I can still hear the words of my mother ringing in my ears as I promised her faithfully – well as faithfully as a 10 year boy can – to pick up my clothes from the bedroom floor, ‘Actions speak louder than words!’

There are none among us that have not had those words said to us and as the parent of four children let me confess that I have perhaps, on the odd occasion, said those immortal words. I thought I would never be guilty of repeating to my children what my parents said to me.

The meaning of that timeless phrase is very clear. You know what it means and I know what it means.

Yet the other night the reality of those words came home to me in a very unique way. I am so fortunate to live slightly out of town – at night the sky is not subject to nay light interference. Perish the thought that I nearly said ‘light pollution’. The night sky was so clear – stars not just shining but it seemed that after the recent rain things were just a little brighter. The ‘milky way’ was so visible. I just stood there transfixed – unusual for me who can’t keep still for more than a nanosecond.

Then I remembered the words of David – King and poet, ‘The heavens proclaim the glory of God … day after day they continue to speak, night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word, their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth and their words to all the world.’

They speak yet utter not a sound. Their beauty spoke, their power shouted, their brightness yelled, their magnificence roared, their majesty screamed and their radiance cried out to me yet I heard not a single sound.

Do I speak too much? Do I find myself wanting to have an opinion on everything? Is silence that frightening for me? Do I dominate conversation with my rhetoric? Yes I do – I love to talk – hate to listen – silence a little bit scary for me.

I am a great fan of Nancy Gibb’s writing – she writes the back page essays for Time Magazine and I don’t think there has ever been an occasion where she has not captured my attention and said something seriously good and challenging.
 
In Time (25 January 2010) she writes about the loneliest job in the world – now what is it you may be thinking? Well – Gibbs then goes on to outline the loneliness of being the President of the USA. It is a very interesting essay but what I love about it was the fact that she then talks about the loneliness of any leader.
 
It is the ‘nature of the job’ as Gibbs refers to it. Gibbs speaks about the decisions that no one else has to make but you as a leader. According to Gibbs on the day before D-Day General Dwight D. Eisenhower (later President of USA) had to make a decision whether to send two paratroop divisions into a sector where 9 out of 10 would be killed. Eisenhower speaks of hearing all the arguments, weighting all the advice and seeking all the counsel but in the end he was ‘all alone’ in making the decision.
 
Now I doubt that I will ever have the pressure of that type of decision but I do know the loneliness of decision making. I do know what it is like to sit in ‘the chair’ where the buck stops hoping and praying that the decision I am making will be right. However knowing that there will be some that I get wrong.
 
Being aware that upon making that decision people will be affected. E-Mails, letters and other communications will follow – not all of them will be nice. Sometimes wishing I had magical powers that made every decision absolutely correct and agreeable to everyone. Alas – that is what it is – wishful thinking.
 
No leader sets out to make a wrong decision. Eisenhower speaks of ‘conscientiously, deliberately, prayerfully scrutiniz(ing) every argument, every proposal, every prediction, every alternative, every probable outcome’ yet still being all alone in making the right decision.
 
So why tell you this? Quite simply to ask you to realize the loneliness of a leader’s life when it comes to making decisions AND having grace towards them when decisions are made that you just don’t agree with or perhaps are adversely affected by. Perhaps that is why all of us are encouraged to pray for our leaders. Make no mistake, as Gibbs says – ‘Lonely does not begin to describe’ how leaders live. Yes they choose it but that does not mean it is not lonely. Hopefully this has given you new insight into a leader’s life and how you respond to them?

Hey everyone!

My prayer is that the theme for this month of February, “Everyday Leader: Making Your Year Count”, will be one that galvanizes us for the year ahead. This is so because my – and I hope your – heartfelt intent is to see Riverview Church make this year count – seizing every day of opportunity that God brings. To focus that intent, we will be spending time looking at leadership – what it means, what it costs, what it brings, what it looks like – and engaging with leadership vision, heart, skill and stories.

We desire to be a people who not only lead others well but who also know how to lead ourselves well. Also this month we will be welcoming two dear friends of our church – John Bishop and Robert Fergusson – who will help us as we speak life and hope and wisdom into our lives. It’s going to be a month full of encouragement, motivation and enrichment – so let’s come with expectant and faith-filled hearts, ready for what God has for us in 2010.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Haydn

New Beginnings

New Hope

New Prayers

New Songs

New Birth

New Dreams

New Creativity

New Ideas

New Growth

New Faith

New Me

Yes - God is ever faithful!

