Thursday 29 March 2012

Arrived

Iain and Norma have arrved safely in Zimbabwe and have met up with Jim and Rosemary.  Please pray as they start their busy schedule.  They will be meeting wth many of the orphans in the sponsorship scheme in Harare.

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Zimbabwe

Iain and Norma are travelling to Zimbabwe today. When they get there they will meet up with Jim and Rosemary Storm (who have been enjoying a visit to Victoria Falls over the last few days) and together they will all be ministering with Fellowship in Christ over Easter time.

This is their itinerary:

30th March - 1st April - Muzarabani Easter Convention near the Mozambique border (picture 500-600 people under a big tree!)

2nd - 5th April - Leaders convention including Harare

6th - 8th April - Harare Easter Convention

9th April - Return to Scotland

As well as the ministry and teaching the team will be working into our orphan project. They will sponsor a meal with the orphans in Muzarabani and Harare and will be udating details, getting new photos and assessing other possible children for sponsorship. Iain and Norma have taken a suitcase full of pencil cases, pens,pencils etc and cards from the sponsors for the children.

Please pray for this trip! Here are some prayer points:

  • Safe and reliable travel
  • Anointing of God on the team and their ministry.
  • Wisdom on what to share - relevant material for the situation.
  • Refreshing for the people spiritually, emotionally etc
  • Good health for the team
  • Covering and protection of God over all aspects of the trip.
We will update the blog from time to time as we hear news from Zimbabwe. Mercy is going too and always has an interesting story or two so keep an eye on her blog too!

Thursday 22 March 2012

Let Faith Arise

Iain brought a real challenge to us on Sunday morning, a defining message.  If you did not hear it or would like to hear it again please do ask for a copy.  We cannot capture but a snapshot here.

The key thought was a sense that God was asking us to seek Him – to bring the Lord into the battles and circumstances we face 

Have a read of these verses  - 2 Chronicles 14:8-12, 15:1,2,12

From this we can see the specific reason in seeking him was to bring his power into our challenges .

‘Let faith arise’ has been a real call we have heard from God as a church in the recent weeks.  Remember God is a ‘rewarder’ of those who seek Him.

Power is a key to ‘Harvest’ which again is another of our NOW words.

Have a listen to Bill Johnson speaking about Power Forces a Decision which you can find on this page.
http://www.bjm.org/content/2/changing-your-mind.html


John Elliot –
 "The person who expects God to act is the person who will see great and marvellous things throughout the course of their life. The person who prays but does not then turn the prayer into an attitude of expectation is not likely to see much."

Monday 12 March 2012

A Way to Pray

Daily Prayer of Examen

1. Become aware of God’s presence. Look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. The day may seem confusing to you—a blur, a jumble, a muddle. Ask God to bring clarity and understanding.

2. Review the day with gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God.

Walk through your day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. Focus on the day’s gifts. Look at the work you did, the people you interacted with. What did you receive from these people? What did you give them?

Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details.

3. Pay attention to your emotions. Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. Boredom? Elation? Resentment? Compassion? Anger? Confidence? What is God saying through these feelings?

God will most likely show you some ways that you fell short. Make note of these sins and faults. But look deeply for other implications. Does a feeling of frustration perhaps mean that God wants you consider a new direction in some area of your work? Are you concerned about a friend? Perhaps you should reach out to her in some way.

4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is particularly important. It may involve a feeling—positive or negative. It may be a significant encounter with another person or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. Or it may be something that seems rather insignificant. Look at it. Pray about it.

Allow the prayer to arise spontaneously from your heart—whether intercession, praise, repentance, or gratitude.

5. Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. Pay attention to the feelings that surface as you survey what’s coming up. Are you doubtful? Cheerful? Apprehensive? Full of delighted anticipation? Allow these feelings to turn into prayer.

Seek God’s guidance. Ask him for help and understanding. Pray for hope.

End the Daily Examen with a conversation with Jesus as your friend. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Ask for his protection and help. Ask for his wisdom about the questions you have and the problems you face. Do all this in the spirit of gratitude. Your life is a gift, and it is adorned with gifts from God.


Finish with the Lord's Prayer.



Sunday 11 March 2012

24/7 Worship



This is a great fun song by Steve Curtis Chapman about our whole life counting. Does it all matter? It matters if you do everything to the glory of the one who made you.