Deeper

We all need to know the presence of God. Tonight we have an Equip Event, Deeper, at Broadmead Baptist in Bristol City centre at 7pm (see poster for further details).

DEEPER is about the 'deep blue sea' and diving, diving into the very depths of God, His word and his personal revelation for us as in Psalm 42: 7 which declares…deep calls unto deep.

This will be a meeting of intense worship and meditation, interspersed with scripture readings, prophetic words, and other devotional readings with a time for personal ministry.

Tonight we will discover the often hidden depths of God, taking the time necessary time to allow a fuller revelation of His word and promise to touch our lives deeply.

Come and join us this evening....it would be great to see you.

Andy

Remember

Today is a day when we remember those who have given their lives for peace and freedom.

It is a day when we take a moment to be thankful and to pay our respects for those that the bible says have the greatest love...."Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15: 13)

Love maybe is not the first thing that we think about on Armistice Day. This love is not based on words but based on deeds, acts of heroism, selflessness, individuals who have prefered their brother or sister (Romans 12: 10).

Whenever I see programmes about those that have served or are serving in our armed forces I am amazed at their courage and selflessness. They serve willingly, they sacrifice willingly, they go to places that hopefully many of us will never have to go to, they have seen things that I pray most of us will never see.

Today and on Remembrance Sunday take a moment to remember those that have shown, are showing us the greatest example of love.

Andy

Worst of Times....Best of Times

Feel this is so true for today.....courtesy of Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1812 -1870).

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil,

Charles!

Character Determines Your Reach

For me Character is everything. Over the years I have met many gifted people but how they have used their gift(s) and how that has reached/impacted people has been varied.

In my earlier years I would look at some people and wonder why they (their gift,talent, ability, expertise) were reaching and impacting so many more people than a comparable person with the same level of giftedness or maybe even more. The answer is Character. Why?

This all about trust. Can we be trusted to use what we have been blessed with the right way, to make it count without it going to our head. Arrogance and pride will always curtail For our gift. Humility on the other hand does exactly the opposite.

If it always about us, life becomes very shallow and limited. When life is also about other people it is deep and unlimited! I know which life I want!!

The bible has many things to say about this. Ultimately can we be trusted with what God wants to give us, bless us with even. Can we be trusted to steward, administer, cherish correctly what He wants to give each one of us. Note, this is not about the promise or provision for a chosen few, this is for all!!

We need everyones gift to be in full operation...soaring even (as per the the great book Soar with Your Strength's). We can never hope to reach out and meet the many needs of this world through mediocrity, we need all our gifts and abilities at full stretch! Only our best will do!

Finally I will leave the final words to God....the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless (committed) to Him....(2 Chronicles 16: 9). God is looking for us! Question is, can we be fully trusted? A challenge for us all.

Andy

Prisoners of the Past

This is a phrase that has been with me for some months. It is something that I feel affects all of us at some point in our lives. We can be held captive by our past.

Over the past few years I have tried to develop a focus and mentality that looks forward not backward. I always want to be a person that believes better days are ahead.

Sometimes we need to look back, to learn from past events and mistakes. But this is not the same as being held captive. Jack Welch one time CEO of GEC was once asked what was the most valuable lesson he could impart to the young aspiring excecutives. His answer was "simply allow people to make mistakes and then to lean from them." When we stop allowing people to make mistakes we stop one of the best ways we learn. Ultimately, allowing mistakes creates an environment that enables great new ideas to develop, it helps people to reach beyond the immediate and to grasp the future.

People that we identify as achievers are not people that have never failed, but they are people that pick themselves up and cut themselves some slack and have another go, and then another go, and then another go, and then....you get the picture!

John maxwell has this great phrase "failing forward: turning mistakes into stepping stones for success" ....i.e.) we are always learning no matter what the situation. Alternatively the bible says "all things work together for good for those who love God" (Romans 8: 28).

Don't be held by the past or past failures. If needed forgive yourself, give yourself the same break you give everyone else, pick yourself up and have another go....you deserve it!

Andy

Heaven

Simply love this song.

Enjoy...Andy

Personal

As a Christian I am part of a worldwide faith movement.  There are billions of Christians across the globe.

It never ceases to amaze me how we really are all the same, the differences we have are only metaphorically and literally 'skin deep. Within, we are all the same mix of spirit, soul and body. However, what I believe separates Christians from everyone else is our relationship with Jesus and God the Father.

It is this personal relationship that defines our faith from all other faiths. This is where Christianity can be seen to be a paradox. Yes Christianity is a corporate religion, but at its core is this personal relationship with God. The Bible declares God created the heavens (including the universe) and the earth, and that the earth is his footstool (Isaiah 66: 1), yet God also wants (craves) personal relationship with you and me....amazing!

Christianity is encapsulated in this relationship. With it we have everything we need. Sometimes it is not easy, challenging even, but like all worthwhile relationships it is worth fighting for.

We may spend a 'lifetime' trying to get it right, but I for one believe it is worth it.

Finally fight to keep those special relationships in your life.....without them we are always the poorer!

Finally, finally a big thanks and love to all those special relationships in my life, Nessa, the kids, my family and friends....where would I be without you all!!

Blessings!

Andy