This is a scripture I Have been meditating on for the last Few Weeks

 ^{LAMINTATIONS 3:22-33 (Message)}

^22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
   his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
   How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
   He's all I've got left.

 ^25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
   to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
   quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
   to stick it out through the hard times.

 ^28-30When life is heavy and hard to take,
   go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
   Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
   The "worst" is never the worst.

 ^31-33Why? Because the Master won't ever
   walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
   His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
   in throwing roadblocks in the way:

I was reading my devotions this morning – in fact it is one of my favourite parts of the bible. It is Luke 15 when Jesus tells the story about the lost sheep, loss coin and lost son.

How many times have I read it yet something was different this morning?

At the very start of this story the writer identifies who was in the audience that Jesus spoke to.

‘Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!’

I laugh every time I read this – ‘notorious sinners’ what is a notorious sinner? What a unique expression! And then he ate with them – oh no! I’m smiling as I type.

These people felt safe with Jesus – they listened to what Jesus had to say – there were multitudes of people who thought Jesus had something worthwhile to say. They listened!

It prompted me to think whether these people would feel safe at the church I pastor.

Would they want to come and then stay?

Would they be judged?

Would they feel safe?

Would they think I had something worthwhile to say and equally worth listening to

I wonder how many of us judge others by, perhaps, their conduct, their clothes, their looks, their attractiveness, their lifestyle and the list goes on.

Jesus never judged people yet provided an environment where they would come and listen to what he had to say.

It’s the place you look at from afar – wanting to go there but not ever really being game. It is a blokes place. It is a place that individuals like me entertain thoughts that one day we might venture into its sacred domain. It is that place in the gym usually in the corner where blokes lift huge weights, talk about ‘what they are on!’, look at themselves in the vast array of mirrors to see if their muscles have grown in the past five seconds, grunt as they lift weights that weight more than me – this is the place where the boys have biceps bigger than my thighs.

I have often wanted to go there but alas I am just not there yet! Until one day my fitness trainer took me into this forbidden area to lift some ‘free weights’ – my, how I am learning the lingo of the gym. ‘I’ve never been here’, I said – ‘Don’t worry no one is here, you are safe!’ she said – her smiling face gave away the fact that she was having a go at me.

I did my routine then left but I wanted to return. The next day I did. Full of confidence I approached the ‘area’ – there were about five guys there strutting their stuff and lifting weights the size of small cars. I was not intimidated. I walked past them – they watched me go to the smallest weights on the rack and struggle to even lift them off. Still not fearful of their sideways glances I put the weights down – found a bench and laid out my towel.

Did I hear a snigger – who cares what they think? I might have a small weight but I’m in the ‘area’! More laughter – I could have sworn that they were looking at me. Was my technique wrong? Anyway who cares – I completed my first set of ‘reps’ turned to face the bench with my towel on it. Then I saw it – I was in shock – I knew what they were laughing at! It wasn’t my small weights. It wasn’t my technique.

It was my ‘Winnie the Pooh’ towel on the bench. Never in the history of that ‘place’ had anyone dared to bring into its depths a towel like this. It just wasn’t the thing to do!

Well I thought – ‘Get used to it!’ – because now that I have made the transition to the big boys area I am coming back. Well maybe without the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ towel.

Its amazing how the opinion of others affects us much more than we dare to think. If only our confidence was not based on what people think but by what One thinks I suspect we would go to places we have always just dreamed about!

I was at a conference where one of the speakers was Steve Murrell who is the Senior Pastor of Victory Church in Manila, Philippines, a director of the Real Life Ministries and the co-founder and president of Every Nation, a worldwide family of churches and ministries.

He played a word association test with the delegates – you know what I mean – say a word and then what do you associate it with!

So here it was!

Gloria Jeans – coffee – did you get that one?

Holden – cars

Rolex – watches

Fosters – beer

Harley Davidson – Motor bikes

Church?

Wow – what would you say? Now no doubt you would say something and you may well be right but would it be as clear as some of the above?

His answer made me really think. Steve Murrell said that when we say church the word association MUST be disciples.

He went to say that we are not called to build the church – Jesus has that role. We are called to make disciples. Food for thought I think!

It is amazing some of the childhood memories that you recall – often in strange places and at surprising times.

My daughter Hannah and I were eating at a busy café recently for lunch – packed out with people from all walks of life. Tables close together and not a spare table in sight really! As we sat and started to eat a wave of conversations and scenes hit me.

