15-17Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

I finally did it. I managed to read the bible right through, cover to cover, Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, for the first time in my life. I should have done it ages ago really – I’ve been around long enough – but at least I have now. It was great!

Actually it was hard going in some parts and I didn’t understand everything I read, but very often God spoke to me: some small part of what I read meant something to me or helped me to understand something of God in a new way.  I recommend it.

I’ve always found reading the bible every day very hard – I still do. But I also know there is no law that says we must, so it’s important not to think you’re a ‘bad’ christian if you don’t manage it. The essential thing is to realise that you will benefit greatly if you make reading the bible something you do often: it’s a favourite way of God’s to speak to us. So if you want to learn more about God, or about what He has to say to you, about your own life, get reading. Ask someone (me, if you want) to give you some ideas if you like – for instance, try using a modern paraphrase version, like The Message.

Have you ever explored the bible, for fun? One of the first verses I ever learned was John 3:16 ’for God loved the people of the world so much that He sent us his only Son, that whoever believes in, trusts in and sticks with Him will not perish but have eternal, God-inspired life’.

Check this out, for fun: look up and read the 16th verse of the 3rd chapter of all (or as many of) the books in the New Testament.  Leave a comment to say how you got on.

Colossionas 3:16 is this bit: “Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God!” Isn’t it a great verse?

I like to sing, sing my heart out to God. One of the things I like about ‘Presence’ is that the music is turned up and I can sing as loud as I like and not be heard (much)! God loves us to sing out and pour our hearts out to Him. (See Psalm 62:8).

Have a good day!

John.

I know there have been numerous times when God has answered my prayer and ashamedly I cannot remember some of those instances now. However one that I felt was answered in a strong way was during my time at university. I had prayed the summer before university started that God would provide some Christian friends for me. Within the first week of university I had made one very close friend who was a Christian and proceeded to make more as the terms went on. These friends were certainly important for me in developing my faith with God over the last three years and I now can look back and thank God for answering my prayer beyond any of my expectations.

Maybe you would like to post in times when God answered your prayers, it’s always encouraging to hear our experiences.

Thankyou!

Sarah

Passage Psalm 118 :

Psalm 118

    ¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
       his love endures forever.

    ² Let Israel say:
       “His love endures forever.”

    ³ Let the house of Aaron say:
       “His love endures forever.”

    ⁴ Let those who fear the LORD say:
       “His love endures forever.”

    ⁵ In my anguish I cried to the LORD,
       and he answered by setting me free.

    ⁶ The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
       What can man do to me?

    ⁷ The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
       I will look in triumph on my enemies.

    ⁸ It is better to take refuge in the LORD
       than to trust in man.

    ⁹ It is better to take refuge in the LORD
       than to trust in princes.

    ¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,
       but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

    ¹¹ They surrounded me on every side,
       but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

    ¹² They swarmed around me like bees,
       but they died out as quickly as burning thorns;
       in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

    ¹³ I was pushed back and about to fall,
       but the LORD helped me.

    ¹⁴ The LORD is my strength and my song;
       he has become my salvation.

    ¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
       resound in the tents of the righteous:
       “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!

    ¹⁶ The LORD’s right hand is lifted high;
       the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”

    ¹⁷ I will not die but live,
       and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

    ¹⁸ The LORD has chastened me severely,
       but he has not given me over to death.

    ¹⁹ Open for me the gates of righteousness;
       I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

    ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD
       through which the righteous may enter.

    ²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
       you have become my salvation.

    ²² The stone the builders rejected
       has become the capstone;

    ²³ the LORD has done this,
       and it is marvelous in our eyes.

    ²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made;
       let us rejoice and be glad in it.

    ²⁵ O LORD, save us;
       O LORD, grant us success.

    ²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
       From the house of the LORD we bless you. ^[a]

    ²⁷ The LORD is God,
       and he has made his light shine upon us.
       With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
       up ^[b] to the horns of the altar.

    ²⁸ You are my God, and I will give you thanks;
       you are my God, and I will exalt you.

    ²⁹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
       his love endures forever.

Psalm 23: 1-4¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

    ² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
       he leads me beside quiet waters,

    ³ he restores my soul.
       He guides me in paths of righteousness
       for his name’s sake.

    ⁴ Even though I walk
       through the valley of the shadow of death, ^[a]
       I will fear no evil,
       for you are with me;
       your rod and your staff,
       they comfort me.

 This passage is one that always comes into my mind. It helps when I’m feeling lost, nervous and not very happy. It reminds me that God is always there with me, through everything I do. It describes him as a shepherd and we are his sheep. He will protect us through everything like a shepherd would protect his sheep.

