WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
A WORD … on Psalm 78:35
Verse: Psalm 78:35
‘Then they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.’
- At times in our lives we need to remember that God is with us.
- Sometimes we can go into autopilot and try and do it ourselves.
- At these times we must stop and remind ourselves that He is our Helper.
- You are not alone in what you are facing, He is with you.
PRAYER: Lord, today I choose to remind myself that I have You in my life. I am helped and secured because You lift me up and You deliver me from all my fears. Amen.
A WORD … on John 12:46
Verse: John 12:46
‘I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.’
- The coming of Christ was a gift of light and hope for all of humanity.
- HE wants to become the light of your life and the light of your world.
- As you BELIEVE in Him, darkness and despair can be removed.
- Let His light come and flood your heart and life right now.
PRAYER: Lord, I declare that I believe in You. I open up the door of my heart, and I ask that You would come in, and flood my heart and soul with Your light of hope and I pray that all darkness would be banished. Amen.
A WORD FROM ... Paul Kerry
Dear everyone,
Stuck in, unable to go out. How does that feel? I spoke to someone this week who understands why we need to do it, and she really wants to do it, but boy is she feeling the loneliness and isolation of it all.
Of course we are stuck in our homes, with running water, sofas, telephones and Netflix, so it's not all bad. Imagine being stuck, like we are now, but in a cave. That was David's experience in the Old Testament. Saul was pursuing him out of jealous rage and David hid in a cave, unable to go out, stuck. And really helpfully, he wrote a poem about it. In it he tells us how he feels to be stuck in, and he tells us what got him through day by day.
First in Psalm 143v4 he writes: "My spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed." Do you relate to David? Many of us will. And the reality is that no amount of Netflix will take away the dismay, or strengthen us when we feel faint. So what did David do? Every morning he did the same thing, ran to the same place, and believed the same truth.
Later in the same Psalm, in verse 8, he wrote: "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you." David survived the lockdown of the cave by making sure, every morning, he went deeper into and knew more of God's unfailing love. Every. Morning.
How might that help you and me, stuck at home? What practical steps can we take to be reminded of the word of God's unfailing love each day? Studious types: Can you read God's Word each morning? Crafty types: Could you stick a heart by your bed with a verse written in it? Music lovers: Could you play a song while you're stirring the porridge? Adventurous types: Could you thank him for his love in the creation you explore? Friendship types: could you ring a different person each morning as an expression of that love? Technology geeks: Could you download an app for your phone such as "Dwell," "YouVersion," or "Lection 365" which give you daily notes, messages and themes about God's Word? However you do it...
Heavenly Father, we are stuck in our homes at the moment, feeling the isolation and loneliness, knowing faint hearts and at times deep dismay. So may we, like David, have each morning bring us word of your unfailing love.
Yours in Christ,
Paul
A WORD FROM ... Anne Denwood
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
We could say we are in times like that now. Our worship time may not be in church but as we have been taught, we can worship God anywhere. He is with us in the bad times and in the good. We can talk to him anywhere any time in spirit and truth.
So how do we pray alone? Well Jesus did that all the time there are many verses in the Bible where we read of Him going off to pray. A good example is found in Luke 11 :1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Here Jesus gives the disciples what we know today as the Lord’s Prayer. So if we don’t know what to say we all know the Lord’s prayer. We can use the Lord’s prayer as a daily communication with God taking our time to really understand what we are asking.
This helps us with our relationship with God. Even chatting to him as we wash the dishes or in the garden, He loves to hear our voice. We can also purposefully and intentionally take a moment out of our day to spend quiet time with Him that also is prayer. Taking that time to talk with God being in His presence, as we know helps our relationship with Him to grow.
We might be missing praying together but we can still do this. Bishops James and Emma are encouraging us to pray together for the Nation. Each day they are using different themes to pray for. The Nation, schools, family and those who have lost loved ones. This will be done at 6pm each day So we can join with the diocese in praying together as one. Again, Jesus gave the instruction, “Where two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst”.
We might not be together in person, in fellowship but if we take up this call to prayer, we will be together in spirit and truth.
A WORD FROM ... Paul Kerry
Dear Friends,
What questions do you ask when you read the Bible? Some people ask: “why am I bothering?” Others ask: “What is it saying to me?” Still others ask: “What difference does this make to my life?”
I’ve realised recently that I spend a lot of time asking: “What does the bible say?” That, and some of the questions above, are good questions to ask. But I’ve come across more recently other questions which are helping me see more of what’s in the bible than I’ve seen before, and to get to know God better than before. Let me share two of them with you…
The first is “how does the Bible say it?” Whenever we talk to people we always pay attention to the tone of our words as much as to the words themselves. If someone is sad we speak comfortingly, if someone is in danger we speak with warning. God does so with infinitely more wisdom. Listening to the tone of the bible will shape the way I share God’s Word with others, and the tone with which I speak to others.
The other question is “who is the Bible speaking to?” One thing you notice as you listen to Jesus is that he speaks very differently to a burdened terrified mum than he does to a proud religious leader. Jesus is always aware of people’s situations and struggles. Asking this question will help me get to know God better in his compassion, challenge and humility. And, hopefully, help me (and you!) get to know others better and be more like God towards them.
