dr. Michael A. Halleen. Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.

Loyalty

2009-01-23T11:36:00.001Z

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)

These words were spoken some three thousand years ago by a young widow to her mother-in-law. The two women were facing the difficult prospect of trying to make lives for themselves in a society in which women were almost entirely dependent on men. Each had seen her husband die, neither had sons on whom to depend, and in their world there was no social network of care on which they could lean.

The older woman, Naomi, pleaded with her daughter-in-law, Ruth, to return to her family of origin where there might be some support available, but Ruth refused. Her loyalty was to Naomi, and they would make it together or they would not make it at all. One commentator has suggested that there is no bolder step of personal commitment described in all of the Old Testament.

Such loyalty is in short supply among many of us. We hold on to membership for as long as the organization meets our needs. We remain loyal to a commitment for as long as it suits our convenience. We keep our allegiance until something better comes along. Ruth would have had a difficult time affirming our priorities.

Some years ago I officiated at the funeral of a Detroit fireman who had died suddenly-not in the line of duty-in his early forties. At the appointed hour, the door at the back of the room opened, and a stream of men and women in dress uniform filed in. Silently, reverently they marched, led by the fire chief himself. They filled row after row, having come to pay their respects to one of their own. It was an impressive demonstration of loyalty that Ruth would have understood thoroughly.

That image came to mind again recently as I stood among a crowd of friends who had gathered to offer encouragement to a man and his three very young children whose wife and mother had died of cancer. Candles lit, we circled their house and sang together, a sign of our desire to stand with them through difficult days ahead. Firefighters, soldiers, athletes, union members, participants in self-help groups-they all demonstrate faithfulness to one another. How much more should family members-and church members-do the same!

Loyalty is not a matter of convenience, but of commitment. Your people will be my people . . . .

By Dr. Michael A. Halleen

It's Time to Party

2009-01-23T11:31:00.001Z

Sometimes I get told off for not being serious enough and perhaps I am a bit too flippant and light-hearted at times. When I look around at the world in general though it seems that too many of us take ourselves far too seriously. God has given each of us a sense of humour and I do feel that, at times, we need to rediscover it.

This month's something to think about is excerpts from "It's Time to Party" by Mike Yaconelli.

It doesn't take much to make most of us realize that we have become too serious, too tense, too stressful. The result is that we have forgotten how to live life. It seems like the older we get, the more difficult it is for us to enjoy living.

It reminds me of a description of life given by Rabbi Edward Cohn: "Life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time, all your weekends, and what do you get in the end of it?"

I think that the life cycle is all backward. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live twenty years in an old-age home. You get kicked out when you're too young. You get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You go to college; you party until you're ready for high school; you go to grade school; you become a little kid; you play. You have no responsibilities. You become a little baby; you go back into the womb; you spend your last months floating; and you finish up as a gleam in somebody's eye.

It's hard to imagine we were a gleam in someone's eye once. What happened to the gleam in our eye? What happened to that joyful, crazy, spontaneous, fun-loving spirit we once had? The childlikeness in all of us gets snuffed out over the years.

The sign that Jesus is in our hearts, the evidence of the truth of the good news is that we still have a light on in our souls. We still have a gleam in our eye. We are alive, never boring, always playful, exhibiting in our everydayness the "spunk" of the spirit. The light in our souls is not some pietistic somberness, it is the spontaneous, unpredictable love of life. I believe it's time for the party to begin.

(c) 1989 Mike Yaconelli. Reproduced by permission.

Let's not lose our love of life or our sense of fun.

Paul.

Focus on the Goal

2009-01-09T10:11:00.001Z

It happened again. Out running, my foot landed squarely on something ... a rock? Whatever it was, it rolled my foot right off, twisted my ankle, and sent me sprawling. Now I'm sporting an oh-so-fashionable walking cast and have a few weeks to rest the foot before I can take off running again.

