helping hand

SHARING AN INNER WORD FROM GOD
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(November 27, 2021) Maureen McQuillan encourages an anxious ‘Sarah’…

Pastor Maureen… you’re great at answering questions in a very clear way, and easy to understand. Please help me with this query I have… How do I know that I’m really hearing from God? Sarah (Not real name).

Well, ‘Sarah’, to put it briefly… You’ll know that ‘you know that you know that you know!’  Here’s the key: As we grow in the ways of the Lord, we learn to become so sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, to his gentle voice. And we’re aware that it’s he who is guiding us and that we’ve nothing to be afraid of.

Let me share something that I felt in my inner being to say to… oh, let’s call her ‘Jean.’ This lady, a Christian too, had determined to move on in life, leave her suburb and start afresh as it were. But as she was telling me that she didn’t think she would get much for her old home as it needed work done to it, I immediately felt to say, ‘No, I believe you’re going to get an amazing price for it, Jean. You believe it too.’

A simple word of encouragement but I felt was from the Lord and didn’t hesitate to speak it… in faith, Well, she couldn’t quite take it on board at first as it seemed impossible… but guess what happened? Yes, her home sold quickly and for many, many thousands of dollars more than she had perceived! Jean is now a changed lady, with great hope in her heart for a much better lifestyle.

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‘SOMEHOW WE’VE GOT TO FIND A HELPING HAND’

(August 14, 2020) Brian Bell shares…

How often have the words of a song been used to speak to our hearts and or our experience?

In this short meditation I feel led to share some personal reflections sparked by the memory of a song with the above line, reflections that take me back over the years. I’ll come to the song a little later but let me begin by sharing something of my life…

A historical reflection
From I was a young boy I enjoyed reading – and one of my favourite topics was history. When I was growing up, the series Ladybird Books were readily available: written simply and concisely they gave young minds a sufficient background – or maybe appetite – for a topic.                                                          

It was these little books that introduced me to the growth of the Roman Empire including how it spread to England and of course, central to that is the construction of what we call Hadrian’s Wall, built to provide security from invasion from what we now know as Scotland. The need for the wall no longer exists but although it is now mostly in disrepair, the wall continues to be a popular tourist attraction.

A musical reflection
In my early teens I gave my life to the Lord. At that time I was already interested in music and sang in the church choir… but now I entered a new experience. With some other young men, we formed a ‘gospel group’ (as they were called then), playing guitar and drums as musical instruments and singing gospel songs. (more…)