Yours in Christ, Paul
BIBLE DEDICATION
If you would like to have a dedication in one of our new pew bibles, please see Ruth. Recently, we have had dedications for a baptism and a Ruby Wedding Anniversary. If you have someone special in mind (in remembrance of), or something special coming up (baptism, wedding, anniversary), then maybe this is something to consider.
KEEPING IN TOUCH
We have a variety of ways in which we get news out to you all. The diary is only monthly (sometimes bi-monthly). In between times please listen out for updates in church and on the noticeboards. We post regularly on Facebook and on our website. If you are not on our emailing list and would like to be kept up to date in this way, please see Ruth.
NORTH LAKES FOOD BANK
NORTH LAKES FOOD BANK
The foodbank is designed to help individuals and families in crisis, through the provision of emergency food supplies. Local professional care-workers within Allerdale and Copeland refer them, with a food voucher, to the foodbank centre where they are given their food supplies, a cup of coffee and help in finding other professionals who can help them out of their crisis. In rural areas they are given Emergency Food Boxes direct by the local care-workers.
The foodbank allows the general public to contribute to and support local well-being in a simple practical way. Emergency Food Supplies are a short-term measure allowing a breathing space at times of great need. For further details of the work of the foodbank and how you can be involved contact: info@thefoodbank.org.uk
0750 2311 452
We have a collection box in the foyer at the back of church.
APPEAL ITEMS THIS MONTH:
Tinned Tomatoes
Small Tinned Ham
Sponge Pudding
Shopping List 2020:
No Low Calorie Foods please.
No Sachets of 'Pasta and Sauce' mixes, please.
Fruit Juice (1 ltr carton UHT)
Tomatoes (400g tinned/carton)
Tinned Fruit (400g)
Tinned Vegetables (400g)
Tinned Meat (400g)
Tinned Fish (100g)
Rice Pudding (400g tinned)
Cereal (Medium, 500g ONLY)
Pasta Sauces (jars or sachets)
Pasta (medium bags 500g of dried pasta)
Milk (Full fat or Semi-skimmed, UHT ONLY)
Sponge Pudding (400g tinned)
Biscuits, Snack Bars, Chocolate
Coffee
Jam (not homemade)
Tinned Beans (400g)
Tinned Soups (400g)
Instant Mash Potato (1pkt)
Due to storage, distribution and health considerations unfortunately the Northlakes Foodbank cannot use: Perishable or fresh food (e.g. meat, cheese, dairy, bakery etc.), Damaged tins or packages, Food outside of its use-by date.
A WORD FROM ... Paul Kerry
Dear Friends,
DEFINITELY not WHO to vote for. Not even THAT you should vote. But more HOW to feel as you vote…
In our Wednesday Communion services there is one passage each year from the Old Testament. It’s read just before advent as a reminder that advent is a time of waiting for Jesus. But more than that it also describes what this Jesus is like. Its Jeremiah 23v5:
The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
If you are walking into a polling booth on Dec 12th you can walk in with absolute confidence that even if the person you voted for doesn’t get elected, even if the person you least wanted to win wins, even if you get it wrong and end up voting for the wrong person, Jesus Christ is already on the throne of the universe, he will always be on the throne of the universe, and he rules form that throne with righteousness, wisdom and justice.
And even more wonderful perhaps is that we as his people have intimate access to his throne to bring all of our prayers to him. You have far more access to the king of the universe than you will likely ever have to your MP! So as you walk in to the polling booth with confidence in Jesus wise and just reign, also walk in dependent upon him, praying that from his wisdom he would give us leaders after his own heart.
Yours in Christ,
Paul
A WORD FROM ... Paul Kerry
Dear friends, it’s less than two months until…….
You get the idea, and you might be getting gifts for lots of other people. However, I’d like to encourage you to get a gift for yourself in the run up to Christmas too. One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in my Christian life is to stop reading good Christian books. Whenever I make sure I do I always know my faith is growing and my walk with God deepening. So I’d love to recommend some titles and encourage you to grab one from the bookshop as and when you can.
Enjoying God by Tim Chester –A book written to enable us to enjoy God in all the circumstances of life: in pleasure, in hardship, in prayer, in failure, in pain and many more. The strap line is to: “experience the power and love of God in everyday life” and as the book provides chance to reflect and meditate on the wonderful God we have it also enables that experience to be tangible.
Invest Your Disappointments by Paul Mallard – This book takes us on a journey where we consider the various disappointments we have experienced in our lives from work to children to leaders to ourselves - even to being disappointed with God. It’s a book which allows us to be honest about how we’ve felt. But it doesn’t leave us there, it provides us with power to strengthen us in those disappointments and even to see them as opportunities for our own growth and for God to do something wonderful through them.
When People Are Big and God is Small by Ed Welch – writing as a pastoral councillor Ed offers gentle and biblical advice to help us when we experience the fear of other people. The book acknowledges that deep down fear of people can be a symptom of hearts which have forgotten the love and grandeur of God and raises questions to help us identify our fears and replace them with God.
Whatever you get for others this Christmas – get a little something for yourself too.
In Christ,
Paul