Scripture: Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good."
'It's the Real Thing' has been the advertising slogan for a well known soft drink for many years. It suggests that all other brands are just counterfeits or poor copies. If you really want to know which is the best you must 'taste and see'. Once you have sampled the real thing nothing else will do.
Like many other children I attended assembly at school, sung hymns, and listened to boring talks about religion. I was also educated to believe that human beings evolved from some other form of life and that my ancestors were probably apes. This proved to me at the time that Christianity must be untrue. That human life did not start with Adam and Eve. Science had made faith obsolete.
Over the years there have been many alternative ideas put forward about the life of Jesus Christ; I remember at one time books were written to prove that he was an 'Extra Terrestrial' visiting our planet from another solar system. In recent years the 'Da Vinci Code' has generated a lot interest and speculation because it has been highlighted by Hollywood. These views usually remain popular for a short time and then fade into insignificance.
Reading about someone famous or seeing their photograph in a magazine gives us an impression that may be far from the truth. Meeting and spending time with that individual will give us a whole new perspective because we have met the 'real thing'. The longer we relate to them the better we will know them. I had never given serious thought or attention to the person of Jesus Christ, His life, His death, or His resurrection until I was 15 then I met Him. I tasted the 'real thing'. To my amazement I experienced the very real presence of God.
The Bible says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." When you have experienced the 'real thing' all else is a poor copy.
Pastor Mick
Sunday, 16 November 2008
Sunday, 21 September 2008
GIVING WHAT WE HAVE
Scripture: Acts 3 v 1-11 (NLT)
The healing of the crippled beggar at the beautiful gate of the temple never ceases to challenge me every time I read it. The New Living Translation (NLT) puts Peter’s response to the request for money in a way that caught my breath; “I don’t have any money for you. But I will give you what l have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk” (v.6).
The phrase “I will give you what I have” quickened me. Peter knew what he had. Inside there was a confidence and assurance. He just knew that he knew. It made me look back over my years in the Ministry to a time when the spirit of God had revived me. Every time I prayed for someone whatever the need, I knew God would minister to them and He did. At almost every home group I attended there came a point when I knew that the spirit would break in upon us and He did. I believed for a demonstration of the manifest presence of God in our Sunday services and again it would happen. Those were exciting days. I knew God was moving and wanted us to move with him.
Peter not only knew what he had but was ready to give it to that lame man. Do we truly know what we have as spirit filled believers and are we giving it away to those in need. What I experienced at that time of personal revival, was it exceptional or meant to be the norm? For Peter and the early church it appeared to be the normal Christian life.
Phillip, one of those appointed as a deacon in Acts 6 finds himself in Samaria after the church is scattered through persecution. He is not one of the apostles, just one of the believers who had to flee Jerusalem. In Acts 8 the NLT makes it clear that Phillip is an example of what happened through the life of Christians as they spread out from Jerusalem. In Acts 8 v 6 it says; “Crowds listened intently to what he had to say because of the miracles he did”. Phillip was giving away what he had. Verse 7 tells us “Many evil spirits were cast out screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralysed or lame were healed”.
If this was an example of what was happening, then it is clear that wherever believers found themselves they were seeing ‘signs and wonders’. They had an expectancy that God was working with them and they knew what they had.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus revive us again to know what has been deposited into our lives and give us faith to give it away.
Pastor Mick
The healing of the crippled beggar at the beautiful gate of the temple never ceases to challenge me every time I read it. The New Living Translation (NLT) puts Peter’s response to the request for money in a way that caught my breath; “I don’t have any money for you. But I will give you what l have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk” (v.6).
The phrase “I will give you what I have” quickened me. Peter knew what he had. Inside there was a confidence and assurance. He just knew that he knew. It made me look back over my years in the Ministry to a time when the spirit of God had revived me. Every time I prayed for someone whatever the need, I knew God would minister to them and He did. At almost every home group I attended there came a point when I knew that the spirit would break in upon us and He did. I believed for a demonstration of the manifest presence of God in our Sunday services and again it would happen. Those were exciting days. I knew God was moving and wanted us to move with him.
