23 Mar Picking up where we left off…
Gigantic thanks all around for your prayers & great help while I was away playing tour guide for friends from Texas & spending a few days with our church-planting gospel co-workers in Penrith. It’s a HUGE reassurance to be able to place the reins of worship & congregational care into the hands of faithful Living Water leaders & know everyone is being looked after in my absence. I mentioned Sunday it was odd realizing my friend Kevin & I have known each other for 50 years…7th grade TAS class was when we first met. And over the years, no matter how long it is…we pick up where we left off in our relationship laughing with, caring for, praying for, challenging, & learning from each other. He’s a pastor of an enormous church & school in Austin, Texas…a very different part of our Lord’s vineyard but we each have challenges & joys aplenty.
Speaking of picking up where we leave off…those few days back with the Brocks at LifeWay Westside were a great boost for me and for them. They’re going through some transitions as a wider parish & some real struggles at the moment. So it was good for me to be able to go up & pray with, & pray for & offer some insights…I always feel I receive more than I give…but Danny assures me the simple act of showing up to support them is a massive infusion of strength, so I’ll probably do that again somewhere along the way this year. Please keep up your prayers for them.
Let’s see what our Living Water family calendar looks like…
- Zoom Bible Study Catch-up
Friday 28th March 2025 @ 1:00 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting — https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81166125179 — Meeting ID: 811 6612 5179 - Wednesday, 26th March we’re leading devotions at Caloola Court.
- Thursday, 27th March we’ve got Ladies Fellowship & Bible Study at Eunice’s home. That’s always a fun & engaging few hours together
- This Sunday, 30th March, we’ll continue the Lent theme Whole-Hearted: Submission. Every week I ask us to pray seriously Father prepare me for whatever you require today and lead me in faith wherever you call me to go. In Jesus’ Name…Amen. What does it mean to completely submitted to whatever it is God asks of you? We’ll be listening to Jesus as he speaks to prospective disciples in Luke 9:51-62…have a read before worship & see what Jesus might be saying to you.
- I mentioned Sunday that a few of our family members are having a rough time of it at the moment. Please keep praying & checking in on one another, and since there’s always something I might miss, don’t be afraid to give me a ring to keep me in the loop. I’d rather know something twice than not at all.
I quoted GK Chesterton this week: “Tolerance in the virtue of those without conviction.” Remember that in today’s world, most people define “tolerance” as endorsement (I applaud what you’re doing) or at least acquiescence (I’ll be quiet about what you’re doing whether I agree with you or not), and see any disagreement or challenge as hatred (You are intolerant because you disagree). But as followers of Jesus our convictions (what we bet our lives on & guide our lives by) are founded in the exclusive claims of Jesus to be God’s solution to the problem of sin, death & evil. As Acts 4:12 says, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” We live guided by the non-negotiable realities of who Jesus is, what Jesus did, and importantly, what that implies for each of us. The Bible reminds us that life apart from Jesus in this world leads unavoidably toward life apart from him in the world to come. To choose your own way is to choose death because life in its fullness & eternal abundance is found only in Jesus.
At the same time, Paul reminds us to “Speak the truth in love.” (Eph 4:15) Over the years, I think many in the church have fallen into the trap of thinking that following Jesus means if we’re just the nicest people anyone knows, that’s the same as planting the seeds of the gospel. It isn’t. Sometimes, Jesus wasn’t nice…but he always spoke God’s truth (THE Truth) and he always did so as someone who loves us enough to challenge us in our sin & invite us to allow his grace to transform what he challenged into holiness. Hearing the truth from one of us is the only way many people will ever know what God really wants to make flourish in their lives. We are the only source of that life-changing good news in Jesus for many of our friends or family members. And if we’re silent, or go along happily with whatever self-indulgent path they choose…we may miss an opportunity to introduce them to the Jesus who could open their hearts to his eternal abundant satisfaction & joy. Join us on Friday & we’ll explore all this more deeply.
See you somewhere along the way!
God bless your week!
John
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