Praise the Lord!
Everyone enjoys praise! We’ve praised our athletes for their amazing performances and hard work. We praise musicians ….. actors ….. chefs ….. artists ….. etc. But the one who deserves our praise the most is God! He created the universe ….. He chose us to live on planet earth ….. He provides everything we need ….. He is our Healer and Protector ….. He gives us gifts and talents! We should praise Him from sunrise to sunset ….. in fact the Bible says we are to praise Him continually! That just means that we are always aware of Him and thankful for all He has done. You will never run out of things to praise Him for!
One Step at a Time
Every Knee Shall Bow
Love Your Enemies
Have you been let down by someone you love? Has your trust been broken? Feelings of betrayal and disappointment can leave us very vulnerable. By all means ….. take some time to process and heal. But there’s a tendency to become self focussed and that’s when your mind can lead you down a slippery pathway. It may tell you that you are entitled to get even ….. that you deserve to hurt them back. And you can be sure that there will be well meaning friends who will encourage you along that path. But right now ….. your best friend is Jesus! And He said we are to love our enemies and do them good. Ouch! The point is ….. don’t allow their bad behaviour influence you to also behave badly. You ….. dear one who is hurting so badly ….. are In a better place than the one who did the hurting.
River of Life
We have begun a new series at Church on ‘The River of Life’. A river starts with a trickle of water ….. which forms a pool ….. that becomes a stream ….. which turns into a mighty river ….. that flows into the sea! You might not think you have much to give ….. you may not feel very influential ….. but when we give our talents or resources to God ….. He can multiply and use them to bring life to many. Your ‘trickle’ can refresh ….. enliven ….. and empower others!
Crown of Life
‘Sorry for the Inconvenience’
Do you ever wish you could put up a sign like this? About this time of year we can feel tired and depleted. The demands made of us physically ….. mentally ….. and emotionally can seem too much ….. and we just want to shut the door on the world and have a break! Sometimes a short break is enough ….. but renewal requires a lot more. This garden will not only be allowed to rest. It will no doubt be dug up ….. and nutrients will be added to the soil. It may even be redesigned! Sometimes ….. unwelcome change is forced upon us. It doesn’t feel good at the time ….. but the designer knows what he is doing! He sees a better layout ….. and a healthier environment. As it says in the small print ‘Sorry for the inconvenience!’
Olympics
Time to Choose