Peter not only knew what he had but was ready to give it to that lame man. Do we truly know what we have as spirit filled believers and are we giving it away to those in need. What I experienced at that time of personal revival, was it exceptional or meant to be the norm? For Peter and the early church it appeared to be the normal Christian life.
Phillip, one of those appointed as a deacon in Acts 6 finds himself in Samaria after the church is scattered through persecution. He is not one of the apostles, just one of the believers who had to flee Jerusalem. In Acts 8 the NLT makes it clear that Phillip is an example of what happened through the life of Christians as they spread out from Jerusalem. In Acts 8 v 6 it says; “Crowds listened intently to what he had to say because of the miracles he did”. Phillip was giving away what he had. Verse 7 tells us “Many evil spirits were cast out screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralysed or lame were healed”.
If this was an example of what was happening, then it is clear that wherever believers found themselves they were seeing ‘signs and wonders’. They had an expectancy that God was working with them and they knew what they had.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus revive us again to know what has been deposited into our lives and give us faith to give it away.
Pastor Mick
Sunday, 17 August 2008
HEAL OUR LAND
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7 : 1
Did you know in the UK 100,000 children a year run away from broken homes? We have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. Over the last 35 years an average of one abortion every three minutes has been carried out legally, 80% funded by the NHS. 36% of conceptions outside marriage end in abortion. Every year 140,000 people attempt suicide and 4,000 children every day call Childline. One third of all children live in poverty, growing up in families that do not have sufficient income to make sure that their needs are met. 60 million acts of crime happen each year.
Did you know there are 5 million people who regularly use cannabis, 3.4 million ecstasy and 2 million who use amphetamines and cocaine each year? British Telecom blocks 20,000 attempts a day of people trying to watch pornographic acts with children on the internet. Sex scenes on British television have increased 300% in the last five years. There are 27 nationally accessible pornographic TV channels. At peak times eight out of ten admissions to Admissions to Accident and Emergency are a result of drinking, costing £12 billion a year.
Did you know 380,000 people are living on the street? If brought together these people would number more than the population of Cardiff. 24 million anti-depressant prescription items are issued each year. And by the way, our society is a trillion pounds in debt. All the above are verifiable statistics. The better question to ask may be not did you know but do you care? If we do nothing – no social action, no lobbying, no prayer – just imagine where our society will be in 25 years time?
God gave this promise many centuries ago for those times when there is a state of national emergency, ”If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land”
2 Chronicles 7 : 14
Mick Reynolds
Did you know in the UK 100,000 children a year run away from broken homes? We have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. Over the last 35 years an average of one abortion every three minutes has been carried out legally, 80% funded by the NHS. 36% of conceptions outside marriage end in abortion. Every year 140,000 people attempt suicide and 4,000 children every day call Childline. One third of all children live in poverty, growing up in families that do not have sufficient income to make sure that their needs are met. 60 million acts of crime happen each year.
Did you know there are 5 million people who regularly use cannabis, 3.4 million ecstasy and 2 million who use amphetamines and cocaine each year? British Telecom blocks 20,000 attempts a day of people trying to watch pornographic acts with children on the internet. Sex scenes on British television have increased 300% in the last five years. There are 27 nationally accessible pornographic TV channels. At peak times eight out of ten admissions to Admissions to Accident and Emergency are a result of drinking, costing £12 billion a year.
Did you know 380,000 people are living on the street? If brought together these people would number more than the population of Cardiff. 24 million anti-depressant prescription items are issued each year. And by the way, our society is a trillion pounds in debt. All the above are verifiable statistics. The better question to ask may be not did you know but do you care? If we do nothing – no social action, no lobbying, no prayer – just imagine where our society will be in 25 years time?
God gave this promise many centuries ago for those times when there is a state of national emergency, ”If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land”
2 Chronicles 7 : 14
Mick Reynolds
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
LIFE IN THE HEREAFTER?
Scripture: Revelations 1 : 12-18
It is amazing in our materialistic society, how many still hold to a belief in “life in the hereafter”. No one would argue that the body is destined to return to dust and ashes, but is there part of us that lives on? Some would like to believe we are re-incarnated and live again in a different body or as a ‘higher’ or ‘lower’ life form. Others go to great lengths to break through to contact the spirits of the dead to see how everyone is getting along on the ‘other side’.
