Preaching with a purpose

I think I'm so up to date with my PC and laptop and digital camera and Sibelius software, but I don't suppose I have nearly as many gadgets as most of you. What with dongles and blackberries (I still eat mine) and kindles and ipads and mp3's I shall never catch up, I can see. But which of us is the happier, me with my few gadgets but knowing God loves me, or you with your many gadgets which can never satisfy your desperate need of God. Gadgets may amuse for a while but they can't get you to heaven. Isn't it time you stopped longing for a new gadget and looked to where you can find God. We all have a God shaped hole in us and only God can fill it. The God Who Does Not Change

God is a loving parent to us. He wants to keep us safe and away from trouble, but sometimes he takes us through trouble to make us strong to do his will. If you have a little child who runs towards danger you do not talk to him gently, you rush forward and grab him roughly to save him from disaster. The little child thinks its parent has been unkind to it and doesn't understand the danger it has been saved from. It is just like that with us and God. He is a loving parent who wants to rescue us. We go after poison fruit but he pulls us back. Tell me if you have had an experience like that.

Often we long for freedom. We think it will be wonderful, but if we are thinking of doing as we please it can be a curse and not a blessing. I love writing poetry. When I came back to it after many years I wrote a lot of rhymeless poems thinking I needed freedom to express myself. However, I am rediscovering structure,starting first with writing sonnets. A framework is a handy thing which actually helps you express yourself. It is the same with knowing God, we need to get to know him through the structure that the Bible gives us. It is not a straight jacket which leaves us no room for movement. Instead the structure of all Jesus taught about the Father is a tender cloak about one's shoulders. You might like to read my sonnets, if so click the link below. Sonnets and how to Write Them

I was expecting to take one service today talking about the pharisees and what Jesus thought of them, but instead a fellow preacher was indisposed and I took her service in the afternoon. Previously in the morning I had been gently talking to God about the fact that I didn't have very many services coming up and maybe he could find me a few more. I didn't expect such a prompt answer to my prayer.Do you talk to God like that, just like talking to a friend? You can only do it if you have Jesus in your life. He is the one who makes you and God into friends because he has died to wash away your sin. It is truly wonderful to have God as your friend.

It's a little black leather box which a pharisee would strap to his head. In fact orthodox Jews still do this. The box contains the laws of Judaism. The idea is that this would remind one of the law and the need to keep it. But jesus claimed the pharisees were wearing them, but not keeping the laws which spoke of helping the poor and sick. I am going to show some children tomorrow what a phylactery would look like. I have a small oxo cube box on a piece of ribbon. I had intended to paint the box black, but decided to leave it as an oxo box as the children are more likely to remember it that way. Jesus also said the pharisees were like a cup which was all cleaned up on the outside but dirty inside. I am taking along a very nice mug to show the children. But inside it is a mouldy strawberry, a mouldy tea bag and a piece of banana skin. Jesus said the pharisees were like that, all clean and smart on the outside but dirty inside. I think those will be two good illustrations. ...

So far my readers come from U.S.A, U.K. Europe, Latvia, Russia, India, Vietnam and Australia. Maybe I haven't mentioned you all but I am glad to have you all reading me. However there is no one from Africa of South America, so I would like that to be put right. I'm sure there are many people there who would like to read what I write. Perhaps some of my present readers know people from Africa and Souith America. Could you recommend this blog to them? I would be most grateful. I'm sure there are many people on those continents who would love to hear what I have to say about God and Jesus. I would also love to have contact with any of you by you making comments on my blog, particularly if you find what I say helpful, or if you want to discuss things.

Yes I'm a Local Preacher. Does that make me in any way better than the people who sit it the pews or chairs? Not at all. I am just like them with the same need to get closer to God. It does mean that I have studied the Bible and Methodist beliefs a little more than the congregation, but I do not have a monopoly on belief and wisdom. Instead I see myself as preaching not only to the congregaqtion but also to myself. Uncovering what the Bible teaches and spreading it out for us to examine, to see where we should go next in our Christian journey. We all have a responsibility to read the Bible and learn from it. Being a Local Preacher is great because I am reminded to read my Bible more, in order to have things to say to my congregation. When you have been a Local Preacher for 40 years you get a certificate to say so. I'm not likely to get one of those as I am already 64. However if God blesses me with long life I shall receive one when I am 104. An aunt died recently , ...

