Category Archives: Minister’s Messages

Thought for Today: Distraction

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Every day is different. Today the sun is shining, but after putting my head outside I was very quickly back inside because I was hit with a strong cold wind.
Thought for today distraction
So, I had a few options:
  1. To put more layers on and still go for a short walk
  2. Phone a friend for a chat
  3. Do some house work
  4. Read a book.
The last two options reminded me of the story of Mary and Martha – friends of Jesus. While Mary sat and listened to Jesus, Martha moaned about being left with the cooking and cleaning. Who was right? And who was wrong? Neither, because later when Jesus met Martha again and asked what she believed she said, “You are the Christ, the Son of God” and then she called Mary to see Jesus again.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, even when we are distracted from you, we thank you that your Holy Spirit will lead us back to knowledge of you. Amen.

Jesus is Constant, Yesterday, Today and Forever

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“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father who does not change.” (James 1 v.17)

God never changesDear Friends,

You will find a number of changes in this magazine, mainly dates. As a non-conformist, I welcome change if it is done for the right reason but December 25th, a day to celebrate God’s good and perfect gift, does not change.

When the Angel Gabriel gave Mary the news of God’s intention, she began to anticipate the change that would take place in her life at Christmas – not that it was called Christmas then; but she waited to experience the change that giving birth to her first child would make to her future.

I am sure that there were times when Mary, a young girl, would have felt afraid of the future, especially regarding the reaction of her husband-to-be. Perhaps, that is why she went to visit her relative, Elizabeth, who herself was probably anxiously anticipating the future, so that they could mutually support one another.

For those who have experienced sadness during the past year, or for whom Christmas brings back sad memories, the presence of a friend or close relative can make the season more bearable, so let us keep in mind those who might need us to help them.

We all face changes in our lives and if we look back, we might realise, just as the Angel Gabriel said to Mary, “The Lord is with you,” so thankfully, He has been with us and His love for us has given us hope for the future.

Christmas will come and go and changes will occur, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13 v.8) and He is our constant support.

Let us not forget that Christmas is simply a time for thanking God for His gift of Jesus, His Son, to the world.

With love at Christmas and wishing you all a happy and healthy new year.

I am yours in love and prayers,

Marion

Spend Time with God in Prayer

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“Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After, he went upon a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came He was there alone…” (Matthew 14 v.22-23)

Dear Friends,

spend time with God in prayerJesus gives us an example here about the need to pray. He had just finished feeding the 5000 men plus women and children, before which He had healed many of the people. To replace the energy that He had lost in being so busy, He went away on His own to pray. He made room in His busy schedule to be alone with the Father.

Jesus is showing us the importance of rebuilding our bodies and our minds when we are very busy.

I will admit that I don’t always find time in my busyness to stop to pray. However, after reading this and the commentary, I am determined to follow the example of Jesus…except the “mountainside”; that would be very difficult in Long Itchington.

The commentary is that spending time with God in prayer nurtures a vital relationship and equips us to meet life’s challenges and struggles.

We all need that help and if we find it difficult to find words to pray, Jesus said the Holy Spirit will give you what to say.

In Christian love,

Marion

Christianity is Anything But Boring

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“When the day of Pentecost came…All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2 v.1-4)

christianity is anything but boringDear Friends,

How anyone can suggest that being a Christian is boring, I fail to understand.

We have just celebrated the exciting time of Jesus resurrected from death to life when there were so many different accounts of Him appearing to his followers. This was followed by the day Jesus ascended into heaven, alive for evermore, with the promise that one day He will return.

The next exciting event is called Pentecost, when all the disciples were gathered together waiting for a special gift.

I don’t know about you, but I still get excited when the postman delivers a parcel for a special event.

On the day of Pentecost, God delivered a special gift in a very exciting way.

First of all, there was the sound of a violent wind, but it was not a destructive wind, and then there were tongues of fire which rested on each disciple. This was not destructive either, it was God’s way of giving power to His people. The Holy Spirit is the power of God and from then to now every Christian is given that power to work for Jesus Christ.

All of these events may seem to be out of this world, and they are, because they are from God’s world, and they are given to us to use to make a difference to the lives of others in the way that they have made a difference to our lives.

May you all feel empowered through the Holy Spirit as you witness about the love God has for each of you, shown through His Son, Jesus Christ.
With love in Him,

Marion

Turning Over A New Leaf in 2017?

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“If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5 v.17)

Dear Friends,

turning over a new leafIs it a time for turning over a new leaf? In the past, I had a problem with new year – after all, it’s only another day, just a different year number – no longer 2016 but 2017.

In some ways, being a Christian means that each one of us is a brand new person on the inside, so does that mean we have no leaves to turn over? Regretfully not, because that would suggest that having been re-created to live in vital union with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we have nothing to change, no way to improve, nothing to ask forgiveness for.

If we believe that, part of Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae would be a good way for each of us to begin the year 2017. In Colossians 2 v. 6 & 7, Paul says to us, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.”

I recently had to have a huge fir tree cut down because I felt it had become dangerous. The tree had overcome its usefulness and, although it had continued to grow, its roots seemed to be dying. Our faith being rooted in Jesus Christ will never become dangerous and never die because our life comes from Jesus and is constantly strengthened by His Holy Spirit. Let us then celebrate a new year and again, using Paul’s words, let us delight in how firm our faith is in Jesus Christ.

With love in the Lord,

Marion

Harvest Thanksgiving

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When they had all had enough to eat Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’  (John 6 v12)

And from Proverbs 22 v9: A generous man will himself be blessed

Dear Friends,

This is Harvestime, a time of thanksgiving for the food that we have and that we have plenty of. However, there are still people who struggle to feed their families, which is why there are food banks. We may think that in this day and age and in this country we should not need the food banks but that is making a judgement about something we don’t necessarily understand. Jesus said, “Let nothing be wasted” and yet it is common knowledge that some of our best known food stores throw huge amounts of food away daily, and it is also true that statistics show that many of us waste food.