There have been reports from those pronounced clinically dead, who have later revived, describing an awareness of a spiritual world. In nearly all religions there is an emphasis on ‘the life to come’.
There have been reports from those pronounced clinically dead, who have later revived, describing an awareness of a spiritual world. In nearly all religions there is an emphasis on ‘the life to come’. Equally strong is the idea of some kind of accountability, where we answer for the way we have lived. Is it to be ‘Purgatory’ or ‘Paradise’?
Ancient civilisations went to enormous lengths to prepare for the next life. The pyramids still stand as a testimony to that hope. Is there some form of inner ‘knowing’ in every human being telling us of a future beyond the grave or are we just looking for comfort to make it easier to face death? Where do we go to find an answer? Is there anyone we can trust?
An authority on the subject would need at the very least to have experienced the other side and come to our world in human form to tell us about it. After death and burial they would have to come back to life in a physical form to prove death is not the end. They would then have to be seen to return to the other side without dying a second time. A lot to ask?
Jesus Christ has the monopoly on these qualifications and leaves us in no doubt about the existence of ‘Heaven and Hell’; ‘Judgement and Eternity’. He taught us to pray, “Our Father in Heaven.” Whatever ideas you might have it is always good to consult an expert on the subject.
I Corinthians 15 : 12-20
Mick Reynolds
It is amazing in our materialistic society, how many still hold to a belief in “life in the hereafter”. No one would argue that the body is destined to return to dust and ashes, but is there part of us that lives on? Some would like to believe we are re-incarnated and live again in a different body or as a ‘higher’ or ‘lower’ life form. Others go to great lengths to break through to contact the spirits of the dead to see how everyone is getting along on the ‘other side’.
There have been reports from those pronounced clinically dead, who have later revived, describing an awareness of a spiritual world. In nearly all religions there is an emphasis on ‘the life to come’.
There have been reports from those pronounced clinically dead, who have later revived, describing an awareness of a spiritual world. In nearly all religions there is an emphasis on ‘the life to come’. Equally strong is the idea of some kind of accountability, where we answer for the way we have lived. Is it to be ‘Purgatory’ or ‘Paradise’?
Ancient civilisations went to enormous lengths to prepare for the next life. The pyramids still stand as a testimony to that hope. Is there some form of inner ‘knowing’ in every human being telling us of a future beyond the grave or are we just looking for comfort to make it easier to face death? Where do we go to find an answer? Is there anyone we can trust?
An authority on the subject would need at the very least to have experienced the other side and come to our world in human form to tell us about it. After death and burial they would have to come back to life in a physical form to prove death is not the end. They would then have to be seen to return to the other side without dying a second time. A lot to ask?
Jesus Christ has the monopoly on these qualifications and leaves us in no doubt about the existence of ‘Heaven and Hell’; ‘Judgement and Eternity’. He taught us to pray, “Our Father in Heaven.” Whatever ideas you might have it is always good to consult an expert on the subject.
I Corinthians 15 : 12-20
Mick Reynolds
Saturday, 26 July 2008
A FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Scripture: Matthew 8: 1-4 / 14-17
As I grew up there was one thing I was totally convinced about and that was that church was boring. I am not sure how I first got that impression, but I remember attending a Sunday School for just two weeks as a 7 Year old. That was enough to persuade me I didn’t want to go to church. Later on at the age of thirteen I was persuaded to attend a Carol Service by my dad who wanted me to do this just to please our stepmother who was a devout Roman Catholic.
I went to my local parish church for this service and every worst fear I had about church was confirmed in that brief hour. When I left that building I felt like I had escaped from prison and I never wanted to ever return again.
Like many other children I attended assembly at school, sang hymns and listened to boring talks about religion. I was also educated to believe that human beings evolved from other form of life. That my ancestors were probably apes. This proved to me that Christianity must be untrue. That human life did not start with Adam and Eve. I was being taught these things by people who were educated and therefore if I wanted to show any sense of intelligence I couldn’t accept the things Christianity taught.