Beside us were two ladies – friends – lunching together and one was going through the pain of a separation and divorce, her voice and her emotions getting louder and louder but she didn’t seem to mind who heard what she was saying about her husband of 15 years and the father of her 4 children. A group of four businessmen – plotting a business deal for a meeting after lunch. Two young people in love – holding hands and exchanging whispers to each other not caring who saw their affections. A mother and daughter talking about ‘the kids’. Two tourists pouring over a map excitedly talking about the next ‘thing’ they wanted to see after lunch. A couple of girlfriends laughing together and saying they must catch up more often. A family with kids – then the mandatory spilt drink – how I remember those days – I laughed at the number of drinks spilt by the Edwards children over the years.

I loved the scene before me – watching and listening to all these sights. Then I remembered – where did this memory come from – I don’t think I have ever thought about this ever before.

At my home where I lived as a child – 1 Kallara Avenue – a stone throw from the hospital where my Dad worked in those days – just above the kitchen table was a picture of sorts. It read ‘Christ is the unseen listener at all our conversations’. My Mum would have placed it there perhaps as a reminder about the tone of our mealtime conversations. That was in an era where meals were eaten around a table not a TV.

At that moment in that café I became the silent listener to many conversations and I realized that God does hear the conversations we have – the conversations about our pain, the business deals, the whispers of love and affection, the kid stories, the adventures of our days and everything else we speak about. The good things, the things we shouldn’t say about others, the bad things and indeed the downright ugly things.

In that moment I gained a glimpse into the caring compassionate heart of God, who cares and loves me enough to listen. Yes listen and suddenly in that café I thought – I’m glad He listens! Perhaps that’s what why my Mum put the picture there – it reminded her that of that very thought - God does listen!

I can still hear the words of my mother ringing in my ears as I promised her faithfully – well as faithfully as a 10 year boy can – to pick up my clothes from the bedroom floor, ‘Actions speak louder than words!’

There are none among us that have not had those words said to us and as the parent of four children let me confess that I have perhaps, on the odd occasion, said those immortal words. I thought I would never be guilty of repeating to my children what my parents said to me.

The meaning of that timeless phrase is very clear. You know what it means and I know what it means.

Yet the other night the reality of those words came home to me in a very unique way. I am so fortunate to live slightly out of town – at night the sky is not subject to nay light interference. Perish the thought that I nearly said ‘light pollution’. The night sky was so clear – stars not just shining but it seemed that after the recent rain things were just a little brighter. The ‘milky way’ was so visible. I just stood there transfixed – unusual for me who can’t keep still for more than a nanosecond.

Then I remembered the words of David – King and poet, ‘The heavens proclaim the glory of God … day after day they continue to speak, night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word, their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth and their words to all the world.’

They speak yet utter not a sound. Their beauty spoke, their power shouted, their brightness yelled, their magnificence roared, their majesty screamed and their radiance cried out to me yet I heard not a single sound.

Do I speak too much? Do I find myself wanting to have an opinion on everything? Is silence that frightening for me? Do I dominate conversation with my rhetoric? Yes I do – I love to talk – hate to listen – silence a little bit scary for me.

On New Year’s Eve a pastor friend gave me a copy of a Prophet of Purpose, The Life of Rick Warren. It’s an intimate biographical portrait of a gifted man who has followed God and risen to amazing influence culminating in President Barak Obama asking him to give the prayer at his Inauguration.

The book provides a behind the scenes glimpse of how Warren has navigated the minefield of the polarised and poisoned politics of the US as he invited both conservative and liberal identities to speak at his Saddleback Church’s Civil Forums.

It also details how Warren’s influence has gone global with his quest to address the AIDS crisis in Africa and other giants of third world disadvantage through his PEACE plan.

Tears flowed down my cheeks – I attempted to hide them but as I looked around I saw others were crying too. Not a word was being spoken – it was quiet but I had learnt something that I didn’t understand before, but I do now.

I was in St Paul’s Church Manhattan New York – directly across the road from the World Trade Centre twin towers that were destroyed on September 11, 2001. The church itself was not damaged in any way but the was littered with debris from the terrorist attack. Yet it became a haven of hope for 12 months after the attacks.

What did I learn that day as I stood in the church? My friend Bishop Michael Putney told me a couple of years ago that there were special places that felt very spiritual – almost as if God favoured them. Now I couldn’t understand that – are not all places special to God? Surely God has no favourite places? Michael explained it this way – there are places where millions of people over the ages have gathered to pray. When you go there you will know. Before you, countless people over the ages have prayed at that very spot. You just sense God’s presence in a very special way. Well – that’s what he said.