Verse 3 says ‘he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness’ Its saying that God forgives us and will restore us with his love, and that he will show us the right way to follow him. The Psalm also reminds me that we should trust in God because he will guide us in the right direction and will provide us with food and water when we are in great need. We must trust in God and allow him to show us the right way to live and to guide us along the path of righteousness.

Remember, we are only one sheep out of billions, but God will always listen to us. No matter what we have done. As long as we trust in him and allow him to show us the right path to take.

Matt

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

            ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

            ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning-the first day.

In this passage, it tells us that the first thing that God created after the Earth was light. He saw light as a very important thing, it helps us to see, to find our way around. Without light we would be helpless and lost.

Between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, there is a large time gap where nothing really happens. God’s plan hasn’t worked and many people were sinning and not following him. The world was DARK.

God’s response was to send the Light of the World, Jesus to show people how to follow God and to lead people along the right path in life. God had shown new light to the world in the form of his son who went on the forgive us of all our sins.

So remember, humans have already let God down once, so we try not to do it again. God sent Jesus to show us the way so we should follow that way.

Matt

Hi guys,

sorry im a bit late, your probably all sleeping lol

i decided to continue reading on from one of the paragraphs from Johns HEALING sheet

3 John 9:1-7

John 9:35-41:

Spiritual Blindness

    ³⁵Jesus heard that they (The Pharisees) had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

    ³⁶“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

    ³⁷Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

    ³⁸Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

    ³⁹Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

    ⁴⁰Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

    ⁴¹Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

AMEN!

Now, baring in mind this is just after Jesus had healed this man, he was willing to believe every word that Jesus spoke to him & he recieved  his faith in Jesus.

Reading on it is possible to believe that it was much easier for this man to recieve faith in Jesus after he had just healed him in the flesh, so how much harder is it for those who know little of Jesus or nothing at all.

39Jesus said “I came to this world to judge, so that the blind should see & those who see should become blind.”

Im not certain of this, but my view of this verse is that Jesus is saying that those who are blind who have not seen or do not know the glory of God are not guilty as they have not been able to get to know God,  but those who are not blind & have the eyes to see Gods work being done but still do not believe are maybe guilty of ignoring God, even though it is always easier to believe by seeing, i believe God is saying that those who are blind have a better chance of  recieving him by pure FAITH.

Comment Any Thoughts You Have

God Bless!

Kirk
 

So, I have been reading this book called ‘The Irresistible Revolution’ by Shane Claiborne and it is great. So great that I thought it be good to share some of what he has written about. The first chapter has a section titled ‘Jesus in Disguise’ and when I read it, it really struck me that everyday we really do meet Jesus in different people and situations. Usually these situations are ones that we least expect or when we do come across them we decide not to act.

Jesus said ‘Whatever you did for the least of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me’. (Matt. 25:40). We also read in the bible that God says to take good care of strangers, for we could be entertaining angels without knowing it (Heb. 13:2). Mother Teresa also famously said ‘ In the poor we meet Jesus in his most distressing disguises’.

So, next time you meet or know of a person in need whether it be a homeless person who could probably do with a meal or a lonely older person who would appreciate a visit, how will you act? Jesus lived his life loving and serving the poor, as Christians we are follows of Christ, so maybe we should all be questioning ourselves each day to see whether we are living a life like Jesus did.

Sarah (with a little help from Shane).

    ³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
       you are familiar with all my ways.

    ⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
       you know it completely, O LORD.

    ⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
       you have laid your hand upon me.

    ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
       too lofty for me to attain.

    ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
       Where can I flee from your presence?

    ⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
       if I make my bed in the depths, ^[a] you are there.

    ⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
       if I settle on the far side of the sea,

    ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
       your right hand will hold me fast.

    ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
       and the light become night around me,”

    ¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
       the night will shine like the day,
       for darkness is as light to you.

    ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

    ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

    ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

    ¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

    ¹⁷ How precious to ^[b] me are your thoughts, O God!
       How vast is the sum of them!

    ¹⁸ Were I to count them,
       they would outnumber the grains of sand.
       When I awake,
       I am still with you.

    ¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
       Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

    ²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
       your adversaries misuse your name.

    ²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
       and abhor those who rise up against you?

    ²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
       I count them my enemies.

    ²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
       test me and know my anxious thoughts.

    ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
       and lead me in the way everlasting.

Hi Guys,

Ever since i started reading the bible , I have always like psalms but one psalm that always sticks in my mind and i always have words or phrases in my mind is psalm 139. I think this psalm is simple but has alot of meaning if you think hard about it.

Yesterday at explore lewis said about spritual gifts and how do you know when it is from god.I was thinking about this in school today and then on of my mates asked me why i was a christian and i thought i knew what to say but when someone puts you on the spot like that about its hard believe me! (Lewis always tells stories to help us remember so i told you mine )Has Any Of Your Mates Asked You That?

