Another week done and a week of watching events unfold in other areas of the world that seem to have a surreal apocalyptic nature the them, having the luxury of viewing this from a distance can lead to a sense of helplessness and disconnectedness.
It is encouraging to see the UK Government offering support, but I am waiting for the inevitable backlash from those who feel that we, in the UK, should not be spending any money supporting those overseas when we have such cutbacks here in the UK. I hope the Government will have the strength of conviction to press on ... a dose of perspective is what is needed at times, to stop us being inward looking!
What can we do to the people of Japan? ... Pray for them of course!
As for the rest of the week, which seems so mundane in comparison with the other events on the world scale!!
On Monday we attended the funeral of a very special lady, Dr Helen Kennedy, who had first arrived on West African soil as a WEC missionary in 1954. What then followed was a life that took her, along with her husband a family, to Ivory Coast, UK and France before finally coming back to the UK to 'retire'. Very moving to see how the Lord uses obedience to do the most amazing things and build Hs Kingdom ... A real encouragement for everyone as we persevere in all that the Lord leads us in to. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends that remain here as they adjust to life without her.
We also spent much time in final interviews for the folks who are coming to the end of 10 weeks here at the HQ. One might think that, given our long vacancy list (check out to see if there is anything there that you feel the Lord is challenging you to do http://www.wec-int.org.uk/get-involved-mainmenu-41/find-vacancies.html) along with our desire to grow by 1200 people over the next 8 years, it would be a simple matter. However as a fellowship it is so important both for those joining and the wider WEC teams they will be working with, that the 'fit' is right, and the timing. Ultimately we are dealing with people's lives - which is a huge responsibility and one which we don't take lightly.
Spent a good evening in a local 'Hostelry' discussing with the members of a local Church who had been running a discipleship group ... Looked at the idea of giving, and how that discipline should be a part of our lifestyle. Together, having looked at the scriptures, we came to the conclusion that our giving should be 'deliberate and intentional', 'cheerful', and 'bountiful'. As we take the next step and consider what specific steps we can each take as we consider our time, money and talents it is an amazing thought to imagine what the Lord can do with Churches and individuals who have that attitude!!
As I watched the footage of the wave sweeping across the nation of Japan, and seeing it wash away all that stood before it ... It was a challenging reminder that the raw power that we could see so vividly before us is nothing compared to the power at work as we pray!
- Press on!
It is encouraging to see the UK Government offering support, but I am waiting for the inevitable backlash from those who feel that we, in the UK, should not be spending any money supporting those overseas when we have such cutbacks here in the UK. I hope the Government will have the strength of conviction to press on ... a dose of perspective is what is needed at times, to stop us being inward looking!
What can we do to the people of Japan? ... Pray for them of course!
As for the rest of the week, which seems so mundane in comparison with the other events on the world scale!!
On Monday we attended the funeral of a very special lady, Dr Helen Kennedy, who had first arrived on West African soil as a WEC missionary in 1954. What then followed was a life that took her, along with her husband a family, to Ivory Coast, UK and France before finally coming back to the UK to 'retire'. Very moving to see how the Lord uses obedience to do the most amazing things and build Hs Kingdom ... A real encouragement for everyone as we persevere in all that the Lord leads us in to. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends that remain here as they adjust to life without her.
We also spent much time in final interviews for the folks who are coming to the end of 10 weeks here at the HQ. One might think that, given our long vacancy list (check out to see if there is anything there that you feel the Lord is challenging you to do http://www.wec-int.org.uk/get-involved-mainmenu-41/find-vacancies.html) along with our desire to grow by 1200 people over the next 8 years, it would be a simple matter. However as a fellowship it is so important both for those joining and the wider WEC teams they will be working with, that the 'fit' is right, and the timing. Ultimately we are dealing with people's lives - which is a huge responsibility and one which we don't take lightly.
Spent a good evening in a local 'Hostelry' discussing with the members of a local Church who had been running a discipleship group ... Looked at the idea of giving, and how that discipline should be a part of our lifestyle. Together, having looked at the scriptures, we came to the conclusion that our giving should be 'deliberate and intentional', 'cheerful', and 'bountiful'. As we take the next step and consider what specific steps we can each take as we consider our time, money and talents it is an amazing thought to imagine what the Lord can do with Churches and individuals who have that attitude!!
As I watched the footage of the wave sweeping across the nation of Japan, and seeing it wash away all that stood before it ... It was a challenging reminder that the raw power that we could see so vividly before us is nothing compared to the power at work as we pray!
- Press on!
Hi John- thanks for sharing this. So much going on in the world. I had to speak the other day on Revelation 4: 1- 6a and the preparation for that, and the time since then, means that the 'open door in heaven' is with me all the time. And what did John see? A THRONE with a man sitting on it - our Sovereign God, in charge of the Universe and of our lives. Every time I switch on the TV news and see our battered world, I see that Throne superimposed on it all. For me, it helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jackie