Having a "poor me" moment, I started thinking, "Well, how am I supposed to run? I guess I'll have to focus on the ground around me to keep this from happening again ..." That would slow me down considerably, and cause me to hate running as I would spend each run scanning the road at my feet for obstacles or jeopardy instead of enjoying the scenery and running toward my goal.

Well, what do successful runners do? Successful runners run smart by not running on obviously treacherous landscape, but run with gusto enjoying the scenery, scanning the road for obvious pitfalls and dangers but keeping an eye on the goal, knowing that injury is an acceptable risk: it just might happen and you deal with it when it does. You can't run a successful race worrying about and focusing on obstacles and injuries; you run a successful race by knowing your goal and running toward it.

What if this race I run in life were the same way? What if I spent most of my time enjoying the scenery and focusing on my goal of heaven instead of trying to tiptoe my way around obstacles and worrying about what I will do if I get hurt? I tend to hyper-focus on people that may (or have) hurt me, situations and arguments that hold me back or frustrate me, and obstacles and stumbling blocks that only serve to keep my eyes off my goal.

In the same way that the road I run on is my reality, and perils along the way will likely be a problem at some point, this world that I live in is my reality, no matter how perfect my goal destination is. Focusing on my goal of heaven won't keep this world
from affecting me, twisting my ankle and scraping my knees on occasion. But I can't let the fear of that injury keep me from
running this race with all I've got, loving and living big and loud, spilling God's love and sharing my goal of heaven along the path. I must run smart, and avoid obvious pitfalls, but I have to accept getting hurt as acceptable risk: it will happen at some point and God will continue to be faithful, providing His people and His comfort in my time of recuperation.

So I'm ready. Ready to get back to road running as well as running through life with my eyes on my goal, not on the pettiness and mess around me. If you see me sprawled along the way, I may need help to my feet, I may need a ride home, and I may need some encouragement and comfort while I recuperate. But I'll invite you to run alongside me, running this race with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus, striding together toward the goal.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith

by Sarah Stirman

Exercise

2009-01-06T15:58:00.001Z

Here we are in the season of exercise, trying to burn off the Christmas
calories. You could always try volunteering at one of youth clubs! Anyway
here are 15 exercises that we'd be better off without in 2009.

Jumping on the bandwagon
Wading through paperwork
Running around in circles
Pushing your luck
Spinning your wheels
Adding fuel to the fire
Beating your head against the wall
Climbing the walls
Beating your own drum
Dragging your heels
Jumping to conclusions
Grasping at straws
Fishing for compliments
Throwing your weight around
Passing the buck

You've got to work for it!

2009-01-02T22:06:00.000Z

Proverbs 10:4

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

When questioned about his incredible success, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, offered these 10 insights for any young people starting out. They are worth considering:

Life isn't fair - get used to it.
The world doesn't care about your self-esteem; it expects you to accomplish something before feeling good about yourself.
You won't make £60k a year right out of school, or be a vice president. You have to earn it.
Do you think that your teacher is tough? Wait till you have a boss!
Flipping burgers isn't beneath you, your grandparents called it opportunity.
Your parents weren't always boring; it came from feeding you, cleaning your clothes and paying your bills. So before you rush out to save the rain forest from the 'parasites' of your parents generation, try delousing your own wardrobe.
Some schools may have abolished winners and losers, but life hasn't. They may have eradicated 'failing grades' and given you as long as you want to get the right answer. This bears no resemblance to reality.
Life isn't divided into school terms. You don't get summers off. Employers aren't interested in helping you 'find yourself'; you do that on your own time.
Unlike television, real people have to leave the coffee shop and go to work.
Be nice to nerds - chances are you'll end up working for one someday!

There are no shortcuts in life; you've got to work for it!

The Day After Christmas

2008-12-27T11:53:00.001Z

'Twas the day after Christmas, I'm tired and sore;
My living room looks like it's been through a war.
With paper and presents strewn all about,
It will take us six weeks to clean this, no doubt.