We have been supplying the Southam Food Bank ever since the Leamington Christian Mission finished, but it has been noticeable that the food we collect comes from just a few people. This year again all the imperishable food items brought to the Harvest Thanksgiving will be given to the Southam Food Bank, which at times gets desperate for certain items. I am therefore asking you all to give as much as you can to make this a bumper Harvest for the hungry. We will also have our usual traditional Harvest display of vegetables, fruit and flowers, which will be sold and the proceeds will be donated to Christian Aid, again to help those who have little.

In the Lord’s service,

Marion

Ascension Day

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Jesus said to His disciples, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24 v.49)

Dear Friends,

Two special dates of the Christian calendar are linked together by Jesus. He had been with them at times during the forty days after His resurrection, helping them to believe what was soon to happen. He would leave them and then ten days later the Holy Spirit would come upon them. According to Luke, the latter part of His time on earth was spent in Bethany, the home town of His dear friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

It was not a time of sadness as we might have expected but a time of understanding and joy. So that when the moment came for the disciples to see Him go they did not weep, they worshipped Him and with great joy they went to Jerusalem to wait, for as the saying goes ‘the best was yet to come.’

We must share in that worship and joy, even though we don’t have a service on Thursday May 14th – Ascension Day – as we herald the coming of the Holy Spirit to give us power at Pentecost just as He gave power to the disciples.

He showed them how to spread the Gospel and how to live the life of true believers in Jesus Christ. Acts 2 v.42 says: “They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to breaking of bread and to prayer,” and that must be the basis of our lives before others will believe as we do.

May the Lord bless us all as we carry out, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the commission He gave us (Matthew 28 v.18-20)

Marion

Man Cannot Live By Bread Alone

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Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6 v35)

Dear Friends,

We all seem to enjoy the hymn “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” especially when we sing it in two parts.

Quite recently, in different services, we have been reminded of the words of the second verse where Jesus declares, “Man cannot live by bread alone.” This was after the feeding of the 5000 people and the time when Jesus walked across the water to reach the boat carrying the disciples.

Once again Jesus spoke in parables which the people found hard to understand. Quite simply, He was telling them that they needed the right relationship with Him through belief in Him and His Father God. This has never changed through the years since He said it. People who give their lives to Jesus find that true relationship. It means that they simply follow Him because they know that He has the truth and His way is the way to live.

When we spend our lives thinking about ourselves and how our experiences in life have been unfair, we are hungry and thirsty in our spirits. Once we think about Jesus and about life through Him, that hunger and thirst goes and we see life in a different way. The experiences we’ve had will not have changed but we will. Jesus and others will come before us constantly reliving our own failures and bad experiences.

Seek ye first Jesus and note the wonderful change He makes, and look at those who have found the right relationship with Jesus and note how they deal with their difficulties, their sorrows and their losses. Follow Jesus and His way and discover how life can be fulfilled through Him.

May He bless us all,

Marion

 

Love Life, Live Lent

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Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (Matthew 4 v 1-2)

Dear Friends,

When you’ve eaten your pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, will that be the beginning or the end of your Lenten activities?

Last year I acquired a booklet called LOVE LIFE, LIVE LENT. It gave ideas throughout Lent based on that title, and it was not about giving something up, except perhaps giving up our time to use it for something better than what we usually do with it.

Lent is linked to the time Jesus was in the desert and was tempted. He went through suffering to give him the strength and resolve to tell the Good News about the love of God to the people he would meet.

So what might we do to show God’s love? I had to think long and hard about this question and I eventually came up with de-cluttering. Having already decided to pass on my collection of books, lovingly gathered over many years before God took over my life so much, to Chris Mellers, I decided that I had other treasured possessions I could part with that if sold, would help to spread the love of Jesus to others in need.

You might think that it would not be a sacrifice, but actually it would be because I have emotional attachment to many of the treasured possessions.

I’ll let you know in the next magazine whether I was able to carry the decision through.

One way you might recognise the time of Lent is by making time to come to the Bible Study on Thursday mornings. See the Diary of Events.

Love Life, Live Lent.

Every blessing,

Marion

Be Still and Know that I Am God

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Be Still and know that I am God (Psalm 46 v 10)

Dear Friends,

be still and know that I am GodHaving spent much of the last six months using the Bumble Bee to teach the Ten Commandments to children in a way they understand, I was surprised and pleased to see a page in my ‘Grace’ magazine with the title ‘BEE NICE’.

A quote of Albert Einstein says “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.”

This was not another of those wild statements that the world would end on a certain day, but a request for us to play our part in turning round the decline of the honey bee and bumble bee. Perhaps there should be an eleventh commandment, “Bee nice to God’s Creation.”

I am very grateful for the Lord’s help in using the Bee to teach such things as thankfulness, truthfulness, faithfulness, calmness, and the latest subject, respect, so I felt that the children and I should see how we could repay the bumble and honey bee. With Roger’s help and expertise we will plant special flowers and shrubs as a Bumble Bee treat for next year.

Why did I begin with the verse from Psalm 46?

It might surprise you to know that eighteen lively children can “BEE STILL”! In our weekly prayer time they can and do, and yet so often we, the adults, find it hard to ‘be still’ and know that we are with God. Too often our anxieties or our busyness take away our peace and stillness as we pray.

Remember that Jesus said, “You  must become like little children”. Why? Because sometimes they can teach us to know Him better.

Love and peace to you all,

Marion