Covenant Service

In the Methodist church we have a covenant service at the beginning of the year when we re-dedicate ourselves to Christ's service. In the old version, which I like it talks in one part about being put to suffering or laid aside. This is how I feel at the moment when I am not able to carry out my vocation as a preacher. If it is Christ's will it is for the best. Sometimes we are too busy even in the work for Christ and need to be set aside to rest and hopefully grow nearer to our Lord. We need to "Be still and know that I am God."

Comments

How do you cope with depression?

There are two main types of depression, reactive, which is a reaction to your circumstances and endogenous, which is a part of your makeup and not entirely affected by your circumstances. I get the second type. When I am depressed I like to sleep a lot, this is probably not a good thing as depression can lift if you do not have extra sleep. It is all very well knowing that , but acting upon it is another thing. Exercise is also beneficial. Some sorts of depression can be lifted by taking these measures, but some people need medication. You need to get to know your doctor and develope a relationship with him/her where you feel you can trust their judgement. Do look for help as there are lots of possibilities out there. It is not good to spend long stretches of time on your own. Talking with other people will often help lift your spirits, especially if they are people who have gone through this experience themselves. Maybe you need to join a self help group. Avoid people who tell...

Section A

I've posted off my work for section A. Now to get on with B. Onward and upward as they say. It does feel good to have completed A, progress is being made.I think my tutor is more nervous than I as to the outcome, but then I am his first student. We are learning from each other.But then that should always be the case. It's an adventure we go on together.The course seems to be suiting me alright but I feel there are a lot of potentially excellent local preachers out there who are put off by the study. Something should be devised to include these good people, we can ill afford to do without them, especially as the numbers of ministers is dropping. What did Wesley do? You don't need a degree, or even A levels to preach. You need a call, and a close relationship with God.

Reasons to learn a new language

I have been learning Russian for about a year. There were times when I felt like giving up, but something would come along to cheer me up and I redoubled my efforts. But why do this at 70? When I had already started learning I heard a programme about dementia and apparently learning a new language, it is claimed helps to put off the onset of dementia. So there, indeed, is a good reason. It is one thing to learn to read and write a foreign language but speaking it and understanding it when spoken is another thing. So how do I help myself with these things. One thing I do is to listen to Russian on my phone. Even when it is in the background I believe my brain is receiving it. Just as a baby learns to speak from being surrounded by the spoken word in the home so if I listen eventually it will have a good effect. I have the Bible recorded in Russian. I was brought up on the Bible and know quite lot of the Bible and so ...

Preaching with a purpose

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