The children had run all amok from their bed,
And now there's a pounding deep inside my head.
The screaming, the tearing, the squealing of joy
As each gift revealed a shiny new toy.

I'd wanted to get Mom a gift that would melt her;
Now all I want is some warm Alka Seltzer.
The noise of the kids with their gifts clang away;
I don't think we'll see the cat until May.

The post-Christmas blues have already set in;
The things that I bought I've started regrettin'.
Several I got may make my life easy,
But my spirit is woozy, perhaps even queazy.

We mustn't forget the Babe in the manger,
Amidst all this stuff, his tale's in danger!
And how he will grow from baby to Lord,
But the kids are already chanting, "I'm bored!"

So the lesson, this day after Christmas, I learn;
Is the stuff that we buy has no power to turn
Our hearts to the path that is narrow and true;
That must come from His love, and the faith that's in you.

The Wise Men of Christmas

2008-12-27T10:57:00.001Z

We're approaching Epiphany, the date when we remember the visit of the wise men to Jesus. For us the celebration is 12 days after Jesus birth on 6th January, in reality the visit may have been up to two years after Jesus was born.

The gifts of the wise men to Jesus were no accident. They were planned with devotion and a depth of understanding that takes your breath away.

The wise men were deeply religious and had known that the Lord was sending a saviour to the world. They also knew the prophecies that he would come as a human baby in the land of Israel so when they saw the miraculous star, they knew his time had come.

When they saw the babe they worshipped him and offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold is used extensively in the Ark of the Covenant. This is the Ark that contained the ten commandments. It was overlaid with gold, both inside and out and the two angels above the mercy seat were made of pure gold. So gold represents God.

Frankincense was used in worship as a sweet perfume. When the Lord directed the offerings used in worship of him, he specifically said that frankincense was to be used only for God and never for man. It specifically represented the offering of Jesus' life and only Jesus' life was acceptable to God to redeem us from eternal death.

So the gifts of gold and frankincense offered by the Kings to baby Jesus declared their belief that Jesus was God and his life alone was an offering to the Lord for mankind.

Myrrh has another dimension; it represents the sorrow of sin and enslavement to sin. So when the wise men offered myrrh to Jesus, they showed that Jesus offered himself as a sin offering to God and that the life of Jesus was an offering for a world of sin. Jesus took the sins of the whole world and offered them to God in himself.

I often wonder, do we see in Jesus what the Wise men saw? Do we bow in worship and offer gold, frankincense and myrrh in the spirit of the wise men?

A Christmas Thought

2008-12-26T10:51:00.001Z

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow
Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?
It came without ribbons. It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes, or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled 'til his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store?
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

Theodore Giesel

Post-Christmas Emptiness

2008-12-19T11:20:00.001Z

Take a minute to read W. H. Auden's poem Christmas Oratio that I posted earlier (Auden also wrote Thomas the Tank Engine).

The poem describes the emptiness that is left after Christmas. I'm sure that we can all share something of the sentiment of the poem.

Another Christmas is over. Quite often after Christmas we begin to think "what was that all about?" It's all been a bit of an anti-climax. This can be the case for all of us - especially those of us who are Christians. Christmas is one of the busiest times of year - the build up starts in November, then it's all over in a 2-week flurry of activity. And afterwards what then? Sometimes it all feels like it's gone a bit flat.

Christmas is described in John's gospel "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14) and in Matthew's "You shall call his name, Emmanuel-which means God with us" (Matthew 1:23). That's what happened and is still happening. God with us - now in our joys of having recently been with family and friends, God with us - even when we attempted "quite unsuccessfully-to love all our relatives."

Emmanuel-God with us: in the best of times and the worst of times and the mixture of times in between. Even in the post-Christmas emptiness that we so often feel.

Luke says of Jesus in his Christmas narrative "He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth," (Luke 1:14). Yet here we are far from rejoicing, Jesus can seem to be a million miles away.

