Blog
I had a pastor friend years ago who said once that he was always excited
Our home group has been running in its present form for almost a year now. In that time, we have done some Bible Study together, and we have had numbers of spiritual conversations, but mostly, we have talked and laughed, drunk coffee and shared what is going on in our lives.
Our annual covenant services took place on Sunday (5th February). This special service, which has been a part of our practice as Methodists since 1755, is an opportunity to give ourselves to God again, and to hear God give himself to us.
Management guru Peter Drucker is famous for going into companies and asking senior management two questions: 1. What business are you in? (in other words, why do you exist? what are you here to do?) and 2. How’s business?
I’m so encouraged by the success of the Knitwits – a group of ladies (men are welcome too!) who are meeting monthly at WMC for a morning of conversation and friendship over tea while working on their knitting, crochet and similar projects.
Right from the beginning of the Bible, the Scriptures use the language of covenant - the practice of God reaching out to an individual, a family or a nation and inviting them very intentionally into relationship.
Dutch priest and author Henri Nouwen wrote this prayer – a helpful moment of re-orienting at the start of a new year: Dear Lord, help me keep my eyes on you. You are beauty, goodness, gentleness, forgiveness, and mercy.
In one of the churches where Kym and I served previously, we had a copy of a photograph taken of the church some eighty years before and in that picture you can see that the magnificent tree that today stands outside the church building was only just above head-height.
With so much busyness at this time of year – plenty of stressful arrangements, financial worries and the like – it takes being very intentional to remind ourselves of what this advent season is really all about. How are we to think about Christmas?
Heavenly Father, we look forward to another Christmas season, the time that your children celebrate Your unending love and great sacrifice.