Author: Kenneth

Guest post – Life-Giving Rain

They were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. —

Acts 6:10

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Today’s Scripture & Insight: Acts 6:1-10

During the August heat of 1891, R. G. Dyrenforth arrived in Midland, Texas, determined to blast rain from the sky. Known as a “concussionist,” he and his team launched and detonated huge balloons filled with explosive gases, fired cannons, and exploded piles of dynamite on the ground—shaking both earth and sky. Some believed he made it rain a little, but most said all he caused was noise. The explosive power was impressive but ineffective.

When the early church needed overseers, they sought people with a different kind of power. They chose “seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3) to manage the daily distribution of food. One of those was Stephen, a man “full of faith and power, [who] did great wonders and signs among the people” (v.8). When disputes arose, those who argued with Stephen “were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (v.10).

The Bible makes it clear that Stephen’s spiritual effectiveness came from being filled with the Holy Spirit, who gave him the right balance of faith, wisdom, and power.

God’s Spirit in our lives today replaces the loud noise of self-interest with His gentle, life-giving rain.

Helping Others

Image result for helping others

Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Sometimes we fail to help people as we would like to, we shouldn’t give up trying, but keep doing good as scripture encourages us to do.

Little things from helping an elderly neighbour by getting shopping for them right through to seeing a stranger in need help.

You can be assured the Lord sees all these acts of kindness and he will see favour in us.

Always There

You’re Always There for Me

When the world comes crashing in
And chaos rules my mind,
I turn my heart to you, Lord,
And pure, sweet peace I find.

You lift me out of trouble
You comfort me in pain;
You nourish, heal and cleanse me,
Like cool, refreshing rain.

In times of joy and bliss,
When things are going right,
You lift me even higher,
And fill me with delight.
You listen to my prayers;
You hear my every plea;
I’m safe because I know
You’re always there for me.
Joanna Fuchs

As the sky breaks into a beautiful sunrise, may God open the windows of heaven to shower you with his blessings.

I pray that happiness be at your door. May it knock early, stay late and leave the gift of God’s peace, love, joy, and good health behind.

Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. ~ G.K. Chesterton.

Be Wise

Matthew 7 English Standard Version

Build Your House on the Rock

Photo by Matthis Volquardsen on Pexels.com

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Authority of Jesus

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

In this passage of scripture we are obviously reminded of the Sunday school chorus ‘The wise man built his house upon the Rock’

Love is the glue
That holds us together
Faith and believing is the key
This door of forever
Baby, you and I
We’re every reason on earth
Now and again it’s always us
Against the world, against the world

When the rain fell and the flood came
And the wind blew hard like a hammer on these walls
We didn’t crack or break or fall
We built this house on a rock, on a rock
This house on a rock, on a rock

There is a time
To face stormy weather
But we are always standing strong
A lifetime together
Baby, you and I
We don’t regret anything
Now it’s the two of us again
Against the wind, against the wind

When the rain fell and the flood came
And the wind blew hard like a hammer on these walls
We didn’t crack or break or fall
We built this house on a rock, on a rock
This house on a rock, on a rock

Brick by brick we have set it up
Oh man, if these walls could talk
Bit by bit, based it on trust
We gave it all we got

When the rain fell and the flood came
And the wind blew hard like a hammer on these walls
We didn’t crack or break or fall
We built this house on a rock, on a rock
This house on a rock, on a rock

We built this house on a rock, on a rock
We built this house on a rock, on a rock

Perfect Love

1 John 4 New International Version 

God’s Love and Ours

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne,
That theirs may be the love that knows no ending,
Whom Thou forevermore dost join in one.

O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance
Of tender charity and steadfast faith,
Of patient hope, and quiet, brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears nor pain nor death.

Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,
And to life’s day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life.

Transformers

Often when I can’t get to church I watch a service online and this service always has a children’s spot.

In the last online service I watched the person doing the children’s spot spoke on ‘Transformers’ and how they could ‘change’ into something different.

We as Christians can be like the Transformers and witness to those who don’t know Christ as their Saviour with the hope and prayers that they ‘Change’ and let him into our hearts.

Perhaps you once knew him but have wandered from the path, you can always invite him back in again if you let him.

It’s been a while

With the exception of the weekly ‘Sunday posts’ it has been a while since posting weekly.

It all started with me catching Covid -19 back in June 13/14th were I had absolutely no energy on those days. After that I was just like a heavy cold and I didn’t test negative until Sunday 26th, so you could say I tested positive for 13 days, unlucky for some.

Railway museum on holiday

I was getting concerned for our holiday on 1st July but as I tested negative on 26th June we were able to go our holiday and have a relaxing time.

I always like to include a piece of music to my blogs an recently on you tube I have been listening to Bach-Gounod – Ave Maria played on pipe organ which I have found very peaceful to listen to.

Dealing with Anxiety

Matthew 6:25-34

25″Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28″And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I think the video (and bible reading) above sums it all up don’t you!