Jesus came to earth to be one of us. He was fully human. He experienced the full gamut of human emotions; he knows what it's like to be a man on this earth.

"And the Word became flesh and lived among us". The literal translation from the Greek in John's Gospel is, The Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us. When you pitch your tent among people you can move around to any place, into any time--there among us any where, any when. Emmanuel - God with us: Not in some remote or fixed place in time, but with us, pitching his tent among us as we make our way through the unfolding of our lives. God knows us first hand. All of our experiences are common to God. He knows how we feel has come to fill the emptiness and to give us life in all its fullness.

If you are feeling flat after Christmas maybe it's time you began to have a relationship with Jesus. Then you will begin to live life to the full and can be filled with joy instead of the emptiness that Christmas leaves.

Christmas Oratio

2008-12-19T11:19:00.001Z

Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree,

Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes --

Some have got broken -- and carrying them up to the attic.

The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,

And the children got ready for school. There are enough

Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week --

Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,

Stayed up so late, attempted -- quite unsuccessfully --

To love all of our relatives, and in general

Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again

As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed

To do more than entertain it as an agreeable

Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,

Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,

The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.

The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,

And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware

Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought

Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now

Be very far off. But, for the time being, here we all are,

Back in the moderate Aristotelian city

Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid's geometry

And Newton's mechanics would account for our experience,

And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.

It seems to have shrunk during the holidays. The streets

Are much narrower than we remembered; we had forgotten

The office was as depressing as this. To those who have seen

The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,

The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.

For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly

Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be

Grew up when it opened. Now, recollecting that moment

We can repress the joy, but the guilt remains conscious;

Remembering the stable where for once in our lives

Everything became a You and nothing was an It.

And craving the sensation but ignoring the cause,

We look round for something, no matter what, to inhibit

Our self-reflection, and the obvious thing for that purpose

Would be some great suffering. So, once we have met the Son,

We are tempted ever after to pray to the Father;

"Lead us into temptation and evil for our sake."

They will come, all right, don't worry; probably in a form

That we do not expect, and certainly with a force

More dreadful than we can imagine. In the meantime

There are bills to be paid, machines to keep in repair,

Irregular verbs to learn, the Time Being to redeem

From insignificance. The happy morning is over,

The night of agony still to come; the time is noon:

When the Spirit must practice his scales of rejoicing

Without even a hostile audience, and the Soul endure

A silence that is neither for nor against her faith

That God's Will will be done, That, in spite of her prayers,

God will cheat no one, not even the world of its triumph.

W. H. Auden

Christmas Thoughts - A Silent and Holy Night

2008-12-19T10:27:00.001Z

By Dan Bode

It was indeed a Silent and Holy night.

There was little left to do but watch. The animals had long since fallen asleep. The small town activities had for the most part ceased, and those who still escaped the realm of dreams were oblivious to the occasion to which they were not witness. Most were merely puzzled by the Star never seen before even though it seemed to hover right over this little town of Bethlehem, a town whose very existence was based on the industry of providing sacrificial lambs for the temple in Jerusalem.

The only sounds were the moans of a young, soon-to-be mother in the final hours of a labor that had begun in the Garden so long ago. The will of her body was overcome by the need of the moment as contraction after contraction contorted her features with pain. But she had known this was out of her control from the moment she became aware of His presence.

The only other person aware of the import of this moment is the man at her side. The one on whose shoulders fall the responsibility of helping to bring into this world He who will be the Flesh of God.

All the questions that race through their minds are pushed aside as the symphony of the birthing process reaches its crescendo, and suddenly the Life of Man is Present in this world.

I find myself envious of their perspective. They were there at the beginning, and all they knew of the child at that moment was the name of His Father and His role as Savior of the world. They could take joy in the grasping hands and the baby's laughter.

I, on the other hand, have the historical perspective as well.

