REACHING GOD

It's interesting looking through Church history and church music history. Both in some early theology and in early church music there was a belief that God was high and we needed to reach up to him. This can be seen in church arcitecture with the high spires usually with crosses on the top towering up high to the sky, and in early church music the idea of adding a high soprano solo descant which would be heard over the other singers, was a result of the idea of the higher part reaching up higher to God and bringing everyone closer to him.
Ofcourse Christians today know that God is always around us, at our level. Which is great to know, wherever you go, wherever you are God is always with you and near you. This i have found to always be a great encorougment to myself, especially when going to new places and meeting new people, especially recently as I have stepped out in faith and aceepted what I beleive is Gods callling for my life, very much outside my comfort zone of hiding away in kitchens working anti-social hours. But I beleive God will give me the stength and support that I require, which does not mean in any way that it's going to be easy. Just like being a Christian is never going to be easy, but if Jesus can suffer and die on a cross for us, who are we to complain??

REVOLUTION

At Revolution over the next three weeks we will be working through a DVD 'ONCE AN ADDICT' follow by a guest speaker coming along on Sunday 22nd November from the Street Pastors to give us an insight into what they do.

FAITH

Faith is to BELIEVE WHAT YUO DO NOT SEE, the reward for this faith is to SEE WHAT YOU DO BELIEVE

An Exciting Place To Be

Today as i walked around town its not difficult to notice the amount of former churches which are now flats, and even worse turned into pubs and clubs. Recently I was in Soul Bar on Union Street which was once a church, and I felt saddened when I looked up at the puplit which is still intact and where once a minister would have stood and preached God's word, in the same place was now a DJ. I looked up at the stained class windows and reflected upon how the area would have once been filled with worshippers, not people getting drunk and trying to fill the God shaped hole in thier lives by spending thier nights with friends with the aim of getting 'wasted'.
The congregation in some cases would not have been able to afford the up keep of some of the buildings, but instead the pubs and clubs easily make their money feeding on those who find a night out clubbing and getting drunk temporarily fills the hole in their lives.
However things could be and should be different. Instead of the temporary excitemet offered by these places, our churches can offer something far more excitement and fulfilling, and everlasting which is a loving relationship with Jesus. Following Jesus is the greatest adventure of all, and our churches should be full of excitement, places where people want to be, and the church surrounded by a constant buzz and where we leave looking happy, not miserable. So many young people don't connect with church because it's 'boring', this should not be the case and we need to prove them wrong.

Something to consider

'If we are to better the future, we must disturb the present'

Autumn

I like Autumn. I think it's one of my favourite times of the year. The shorts and t-shirts are packed away, and the summer holidays seem like a century ago. The wooly jumpers and thick coats come out and the gloves and hats are put on standby.
Its getting darker and slightly colder, but it's the time when you arrive home and really appreciate the warmth of your house. The time of year to get the hot chocolate and marshmallows on the go and sit round the fire (or as in my flat switch on the fake coal lights)
But it's whenever the seasons change that i realise the effort God has put into creation and the beauty of the world around us, something that its nice just to pause in your day to appreciate.

Where would Jesus shop???

An article by Rev Stephen Cottrell;

I have met people who think you have to be highly educated or suited and booted to be a person who goes to church. How did it come to this, that we have become known as just the Marks and Spencer option when in our hearts we know that Jesus would just as likely be in the queue at Asda or Aldi???
All his first diciples were down to earth people who wanted to know what life was all about.