Do you love God with all your heart? Do you want to please him or please yourself? If you think about it carefully God's way forward for you is the best possible way, so wanting to do his will is the best possible thing for you. We love our friends and family but they often let us down. God will never let us down if we submit to him. Joseph submitted to being a slave in Egypt, then a prisoner, then the second most important person in the kindom. He saw all these events as God's plan for his life. Read about his life in the link below. Interesting Bible People: Joseph

Sometimes I speak rather sharply on this blog as if you were all letting life float by you with never a thought for God, but maybe you are a broken reed, stooping and troubled not knowing how to carry on with life. If this describes you, take heart. Jesus will not break a broken reed, instead he will mend it so that it stands upright once more. You cannot help yourself, but Jesus will help you if you hand yourself over to him. All the disasters in your life can be forgiven and forgotten if you rest in him. My life has had its disasters, but he has brought me through them all. I know he can do it for you because he has done it for me. Read about my life below. A Bit About Me

If we stop struggling with this world's problems and turn to Jesus we will find he gives us rest. He promises an easy yoke. For those of you who don't know, a yoke is a wooden contraption which goes across the shoulders of two oxen, so that they can pull together and get the ploughing done. Jesus says he will join us to him with a yoke, one that is light and fits our shoulders and he will walk with us through life, getting the work done together. Why walk alone through life when you can have Jesus with you each step of the way?

As a young person in any part of the world your life may be a big struggle right now. In the third world your struggle may be to find enough food and drink. Do not despair, Jesus says that it is hard for the rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven. That means you have a distinct advantage over all the rich people in the world, it is easier for you to enter God's kingdom. Rejoice and look for Jesus, he is near you. So you rich young man in the States or Europe, you too have a struggle on your hands. It is not easy for you to find Jesus in your life because you are too busy chasing after more riches. Or you may have already dropped off the ladder to riches and find you cannot keep up. If you are getting poorer this could be a big blessing to you, it will be easier for you to find Jesus. Try reading my Inspirational Meditations, they might help you find God too. Inspirational Meditations

Yesterday I realised maybe I should be aiming at a younger audience as relatively fewer people of my own age group read blogs. I am 64 and may be you would think I am "past it" but I am here to help you get closer to God. Whether we beleve it or not we belong to God. He deserves our love and worship. Maybe you have never given him a thought, but he deserves your full attention. You were made to worship God and it is only in so doing that you can be completely fulfilled. You may have a wonderful life with a wonderful family and a great career, but without loving God you will always feel incomplete. Here are two of my pages where I talk in depth about God and how to please him. The God Who Does Not Change Justification By Faith

Yes I am now an accredited Local Preacher with the Methodist Church in Britain. Although my circuit is Tiverton and Wellington in Devon and Somerset, England I hope you will allow me to have the world as my circuit and you as my readers a welcome part of my flock. My activities on the internet were acknowledged at my service as a vital part of my ministry and that encourages me to reach out to any who will listen. May be you don't go to church in a building, but perhaps here you read things that touch your heart and help you to understand your life a little more. I am always happy to receive comments here, including questions that trouble you. Generally speaking there will be more younger people reading this, if I can be of any help to you please ask me. Perhaps there is something about modern life which is worrying you, tell me about it and I will do my best to give an answer that is God honouring. It doesn't matter what I think as an individual, but I will try to give y...

Tomorrow I officially become a Local Preacher in the Methodist Church. I'm feeling a bit nervy, but that is good because it means I take it very seriously. A few weeks ago I thought I would like to wear a fascinator hat, as it is a celebration, but now the solemnity of the occasion has taken over and I will not be wearing the fascinator. We don't take things seriously enough these days, everything is frivolity, but life is a serious business. A preacher has a very serious job to do, helping to bring people to God through Jesus. You can read about my journey to becoming a local preacher in the link below. How to Become A Local Preacher

The pharisees in the Bible were a group of religious leaders who were very much concerned with keeping rules and keeping up appearances. Jesus said they were so concerned with this part of observance that they were neglecting to help the poor. When Jesus healed on the sabbath day they were there to criticise him. some pharisees were called "bump and stumble" because they kept their heads well down when walking in the streets so that people could see they were avoiding looking at women and of course they often bumped into things as a result. Others spoke in a whisper as this was considered humble. Do you run your life by meaningless rules and regulations? We are told to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbour as ourself. Loving God can usually be shown in loving others. Are we doing this as we should?

