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“Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28) Good morning to you. How are you on this rather cool, wet morning? Perhaps you may feel you are carrying a weight on your shoulders, or facing some challenges. Perhaps you are filled with excited anticipation of something special happening this week. Conversely, you may be preparing to say your final farewell to a life-long friend. What ever you are facing today, know that you are highly favoured. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. (Isaiah 60:1) For those who feel overwhelmed, Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28‭-‬30) For those who are feeling on top of the world, respond as David, the did: "I will give thanks to you, Lord , with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds" (Psalm 9:1) Whatever your circumstances may be, "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. (1 Thessalonians 3:12) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. It is noteworthy to see the symbolism of water/rivers/springs throughout the Bible. The psalmist talks of the valley being made into a place of springs and those passing through it going from strength to strength.(Psalm 84:6&7) The prophet writes of the water flowing from the temple of God becoming a river teaming with life. (Ezekiel 47) Jesus said to the woman at the well, "whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) Jesus also said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37& 38) The water/rivers of God brings life and refreshing to all who will receive it from Him. Today as we worship, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Our prayer for each of us this morning is that we will be • Real - not leaving room for artificial presence. "Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles." (Acts 2:43) • Relevant - represent Christ well to the world around us. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) • Relational - committed to functioning in friendship. "All the believers were together and had everything in common.(Acts 2:44) • Radical - hear God and obey immediately. "At once they left their nets and followed him." (Mark 1:18) Have a super Saturday representing God well. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Life is a mixture of pain and pleasure, victory and defeat, success and failure. There are days when we are on the mountain tops and some days we walk in the valleys. Over the years we have come to know that valleys are: • Inevitable - Jesus said, "In this word you will have troubles." (John 16:33) • Unpredictable - We have noted how easily a good day can become a bad day. • Impartial - no one is immune to them. " It rains on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45) • Temporary - Peter reminds us of this. "... though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (1 Peter 1:6) • Purposeful - "These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith ... may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter1:7) When we find ourselves in a valley: • Refuse to be discouraged. How? By focusing on God's power rather than on the problem. • Remember God is with us. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you" (Isaiah 43:2) • Rely on God’s protection and guidance. "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalms 23:4) Remember that there is a God in heaven. Lean into Him. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." Giving thanks to God can take different forms. We can give thanks to God • by singing about Him. (Psalm 100:2) This makes us aware if God's presence. • by praying. (Philippians 4:6) When a child, in response to a request, is given something we hear parents say, "What do you say?" - "Thank you." We acknowledge God's goodness and provision by thanking Him. • by giving to Him. (2 Corinthians 9:11) We grew up in a denomination where we brought produce to a "Harvest Festival" annually. Deuteronomy 16:10 says, "Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you." • by sharing testimonies. (Isaiah 12:4) Your testimony is about what you have seen and experienced. Nobody else can give your testimony. Gratitude and generosity are 2 of the healthiest emotions. Generous and thankful people are rarely mentally ill. Let's build an attitude of gratitude. Enjoy a thankful Thursday. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning Looking ahead to the week that lies before us, what do we see? For some just the thought of facing today, leave alone the week, is enough to make them reach for the nearest "pain killer" solution. The problem with the pain killers the world offers is that • they don't last • they can become addictive • they never solve the problem It is not God's intent for us to face life’s difficulties alone. As followers of Christ we have the assurance that He is with us at all times. When we feel all alone and don't know which way to turn, God has a plan. "God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing" (Psalms 68:6) The significance of being in a Life Group (Cell Group, Care Group) is that is where we receive love, care and support. When we feel down, it is there where we are helped up and encouraged. Most of all, our personal relationship with God is strengthened to the point where we can join with Don Moen and sing, "You are my love and my light You are my purpose for living You are my hope in the night My reason for singing You bring the joy to my life And You're making it better and better And I will give thanks forever and ever" In all circumstances hold fast to God. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. What does it take to please God? "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists" (Hebrews 11:6) So what is faith? • Faith is believing when we don't see it. It is visualizing the future in the present. (Hebrews 11:1) • Faith is obeying when we don't understand it. (Hebrews 11:7-8) • Faith is persisting when we don't feel like it. (Hebrews 11:27) • Faith is thanking God before we receive it. (Hebrews 11:30) • Faith is trusting God when we don't get it. (Hebrews 11:39) Our faith is built up through • the Word (Romans 10:7) • trials and testing (1 Peter 1:7) By faith, God is with us as we face the day ahead of us. Have a good one. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5) If we do not understand the "As", we will never walk in the "so"! God was with Moses • when he was found by Pharoah's daughter as a baby in a basket • when he fled to Midian • when he retuned to Egypt to confront Pharoah - "Let my people go " • when he led the Israelites through the Red Sea. • when he led the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years God did not abandon Moses. God was with Moses on the mountain top and He was with Moses when the Israelites grumbled and wanted to kill him. When we understand the faithfulness of God in every situation we will be able to walk through life with the secure knowledge that as He was with Moses, so He will be with us. We can rest in the assurance of Jesus' words: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) As we prepare to worship together, how should we respond to the presence of God? • God's presence reveals our spiritual state, so be prepared to repent and deal with sin • Desire God's presence • Dwell in God's presence - Joshua did not leave the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:11) • Allow God to be God - i.e. don't have prescribed/preconceived ideas of what should happen • Honour God in your lifestyle (Matthew 22:37-39) The more intimate our relationship with the Father is, the more we will experience His presence. Have a special time in the presence of God as you worship today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We hear of many folk who are living with stress. Much of their stress can be put down to "overload syndrome ". There is a prescription to deal with "overload syndrome". It is margin. If you want less stress: • Check your schedule - Psalm 90:12 • Check your finances - Proverbs 22:7 • Check your words - Proverbs 12:25 • Check your heart - Proverbs 16:18; 14:30 We may be able to change our schedule, finances and words. But only God can change our hearts. (Matthew 11:28) Let's do our part and be open to God doing His. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Moses had a special relationship with God. "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend." (Exodus 33:11) This relationship was so special that Moses could say to God, "Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) What happens when the glory of the Lord comes? The presence of God brings change. We cannot stay the same. In Exodus 34:34-35 we see a visible change takes place. When Jesus came, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) We read about this grace and truth in Exodus 34:6-7 • Grace - the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. • Truth - He does not leave the guilty unpunished People often want grace but do not want the truth . • The presence of God is not shared with other gods. (1 Samuel 5:1-4) • The presence of God is not a lucky charm (1 Samuel 4:1-11) • The presence of God does not bring familiarity with Him (1 Samuel 6:19-20a) As we seek God's presence, allow Him to bring change in our lives. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son" "And now let the weak say, "I am strong" Let the poor say, "I am rich Because of what the Lord has done for us" "Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son Give thanks" • Grateful people choose the attitude of gratitude in all circumstances. • Grateful people view everything they have as a gift and not a right • Grateful people keep a good perspective and remember all they have to be grateful for. • Grateful people actively look for opportunities to be grateful. • Grateful people are a positive example to others around them. "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever." (Psalm 118:29) "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Have a "Thankful Thursday ". Blessings. Mike and Daphne