I can look back at His birth, and look back at His death as well.

And there lies the difference..

I cannot see the newborn babe without the grown man on the cross.

I cannot see the grasping hands without the nails piercing His flesh.

I cannot see the smooth brow without the thorns.

What I can see is the mercy of our maker.

Some would say we deserve only His pity for what we've done with what He's given us, but pity is merely mercy without action, and God can never be described as complacent.

He has always been active in His love for us, even undeserving as we are. And because of all this I will always see the whole life of Christ as the Great Substitution. Completely undeserved.

Undeserved by Christ for suffering penalties not meant for Him.

Undeserved by me for being unable to make the necessary sacrifice.

It took so long for me to discover that I truly needed a Savior.

And so I sit as the world goes by around me; almost everyone once again oblivious to the occasion to which they are not witness.

So, into this Silent and Holy Night I have these three things to say:

God have mercy.

Joy to the world when you recognize your Lord.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Will you lend a hand this Christmas?

2008-12-03T09:50:00.001Z

Well Advent is now upon us and, like me, I expect that most of you are happily munching through your Advent calendar chocolates.

The Christmas season will be very difficult for many people, particularly those who have had a difficult year and find themselves under a cloud; among them folk who find themselves lonely, bereaved, depressed and sick. In these situations it's very difficult to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Poet Ann Weems has written this:
Some of us walk into Advent tethered to our unresolved yesterdays,
the pain still stabbing,
the hurt still throbbing.
It's not that we don't know better;
it's just that we can't stand up anymore by ourselves.
On the way to Bethlehem will you give us a hand?

Christians are called to help people when they find themselves in these situations. We can help in practical ways, we can listen and we can pray for God's help. Only God can heal the deep wounds of the heart but we can lend a hand. Will you lend a hand this Christmas?

Perhaps you find yourself in need of a hand - please contact me and I will do all I can to help.

A quote for today

2008-11-28T10:57:00.001Z

The purpose of Christianity is not to avoid difficulty, but to produce a character adequate to meet it when it comes. It does not make life easy; rather it tries to make us great enough for life.

(James L. Christensen)

A short thought for today

2008-11-28T07:42:00.001Z

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.
(G.K. Chesterton)

Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash!

2008-11-21T21:55:00.001Z

What's your reason for not going to church?

Before you answer read 'Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash'
1. I was forced to wash as a child.
2. People who wash are all hypocrites: they think that they are cleaner than everyone else.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap; I just can't decide which one is best for me.
4. I used to wash, but I got bored and stopped doing it.
5. I only wash on special occasions like Christmas, Easter, weddings and funerals.
6. None of my friends wash.
7. I'll start to wash when I get older and dirtier.
8. I don't have time to wash.
9. The bathroom is never warm enough in winter, or cool enough in summer.
10. The people who make soap are only after your money.

I'm sure that you'll admit these are silly reasons not to wash.

Read the list again replacing the word 'wash' with 'go to church' and the words 'soap' and 'bathroom' with 'church'. This is ten of the most common reasons why people say that they don't go to church.

I'm not saying that these are silly reasons not to go to church. In church you'll find a loving family to belong to, a faith to live by and a focus for your life. Most people find that church is a lot different than they expect and that it does have a positive impact on their life rather than the negative impact that society portrays.

The New Year is an ideal opportunity to make some positive changes in your life. Why not make it your New Year resolution to go to church and find out for yourself? See you on Sunday!

Christmas Excess

2008-11-20T19:13:00.001Z

Christmas, the season of excess (going over the top)…
- we party to excess
- we drink to excess
- we eat to excess
- we buy presents to excess
- in some cases we decorate our houses to excess
and in order to do all this we nearly all spend to excess and then have to borrow to excess to pay for it.

This only leads to STRESS IN EXCESS!

And after all of the excess what then?
We have to pay for it…
- we put on weight, so we go on a diet or join the gym
- we make New Year resolutions to do better
- we struggle to repay loans and credit cards
sometimes we even make ourselves ill with the stress of it all.

