Category: The Lord Jesus

A Childs Burden

Matthew 6 – New International Version

Do Not Worry

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? 26 Look 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? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If 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? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The above passage has got to be one of the most well known passages on Worry in the Bible. So much so I recall using it in a blog about a week ago called ‘No Worries’

While Jesus tells both you and I not to worry I must admit this is a very hard thing to do sometimes.

Granted some of us worry more than others and our partners or friends may use the phrase ” I don’t know what your worrying about” I’ve said it myself.

A Childs Burden

My Mother’s name is worry, In summer she worries about the water; In winter she worries about coal and briquets, and all year long she worries about the rice.

In daytime my mother worries about living; At night she worries about her children, and all the day long she worries and worries.

Then, my mother’s name is worry. My father’s name is drunken frenzy. And mine is tears and sigh.

Pastor James McConnell

It was at the tender age of 7 that, as a young boy, James McConnell trusted the Lord Jesus to be his Saviour. Kneeling down at an old bench in the Iron Mission Hall, together with his Sunday School teacher, Sammy Jamison, he prayed the sinner’s prayer, little realizing the calling that the Lord had on his young life.

Difficult years lay ahead for the young James McConnell. He would find himself orphaned, first losing his beloved mother during a subsequent childbirth, and later losing his father and other family members to the disease of Tuberculosis. Many nights were spent out on the streets, sometimes sleeping in the local park – Ormeau Park, but yet the Lord’s hand was very much upon this young servant of His.

After leaving Park Parade school, at the age of 14, his first job would be in the drawing office at Belfast Shipbuilders Harland & Wolff. It would be a few years before the call to full-time ministry would be realized.

But full-time ministry was indeed the Lord’s plan for this young life. Pastor James McConnell began his ministry at the age of 17. He first pastored a church in Newcastle-upon-tyne, but by the age of 19 he had moved back to his home city and begun a work on the Whitewell Road in North Belfast.

The first service began with just 10 People who had prayed together, plus 12 visitors making a grand total of 22 persons. One man recollecting the occasion, spoke with a smile as he recalled the young skinny preacher, announcing in revolutionary language about a great work that was going to start in Whitewell. Looking around that group it would have seemed impossible, but the Lord had indeed planned a great work for His servant, and for those people who stood with him that morning.

Of course, other changes were happening in the life of the young Pastor. Shortly after returning to Belfast and taking up the ministry at Whitewell, he would meet and later marry his wife Margaret. The couple would go on to have two baby girls, Linda and Julie.

The 57 years of ministry at the Tabernacle have already been well documented, and no doubt more detail on them will be made available on this website in the coming months  – during his ministry three church buildings were built in the Whitewell area to accommodate the growing congregation. He has led services and preached the gospel in many leisure centres and community halls around the country. Under his direction the Whitewell church has held major gospel outreach events in the Kings Hall, Ulster Hall, Odyssey, Windsor Park, The Oval, Seaview, Ormeau Park, Ravenhill Rugby Ground, and many other venues throughout Northern Ireland and above all the Lord Jesus has saved literally thousands of souls through his preaching.

Aware of his need to have a successor in place, 4 years before retirement, Pastor McConnell and his pastoral staff invited Pastor David Purse, then Pastoring in Cullybacky Elim, to come back to his home church to become the Associate Senior Pastor. The timing was just right.  Pastor would subsequently endure a heart-attack, a quadruple-byass operation with heart valve replacement, and treatment for prostate cancer. Nevertheless his spirit remained absolutely resolute, wanting to continue to do the Lord’s will.

Early in 2014 Pastor McConnell became convinced that this was the right year for his retirement, although his exact retirement date was not set until the summer.

Although, from 1 September he is now officially retired from his role as Senior Pastor, James McConnell continues to serve the Lord. Speaking recently to a member of the Tabernacle staff he said “I am waiting on the Lord every day now. I am asking Him daily what He would have me to do for Him.”  There’s no doubt that Pastor still has much to give in the Lord’s service and we look forward to see what the God will continue to do with him throughout his retirement years.

Pastor Jim McConnell Died during Covid 19 and his funeral was well attended in the church he founded.

The Holy Spirit

Acts 2

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

Today I wish to continue along the John Gowans theme, only this time I include his longtime friend John Larrson. With the song Burning Burning.