Looking back I realise I never really understood much about church or Christian faith. I had never given serious thought or attention to the person of Jesus Christ, His life, His death, or His resurrection. I was making judgements without real understanding or knowledge. I was allowing other people’s opinions and peer pressure to mould my thinking. All that changed for me on Thursday 20 August 1962 when at the age of 15 I discovered God was real. It happened as I asked Jesus in a simple prayer to forgive me and take over my life. To my amazement I experienced the very real presence of God and I have never been the same since.
That sense of God’s hand on my life has never left me and after over 45 years. I am convinced that one touch of the love of God on any life can change everything.
That sense of God’s hand on my life has never left me and after over 45 years. I am convinced that one touch of the love of God on any life can change everything.
Pastor Mick Reynolds
Sunday, 20 July 2008
GOING FOR THE REBOUND
Scripture: Luke 22: 31 – 32
One of the most important moves in the game of basketball is ‘going for the rebound’. Behind the basket into which your team is trying to score is a large board and often the ball will come back from that board if you miss a shot. A good player can anticipate this happening and quickly get into the right position to jump and catch the rebounding ball in order to have a second attempt to score. A similar thing happens in football. When a player takes a shot at goal and the keeper parries the ball a skilful player will be ready to follow up and score from the rebound. A missed opportunity is turned into a second chance for glory.
The same principle is so relevant in life. We all miss the mark at some time. We all make mistakes. We’ve blown it and let ourselves down or failed to live up to our promises. There are occasions when we know we said the wrong thing or made the wrong move. We can even feel we have made a complete mess of our lives. What is important is how well do we rebound when we miss our shots? How well do we come back from failure? How well do we follow up our mistakes with the right moves? Going for the rebound is so important if we are going to make it in life especially as a believer.
The greatest comeback of all was not by a boxer returning to the ring, but by Jesus Christ, God’s Son. He appeared to be down and out as His Life slipped away while He hung from the cross. For those who watched Him die His mission seemed to have ended in failure. As they buried Him in the tomb all their hopes were dashed. Death however, could not keep this good man down. Jesus bounced back, rising from the dead and He’s alive for evermore.
There are times in our lives when we feel we have made a mess of things, we have failed God, we have missed the mark and the enemy like He did with Peter wants to try and wipe us out. Peter as we know bounced back and was able to stand up on the day of Pentecost to proclaim the good news.
Jesus has given all of us who love Him, but have at some point blown it, the power to bounce back and go again for glory.
Pastor Mick
One of the most important moves in the game of basketball is ‘going for the rebound’. Behind the basket into which your team is trying to score is a large board and often the ball will come back from that board if you miss a shot. A good player can anticipate this happening and quickly get into the right position to jump and catch the rebounding ball in order to have a second attempt to score. A similar thing happens in football. When a player takes a shot at goal and the keeper parries the ball a skilful player will be ready to follow up and score from the rebound. A missed opportunity is turned into a second chance for glory.
The same principle is so relevant in life. We all miss the mark at some time. We all make mistakes. We’ve blown it and let ourselves down or failed to live up to our promises. There are occasions when we know we said the wrong thing or made the wrong move. We can even feel we have made a complete mess of our lives. What is important is how well do we rebound when we miss our shots? How well do we come back from failure? How well do we follow up our mistakes with the right moves? Going for the rebound is so important if we are going to make it in life especially as a believer.
The greatest comeback of all was not by a boxer returning to the ring, but by Jesus Christ, God’s Son. He appeared to be down and out as His Life slipped away while He hung from the cross. For those who watched Him die His mission seemed to have ended in failure. As they buried Him in the tomb all their hopes were dashed. Death however, could not keep this good man down. Jesus bounced back, rising from the dead and He’s alive for evermore.
There are times in our lives when we feel we have made a mess of things, we have failed God, we have missed the mark and the enemy like He did with Peter wants to try and wipe us out. Peter as we know bounced back and was able to stand up on the day of Pentecost to proclaim the good news.
Jesus has given all of us who love Him, but have at some point blown it, the power to bounce back and go again for glory.
