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REMEMBERING CALVARY

(April 01, 2022) Brian Bell challenges us to remember and really know that God loves us…

In the United Kingdom last week, we ‘put our clocks forward’ a reminder that for us we are moving into the spring season.

If you’re anything like me, your memory may have good recall in some things, not so good on others. God knows our human tendency to forget and takes steps to help us remember.

One example of this is found in Deuteronomy 15:15ESB: ‘You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you.’

As we approach this Easter season, I offer some very simple thoughts from this verse to help us remember.

1. A season to remember
In Ecclesiastes 3:1KJV the writer tells us that ‘To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.’

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NEHEMIAH – WHEN GOD CALLS YOU TO REBUILD SOME WALL

(March 14, 2022) Hope Flinchbaugh writes most sincerely about human needs and, in this introduction to a special series, brings a challenge to us all…

I’m beginning this series by reminding us of the introduction of the book of a challenged-to-action servant of God, Nehemiah…

Nehemiah 1:2a-11b Message Bible
I asked them about the conditions among the Jews there who had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem.

They told me, ‘The exile survivors who are left there in the province are in bad shape. Conditions are appalling. The wall of Jerusalem is still rubble; the city gates are still cinders.’

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting, and praying before the God-of-Heaven.

I said, ‘God, God-of-Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to His covenant and faithful to those who love Him and obey His commands: Look at me, listen to me. Pay attention to this prayer of your servant that I’m praying day and night in intercession for your servants, the People of Israel, confessing the sins of the People of Israel. And I’m including myself, I and my ancestors, among those who have sinned against you.

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KEEP STANDING ON THE PROMISES

(March 11, 2022) Brian Bell shares a great encouragement  …

We’re already halfway through the third month of 2022!

Despite the general unrest and uncertainty which still prevails across the world, I believe the encouragement from God’s word is to keep standing on His promises.

Let me draw you back to the words God spoke to Moses in Exodus 33:14 – ‘My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.’

Now I am sure we would not be envious of the task God asked Moses to carry out. To go back to his place of failure in Egypt, face Pharaoh and bring God’s people out of captivity! It was because God knew the enormity and difficulty of the task that He spoke this promise to Moses.

I have three little thoughts of encouragement to suggest. God’s word is –

A Personal Promise – ‘My presence’
(i) Personal in its source
In Romans chapter 1, the apostle Paul lists the many ways in which sin has impacted on humanity and included in the list, he uses this phrase ‘break their promises.’

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THE WALL IN FRONT OF ME

(March 07, 2022) Mama Lava shares a precious meditation…                           

‘If these walls could talk, I wonder what secrets they’d tell’ – Gayle Forman.

Do you ever find yourself starring at the wall? I’ve been staring at the one in front of me for several minutes. I’m sure it could say many things if it could speak, but right now, I’m relying on its quiet strength.

My wall (right) – the wall in front of me – has witnessed many conversations marked by an array of emotions. The myriad of words do not echo in the wall like they do in my head. The sound has been absorbed and silenced.

The wall in front of me stands straight and tall, unaffected by the frenetic energy on either side. It divides the chaos and is still. It steadies me.

This wall in front of me is pierced. I’ve removed the art that has adorned it for the last few years and all that remains are a few protruding screws and some nail holes. Somehow, it is still stately.

As constructs of the mind, walls get a bad rap. They are said to represent confinement and stand in the way of progress. Yet, I find solace in mine.

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CHRIST-LIKE BEHAVIOUR: A SIGN OF YOUR IDENTITY

(March 06, 2022) Carol Round challenges us regarding our behavioural attitude…

Jesus speaks clearly in Luke 6:31 as to what our behavioural attitude towards others should be!

Here’s how the Message version reads: ‘Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!’

Identifying behaviour
If you were to walk through the front door of my house, you’d be able to identify my favourite colour.