St Paul’s opened in 1766 and has been in continuous use ever since. I saw the very bench where George Washington the first President of the USA prayed after his Inauguration and many times after that – after 9/11 tens of thousands people – rescue workers, family members of victims and volunteers came and sought solace there. Over 14000 volunteers in 12 hour shifts provided care and comfort for the 2000 workers who went to Ground Zero each and every day. Can you imagine the prayers that were prayed by people waiting for news of family and relatives who were missing after 9/11? For over 300 years people have prayed there and believe me when you walked into that church you knew that God was there.

I know this messes up my theology – I am not terribly worried by that to be honest. I just know that the moment I entered that church I wept. My tears were real and my emotions flowed freely. Others around felt the same. God’s presence to me was so real.

I could have stayed all day – David wrote a psalm and said, ‘I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells.’ (Psalm 26:8 NLT). Perhaps I had a glimpse of what both David and my friend Michael Putney understood and I have yet to learn? That day I added my prayers to those countless people who have prayed there!

Update: 28th November 2009

It is a great pleasure to announce that the swelling of Phil’s brain has receded to such an extent that, on Friday the 27th November, the surgeons operated to re-attach that section of his skull.

This operation went smoothly with no unforeseen challenges. Once Phil has fully recovered from this most recent operation, he will continue with the hard work of his rehabilitation.

Both Phil and Heather would like to pass on their thanks for your continuing prayers and support.

Haydn Nelson

Hey everyone!

This month’s theme promises to be deeply significant in the life of Riverview Church. Not only does this month mark the beginning of a new and exciting year for us all, but we also open the year by engaging with who we are – our identity. Although our identity derives ultimately from our relationship with God through Jesus Christ, it is always refreshing and challenging to look and reaffirm again those things that mark us, particularly as this community of faith.

Key leaders will be speaking life and hope into our church – illuminating those beliefs, distinctives, values and intangibles that make us who we are. So, please come with hearts full of faith – ready and willing to be moved and motivated.

It is going to be a great year!

Warmly

Haydn

Well it's the end of 2009  and what a year its been. Plenty of challenges but thank God He walked with us through them all.

A Big thanks to all those who sent in, emailed, or rang up to pass on their prayers and support for Phil Baker - it's been much appreciated.

A big thanks also to those people who have helped keep the blog going over the past 7 months. Please continue to upload posts when possibly, as we want to continue it going ready for when Phil is back with us again.

Looking forward to 2010 and to continue to see God move in all the churches and our own lives around Australia.

The steadfast Love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to a end.

They are new every morning  - Great is His Faithfullness, the Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.

Lamentations 3:22-24

We have our Christmas Production happening this weekend  "Ebenezer".  A classic story including a brief message from Haydn Nelson at our  Sat 6pm and Sun 9am,11.15am &6pm services.

 Next Thursday  24th  Christmas Eve we have our Simply Christmas Service "O Come all Ye Faithful" at  5pm and 7pm

My exercise regime continues – up till now I have been training by myself and not really having a clue how to achieve those goals that I had secretly hidden in my heart but hoping desperately to achieve.

So I took the plunge and engaged a personal trainer – Sarah is fantastic – very patient and encouraging – someone who will not tolerate my rot!

We sat down and she analysed what I had been doing by myself over the past few weeks. The look of shock was obvious – ‘You do all this! What about a rest day?’ I thought ‘Rest Day! Novel concept but unnecessary because I have certain goals I want to achieve.’ How unlike me to be like a bull at a gate?

Sarah reviewed my schedule then personally went through the exercise and training regime with me. Helping me, demonstrating to me, coaching me and encouraging me through the process – each exercise was for a specific purpose which fitted into my goals.

It was more specific, more concentrated and it would take less time due to the specific nature of the routine and it incorporated a rest day.

As I walked away from this session I thought about how good this was for me. I felt so empowered – so able – so capable and competent. I had a coach who cared about me. Everyone needs a coach – someone to guide them in doing life so we don’t go the wrong way, exert more effort than we should, waste precious time and energy or make too many mistakes.

I realize you perhaps know what I am going to say next but for me one of the best coaches in my life is my daily devotions and journaling. I find reading my bible in a systematic way and then journaling is indeed like having a personal trainer. It guides me, assists me, encourages me, corrects me and teaches me. Even yesterday devotions provided me with some wonderful counsel in an area of my life that I needed guidance upon.

