food for thought - things to make you think

 Christmas 2008

 Well, what kind of a year have you had ? good, bad, indifferent ? for me its been a year of finding my feet again, after a period of ill health, which thankfully is now behind me. i cant believe another year has gone ! but christmas is a time when we look forward, as well as back, and i hope very much that 2009, will be a good year for the power station, and for you. there is an appeal going on at the moment for prayer partners - this is an urgent need - please be kind enough to consider this.

 It is time for you and i to do what we can to make a difference to the world in which we live in.heaven knows, the world needs it right now.we need to be the salt and light to those around us.i am conscious of a verse of one of my favourite christmas carols :-

 "beneath the woes of sin and strife, the world has suffered long, beneath the angel strain have rolled two thousand years of wrong.and man at war with man hears not the love songs which they bring - oh hush the noise you men of strife and hear the angels sing !"

 This christmas, take a few minutes somewhere to be silent and still, and see if you can catch the sound of  the angels singing !

 A very happy and peaceful christmas to you - and go get 'em in 2009 !

 Easter 2007 - a reflection.

  On friday,i saw him crucified,

  and i watched him die.

  The question uppermost in my mind,

  was quite simply : why ?

  On saturday,i was numb with grief,

  my eyes welled up to cry.

  The question uppermost in my mind

  was quite simply : why ?

 On sunday,i heard of an empty tomb,

  i struggled with reasons why.

  The question uppermost in my mind

  dissolved. HE IS ALIVE !!

Jesus bids us shine,with a clear pure light  like a little candle burning in the night  in this world is darkness,so we must shine,  you in your small corner,and i in mine.

For such as these,we must shine.You in your small corner,and i in mine.

 

There is a world wide epidemic going on.It is not however,incurable.On the contrary,it is quite easily remedied.That is what makes it all the more tragic.What is it?Quite simply, loneliness.The world may be getting smaller,but loneliness and isolation have increased.How well do many of us know our neighbour?How many people want to be involved?Yet be involved we must.As christians we must follow the example of Jesus.Simply talking to someone,will alleviate many peoples loneliness.Being a part of a good christian fellowship will also alleviate loneliness.Who knows?You just might eventually get the chance to lead that person to Jesus.

Revival is our present need - it will come,when we revive our own beliefs and spirituality.

 To laugh is to risk appearing

   the fool

 To weep is risk being

   called sentimental

 To reach out to another is to

   risk involvement

 To expose feelings is to risk

   showing your true self

 To place your ideas and your

   dreams before the crowd is

   to risk being called naive

 To love is to risk not being

   loved in return

 To live is to risk dying

 To hope is to risk despair

To try is to risk failure

 But risks must be taken

   because the greatest risk

   in life is to risk nothing

 The person who risks

   nothing,does nothing

   has nothing is nothing

   and becomes nothing

 He may avoid suffering and

   sorrow but he simply

   cannot learn,feel,change,

   grow or love

 Chained by his certitude,

   he is a slave:he has

   forfeited his freedom

 Only the person who risks is

 Truly free.

      THE "E's" OF THE KINGDOM....................

   God's kingdom people need............

           ENABLING

   And with his abundant wealth through christ jesus,my God will supply all your needs - Phillipians 4 :19

            EQUIPPING

  To him, who by means of his power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for,or even think of........Ephesians 3:20

             EMPOWERING

  I am telling you the truth : (Jesus said ) " whoever believes in me will do what i do - yes,he will do even greater things,because i am going to the Father.And i will do whatever you ask for in my name,so that the Fathers glory will be shown through the son.If you ask for anything in my name,i will do it. - John 14:12 - 14.

When these things happen :-

   GOD'S KINGDOM IS ENLARGED AND GOD HIMSELF IS EXALTED !!

 It's hot.Darned hot.And i swear the ground beneath my feet is soft,like sand.It's been so hot,for so long now.Unremitting,unrelenting,for as long as i can remember.I have searched,and i have scanned the horizon,day after day,but all i ever see is azure blue sky.For the umpteenth time,i wipe the sweat from my brow.As i do, i look up,and see a gentle wisp of smoke.It's a long way away.Another bush fire i guess,heaven knows,there have been plenty of those - a piece of glass perhaps,or a carelessly discarded cigarette,it takes very little to get one started.

i sigh, a  long, deep, heart rending sigh - how much longer ? how much more of this can we take ?

 I look in the direction of the smoke - this looks quite serious.A long white plume of smoke is already rising up into the air.......

 White ? If things burn,it should be a darker colour than this.A realisation triggers off,somewhere in the unconscious,parched me.I battle against the thought at first,not wanting to accept it,but it increases in it's insistency and it's urgency,and it will not leave me alone.

 Fully alert now,i look again - can this really be a cloud and not smoke ? It started off no bigger than a mans hand,but oh it is growing already ! I sink to my knees,and i cry a half strangled cry." Oh please ! please ! Pleeeeeeeaaaaaasssse ! I look again,hardly daring to hope,but it is growing quickly now, in size and intensity.Soon the sky is half covered, and it rushes headlong to cover up the sun.As it does, it is blessedly cooler,for a breeze has sprung up from somewhere.i have watched the sky turn from blue to grey,to an oily black.

 What was that ? Did i feel something on my head ? Or is that just my desperate imagination ? This time i do feel it.One spot.Then another,and another.I smile,i start to laugh,i jump up in the air.I dance for joy.

                  IT'S RAINING ! IT'S POURING !

       OH GOD, SEND THE RAIN, ON MY DRY AND PARCHED LAND !!

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 The whole of life is but a moment of time. It is our duty, therefore to use it, not to misuse it.

Plutarch