Obedience in the little things

posted: 17 Mar 2009 comments: 2category:

We've been thinking about the call to be obedient in all of our housegroups this week. I think it is obedience in the small things that often leads to great things happening in our lives. A few years ago I met a New York pastor who told me this story. About two or three weeks before the 9/11 disaster a friend of his told him he should buy a clerical collar. The minister came from a non conformist tradition and simply discarded his friend's suggestion.  A few...
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Doughnuts at Church? It went down a Treat!

posted: 15 Mar 2009 comments: 2category:

Well the doughnuts seemed to go down well, as did the morning coffee before church. I do believe there is something in eating and drinking together that releases a feeling of friendship and acceptance. There was a great feeling in church this morning. Maybe it was all the worhippers getting their sugar rush. I do know that a number of people spoke to me about their coffee as they came in. It seemed to be just what they needed. Church has to become more than simply a...
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To Obey is better than Sacrifice

posted: 14 Mar 2009 comments: 1category:

Tomorrow at church there will be doughnuts and coffee and tea as you come in through the front door. I'm trying to get us all to think about Lent in a different way this year. Now I'm not saying that fasting and depriving yourself of a luxury is a bad thing. I'm just saying perhaps its an easy way out of facing the real things that God wants to deal with in our lives.  So I'm debunking a wee bit of our tradition this Lent, hence the coffee and doughnuts. What I'm...
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Cafe Church Gets Us Eating and Talking

posted: 11 Mar 2009 comments: 1category:

Great to read the posts on the blog about the various perceptions of Jesus. I must confess I didn't relate the partying Jesus to the last supper. It seemed to me that Michele was talking about the general disposition of Jesus. I don't recall her inferring that the passover encounter was a great party event. I thought she was talking about the many festivals that are reflected in Judaism and she was suggesting that we could learn from these festivals. As Easter...
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Cafe Church

posted: 8 Mar 2009 comments: 4category:

This evening we had a very interesting church service. It was centred around the theme of celebration. A big thank you to all those who came along and brought some food. We have been using the theme from Michele Guiness's book entitled "The Heavenly Party" Using one of the clips from the National Gathering we used Michele's address to set the scene. She called the church back to rediscover is celtic roots which reflected the hebrew tradition much more than the Roman...
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The Road To Forgiveness

posted: 8 Mar 2009 comments: 0category:

There are some things that are so painful to face and to let go that it is truly a miracle when you find the grace and the strength to forgive someone who has deeply harmed and even destroyed your life. Of all the things that I have talked about I have come to the conclusion that forgiveness is the one great piece of teaching that never seems to lose it currency regardless who or where you are. Forgiveness is the only way that we will heal our world and also enter into...
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Home Church or Street God is About..!

posted: 6 Mar 2009 comments: 0category:

Still looking for a picture to move us on from the snow scene on the blog.  I'm also looking forward to Sunday. The evening service is going to be centred around food. So if your coming bring a dish. Anyway I'm enjoying looking through Michele Guiness's book.Its all about festivals and how we can enjoy our faith and our worship. Talking about the doughnuts. We'll serve them on Sunday 15th  i'll give the congregation warning to come a bit earlier for their coffee. As...
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