Psalm 103:13-16 Remembering is important, it is how we learn. Sometimes our remembering is personal. We experience something and this experience teaches us something that we take with us going forward. From remembering to duck when we walk through that small doorway so we don’t bang our head to the feeling we got when we first fell in love and our desire …
Can anything good come from there?
As we are all adapting to new ways of working and connecting I have started a weekly zoom group for those that want to join in. After a trial with seven at the first one we have had around twenty at the next two. The format is simple – share how we are doing, do a brief Lectio Divina style …
Hope : Past, Present and Future
Hope : Past, present and Future Psalm 78:1-8, John 1:1-13 ‘Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.’ Corrie Ten Boom Anything to Declare It’s a long time since I have been to an airport and had to check baggage in for a flight. There are the endless questions asking if you have packed it yourself …
Let the River Flow
I’m excited! Why? Because I believe something is happening. Small streams are beginning to flow. Springs are bubbling in the wilderness. God is doing something. Psychotherapy or prescription viagra without hypnotherapy has the answer to all the behavioral problems. Emotional states (extreme anxiety, “bug-eyed,” withdrawn, angry, etc.) When therapists take time to focus, relax, and carefully listen to the levitra …
Feed the World
As we have mentioned before, the rivers in Ezekiel and Revelation feed trees that produce fruit. This fruit is produced every month and we are told it will never fail. Ezekiel also mentions that fisherman will come to the river to catch its many species for food. Again this is an image of the life-giving water that provides food for …
I See Leaves That are Green
I was recently on holiday with my boys and while one was playing in the grass he got stung by a nettle. To sooth the pain I did what anyone does, looked for a dock leaf. As I rubbed the stings, the itching and pain slowly went from his arm and he was happy again to run in the grass …
The Variety of Life
If you are a fan of nature documentaries, I am sure you will have seen David Attenborough quietly talking over the video of a river on the African plains. Birds cautiously swim on the surface and lions and antelope drink at the edge. Under the water, other creatures lurk, fish, hippos and crocodiles making the most of the water that …
Long Term Gardening
As Ezekiel makes his way back from the mouth of the river he sees trees along the banks of the river producing fruit. He is told that fruit trees will grow where-ever the river flows. In Revelation, John sees a single tree, the tree of life. This tree has roots on both sides of the river and again is said …
More Than a Pail of Water
When I was younger I used to love playing out in the nearby woods. It had been a warm summer and the ground was very dry and one day, whilst building dens with my friends, we discovered an area of ground that was smoking. We investigated by poking the ground with sticks to find that, in the peaty earth underneath, …
Following The River
My favourite thing to do at the beach is redirect water. Yes, it sounds strange but it’s true. I love finding a stream that runs down to the sea and setting about trying to change how it flows. I build dams, dig trenches and excavate pools. One thing I have learnt from all this digging is that no matter how …
Standing in the Stream
All four of the texts talk about water in some form. There is mention of streams, springs, rivers and even oceans. If you can remember your school days and geography lessons you will understand how these four are linked. Springs bubble up from the ground and form small streams that meander towards the sea growing wider and becoming rivers, these finally …
Standing in the Stream
As I enter my second year in the North Shields and Whitley Bay Circuit serving Cullercoats Methodist Church and now the Fisherman’s Mission, I have been reflecting on where God has brought me and where he is leading. As a family we have been amazingly blessed through this year and as Naomi has said many times it has been the …
Why?
Psalm 22:1-31 Those agonising words from the cross! As Jesus lets out his final cry, He asks “Why have You forsaken Me?” In that shout was so much pain and anguish. Why have You forsaken Me? If you read these verses you will catch glimpses of the crucifixion scene in the Psalm written much earlier. It is a lament of …
Bless the Lord
Psalm 103:1-5 Praising God in those times of difficulty is not easy. In fact it is almost impossible to utter the words ‘Bless the Lord’ when it seems He is far off and distant. Yet it is at these times that God can become more real than we have ever imagined or experienced. I remember a lady who was a …
Good Habits
Psalm 106:1-3 We all try to encourage people to have good habits. To do those things that keep us healthy and benefit us or others. The opening of Psalm 106 tells us no different. The opening words praise God for who He is and His steadfast love. Then we are told that those who observe justice and who do righteousness …