A Modern Day Dilema…

I received the following on an email just the other day which caught my eye;

I wonder if, as Christians in society today we may just have a modern day dilema facing us…

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to our kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we travelled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go … hmm … where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing – Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think ‘Where are my priorities?’ And no dropped calls!

When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you!

I wonder maybe we have let certain things that we supposedly hold dear slip away from us and have instead replaced them with the toys (dare I say idols) of this world…

Maybe it is food for thought and a subject of prayer for some of us. Is your Bible in pristine condition due to lack of use or is it tattered and torn through too much use. It makes you think doesn’t it?

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Red Shield Appeal 2012

The annual Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal commences on Monday 30th April and the following article was posted on the Territorial Website:  

Right now, tens of thousands of Kiwis face tough choices as they struggle with day-to-day hardship and for some, dramatic changes in circumstance.

With continuing economic uncertainty and the after effects of the devastating Canterbury earthquakes, the need for our services continues to be greater than ever.

The Salvation Army helps New Zealanders through the tough times and offers them some of the choices that many of us take for granted. Last year we distributed over 66,000 food parcels to families, provided 57,500 social work sessions and gave nearly 10,000 budgeting sessions. And these are just some of the things we do.

We believe that giving everyone better choices contributes to the health of society as a whole. Helping them helps all of us – both now and for the future.

Your choice to help can make an incredible difference in the lives of everyday New Zealanders.

Choose from three main ways to donate to our Red Shield Appeal:

• Click here to donate online

• Text CHOICE to 2454 to make a $3 donation

• Donate at any Countdown checkout until 6 May.

 

You can also donate by:

• Calling 0800 53 00 00 to donate by credit card

• Posting a cheque to The Salvation Army, PO Box 27001 Marion Square, Wellington 6141, New Zealand. Please specify that your donation is for the ‘Red Shield Appeal’.

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Discerning God’s Will…

The next instalment of ‘Discerning God’s Will’ is happening tomorrow night (Wednesday 18th April); commencing @ 6:30pm with a shared meal before the study.

Using the “Knowing God” study guide written by Major Barbara Sampson for The Salvation Army this guide provides practical guidance on how to get to know God better.

So far we have been ‘learning to name God’ and ‘learning to see myself as God sees me’. This month we will be ‘learning to grow in holy habits’.

It would be really good to see you there!

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The Easter Message…

With Easter just a few days away it seems only right and proper that the theme for our Prayer & Fasting gathering this evening would be ‘The Easter Message’. That people would not only hear it but that they would be impacted by the message and that it would bring about life change in their lives.

Tomorrow night a group of young people from the church will be heading to Spencerville for Eastercamp and it is my prayer that they will not only hear ‘The Easter Message’ but that they will respond to it as well. That the power of Christ would dwell in their hearts and that they would be free from the pressures of this life and that they would be able to share that same message freely with their friends and family.

Their is power in the cross if we just let it permeate into our being and accept that we are not in control of everything in our lives and that we are part of a much bigger plan.
May you hear the Easter Message and respond positively to it…

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