I have never seen Spirit or any of the other musicals for that matter but there has always been something I have liked about this song. The words are so important, it’s also a song that can be appealing to the individual.

1.
Burning, burning, brightly burning,
Brightly burning Fire divine,
Satisfy my spirit’s yearning.
Fill this empty soul of mine.
Chorus
Burning, burning, always burning.
Holy Spirit, stay with me;
To your will my will is turning,
What you will I want to be.

2.
Burning, burning, deeply burning,
Deeply burning holy Fire,
Now, your perfect plan discerning,
Your design is my desire.

3.
Burning, burning, gently burning,
Gently burning Fire within,
From your love my love is learning.
Now I feel your work begin.

Pentecost People

A prayer that priests and other religious pray in the cycle of our daily Liturgy of the Hours (or Office/Breviary) reads: “Lord, you renew the face of the earth announcing unforetold wonders.  Through a virgin, you brought forth new birth to our world; through your miracles, new power; through your suffering, new patience; in your […]

Pentecost People

With Every Breath

He gave up all His gloryTo come to earth a lowly childNo pomp or royal feast announced His birthHis childhood was quietThough His parents knew His fateThey knew just who He was and His great worthThen when the time was comesThat He should start to show HimselfHe submitted to the baptizing of JohnThe heavens opened […]

With Every Breath

Enigma Variations

Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations is a masterpiece of orchestral music, composed between October 1898 and February 1899. It consists of fourteen variations on an original theme, each representing a different friend or acquaintance of Elgar. The most famous variation is “Nimrod,” which symbolizes his close friendship with Augustus Jaeger.

The work was first performed in London on June 19, 1899, conducted by Hans Richter, and quickly gained international recognition. It has been performed by many renowned orchestras, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra

Assension Sunday

Acts 1:6-11 New Living Translation

The Ascension of Jesus
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

See the source image

Ascension Day is one of the earliest Christian festivals dating back to the year 68. According to the New Testament in the Bible, Jesus Christ met several times with his disciples during the 40 days after his resurrection to instruct them on how to carry out his teachings. It is believed that on the 40th day he took them to the Mount of Olives, where they watched as he ascended to heaven.
Ascension Day marks the end of the Easter season and occurs ten days before Pentecost. Depending upon the phases of the Moon in a particular year, Ascension Day is celebrated on a Thursday. However, some churches, particularly in the United States, celebrate it on the following Sunday.
Many Eastern Orthodox churches calculate the date of Pascha (Easter) according to the Julian calendar, rather than the Gregorian calendar used by many western churches, so their Ascension Day usually occurs after the western observance.

Epilepsy and Faith

Mark 9:14-29 The Message

There Are No Ifs

14-16 When they came back down the mountain to the other disciples, they saw a huge crowd around them, and the religion scholars cross-examining them. As soon as the people in the crowd saw Jesus, admiring excitement stirred them. They ran and greeted him. He asked, “What’s going on? What’s all the commotion?”

17-18 A man out of the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a demon, to you. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn’t.”

19-20 Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here.” They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.

21-22 He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?”

“Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”

23 Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

24 No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”

25-27 Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!” Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.

28 After arriving back home, his disciples cornered Jesus and asked, “Why couldn’t we throw the demon out?”

29 He answered, “There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer.”

I came across this reading in an Epilepsy blog I was reading the other day and decided It was time I let you know I suffer from the condition.

I won’t telling you to much at the moment as I plan to make a video blog telling you all about my life with Epilepsy later this year (I hope).

What I will tell you at the moment is I wasn’t born with it, I developed it around the ages of 11 – 12yrs old. Apart from my late teens/early twenties I went about seven years without a seizure, as I was driving for four years and in those days you had to be seizure free for three years. Then one day they suddenly returned and naturally I gave up driving though I loved it.

Since that day I have had controlled epileptic seizures by medication.

Occasionally my epilepsy will get me down but I am a positive person, therefore most times when I have a seizure or turn as I call them they generally don’t bother me.

You may be asking where does my faith come into all of this.Well first of all I believe in Jesus ‘The Great Physician’, I also have a very supportive group of family and friends who understand my condition and lastly I have a great Neurologist and Epilepsy Nurse.

I’ll finish off by asking myself the question, “looking at verse 29 have I been praying hard enough?”