Who coaches you? Don’t do life alone! What a recipe for disaster that could be?

It was easy when I expounded a vision that involved a ministry to those who were abused and traumatised. It sounded compassionate, caring and perhaps even slightly daring. Then something happened! The vision has started to become a reality.

The church commenced a ‘drop in’ centre as a prologue to a residential facility.

People started to come to church as a result – people who had found love and compassion at the ‘drop in’ centre.

Yet they are different than me – different from anyone in the church. They are not like ‘us’. They are the marginalized, outsiders who made me uncomfortable. They smell differently, they do things in the services that ‘we’ don’t do, they walk around in the services, they talk and answer my rhetorical questions during my message and they interrupt me at inconvenient moments.

‘Love your neighbour’ is fine when the neighbour is like ‘us’.

Suddenly my theology is taking a battering. I love the church because the church is filled with people like me. Everything was comfortable, the services attracted people like me, the programs attracted people like me and people liked the church because it suited their needs but God is turning my world upside down.

I am uncomfortable – it is easy to love people just like me. Yet was this the type of love that Jesus expounded?

Embracing the Father’s love means venturing into places we don’t like going, doing things we don’t want to do, being with people we are uncomfortable with, loving them, serving them, embracing them with a ‘not of this world’ kind of love that actually costs us something of ourselves.

It means doing these things in the church not delegating them to the missions department – out of sight out of mind!

When the world sees a church that embraces a love of people who are not like us and treats them as neighbours they will sense that the love the church expounds is genuine. They will see the miraculous beauty of true love and I suspect that people know genuine love when they see it.

It is exceptionally beautiful when a group of people walk out true love to their neighbours through being with people who they find difficult to understand or uncomfortable to be with.

Especially beautiful to God!

I had never heard of ‘NORTHFACE 100’ until my friend Matt Reis told me that he had entered an ultra marathon set in the Blue Mountains NSW. It is a world renowned race covering a gruelling 100 kms with an elevation gain half the height of Mt Everest. The conditions are brutal with competitors from previous years dropping out from exhaustion to hypothermia due to the extreme cold.

Matt, his wonderful wife Bec and young child Lulu are in my life group and since before Christmas last year Matt trained. I watched in awe as he pounded the roads every day – six days every week. No short runs for Matt – he would run from Ipswich to Mount Cootha – well over the 40 km mark as just one run for this preparation.

You see Matt had a dream!

The desire of his heart was to run this event – complete it in less than 15 hours.

His sense of discipline was awesome to behold

Then race day came – nervous – of course I was – you thought I was talking about Matt being nervous? Well, no doubt he was!

Bec and I texted all day – progress reports – ‘How is Matt?’ ‘How is he going?’ ‘How far has he gone now?’ ‘Is he OK?’

At the 75km mark Matt hit the dreaded runner’s wall – yet I know Matt Reis! He kept going – for a short period it became a walk but he didn’t give up. Then the finishing line – 100 kms – not 15 hours but an incredible 13 hours and 37 minutes – 25^th out of 400.

I received the SMS and burst into tears as I knew what this meant to my mate Matt.

Dream accomplished!

Matt is for me in every sense a hero

He is courageous beyond measure

He is faithful, honest and loyal

His pursuit of his dream was not for the fainthearted

His work ethic and preparation sacrificial

He is humble not self promoting

A man of few words but those words when spoken mean much

Many people have dreams but do little to achieve them but Matt is not one of those people. He has known what it is like to wake up the day after and know that he is one of the elite who conquered NorthFace 100.

I am so proud of Matt

He inspires me greatly

He is truly my hero

Yet above all else he is my friend

Well done mate!

Recently the way I thought about a particular issue was really challenged by Gary Haugen. I listened to him speak about the difference between justice and compassion. Was there a difference I thought?

Gary Haugen is President and CEO of International Justice Mission which is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.

Haugen explained the parable of the Good Samaritan in a way that I had never thought of. He indicated that the care provided for the victim of crime was wonderful and very compassionate. Yet, what if there was justice to the point whereby the robbers who committed the crime were not able to operate because of fear of the consequences wouldn’t that be better?

This is the essential difference between justice and compassion – I had never thought of it in this way.

You see, compassion is great, but it is essentially after the event – justice prevents the event from taking place at all.

