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Waiting on God/Soaking

It’s simply spending time in God’s Presence, rather than striving in prayer.  It’s about resting in His Presence, experiencing Him and choosing to be intimate with Him.  God desires that we would know Him.  We were each created in His image, created with a need for relationship.  God made it possible for each of us to have relationship with Him by sending His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins.

While we base our theology on the Bible, our experiences with God make the truth come alive in our lives.

As we wait we focus on Him.  Waiting puts us in a position where we are often more able to hear His voice and receive His love.  It is also an opportunity for us to pour out our hearts to Him.  It’s about living in and enjoying an on-going relationship with our creator.

As people have soaked in God’s Presence, they have experienced profound heart changes.  Their marriages have been healed, their fears dispelled, depressions and sicknesses have left and lives have been transformed.

OK, so what actually happens?  Well, we turn up, maybe with a mat, a cushion and a blanket, and lie down or sit on a chair in the sanctuary.  There’s soft lighting and worship music playing.  A few folk have been asked to circulate quietly praying silently for individuals.  That’s all!  The point is that if we arrange to do it together then we actually make time to do it.  Ask around for folk’s stories of how they found it.

Dawkins Disciple?

On the night of 21st October 2011 our front door was tastefully decorated with a silver spray can.  The same message was delivered on to the wall of our neighbours at the Westwood Parish Church.  On the front door of St Columba’s Lutheran Church the text “evolution” appeared in the same silver.  If this was your creed our website editor would love to talk with you.  Have you read John Lennox’s book ‘God’s Undertaker’?  He takes Professor Richard to the cleaners.

24/7 Prayer - Holy Week 2012

We pretty much did it - the 168 hours - with lots of help from other churches.  The prayer room was a lovely, peaceful environment, God’s presence was experienced, many tears were shed as worship and requests were poured out to our Heavenly Father in the strong Name of Jesus.  Many sins, burdens and heartaches were written on ribbons and left at the cross.  Loved ones, families, churches, East Kilbride, Scotland, Planet Earth, all were lifted up in prayer.  What will we see as Our Father responds?

Where to put the Screen  - and what shape to have it?

We’re planning to improve our projection facilities and we are choosing what shape of screen (Normal or Widescreen) to have and where to put it.  The thumbnails above show five options, click on each to get a bigger picture.  Email your thoughts to the Editor.

Freedom in Christ Course

 This course is an eye-opener, whether you’re a brand new Christian or have been on the road for decades.  It can help you to:

• Break through to a greater level of spiritual maturity
• Uncover any areas of deception holding you back
• Resolve personal and spiritual conflicts
• Learn strategies to renew your mind and and break free from negative thinking and unhelpful patterns of behaviour

Rhythms of Life

Well at least we didn’t experience a false dawn followed by severe frost.  Hopefully the trees and gardens will soon be blooming and the harvest plentiful at the end of the year.  Sowing and reaping are familiar images as we reflect on the seasons of God.  The land must rest before the new cycle of productivity begins.

Rhythms of work and rest are part of the fabric of God’s creation - so much so that God commands us to pause at regular times in the rhythm of life.   Without the command we might otherwise drive ourselves too hard and take no rest at all.  But are we to rest from work or work from rest?

Since the time of the Reformation, Christian culture has in part been unhelpfully affected by the ‘Protestant Work Ethic’.  To work to exhaustion and take the reward of rest is not in keeping with the teaching of Jesus!  Look at the pattern of Jesus’ life.  His priority was to spend time with the Father, even when the people pursued him for his help and healing.  Jesus knew that in order to be truly productive a person must first rest.  His teaching was counter-intuitive.  We think that in order to be productive we must first give ourselves to hard work, and rest when we are exhausted.  But Jesus taught work from rest!  He said to the disciples, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4).  If we want to be spiritually productive in the Christian life, the place to begin is the place of ‘rest’ in Christ.  The vine produces fruit.  The branch can only bear it!

Try putting the brakes on from time to time this week and take time for sufficient rest in Christ.  You may have to strive to enter his rest.  But may you enjoy the productivity that comes from investing in abiding in Christ.

Nigel Heath

May 2013