If she had lived, my Mum would have been 99 today. She died in 2000, just making it into the 21st century. She was a very good wife and mother and if you wish you can read more about her in the link below. She and Dad were christians and brought us up to love God and trust in Jesus. All three of us are still believers. A mother is a very important person, so much depends on her how her children will turn out. If after they grow up, you rarely see your children that is not necessarily a bad thing, it may just mean that you have done such a good job, they are fully independent individuals. In the present financial climate children often live at home because they cannot afford a house of their own. This can put enormous strain on the parents who are reaching an age when they want a bit of quiet. Always in life we have to adjust to different circumstances. Life does not continue always on the same path. My Mum

Is it a snappy title, is it chance, or have you been here before and enjoyed what I have to say? The internet seems such a vast canvas, all those millions of people out there who might come by at a chance. I like to speak about God because he deserves all our praise. We come to him in Jesus and he accepts us in Jesus. If you are a christian and are feeling down-hearted, don't stay low, you have the God of the universe on your side. For your faithfulness he doesn't promise wealth or glory, but he does promise eternity with him. Nothing else matters. Today's and tomorrow's problems will fade away like mist in the future. Fear not, God has your best interest at heart.

The British government, through the benefits system is persecuting thousands of people who are not fit to work, giving them very skimpy benefits. People who are not able to work for health reasons are not able to stand up for themselves. The goverment will answer to God when the suicides happen. People were treated in this way back in the Old Testament. Then exile was the result for the perpetrators. Something equally as bad will happen to those in power today. The churches should be aware that there are people in need and set up soup kitchens for these people.Many are in this position through no fault of their own. They should be helped not looked down upon.

Here is a blank page and I have no idea what to write tonight. Do you need someone to chastise you and drag you back from a wrong path? Or do you need encouraging? God does sometimes chastise us to put us back on the right path. If he is treating you like this today be encouraged, he is treating you are a beloved son/daughter whom he cares for. If we did not restrain our little children when they reached out for things that could harm them, we would be bad parents. God loves us so much that he too restains us when we go after things that are bad for us. He does it in love wanting only the best for us. Try to trust him in the dark times as well as the light.I hope this is a great blessing to you.

I do. I used to prefer to write in an unstructured way, but now I've discovered the delight of having a framework. Somehow it brings freedom with it. That's how it is when we hand over to God and decide to go his way. The truth will make you free. When we fit into God's framework for us we find fulness of joy. I've written 10 sonnets in the page linked below. I enjoyed writing them, I hope you will enjoy reading them. Sonnets and how to write them

Somebody in England has just done that. If it was me I would have to move as my flat is not for wealthy people. I would hate that, I love my flat. My life would be turned upside down. No doubt I could do some good helping worthy causes. I could buy some more clother, but I already have trouble getting my clothes to fit in my cupboards. It would be too easy to buy anything I want instead of saving up first, that would take all the fun out of spending.I would be so busy managing my millions I wouldn't have time to enjoy the things I enjoy now. Jesus said it is hard for the rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven, I don't want to risk growing away from my Lord. So if you are wishing it was you who had won all that money, think again, maybe it wouldn't be so wonderful.

If you have Jesus you need nothing else. You may have lost your earthly best friend but still you have Jesus, the fairest among ten thousand. If you are poor and struggling to make things meet financially, you have a Father who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He will provide for you. If your health is poor he is the balm in Gilead that will soothe your aches and pains. I used to suffer a lot from depression, at those dark times Jesus was the one who carried me through. I still have small patches of depression, enough to remind me that I need my Lord. Trouble can be a great blessing to us because it reminds us who is of most value in our lives. When everything is easy and going our way it can be a curse which takes us away from knowing our need of Jesus.

Prayer is not like a slot machine where you put something in and get what you want. Prayer is not so much asking God to do something as getting yourself in line with his will. If we believe God's way is the best way, we need to find out what that way is and get alongside. God wishes the best for us but we have to find out what that best is. At first it may appear to be anything but the best. None of us wants to suffer, but suffering can make us better people. If we relate suffering to this life only we will see it as a bad thing. If we look to the longer view and think of eternity when all will be finally sorted, if we are trusting in Jesus all our sorrows will be washed away and no longer remembered. So do not be afraid to face suffering. By prayer become God's friend like Abraham, who followed God even thought he didn't know where he was going. Throw away your plan for your life. Give your life over to God and find yourself in the biggest adventure.

