Hazelwood
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I missed the deadlines for the last two issues of Good Gracious; and for that I offer my most sincere apology. It certainly was not my intent. The past three months have been an amazing journey of hard work, fun, travel, emotional highs and lows, sickness and recovery. Let’s take a walk together.
There have been two very...
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A few days ago, I had the honour and privilege to share God’s word with you. We talked about prayer, and how we might approach God in a more intimate way. Prayer is such a critical part of our Christian walk, and prayer is so needed these days. We know that we should pray. The Bible says “pray continually.” That almost seems to make it an obligation. Prayer should never feel to be an obligation, but rather a joy, a privilege. “What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer!”
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Yes, believe it or not, we have just started a new year. The first Sunday in Advent marks the beginning of the Church year.
I’ve often wondered why this is. After all, wouldn’t it make more sense to begin the year with a significant event such as the birth of Christ? Then again, the coming of God into the world, in the human form of Jesus his Son, is such a significant event that it demands a time of waiting and preparation. Without it, we are liable to miss the real reason for the season.
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The end of November is nigh, and the Advent season will soon be upon us. What a joyful time it can be as we eagerly await the season of anticipation and celebration of our Saviour’s birth. This season can also be a time of stress, busyness and financial woe; and if we allow it, the decisions facing our congregation could easily...
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Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seemed to go right, and everything seemed to conspire against you? If you can answer, “No”; then God Bless You!
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It has been a very busy summer and I was so glad to have been given the opportunity to share the message while Pastor Jonathan was away. I remember the very first time I was asked to preach, I almost said, "No thank you" because I was unsure; not of my ability to speak in public, but of my readiness and worthiness to stand in the pulpit. After all, I had no training in homiletics and could barely understand what Matthew Henry had to say. The idea of unpacking a portion of scripture was simply out of the question.
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“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7: 13-14 (NIV)
This passage comes from the concluding section of the Sermon on the Mount...
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Do you have fears? Most of us do to one degree or another. Some of us fear heights, closed spaces, illness, or spiders and insects. Others fear public speaking, abandonment, isolation, humiliation, shame, or sadness. Fear is an emotion in response to a threat, real or otherwise.
Being afraid, on the other hand, is to be filled with fear. It is the adjective to fear’s noun and is used to describe ones’ anxiety concerning a situation or thing.
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Lawrence Peter Berra – aka “Yogi” – was not only an American baseball legend, but he was also well known for his ability to turn a phrase. Over time, these quotes became known as “Yogi-isms”. Here is one:
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“Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of York; and all the clouds that low’r’d upon our house in the deep bosom of the ocean buried.” (Richard III, Act 1, Scene 1)
This opening line to one of Shakespeare’s best known plays is often quoted to describe dismal and unhappy times,...