It was at this point that I realized that if justice is only based on a fear of the consequences it will never totally eradicate crime, abuse or exploitation. However if values are the essence of justice then it means that if one can implant values into the heart and soul of people then justice would flow from those values.

Well it is a noble thought – but it did get me thinking!  

Nancy Gibbs writing in theTime Magazine says that ‘in tough times, the virtues that inspire us are old fashioned, unglamorous and hiding in plain sight.’

She mentions three recent heroes that were everyday people who stood up when circumstances dictated and achieved hero status. First there was Captain Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger who landed his plane on a river then walked the plane ensuring no passengers were left behind. Captain Richard Phillips the oil tanker Captain who offered himself as a trade to Somali pirates in the place of his crew. Finally Susan Boyle – the unemployed woman who cared for her mother until her mother’s death but sang on Britain’s Got Talent until all who heard her teared up.

Gibbs suggests that there normality made them special. Normal people who display old fashioned values such as competence, sacrifice, persistence and patience and now have their names written in the annals of folk law.

I then realized that my heroes are not celebrities or stars or front page people or even publicity seeking individuals – they are ordinary people who took the time, displayed the patience, gave the encouragement, persisted during my tough times, were loyal and faithful when I was not, stuck by me in good and bad times and rejoiced with me during the mountain highs. They are not known to the masses, unrecognizable in a crowd and avoid hero status like they would the flu.

Yet I know them – I honour them – I admire them – I am proud of them – I call my friends.

Thank you Nancy Gibbs for allowing me the time to reflect on who my heroes really are – I have enjoyed just thinking about them, seeing their faces in my mind and remembering their influence and impact upon me.

Who are your heroes?

HOW DO I DO DEVOTIONS?

My friend Wayne Cordeiro taught me this method. It is called the S.O.A.P. method.

It involves journaling so get yourself a journal AND a bible reading plan which systematically allows you to read through the bible. Download from http://www.ircc.org.au/joomla/Resources/Daily%20Devotions.pdf if you want to.

Then after reading the verses write up your journal as follows

S – Scripture

I write out the scripture that I will be journaling. When I refer to the scripture, I don’t mean just writing out the reference such as John 3:16; I actually write the scripture out in full. At the most it should be only one or two verses, but as I write it out it gets into my memory because I want to retain and think about it for the remainder of the day.

O – Observation

What do I observe about the passage of scripture on which I am journaling?

A – Application

Perhaps this is the most important part of the journal entry, as it is where I record how I will apply the scripture that I have read and written about.

P – Prayer

At the end of my entry I record my prayer, how this passage of scripture can be applied to my life, and I ask for God’s help to enable this to happen. I want to live the day differently because of what I read. To go even further, I want to live my life differently because of what I read each and every day.

So what do you think? Well worth starting devotions? I think so – please join with me as each day we listen to God speaking to us through devotions.

What a weekend  Riverview 30th Birthday   From Friday to Sunday 

It started on Friday Night with Rapture Rucus  Rapping with the youth then on Saturday We had the Bush dance and celabration in the G.O. Edwards Park just outside the church Long Day but well worth it  we had about 2000 turning up and then on Sunday the 3 services Wayne Alcorn speaking  what a great inspirational message. We also had many video of other from around the country and world sending there regards (a big thankyou to them)

So Happy Birthday  Riverview    

Let’s talk about REFRESHING YOURSELF SPIRITUALLY – spending time daily with God.

This is commonly called devotions - I define ‘devotions’ as a specific time and place where I can devote myself to God.

When is the best time to do devotions? The best time is when you are at your best. Are you an owl or a fowl – good in the mornings or good in the evenings? It appears that Jesus enjoyed the early part of the day. Mark 1:35(NKJV) records, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

You need to have a good look at your lifestyle and find out what is best for you. The same time will not suit everyone. Once you find a time, it is important that you make a commitment to stick to it. I find that the discipline of a definite time is paramount to my doing devotions for such a lengthy and consistent time.

I also find that a wonderful cup of coffee really helps me, so I found a place where I can have a nice coffee and do my devotions. You may have a special place in your home where you can sit quietly to spend time in the Word, or you may prefer to find somewhere outside your home.  The location is not important, as long as it is somewhere you will feel comfortable and be free of distractions.

Something else I have discovered that really helps is to choose a time, perhaps once a week, where you do devotions with a group of other people. The discipline of knowing that as a group you meet in the same place at the same time helps to keep momentum with devotions.

My next post will discuss the ‘how to’ of devotions!