It seems to me the more we have the more we want. If you own a car and have spare money in your pocket you are in the richest 6% of the world. Riches do not bring happiness or at least not lasting joy. We were meant to worship God and if we are not doing that we are unfulfilled. Jesus said it is very hard for a rich man to go into the kingdom of heaven. The more we possess the more we have to worry about. In Proverbs a wise man wrote,"Give me neither poverty nor riches - feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny you and say,"Who is the Lord?" or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God." Rich people are among the loneliest in the world. How can they trust that a friend is really a friend, when they might be there for what they can get.Put your eyes on Jesus and hold onto your belongings lightly, you may not need them tomorrow.

Is that because you are a busy Mom and you want to give your family a good time? Is there going to be trouble making ends meet this Christmas? I'm sure Jesus didn't come so that Moms and Dads would be working flat out to give theri kids the latest gadgets. He came to free us from the need for such things. Love and companionship in our families is so much more important than the latest toy. We are all here to find God in Jesus and that is the only thing that matters. It doesn't matter what our neighbours think of us. It matters what God sees in us. If you are a poorer person praise God that he has made it easier for you to find him. You have not been side-tracked by the world's lie that the more things you have the happier you will be. Things go wrong, things let you down and they also split up families. One day when I was with my family I walked around the house. Each of us had a T.V. in our room, we were sitting in separate rooms watching exactly the same pr...

Do you have a good husband/wife,a good job that you enjoy, a family. Everything that should make you happy and yet you are not. Maybe you have a God-shaped hole in your life. Maybe you have not thought about him for years. A wise old chap called Augustine once said "Our Hearts are Restless Until They Rest in You," meaning God. That was a very long time ago but it is still true in the 21st century. We were made to worship God and if we don't we can find no satisfaction. So what do you do to find God? Well there are good churches which could help you, but there are also bad ones which could confuse you. First you need to spend time alone talking to God, telling him that you want to know him. He will guide you. If you are reading this, maybe this is part of that guidance. The Bible is the best place to find out about God, but it isn't always easy to read. Read about Jesus who is God, the Son. He is the one who makes us able to come to a pure and holy God.For m...

What is most important to you? Is it a nice house, a car, lots of technical gadgets? Or is it knowing God? If you don't put God first in your life it will be because you don't have a right view of who he is. He is the ultimate source of all things. He is the one who demands our love. He is not like an earthly dictator who demands our love . They are fallible and fail us, he wants our love because he is perfection, he deserves our love. He knows that in loving him we will find ourselves fulfilled as in no other way. Mammon is an old fashioned word for money and things. It can never bring us fulfillment. Things may bring us short-term happiness but only loving God will bring us lasting joy. Read more about God in the link below. The God Who Does Not Change

The purpose of my preaching is that you might find Jesus to be your saviour and only way back to God. If you do not ask for his forgiveness you are on your way to a lost eternity without God. All of your life, whether you acknowledge it or not, you have been surrounded by the presence of God. All that is good in life comes from him. None of this will be yours if you refuse his forgiveness.No matter how we picture hell, it is the to be lost, without God. Indeed a terrible prospect. Someone pictured hell as being like row of people sat opposite each other with a wonderful meal before them, but chained in such a way that they could not bring the spoon to their own mouth. Heaven was the same but each person fed the one opposite them. So heaven was full of concern and compassion for each other, but hell full of selfishness and frustration. Are you headed for heaven or hell? The Hottest Topic: Hell The Coolest Place: Heaven

Jesus taught his disciples to forgive many times. Not just the seven times that Peter thought was very generous. Jesus said seventy times seven and that in one day. However forgivenes does not mean continually putting up with someone's bad behaviour. That is not even good for them. Jesus taught that we should go to a brother who has wronged us and talk it over. If he does not put things right, to go again with two witnesses. If this still did not bring the desired result the whole church should be called on to intercede, and if the wrong doer still did not repent he should be ignored. Forgiveness is there to bring reconciliation, not there for the toleration of wrong doing. But the example of forgiveness given is that of God in Christ forgiving us. We had treated him so badly and yet he gave himself in Christ for our salvation. Never mind your fellow believer, are you treating God as he should be treated with love trust and obedience? How often we all fall short of his love...

A few days ago I told you sin is hereditary, however I don't want you to think that that "lets you off the hook." Although we have inherited sin we are still totally responsible for our wrong doing. Each one of us will have to appear before God and make account of our sin. Only those who have trusted in Jesus will be forgiven. Isn't it strange that when God has made a way back to him by trusting in Jesus and his death on the cross, so many are refusing to do this and instead are trying to get back to God in their own strength, their own way. Justification by Faith