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Good morning. When we quieten ourselves down and escape the hype of the news that we are fed on TV and radio, we are able to refocus on what really counts. It is then that we catch a glimpse of the goodness of God. Try and picture how David was feeling when he wrote "Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens." (Psalm 8:1) There is no question that He was immersed in God's splendour. David continues, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" (Psalm 8:3‭-‬4) When we are in God's presence, the words of the song we sing say it all. "When I Gaze Into Your Holiness When I Look Into Your Loveliness When All Things That Surround Become Shadows In Light Of You" "When I Find The Joy Of Reaching Your Heart When My Will Is Enthroned In Your Love When All Things That Surround Become Shadows In Light Of You" "I Worship You I Worship You The Reason I Live, Is To Worship You." Enjoy being with Him today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. There is so much hurt and pain all around us. Everywhere we look it is in our face. We may well ask "What next?" We can follow the example of David. "Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." (I Samuel 30:6 NKJV) J. John, the evangelists, is known for saying, "Tell me how." So, how? We strengthen ourselves firstly by letting God work in us. "But You, O Lord , are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head." (Psalms 3:3 NKJV) When God lifts our heads we have a change of focus. Secondly. We begin giving thanks to the Lord. "Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever." (1 Chronicles 16:34) As we change focus from the circumstances around us and begin to thank God for His goodness, His daily provision, "the things of this earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace." Let's strengthen ourselves in the Lord today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Luke records the parables of the lost sheep and the list coin. In both parables Jesus says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10) It is very special when a request made to God in the pre-service prayer time for there to be rejoicing in heaven today, for people to be saved as a result of the preaching of the gospel, is answered and someone is snatched from the very gates of hell. Paul reminds us "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God..." (Ephesians 2:8) When we are witnesses of someone coming into a relationship with God, we will observe God at work shaping a masterpiece. "For we are God’s handiwork ..." (Ephesians 2:10) Today as He works on His masterpiece, His handiwork, in the life if His new disciple, God does what He said to Joshua. "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” (Joshua 5:9) We can rejoice as we go into the new week because God is good and His love endures forever. Have a wonderful Monday. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The depth of our relationship with God will be reflected in our approach to worshipping Him. Solomon expressed well how he felt when he wrote the Song of Songs. "Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love." (Song of Songs 2:3‭-‬4) His view of his beloved determined his response. As you worship our Sovereign God today, allow Him to lead you into the banqueting hall of worship where you will experience the depth of His love for you. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (James 1: 12) We all face daily struggles with trials and the temptation to sort things out "my way". God loves us despite us getting in the way. God chooses to place His love in our hearts and minds so that we may feel it. His love is in our DNA. It is like that of a parent's love for his/her child - loved absolutely. Just like our love for our children wants them to come out on top, so God desire for us is to be victorious. He has equipped us through Christ to be victorious, to be overcomers. He has a solution to every problem we face. When we fall short, He loves us. His grace is sufficient for us in every trial we face. Even when "I" am the problem, He is the solution. "The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell It goes beyond the highest star And reaches to the lowest hell ... O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure The saints' and angels' song" Have a super Saturday revelling in His love for you. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We are all faced with trying to fit everything into our daily schedules. Life gets so busy. Here we are 20 days short of being in the middle of the year, already. It seems like just the other day we were wishing everybody a happy new year. Recently I, Mike, read that we all need to pause. This is true when we spend time with the Lord in our quiet times. • Prepare your heart. Quieten yourself down as you come to Him. • Ask God to speak to you. Have an expectancy that He will. • Unpack the Scriptures. Don't merely read the Word. Ask God to bring it to life for you. • Summarize the portion of scripture. This helps bring focus. • Exercise the application of the Word. James exhorts us to be doers of the Word, not merely hearers, or in this case, merely readers. Once we have taken time to PAUSE, we may pour out our hearts to Him and make our requests known to Him. Have a friendly Friday. Blessings. Mike and Daphne.

Good morning. Recently we listened to some people sharing what they were going through and realized that we all need hope. How do we become dispensers of hope in a world that so desperately needs it? • Be an encourager • Greet people and be friendly • Mourn with those who mourn • Listen intently to their problems • Show compassion • Go the extra mile to help people • Observe when people aren't present, contact them and let them know they were missed • Love unconditionally • Smile We can do this because we have hope dwelling in us: "Christ in you, the hope of glory". (Colossians 1:27) Have a good day dispensing hope to the world around you. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. As I, Mike, lay in bed last night, the words of Matt Redman's song kept playing over and over in my mind. "When the music fades All is stripped away, and I simply come Longing just to bring..." "I'll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself Is not what You have required" It is easy to sing songs. But when we stop and consider the words we are singing, we find the depth of their meaning. We find ourselves acknowledging the presence of God and who He is. "Lord , you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." (Isaiah 25:1) Matt Redman continues, "King of endless worth No one could express how much You deserve Though I'm weak and poor All I have is Yours, ev'ry single breath" (The Heart of Worship) As we meet to pray together this evening, take time to acknowledge His majesty and extol Him. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning Reading the account of the 10 virgins and their oil lamps, waiting for the bridegroom to arrive, got us thinking about our own daily behaviour. We get caught up with the activities of our lives. Some of us spend so much time on surviving today as well as making sure we will be able to survive in our old age. Others live by the idiom "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die". While it is important to work hard and make provision for our future as well as taking time out to enjoy life, if this is all we do, we will like the 10 virgins find out that we are running out of oil. We need to be like the 5 wise virgins who were prepared for the bridegroom's coming. Revelation 19:7 reminds us, the bride of Christ, that we need to make ourselves ready for the ultimate wedding. "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." In the hustle and bustle of life, let us not neglect to keep ourselves prepared for the coming of our bridegroom. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. As we set off into a new week, let us do so with a spring in our step, because of what God has done and the position we now have in Him. "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4‭-‬6) "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace" (Ephesians 1:7) "For in him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28) We have so much to be thankful for. And when our eyes are on Him, when He is our focal point, surely we can sing the words penned by Daniel Gardner: "My life is in You, Lord, My strength is in You, Lord My hope is in You, Lord In You, it's in You. I will praise You with all of my heart. I will praise You with all of my Strength With all of my life, and all of my strength. All of my hope is in You." Have a good week. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:1‭-‬4) Good morning. Today we remember the day of Pentecost. 2 things happend that day: • Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples and • the Church was born. What happened that first Pentecost was indicative that God is true to His Word. • “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people." (Acts 2:17) • Jesus said He will build His church. (Matthew 16:18) This gives us great encouragement in our walk with God. He is who He said He is and He will do what He said He will do. Today as we worship Him, remember the words of the chorus we used to sing: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full, in his wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of his glory and grace" Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. When facing potentially difficult situations we so often devise our own plans/solutions to the problems. I, Mike, am reminded of what all Abraham (and Sarah) faced and went through. My friend, Paul, reminds us of how Abraham dealt with the challenges he faced. "Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." (Romans 4:20‭-‬21) We can take solace from the words of one of Don Moen's songs: "He Never Sleeps". "Do you feel that the Lord has forgotten your need? Just remember that God is always Working in ways you cannot see (that's right) Our God is able He is Mighty He is faithful And He never sleeps He never slumbers He never tires of hearing our prayer When we are weak, He becomes stronger So rest in His love and cast all of your cares on Him" Always remember, no matter what we are facing, God has the power to do what he has promised. Rest in His love and have an enjoyable weekend. Blessings. Mike and Daphne