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TRUE LOVE WON DURING PASTOR’S BRUTAL BATTLE WITH CANCER

(February 20, 2022) Michael Ashcraft shares a romantic-centred good news testimony…

For 13 months, Isaiah Trujillo was vomiting every day, as he battled stage 4 cancer with chemotherapy. Sometimes all his wife Amanda could do was rub his back – and stay by his side.

‘It was worth it. It’s what God had for us. I knew that God had more for us,’ she says.

Believing in their marriage vows
At a time when marriage is grounds for divorce, some Christian couples – like the Trujillos – still hold marriage as sacred. Their vows ‘to death do us part,’ they take seriously. Meanwhile worldly marriages are built on the proverbial sand that the flood waters buffet and break down.

‘We definitely questioned why we were going through that,’ says Amanda. The two-year ordeal is finally over. Isaiah just was declared cancer-free and the port in his chest is being removed. ‘You have this idea that if you serve God and do what’s right and do the will of God that you live in a bubble and nothing will touch you and you’re safe. That’s just not true.’

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PUT JESUS ON SPEED DIAL

(February 02, 2022) Carol Round encourages us to rest in Jesus…

Rest!

For some, it seems impossible. With too many commitments and responsibilities, rest seems like an unachievable goal.

Craving rest in a noisy world, some seek to escape. Seeking rest for their weary soul, some look for it in prestigious titles, extreme wealth, and expensive purchases to impress others.

But striving to gain these things never satisfies. Instead, in an effort to satisfy these cravings, disappointment, monotony, and fatigue overwhelms the soul. The load becomes oppressive.

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2022? FIND A NEED AND FILL IT

(January 18, 2022) Wayne Swift shares on realistic matters…

I can recall entering 2021 with a sense of optimism regarding the impact of covid-19. I thought we were through the worst of it. It didn’t turn out that way.

As we begin 2022, I simply don’t carry that same optimism but am rather realistic about our prospects. In an investment sense you might say I have downgraded expectations!

Plans are tentative and my hopes focus more on wellbeing than on activities. I do think of the health system and the many faithful people working under extreme pressures, they need our support, patience and prayers.

1. The church’s task is uncompromised!  
What I am optimistic about is the God’s sovereignty and our ability to persevere. Jesus’ words remain the same, ‘I will build my church.’

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MUSLIM WOMAN DREAMS ABOUT ‘MAN IN WHITE’ WITH BLEEDING FEET

(January 08, 2022) Mark Ellis shares a good news testimony…

A young refugee woman from Syria recently awakened from an unsettling dream.

In the dream, Hala (*Name changed for security reasons), a Muslim, saw a man in white. She also noticed her feet bleeding and feared the bleeding feet might portend illness or some other trouble.

‘When I woke up, I was afraid,’ she told Christian Aid Mission (CAM). ‘Was something bad going to happen to me?’

Recognising Jesus
Hala had visited a church several times at the invitation of a local missionary, so she recognised the man in white in her dream as Jesus of Nazareth.

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2022 CHALLENGE – GET OUT OF THE MUD AND CLEAR OUR HEADS ABOUT WHAT GOD REQUIRES!

(January 03, 2022) Mama Lava asks a leading 2022 question…

Have you ever wondered what God wants from you?

Sometimes I get caught in that rut. As the saying goes, a rut is formed in the mud. Well, I don’t want to be thinking in the mud. I want my mind and focus to be clear. Don’t you?

The Lord’s requirements
If we’re going to clear our heads, we have to get out of the mud!
Overthinking is the enemy of simplicity… but the gospel is simple. God wants a relationship with you and me. He has done everything to make that possible. But once it is established, what then?

God spoke to His people in the Old Testament through the prophet, Micah. He clearly stated what He requires: ’He has told you, O man, what is good – and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?’ (Micah 6:8 ESB, emphasis mine).

Surely, He wants more than that. He wants mission work and tithing and sacrifice… right? He wants our hearts to be willing to act when He prompts us, yes… but so much of what we feel we must do comes from our own imagination. If we read the above verse in context with the previous two verses, we get a clearer picture…

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