DARK SHADOWS – GOD’S SHADOW OF LIGHT

(February 28, 2023) Brian Bell shares a timely meditation…

Standing Somewhere in the Shadows (that 1943 once very popular number by E J Rollings) came to me afresh recently…

Are your crosses too heavy to carry,
And burdens too heavy to bear;
Are there heartaches and tears and anguish
And there’s no one who seems to care?

Standing somewhere in the shadows you’ll find Jesus,
He’s the friend who always cares and understands.
Standing somewhere in the shadows you will find Him,
And you’ll know Him by the nail prints in His hands.

Overshadowing darkness
Christians are called to carry crosses (Matthew 10:38, Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23) and as we do so, life can be shades of shadows at times! Praise God that our Saviour is there for us!

The reality is that it is not Jesus who is standing in the shadows, it is us – men and women ‘lost’ in the dark shadows of life.

(more…)

NEGATIVE TRANSFERENCE

(February 26, 2023) Dr Robert McQuillan encourages a troubled carer…

Dr Robert
You mentioned some troubling heavies in your article Troubled-hearts-minds-and-characters. To avoid such things hanging on us. I like your quote from the Complete Jewish Bible: ‘Don’t let yourselves be disturbed’ (John 14:1CJB).

Well, I am disturbed, Robert, and while I hear what you’re saying here, I’m still feeling heavy, downhearted, uneasy and I’m wondering if having to counselling people (even Christians),having to always be listening to their troubles, their problems, could somehow be at the bottom of how I’m feeling. Pastor ‘Jones’.

Hi Pastor ‘Jones’

I could have said much more in that article… but as I have to limit other contributors, I have to cull back my own articles too! Now then, I’m wondering if the following is the cause of what you’re feeling… (if so, it’s a piece of advice, a warning, that I’ve written about before, given to pastors, even to  psychiatrists, physiatrists and counsellors, Christian or not! (Especially carers with the right heart like yourself).

In a nutshell… don’t be tricked into carrying the deadweight of those who trouble you with their heavy problems! Be wise… there’s a subtilty here. The one being helped may not even be aware of it but what can happen – has happened – is that after a while they’re feeling great but you’re feeling uncomfortable.

Transference
Don’t be concerned about technical names here… think of it as ‘transference.’ Now professionals mentioned above know about different kinds of transference… but sometimes even ‘experts’ need to be reminded to back down! Especially when negative transference is the name of the game!

(more…)

DANISH EVANGELIST LANGUISHES IN ICE DETENTION

 

(February 25, 2023) Michael Ashcraft reports…

The U.S. judge who denied Torben Søndergaard’s (right) asylum application probably didn’t want to set a precedent for hundreds of Nordic Christians to flee to the United States, claiming religious persecution, the lawyer for Torben speculated in an interview with Dr Michael Brown.

‘Excuse me for speculating, but I think I’m making a very good, educated guess: In the back of that judge’s mind, he doesn’t want to set a precedent that would allow other individuals to apply for asylum,’ said Michelle Sanchez, immigration attorney for Torben.

Lambasted by other Christians!
‘The immigration judge would open up the floodgates and say, ‘Christians who are persecuted in this way in Nordic countries can apply for asylum because I’m finding that Mr. Søndergaard fears persecution should he return,”’ she added.

Danish evangelist Torben Søndergaard started a cutting-edge international movement of evangelizing in the streets, casting out demons and baptising people. His movement, dubbed The Last Reformation (TLR), has generated myriad supporters who gush about his ministry. Other Christians, rankled or disgruntled, lambasted his methods and even went so far as to call Torben a con man.

(more…)

FEBRUARY UPDATE & ROUNDUP

(February 25, 2023) Elizabeth Kendal, RLPB, requests that, remembering Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV, we urgently pray alertly for the following –   

* NIGERIA’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Today, Saturday, 25 February, is Nigeria’s presidential election being held amidst soaring ethno-religious tensions, gross insecurity and the threat of widespread election-related violence. Nigeria has a population of 220 million, around half of whom identify as Christian. Those most at risk are minority Christians in the Muslim North and all ethnic Igbo living outside the South East. [The Igbo are Nigeria’s most Christian (98 percent), most industrious and most widely dispersed tribe.] The Nigerian Church is one of the world’s leading missionary-sending churches.

* AZERBAIJAN: ARMENIANS FACE ETHNIC CLEANSING
Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) – an ethnic-Armenian Christian enclave in Turkic Muslim Azerbaijan – has been in a state of siege since December 12 when Azerbaijani agents blockaded the Lachin Corridor (the road that links Artsakh to Armenia). On 15 February the Armenian Weekly warned: ‘It is beyond any doubt that the actions’ of these Azerbaijani agents ‘serve as a consistent tool for Azerbaijan’s hybrid warfare tactics and systematic policy of ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Artsakh. … Cut off from the outside world, the 120,000-strong population of Artsakh is inching closer to an inevitable humanitarian catastrophe every single day. There are extreme shortages of food, medicine and other basic necessities. There is a lack of proper heating in harsh winter conditions.’

(more…)

DECEITFUL WORDS, NURTURING WORDS

(February 23, 2023) Mama Lava shares draws our attention to…

Hi again! How are you all?

Last month I shared on the importance of everyone exercising kindness.

I highlighted what we all know so well – that the world needs Jesus! And that Paul wrote strongly about God’s kindness leading to salvation that comes through accepting Jesus as our Saviour:  ‘… do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?’(Romans 2:4).

Kindness is defined by Merriam-Webster.com as the quality or state of being kind, treating people with kindness and respect.

In focussing on the need for kindness to be activated by Christians to the world, I draw our attention to linking words, one which hinders while the other enhances… deceit and nurture.

