Thursday, 22 February 2018 | Blog, Catching the Wave
There’s a joke about a young man who would not take his headphones off, even whilst he was having his hair cut. Once, whilst at the barbers, he fell asleep. The barber carefully removed his headphones to cut his hair, but also sneaked a listen to what was playing. “Breathe in, breath out, breathe in, breathe out…” was what he heard. He quickly placed the shells back over the young man’s ears.
Our bodies refine the oxygen we breathe to give us ignition, power, energy in our muscles. We need to keep breathing to produce this power; power to live by.
When Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3 “You must be born of water and Spirit” (John 3:16) he was emphasising the vital essence of our life in God. We have no power without breath, we have no life without the Breath of Life – the Holy Spirit of God.
When a baby is born, we rejoice that it draws breath and cries. Baby is alive. Rejoice! Born of His Spirit, we constantly draw our vital breath in God. He is our energy, our power to live. We are alive in Him! Breathe in, breathe out…
There’s still time to get involved in catching the wave, it’s not too late to get started. If you want a book there’s still some available from Fulwood Free Methodist Church. There’s also an option to get the daily prayer thoughts delivered to your email via our friends at trypraying via this link. Enter your name and email address and you’ll be subscribed to the list once you’ve verified who you are by clicking on a link in the email they send you.
These 40 days of prayer are part of our Focus on 40 as we look forward to celebrating our 40th Anniversary as a community this next weekend. We don’t want to just be looking back on the 40 years that have already been, we want to be looking forward to the next generation and all that God has planned.
Wednesday, 21 February 2018 | Blog, Catching the Wave
I found this thought quite a challenge today.
“Worship isn’t just about what we do in church – it is an attitude of serving God at all times and in all we do.”
In many ways it was a very ordinary Wednesday yet there have been all sorts of opportunities to serve God.
A text to a friend.
A chat with a colleague.
A drive to the office.
An evening with family.
God doesn’t distinguish between our “church time” and our “other time”, He wants to be part of all of it and wants our lives to worship Him in all of it.
There’s still time to get involved in catching the wave, it’s not too late to get started. If you want a book there’s still some available from Fulwood Free Methodist Church. There’s also an option to get the daily prayer thoughts delivered to your email via our friends at trypraying via this link. Enter your name and email address and you’ll be subscribed to the list once you’ve verified who you are by clicking on a link in the email they send you.
These 40 days of prayer are part of our Focus on 40 as we look forward to celebrating our 40th Anniversary as a community nearer the end of February 2018. We don’t want to just be looking back on the 40 years that have already been, we want to be looking forward to the next generation and all that God has planned.
Monday, 19 February 2018 | Blog, Catching the Wave
Hold your breath as long as you can. Wait till it seems your lungs are bursting and then let your breath go in one big burst.
Now slow all that down and take notice as you breathe slowly and deeply. Enjoy the freedom, the blessing of breath. It is keeping you alive. Without it you will not get oxygen to give you life and energy!
I love page 16 in Catching the Wave prayer booklet. It really is encouraging us to see prayer as breath, as life; our way of life. One of the shortest, most powerful stories Jesus told was the one on day 5 in the book. The story is of the man who sold everything to buy a field where he knew there was buried treasure. It says in Matthew 13:4-45 that in his joy he sold everything he had to buy the field.
The joy of selling everything was based on his anticipation of the gain of treasure. Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is like this. The joy of His love, His presence, His friendship is a treasure worth giving our every breath for. And as we do this, we find that this precious gift of ‘breathing prayer’ is the very thing that gives us life. Read a passage like Ephesians 6:18-20, what if we changed ‘pray’ to ‘breath’?
And breathe in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of breath and requests….always keep on
breathing for all the Lord’s people. Breathe also for me…
There’s still time to get involved in catching the wave, it’s not too late to get started. If you want a book there’s still some available from Fulwood Free Methodist Church. There’s also an option to get the daily prayer thoughts delivered to your email via our friends at trypraying via this link. Enter your name and email address and you’ll be subscribed to the list once you’ve verified who you are by clicking on a link in the email they send you.
These 40 days of prayer are part of our Focus on 40 as we look forward to celebrating our 40th Anniversary as a community nearer the end of February 2018. We don’t want to just be looking back on the 40 years that have already been, we want to be looking forward to the next generation and all that God has planned.
Saturday, 17 February 2018 | Blog, Catching the Wave
Did you know that Jesus prayed for you to know the Father and the Son who is Jesus himself?
That what we see in one of our readings for today – John 17:3:
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
This comes straight after Jesus had prayed two other things:
1 After Jesus said this, he looked towards heaven and prayed:
‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
His first prayer is that he would glorify the Father.
His second prayer is an acknowledgement of what the Father has done.
His very next prayer is that you would know the Father and the Son.
It’s very important to Jesus that you know the Father and the Son.
There’s still time to get involved in catching the wave, it’s not too late to get started. If you want a book there’s still some available from Fulwood Free Methodist Church. There’s also an option to get the daily prayer thoughts delivered to your email via our friends at trypraying via this link. Enter your name and email address and you’ll be subscribed to the list once you’ve verified who you are by clicking on a link in the email they send you.
These 40 days of prayer are part of our Focus on 40 as we look forward to celebrating our 40th Anniversary as a community nearer the end of February 2018. We don’t want to just be looking back on the 40 years that have already been, we want to be looking forward to the next generation and all that God has planned.
Friday, 16 February 2018 | Blog, Catching the Wave
Wow! I am the child of the King.
I once saw a little girl with a t-shirt that said on the back “do you know who my Dad is?”
On the front it said “I am a King’s Kid!”
I loved her confidence and the reality is that we all can know this confidence today, if we will only accept Jesus into our heart as Lord and Saviour.
What a privilege to have God lavish (rich, abundant, overflowing) love on us so that we might become His Children.
There’s still time to get involved in catching the wave, it’s not too late to get started. If you want a book there’s still some available from Fulwood Free Methodist Church. There’s also an option to get the daily prayer thoughts delivered to your email via our friends at trypraying via this link. Enter your name and email address and you’ll be subscribed to the list once you’ve verified who you are by clicking on a link in the email they send you.
These 40 days of prayer are part of our Focus on 40 as we look forward to celebrating our 40th Anniversary as a community nearer the end of February 2018. We don’t want to just be looking back on the 40 years that have already been, we want to be looking forward to the next generation and all that God has planned.
Thursday, 15 February 2018 | Blog, Catching the Wave
I recently saw the re-entry capsule that astronaut Tim Peake returned to earth in. And I also experienced it as a virtual reality journey. All the wonders of space and then the fearful wonder of returning home to planet earth. Journeys can be like this.
I love the idea of space being a place. Not outer space. Inner space. When we ‘come near to God’ we are deliberately making space a place. Our space in our time to be in a place where we have time, make time for God. And again and again, it is making and taking time which defines our friendship with Him.
Place in prayer is a privilege. I love the idea of Hebrews 10:19-22 where the writer sees us coming into God’s presence with holy boldness. We don’t come cringing, but he does see us coming somehow through the cross as he combines the picture of the temple veil being torn in two with the broken, torn body of Jesus. We come through these right into the VERY presence of God.
The Hebrews writer says it’s a new and living way. If I could add anything, I would simply say that this is an awesome privilege, a grace, a space; in His presence. If I miss it, I miss out. If I don’t make the space, I won’t find the place – of His very presence.
Andrew Gardner
