It was good to have Ray Tate with us again and his two half hour sessions with the children each morning were packed with interest for them.  Their attention during the two talks was a delight to see and we pray that they will all store up God’s Word in their hearts and be aware of its application in their lives.  The Scripture Union materials provided a good basis for the sessions of quizzes, choruses, memory verses and talks.  The stories from Mark’s Gospel pointed to who the Lord Jesus really is and we pray that the children will have seen both the greatness of His person and the gracious forgiveness He offers through His death and resurrection.

There was a good turnout of parents for the prize-giving on the Wednesday and they were most appreciative of the time their children had enjoyed with us.

The Young People’s Group also had a good session with Ray on the Monday evening as they were challenged to see the marvel of God’s creation as opposed to the theory of evolution that they had all been taught at school.

Please click on the following link to see a copy: The Point_Issue 32_Summer 2011

We were really challenged over the weekend of June 18th & 19th as we listened to Peter Mead sharing God’s Word with us.  Instead of giving us rules & formulas to apply for more effective prayer Peter made us stop and think about God and who He is.  After reminding us of many erroneous ideas about the nature of God he pointed out that the God of the Bible is three persons in one, whose essence is ’LOVE’.  Father, Son & Holy Spirit are totally united in their love and their care for all humanity and we are made aware of that love & grace in the person of the Lord Jesus (God manifest in flesh).

Amongst other things Peter then challenged us to respond in childlike faith & love to God.  I loved his picture of a tiny child throwing him or herself into the arms of an eagerly waiting parent.  Doesn’t that make prayer so simple, just ‘casting all our care upon Him, because He cares for us’.  No sophisticated rule book to work to, just an acknowledgement that we are so weak, helpless & dependent and that He is able and that He loves to be involved in every aspect of our lives.  Nothing is too small or too big for us to carry to Him in prayer.  We just acknowledge His presence & loving concern for us in every aspect of our lives.

We were reminded that prayer has nothing to do with us ‘twisting’ God’s arm and that in the same way fasting has nothing to do with us meriting more grace from God.  Fasting
comes simply when we are so engrossed in being with our God that everything else becomes absolutely inconsequential.

These thoughts led on to Sundays reminders that what we know about God & His loving concern for us, we need to communicate to others.  Peter pointed out that in a single generation faith can be lost, so it is vital for us to live out our faith and teach it prayerfully to our children and others whom God has put in our path.  Please let’s commit to this challenge and throw ourselves upon the Lord in prayer for His grace as we seek to make Him known to others.