Deceitfulness
Lies, dishonesty, falsehood, fibs, misinformation… there are many ways to label an untruth. Did you know there is a marked difference between deceptive words and deceitful words? They are similar, but the difference is in the intent. Deceptive words are likely misleading, but deceitful words are deliberately so (wikidiff.com). This is what Merriam-Webster.com has to say:

  • Deceitful (adj): marked by, based on, or done by dishonest methods to acquire something of value…
  • Words related to deceitful: fraudulent, misleading, shady, sneaky, sly, tricky…
  • Nearest opposite words of deceitful: candid, open, trustworthy, legitimate, valid…

My deceitful words are motivated by a desire to gain something of value. What might fall into this category? How about…

(more…)

TROUBLED HEARTS, MINDS AND CHARACTERS

(February 22, 2023) Dr Robert McQuillan encourages those with troubled hearts …

The following is in response to some recent questions, and requests for help and prayer, from some troubled Christians, and other conversations from yesteryear, where I’ve endeavoured to put some minds at rest.

There are times when something comes up, something is said or done that hurts so much that it stings our very hearts. Maybe something completely out of line, something nasty, accusative (maybe through misunderstanding), or even something simple, that burrows hurtfully deep in our thinking.

Do note something here: If we talk about our ‘upset heart’ we’re meaning that our emotions are upset! However, when the Bible talks about the heart, it is referring to our character… and many times it’s our character that’s been hurt, even slandered!

Jesus was cool
The first time Jesus mentioned the heart was on the sermon on the mount: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart’ (Matthew 5:8a). And what would be the outcome? ‘They shall see God’ (v8b)! And how do we see God? In the character of Jesus of course… John 14:8-11! How pure, how wise, how loving and forgiving He was – and is.

(more…)

JESUS – LORD HIGH ABOVE ALL ELSE!

(February 20, 2023) Robert and Maureen McQuillan bring a timely challenge …

Happened to watch a recent Abbots Cross Congregational Church service (our ‘old’ church back in Northern Ireland) and heard an outstanding sermon by Reverend Philip Campbell. What a message! So well…

  • Structured perfectly,
  • Strongly principled,  
  • Sensitively preached.

Under an obvious Holy Spirit anointing, Philip clearly spoke convincingly from his heart on Philippians 3.

There was a sense of destiny as Philip – known for his easy-to-listen-to-and-absorb style – reminded his audience of God’s incredible goodness, the Christian’s need to take opportunities to share one’s faith and the gospel of Jesus and, forgetting past hindrances, move on this year under God’s directions into His plans for His spiritual children and church.

It triggered off the heart of this particular article!

Jesus highest
Philip Campbell knows the cost of the challenge of moving on as God declares!

(more…)

EXTRAORDINARY REVIVAL AT ASBURY UNIVERSITY

(February 18, 2023) Mark Ellis reports more Holy Spirit fire falling in Kentucky…

As a senior at Asbury University in Kentucky, Joshua Curry, 22, decried his own sense of disquiet about his spiritual condition and the religious atmosphere at the college.

Attendance at chapel is required three days a week at the private Christian university, formally aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. Many students seemed unenthusiastic, apathetic about the mandatory obligation. ‘There were a lot of people who were just tired of having to come to chapel, people would always groan about having to show up for an hour a day, three days a week.’

‘I was actually feeling very poor spiritually, like a sinking ship. I wrote down in my journal that I’m tired of milquetoast Protestantism. I want liberty from slavery. I want forgiveness of sins. I want a zealous spirit,’ but he felt the world and its current cultural milieu was luring him away from what he desired most.

The revival that hit the school in the 1970s was fading from memory. February 2023 and student Joshua Curry bears witness to the following awakening…

(more…)

IT’S A WAR OUT THERE! (Meditations on Mark – 2)

(February 13, 2023) Richard Winter shares some salient facts…

The rumours had come in from a far-flung corner of the Roman empire…

  • There was trouble over a Jewish teacher who had apparently led a nonviolent campaign.
  • To stop the problems He had been crucified as a common criminal.
  • His friends and many others are saying He has come back to life – and has been seen walking around and gathering with crowds of people.

So what are the facts? Mark tells them rather simply…

(A continuous history which – if you follow – you will know how it all links together and how that Jewish Messiah will affect your life and others).

Seven facts…

1. New start
A guy had come baptising people who were repenting of their sins. Jesus was baptised… even though He had no sin! What Jesus was doing was demonstrating that all old ways of doing things either religiously or secularly needed to be buried and everyone can start a new spiritual life.

(more…)

CHARGE!

(February 10, 2023) Dr Jim McClure challenges us to make the right choice… 

Joshua was Moses’ ‘right-hand-man’ during the 40 years Israel spent in the wilderness, then he became Israel’s leader when Moses died, led the people into the Promised Land and served them faithfully as their leader for some decades after that until his death at the age of 110.

When the days of his leadership had come to an end, he gathered the people of Israel together and gave them his final charge which was reflective, challenging and called for a response.

His charge is still relevant to us today!

1. Circumstances (Joshua 24:1)
Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.’ He chose Shechem as the gathering place for this momentous event as it was a place of promise, challenge and commitment from the time of Abraham.

Then he reminded the Israelites that God had enabled them to accomplish amazing things and they had now secured a foothold in the Promised Land. 

They had arrived at a time when a new era was about to begin.

2. History (Joshua 24:2-13)
In these verses we read Joshua’s brief historical summary of the people of Israel from the days of Abraham to their entry into and settlement in the Promised Land.  

He gave this review to demonstrate how gracious and powerful God was and to affirm how critical it was to have Him in their lives and to faithfully follow His directions.

(more…)