The excess of Christmas is always short-lived and afterwards comes the pain when we suffer for our indulgences. That is not what Christmas is about, it is about abundance or fullness not excess.

At Christmas we remember that God came to earth in the form of Jesus. In the Bible we read that Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." One translation says 'life to the full'. Jesus came so that we could get the most out of life, so that we could have an abundant life, not one of excesses. Living a life of excess does not bring happiness but a life of abundance (or fullness) does - we all want the most out of life and living to excess does not bring it.

This Christmas let's put aside some of the excesses and search out the abundant life that Jesus promises.

Would you like to know the truth?

2008-11-14T11:36:00.001Z

"Would you like to know the truth?" So goes the title of a leaflet being delivered around the village by the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Like many of tracts that they produce there is an element of Christianity in what they say in this leaflet - they even quote from the Bible (or their particular version of it). It's only when you take things forward and begin to get involved that the real truth of their beliefs comes out. This is why they are regarded by many as a sect and to be avoided.

If you'd really like to know the truth then I'd recommend that you make contact with an evangelical church near you. Whilst not everyone believes exactly the same thing there are some fundamental truths that do not change. These form the basis of what Christianity is all about.

Here in Shipdham we have a Christianity Explored course beginning early in the New Year where you can find out what Christians really believe without making any commitment. You don't have to do anything other than enjoy the refreshments and watch the DVD and you can ask any question that you'd like - while we may no know the answer we will be able to explore the issue. Please contact me for more details.

Things God Won't Ask

2008-11-14T09:27:00.001Z

God won't ask what kind of car you drove, He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transport.
God won't ask the size of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
God won't ask about the clothes you had in your wardrobe, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.
God won't ask what your highest salary was, He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.
God won't ask what your job title was, He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of our ability.
God won't ask how many friends you had, He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.
God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.

Originally from MIKEY'S FUNNIES www.mikeysFunnies.com. Anglicised

A short thought for today

2008-11-13T11:05:00.001Z

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round
or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight
or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down. Don't dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you? " do you hear the reply?
When the day is done so you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You better slow down. Don't dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won't last.

Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow"?
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and say, "Hi"

You better slow down. Don't dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race. Do take it slower.
Hear the music before the song is over.

Let's get on board with God's plans

2008-10-22T21:43:00.001+01:00

The world today is in turmoil; we are in the midst of a global economic crisis. In this country our economy, largely built on debt, is falling apart. Several banks have had to be saved from failing. There is talk of recession and of job losses.

Now most of us probably don't fully understand what is going on but we do see the effects of this in the prices we pay, the value of our homes if we own them, our job security and in the general morale of the country. For some it's going to be a gloomy Christmas. And that's certainly not what they were planning just a few short weeks ago.

Amid all this uncertainty stands the Word of God:

"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11)

God's plans for you and I include:

· Hope in a world that just lately seems to have lost all hope

· a future – but not just any old future - a glorious, victorious future - a future full of hope.

Isn't it something exciting to know that God has got plans for you (and me), that the creator of the universe has big, exciting plans that include you? In all this chaos God is still in control and still has plans for us.

There's another promise in God's word too that we should consider:

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

We all make plans, both short-term and long-term. Those of us who love and serve God know that He is working for our best interests and that alone should guide us as we make our plans. We can make our best plans and try to carry them out in our own strength. Or we can make careful plans and ask God to bless them. Yet the best way is to begin with God; to ask His plans, and to offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes.

Let's get on board with God's plans.

A quick thought for today

2008-10-22T15:42:00.001+01:00

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

Welcome

2008-10-22T10:30:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone

Well I finally succumbed and set up a blog for Shipdham Community Church and myself. Hopefull you'll get a flavour of the church and my heart for Shipdham from the posts.

Please do contact me to ask anything at all.