John 16:33

ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER TO GROW STRONGER IN FAITH

(May 07, 2023) Carol Round encourages us to bless others.

Meeting over lunch with a Christian friend, I wanted to encourage her during her time of uncertainty and need.

She’d lost her job and was now working at our church as the senior pastor’s administrative assistant. However, the pay was much less than her previous job.

1 Thessalonians 5:11ERV tells us to ‘… encourage each other and help each other grow stronger in faith, just as you are already doing.’

My faith grew through tough times
So, since I could relate, I shared stories of how God had provided for me after I retired almost 20 years ago. After taxes and health insurance, I could barely meet my needs.

I’d obeyed God’s leading when I left my 30-year teaching career to write full-time. But He provided not only for my needs but opened doors of opportunity. Those doors led to ways to supplement my retirement income.

As I continued to share the stories of God’s miraculous provision at just the right times in my life, my friend was amazed. I also knew, without a doubt, that my friend was in the right place, serving in our church. (And I’m also not the only church member who believes our friend is right where God wants her).

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GOD IS THE TRUE PROMISE KEEPER

(February 02, 2023) Carol Round encourages us to know The Promise Keeper…

We all know people who have broken their promises. If you follow politics, you know it happens more times than we can count. But we all fall short because we, too, are promise breakers.

Just like Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan in the garden, we all fall prey to our human condition (‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’ – Genesis 3:5).

Knowing we’ve given in to our selfish desires, we lose the peace that comes from obeying God. In Adam and Eve’s case, they lost a close fellowship with God.

Humans repeatedly break their promises. But God, who is the one true Promise Keeper, will never let us down. If we cling to Him, knowing He will never disappoint us with false promises, we’ll find peace.

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PRESSING AHEAD IN 2023!

(December 17, 2022) Brian Bell encourages leaving the past behind and moving ahead in 2023…

As we come towards the end of 2022, I encourage you with Paul’s words in Philippians 3:13, ‘I am still not all I should be… forgetting the past… and looking forward to what lies ahead.’

The apostle speaks about his past which he wants to forget, his present as he recognises he is a work in progress, and his future based on Christ’s accomplishment and provision.

I believe Paul’s encouragement in this verse is not related to employing techniques to help us forget, but about that good old topic of perspective.

Paul wasn’t saying he had discovered a way to eradicate past memories (in his case the many believers he had persecuted prior to his conversion). It was not that Paul could or had actually forgotten, but that he would not allow those memories to hold him back. So, I suggest that is the context for Paul then saying he was ‘… looking forward…’

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THE SAY IT AGAIN PSALM

(October 24, 2022) Brian Bell shares about repeating oneself…

Have you ever been told you talk too much?

Many years ago, I was told that I tended to repeat myself – no, not by my wife, Eveline, who says I am ‘the quiet man’!’

On the subject of repeating oneself, did you know that Psalm 107 is a chapter of repetition? As I share the following brief thoughts, I recall being taught that when scripture repeats a matter it is to emphasise a matter of real importance. So, I trust you sense that God is saying important to our hearts here.

Repetition of the Call for Praise (Psalm107: 8,15,21,31)
In Psalm 107 the psalmist’s desire is that we would ‘praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to the children of men.’

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STILL MUCH TO DO!

(January 25, 2022) Maureen McQuillan encourages all who feel unsure about the future… 

A lot of good folks at this time of worldwide troubles have been experiencing disappointments… not being able to do certain things, go places, catch up with family and old friends, getting hit unexpectedly with covid-19 (but, praise God, had been vaccinated and are getting through), job losses, short of ready finance, suicides, troubled minds… and so on.

And so it’s a joy when one hears good news stories, especially of God answering prayer and blessing in various ways. Mark Ellis’ GodReports regularly shares such testimonies, eg… Muslim Woman Dreams About Man in White With Bleeding Feet. And we ran missionary to Romania David McGuire’s excellent report Grateful for 2021 Successful Outreaching but Moving Ahead Into 2022 With Vision.

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However, one also hears of Christians who have had bad life experiences and my ‘heart goes out to them.’Some are so troubled that as they hear negative news reports from around the world, wonder what’s next, or think ‘the end is near: Is Christ coming back very soon?’

Encouragements from God’s word
To troubled saints, I would say this: Be encouraged! Be blessed by scriptures such as the following…

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TROUBLE WILL COME… BUT TAKE HEART

(June 24, 2020) Carol Round shares hope for all troubled by what’s happening around us…

My heart is heavy.

History is repeating itself. I lived through the turmoil of the 60s during the Civil Rights movement. I saw the injustice. Segregated schools and restaurants. Separate water fountains and restrooms left an imprint on my impressionable mind.

What is happening in my own country today didn’t begin with the murder of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement. It isn’t the first time hatred has led to an uncalled-for death. I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Trouble is all around the world these days! Protesters are calling for change. But change can only happen when each one of us takes responsibility for our own words and actions.

Nothing Will Change Unless We Do
Nothing will change until we, as Christians, quit placing our hope in government to save our country. We must embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ, and not just give lip service to our faith. If we are sold out to Jesus, we should not be conformed to this world. (more…)