Back to psalm 139:  I think each word in this psalm is amazing and who it is about-GOD is AMAZING!   This psalm is relates to me because when i read it i think of me and my relationship with god. Is There A Passage That Relates To You?

Tuesday Nights As You may know i go girls brigade and we are doing badge work and we studied communication and as you know i talk ALOT and if their was a exam on talking i think i would pass easy but i didnt realise how hard this would be! Hope You Comment Me And Support Me Because Im Struggling what to Write.

I Dont Know What Else To write But while i was writing this ,the phrase 13 For you created my inmost being; You knit me in my mothers womb came across my mind and reminded me of my mum and as you know my mum is in her last week of hospital and is finding it hard still. All i can do is pray and i hope you will to.

Stacey

What do you expect to happen when you pray? No really think about that questions, What do expect to happen when you pray?

Nothing, sometimes something, do you expect God to answer? Why, why not?

I was really challenged by a guy speaking at a meeting of Pastors that i was at this morning. He was challenging those of us who work for churches, christian charities etc about PRAYER. He was pretty hard with us and told us that for many of us prayer can just be words, prayer becomes a bit of our job. He said we know how to pray nice prayers, but he said how many of you believe that God will answer? He said how passionate are your prayers, do you really want God to answer?

I want to be a person who sees God answering prayers in amazing ways, I don’t just want to tell stories about the stuff I’ve heard God has done but I want to be able to say look at the stuff God is doing, not to show off but because I believe God wants to do some exciting, crazy, scary, fantastic stuff with and through us.

The passage from Ezra is about a group of people returning to their land after they had been exiled (kind of held hostage) in another country. Re-read verse 23, what do you notice? For me it reminds me that God answers the prayers of people who really want something. To be earnest in prayer means continually asking, being honest, being open with God, really showing God how much you want this thing. Real prayer involves action on our part, often not just a one off thought but coming back to God and saying again and again this is what we want you to do, the people here even give up food to show God how serious they are.

And you know what God answers there prayer and God will answer yours to. Sometimes it will be very obvious, sometimes we may not understand how he has answered and sometimes we may not see the answer for a while but he will answer.

What is your prayer today? What is it that you need God to specifically do for you, your family, your friend. Tell him and expect an answer.

Lewis

 6 He set them in place
      from all time to eternity;
   He gave his orders,
      and that’s it!

 7-12 Praise God from earth,
      you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
   Fire and hail, snow and ice,
      hurricanes obeying his orders;
   Mountains and all hills,
      apple orchards and cedar forests;
   Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
      snakes, and birds in flight;
   Earth’s kings and all races,
      leaders and important people,
   Robust men and women in their prime,
      and yes, graybeards and little children.

 13-14 Let them praise the name of God-
      it’s the only Name worth praising.
   His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
      he’s built a monument-his very own people!   Praise from all who love God!
      Israel’s children, intimate friends of God.
   Hallelujah!

Not being the most intelligent of people, one of the things I like about God (and the Bible) is that He baffles great minds and lesser minds alike. No mere person will ever understand everything about God and in a way, that makes us all the same – people who are striving to understand God – and I don’t have to think that people with great intelligence are better than me! And of course, understanding everything about God isn’t necessary either: what is perhaps most important is that we accept that God is GOD, not a man-made god, that we live like that fact matters (because it does) and that we get to know Him, His love for us and all the things He has done and is doing for us.

For me, one of the other great things about the Bible is that it’s full of great wisdom. Wisdom that most people have completely missed, or ignored. So if you read it, you start to get to know things that most other people don’t. It’s also full of great mysteries.

Some of you may know that I’m trying to read the whole Bible in one year. I’m in Isaiah at present and needing to catch up a few days, but I read the passage above a few weeks ago. The thing that struck me was the bit about hurricanes, in verses 7-12: hurricanes obeying His orders.

I thought about New Orleans and how a hurricane devastated it and how they bring devastation to all the places they roam. Living through something like that must be terrible. And the Bible says that hurricanes obey the orders of GOD!

I often think that our lives are so complicated and full of everything other than God, that the people God inspired to write the Bible probably had a much, much greater understanding of God than me. They probably didn’t know about the science of meteorology and how hurricanes are formed and so on. But if we think we know better nowadays, we still don’t know the exact path of a hurricane until it’s reaped its devastation. And as I thought about it, it came to me that whatever they are, the hurricane moves and behaves in accordance with the laws of nature – the ‘laws’ that GOD laid down when He made the world. And in that sense, if no other, hurricanes do obey the orders of GOD. Terrible and Awesome. We may not know how or why, but they do.

As it says at the end of Ecclesiastes, the last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you.

Awesome God, Holy God, I worship you in wonder. John.