(May 14, 2025) Mama Lava, sharing from her heart, reminds us of another great truth…
Hello again!
Trust is our theme this month, as we work on alleviating our anxiety. Specifically trust in God.
Think about this… we put our trust in many things every day. We trust that—
(November 08, 2024) Norman and Margaret Moss share another precious meditation…
It was in the early days of charismatic renewal way back in the early 1970s that I (Norman) awoke one Saturday morning to find that I had lost the sight in one eye. Consequently with both eyes open all my brain was registering was grey mist.
Bad News
Margaret drove me to A & E. There I was examined by two doctors who peered into my eye while holding a fascinated conversation with each other. At the end of it one of them slapped me on the back and said, ‘Bad luck old chap. You’ve lost the sight of that eye— you won’t get it back’ and immediately left the room followed by his colleague. Margaret and I were left sitting dumbfounded in the grey painted room!
(September 18, 2024) Wayne Swift once again calls it as it is…
Picture this scenario — a young man like many young men feels a strong and ambitious call to change the world. He lives in a safe environment, and has been privileged compared to the rest of the world’s population. He has been well educated, and people like him, even admire him. But so far he hasn’t yet carried a great deal of responsibility.
Then one day as he’s out and about his impetuous nature compels him to begin the process of changing the world and he does so by buying into disputes that are not his to buy into. Worse still his inability to control himself leads him taking the life of another while trying to sort out a dispute. Character flaws were very quickly unveiled in the heat of a battle. The very next day another dispute occurs before his eyes and suddenly before he can take any remedial action both parties in the dispute turn to him and accuse him of murder.
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(September 30, 2023) Robert and Maureen McQuillan challenge…
It’s great to learn that many folk have moved on from the darkness that began hitting the world a few years ago (and still around)! People are joyfully holidaying, planning ahead, contemplating the future wisely and making decisions in respect of the like of travelling, jobs, careers, homes, suburbs, states, vehicles (electric, petrol or hybrid), schooling, churches, marriage…
One top decision is a major change of thinking – from fear to courage… ‘Flipping the Switch’ to use an old phrase, the sense of having a change of heart about many things.
We Christians can praise God for so much… salvation through His son, Jesus. And the gift of life – new life in Him. We have so much to look forward each new day because of Jesus… God is our protector, provider and friend. It’s always great to zero in on prayer each morning, Bible reading, worshipping Him and committing the new day to our Lord.
Fearfulness
But… life is life and things can go wrong!
(August 15, 2023) Dr Jim McClure challenges readers…
Around 3500 years ago something occurred that still impacts our lives today – God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.
Let me give you a brief background here. After the people of Israel had spent 400 years in Egypt God raised up Moses to lead them out of Egypt. Early in their journey to the Promised Land God gave them the Ten Commandments which are a brief summarise the basic life values which are just as relevant today as they were when God first revealed them to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:1-21).
While those commandments have repeatedly been broken throughout history, today we are witnessing a deliberate and defiant disregard of them!
As I was reflecting on this and considering how they tell us much about the fallibility of human nature, I was aware that they also reveal something about the breathtaking character of Almighty God.
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(May 26, 2023) Angeline Selvakumari encourages us to discover God’s dawn light…
Great is God’s faithfulness!
He has led us thus far and will continue to carry us through! Psalm 46:5 is one of His great promises of protection – ‘God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.’
This scripture refers to ‘the city of God’ (v4). In Matthew 5:14, our Saviour, Jesus, referred to His followers as an important city: ‘You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.’
As such in these troubled times we need our faithful God’s protection! And we can relate to Psalm 46:2 which depicts why the verse five promise is so significant. It’s our assurance of God’s faithfulness, to be grasped in dark times that cause fear… even when if the –
When everything is moving, shaking and we are very troubled, the Bible confirms that our God is there for us! Even if everything around us ‘moves’ we will not. God is in the midst of every storm and will help us at the break of dawn.
Our God is a good God! Whatever He does is good! He’s the God of impossibilities, the God of the new dawn.
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(April 05, 2023) Mama Lava caringly asks a question…
Hi again! How are you all?
I’m honoured that you’ve joined me on the Back Porch today! And I have a sincere question for you… How are you handling Holy Week?
I don’t mean your plans, agendas, and schedules. I am not asking about church services, egg hunts, and family gatherings. I am referring to your inner wellbeing.
Are you conflicted? Do you recognise the joyous meaning of Easter, but find it difficult to overcome the lofty burdens you are currently carrying?
Me too! It can be challenging to focus on victory when we feel threatened by defeat. But God is ministering to me through an unlikely character in the Easter story, the stone.
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(June 22, 2022) Maureen McQuillan responds to a concerned, fearful mother…
Dear Pastor Maureen
I’m so pleased that my adult children are doing the Christian thing and using their career skills to help needy and troubled people, especially nonChristians, but I’m afraid that they may be getting into difficult and dangerous situations. Please help me find peace. Josie.
Hi Josie
Naturally, it’s great that your children are following in your footsteps – and the Lord’s – and reaching out to help troubled people. The reality is that we all have to make major decisions in life and no matter who we’re endeavouring to help (and lead to Christ) sometimes awkward or dangerous moments come up.
But we Christians are directed in scripture not to be worried or concerned about anything. Being concerned not worried, as any good mother should be, is all right but we are not to be afraid… otherwise we open a doorway for the devil, our enemy, to rush in through!
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(April 01, 2022) Robert and Maureen McQuillan solemnly share Easter thoughts…
‘The night is always darkest before the dawn!’ is an old but for many today still a very realistic adage.
It’s Easter’s Good Friday next week – but a dark Friday indeed when one fully realises what Jesus Christ must have gone through!
Good Friday? Bad Friday, evil Friday, fearful Friday!
Thinking aboutthat daycaused Robert to recall staying overnight at a colleague’s home many Easters ago. Not immediately sleepy, he browsed the bedroom’s shelves and found the most unusual book… an old, handwritten volume of on-the-scene experiences of a young WW1 British soldier.
An amazing diary really, filled with drawings of horrific battle scenes. One incident caught Robert’s attention… aware of what his friends and he would face as one particular new day broke on them, the writer had painfully detailed fears, confusions, and concerns.
Dark hours
Certain death faced this little group of outnumbered comrades when superior forces would attack them! Graphically he described that dark lonely night filled with alarm, horror, fear, and tension as they waited in the terrifying blackness during those long trying, uncertain hours.
(November 10, 2021) Michael Ashcraft shares an amazing testimony…
On the 17th day of solitary confinement in jail, cop John Clichy broke down and made a confession – not to the crime of which he was accused but to his need for Jesus Christ.
‘I realised I needed help because there was no way I was getting out of this, there was no way I was getting through this,’ he says on a Psalm Forty video. ‘January 31, 2013, right after midnight, I wholeheartedly called out to God. I saw everything that I was doing wrong that was displeasing to God that was harming me, and I realised I got myself into that mess. I said, “God, I don’t want to live that life no more.” I wholeheartedly repented of that life.’
Taking his newfound faith seriously
The former undercover detective who lived a high-flying life – with spinning rims, free drinks at bars and 19 girlfriends – was accused with two other Schaumburg Village, Ill, detectives of re-selling part of the drugs they confiscated from busts.
But while the two other cops accepted plea bargains for lesser sentences, Cichy took his fledgling faith seriously. He had heard God say to not break down in fear of getting a longer sentence and to go to trial. He faced 18 counts which, if convicted, could result in a minimum of 24 years in prison, yet he refused every plea bargain they offered because God told him to.
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Connecting with You! 