storms

IS YOUR FAITH UNSHAKABLE?

(March 09, 2024) Carol Round encourages…

It was 1987 when I learned Oklahoma has a series of fault lines running through our state. When I heard this, I laughed in disbelief at the agent promoting earthquake insurance. I associated earthquakes with California, not Oklahoma.
 
Twenty-two years later, I wasn’t laughing when our state experienced its first noticeable earthquake, at least in my lifetime! Late one evening, while I was reading a book, my bed began to vibrate. ‘Nah,’ I thought, ‘I’m just imagining things.’

Then, it happened again. This time the shaking was stronger. What was going on? I turned on the TV to a news station reporting we were experiencing an earthquake in parts of the state. Since that time, our state has experienced significantly stronger earthquakes.

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ROCK ON!

(October 10, 2022) Richard Winter highlights what’s never optional for any Christian…

One of the most famous landmarks in the world is Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa. My wife Wendy and I had the privilege of seeing it a few years ago.

It’s not famous because of its height – only 179 feet tall – nor its architecture… there’s plenty of examples of Romanesque buildings around the Tuscany area. But it’s famous for one reason – because it leans!

Building began in 1173, so it’s been around 840 years. And it leans one-twentieth of an inch every year.

Although they’re predicting that it’s going to fall at some time in the future, they have done a great job of fixing the foundations that should stop a complete tumble.

Strong foundations are vital!
incidentally, the word Pisa means ‘marsh’ or ‘marshy ground.’ So if there’s any indication as to why the tower has been leaning, it’s got very unstable foundations.

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STORMS OF LIFE…

(September 13, 2022) Brian Bell shares comforting words to those troubled in these uncertain times…

Think for a moment on Psalm 107:23NASB, ‘Those who go down to the sea in ships…’ What one natural element of creation did Jonah, Jesus’ disciples, and Paul experience in their lives?

  • Jonah…

The Lord had called him to go to Nineveh, but Jonah had other plans and took a to go in the opposite direction. A fierce storm beset the ship and caused him to end up in the belly of a great fish.

  • Jesus’ disciples…

They were quite familiar with the Sea of Galilee, yet while crossing the sea in their boatone day a great storm blew up causing even those hardened fishermen to fear for their lives.

  • Paul…

The apostle was on his way to Rome under Roman guard when the ship in which they were sailingwas caught in a severe storm and they were shipwrecked on the shores of the island of Malta.

Yes… storms! Contemplating vessels and storms, makes me think about sea and other disasters…

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STUPIDIEST QUESTION EVER ASKED!

(April 07, 2022) Maureen McQuillan shares that Jesus truly cares…

When good friend Hope Flinchbaugh (Nehemiah-God’s Call to Build the Wall 2) enquired last month how Robert was going after several sleep-interrupted nights, he shared that he was now sleeping right through each night.

Hope then sent this note: ‘It sounds like you’ve learned to sleep in the boat when the big storm is on you!’ Robert had replied along the lines of ‘Not as restful as Jesus was… but I fully trust in Him.’

With various storms of life round us at this time, one needs to be at rest by knowing and trusting our Lord. Meditating on being at rest by trusting Jesus had me reflecting on Mark 4… Jesus asleep in a boat when a huge storm hit.

Jesus needed rest Himself
Verse 35 tells us that one evening Jesus had requested His disciples to take Him across the lake by boat.

He’d already had a very busy day teaching kingdom truths to crowds lined up along the shore. Now He was not only tired (Yes, ministry can tire us!), but maybe His mind was on the next day’s even busier one of supernatural ministry… finding and freeing that poor Gerasene man bound by many evil spirits, travelling dust roads, raising a little girl from the dead, and encountering that desperately troubled woman who would dare to boldly touch the hem of His robe believing to be healed, not to mention more criticisms (Mark 5).

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STORMS OF LIFE? JESUS CARES!

(October 24, 2020) Robert and Maureen McQuillan remind readers that Jesus truly cares…

Life is like a terrifying storm to several at this pandemic time – including some Christians!

And not just because of uncertainties regarding loss of income, delayed/postponed desperately needed operations, increased crime, unruly behaviour in our streets and beaches, lockdown, and such.

Many, including some church leaders, are concerned about the future… and seemingly unanswered prayers. We’ve had some share feelings of ‘I don’t know what I’m meant to be doing… now or in future days. Doesn’t Jesus care?’

Doesn’t Jesus care?
What an audacious, unwarranted question! Of course, he cares!

Remember the Mark 4 incident where Jesus directed his disciples to cross over the lake by boat to a different region?

Verse 37Message recounts that ‘A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it.’  Verse 38a appears to casually mention that in all this fury ‘Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping!’  Then we read that the obviously frightened disciples ‘woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”’

See the bigger picture here… Jesus’ friends are accusing him of not caring! And with the storm raging around them, they would not have been gently whispering in his ear! No, this would have been a harsh, possibly screaming frantic, ‘Hey! Don’t you care?’ And no acknowledgement of his status as either Rabbi, Teacher or Friend! (more…)

LEADERSHIP GLEANINGS

THE POWER OF NEGATIVE THINKING
Wayne SwiftWayne Swift reminds leaders that negative thinking is powerful – and not in a good way:

In a May blog Michael Hyatt wrote, ‘Norman Vincent Peale published The Power of Positive Thinking in 1952. But it’s only more recently that we’re learning about the destructive power of negative thinking.’ (more…)

LIVING LIFE AS USUAL?

Carol RoundCarol Round writes inspirationally…

‘Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18 TLB).

In a recent discussion of 1 Thessalonians in our Sunday school class, one of our members, referencing chapter 5, verses 16-18 made the following statement: ‘Until our family was faced with cancer, we did life as usual. I’m actually grateful, not for the cancer, but that it changed our lives.’ (more…)

FAITH AND DOUBT

Dr Robert & Maureen (2)
Robert and Maureen McQuillan raise a relevant nitty-gritty point:

Two interesting words – faith and doubt…they come up again and again in scripture, church life, conversations between Christians. And they’re used in a number of ways in sermons, especially ones intent on challenging where we really are as ‘faithful non-doubting’ followers of Jesus.

Both are action words – faith speaks of positive action, doubt of negative activity.

In general chatting with some Christians or in counselling, one can so easily wonder ‘Where are they at? Where are they coming from? They don’t seem to be able to really trust Jesus let alone his word. With all this negativity, where is their faith?’ (more…)