A final word from John Stott

Wasn't it fitting that 87-year old John Stott, in his final address at the Keswick Convention before retiring from public ministry, encouraged his hearers to 'become more like Christ'?

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=42531

Our own church aim, that people commit to and become more like Jesus, is as current as it ever was.

Keeping are eyes on Him

I read a great quote today, I was doing some early thinking for a sermon subject I have later in the summer about 'keeping spiritually fresh' and came across this thought by Spurgeon.

It is to do with keeping our eyes on Jesus, rather than focusing on feelings or spiritual experience:


'I looked at Christ and the dove of peace flew into my heart; I looked at the dove and it flew away.'

Lots of answers to prayer

I felt that there were lots of answers to prayer in the church meeting last night. If any of you weren't there you will want to know that the vote for Vic was unanimous.

Good doing church with you all.

How do I want you to treat me?

Several people has said they found the last bit of Sunday morning's message useful, and on request here it is. It started with the Golden Rule ("do to others what you would have them do to you") and then asking "How then would I want to be treated?" Using 1 Corinthians 13 as a starting point, for me it came out like this ...

I want you to be patient with me and kind. I don’t want you to envy me if I am successful or appear to have gifts that you do not have. I don’t want you to boast when you do things better than me. I don’t want you to be rude towards me. I don’t want you to be totally preoccupied with your own interests, but have an eye to mine as well. If I get things wrong, I don’t want you to blow up at me. In fact, I’d like you to destroy the record you have in your head of the mistakes that I have made.

If I lose my way, I don’t want you to rejoice in my downfall. When I walk with God, I want you to give thanks with me for what God has done. I want you to watch my back, to protect me from those people and things that would bring me down. I want you to trust me, to think the best of me, and to persevere with me.

That’s how I want you to treat me. Is that not how you would like me to treat you?

Sustained to the end

Some of the leadership team met with representatives from our groups for older people yesterday. I guess that silver surfers don't make up the majority of our Blog readership, but all the same I found these words from Isaiah encouraging this morning ...

"Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you." (Isaiah 46v3)

Yesterday

Good to do church with you all yesterday.

Thanks for not mentioning that I spelt 'Galatians' wrong on all my Powerpoint pages.

Some great illustrations from the Dean I thought.

I shall remember than we are 'meanwhile' people, in a 'snakes and ladders' world who play cricket with sermons.

Ken

Find Time To Do Nothing

Take time out to do nothing – and start an adventure of self-discovery. That’s the message from the Bishop of Reading who spent Monday morning handing out egg-timers to stressed commuters at the town’s railway station. The Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell urged people to spend three minutes a day in silent reflection - and find out what happens when we simply stop and rest. The Bishop’s theory is developed in his book Do Nothing to Change Your Life, an impassioned plea for people to resist the pressure to cram more and more into each day, and to find ‘delight and purpose in the ordinary things of life’.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/05/nbusy105.xml