Pastor Mick
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
TIME FOR CHANGE
Scripture: Romans 1 : 18-32
If we are to believe the media about what is going on in our nation it should shake us to the roots; for example:
If any of this is even remotely true then something is very seriously wrong with our way of life. Human beings are not evolving to be better; they are degenerating into a life form that lives only to satisfy its own selfish desires and greed.
I believe there is good in most people and that every human being has the potential to live like a child of God given the opportunity. There are still many examples to be found of love that is willing to self-sacrifice for the good of others.
Our society can be turned around if the majority will recognise as they once did their need of God and call out to Him for this nation.
Romans 3 : 22 “We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are, or what we have done” (N.L.T.)
Pastor Mick Reynolds
If we are to believe the media about what is going on in our nation it should shake us to the roots; for example:
- Young people spend their leisure time binge drinking themselves to an early grave
- Many men are so emotionally inadequate that the only way they can have sex is by rape or by spiking a woman’s drink.
- Violence in the home and society is on the increase and discipline has reached an all time low in our schools.
- Our government is undermining the institution of marriage, introducing children to sex at the earliest possible age and supporting every minority group at the expense of the majority.
- Going into hospital is bad for your health.
- Vast numbers of people cheat the system every day to make fraudulent claims for benefits.
- Most people will spend the rest of their lives in permanent debt.
- The threat of terrorism is now so real that no one is safe.
- Every religion practised in this country is to be encouraged with the exception of Christianity.
If any of this is even remotely true then something is very seriously wrong with our way of life. Human beings are not evolving to be better; they are degenerating into a life form that lives only to satisfy its own selfish desires and greed.
I believe there is good in most people and that every human being has the potential to live like a child of God given the opportunity. There are still many examples to be found of love that is willing to self-sacrifice for the good of others.
Our society can be turned around if the majority will recognise as they once did their need of God and call out to Him for this nation.
Romans 3 : 22 “We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are, or what we have done” (N.L.T.)
Pastor Mick Reynolds
Monday, 30 June 2008
FINDING GOD – FIND GOD – FINDING GOD
Scripture 1 Peter 2:4-5
When I was growing up I had the idea that if you wanted to find God you looked for a really impressive church, one with an authentic steeple or belfry with bats and bell ringers. It had to have stained glass windows, real wooden pews, a high altar, a choir dressed in long flowing robes and of course it had to be very, very old. If inside there were engraved stones and statues of people long dead who were buried somewhere under the building all the better.
It had to be the sort of place that gave you goose bumps and sent shivers up your spine. A place that you did not want to be in all on your own especially in the dark, in case any spirits suddenly appeared. It had to have a ghostly kind of atmosphere. That was the type of building in which I imagined as a young boy I might find God.
Like many others I thought the church was a building. People went to church to meet with God. Even today many have this idea of a special building set aside for worship and prayer. It has often been blessed by a Bishop or Priest and is called the sanctuary. To get into this holy place you have to dress immaculately and be on your best behaviour. Unless you are engaged in hymn singing you must speak in a whisper. The sanctuary is so holy that you are not allowed to use it for any other purpose other than to meet with God in worship. It is certainly not the place for idle chatter and social contact. God’s presence in the place is meant to be more real than anywhere else.
The truth is we do not find God in buildings no matter how religious they appear. Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has chosen to dwell in the lives of those who have opened the door of their hearts to His presence. God’s temple is made up of living stones cemented together with love. Are you one of those living stones? Would you like to be?
This prayer will get you started:"Father God I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die and rise again so that I can really get to know you. I need your forgiveness in my life right now and I ask that you come into my life and make me your temple. Thank you"
John 3 v 16
Pastor Mick Reynolds
When I was growing up I had the idea that if you wanted to find God you looked for a really impressive church, one with an authentic steeple or belfry with bats and bell ringers. It had to have stained glass windows, real wooden pews, a high altar, a choir dressed in long flowing robes and of course it had to be very, very old. If inside there were engraved stones and statues of people long dead who were buried somewhere under the building all the better.
It had to be the sort of place that gave you goose bumps and sent shivers up your spine. A place that you did not want to be in all on your own especially in the dark, in case any spirits suddenly appeared. It had to have a ghostly kind of atmosphere. That was the type of building in which I imagined as a young boy I might find God.
Like many others I thought the church was a building. People went to church to meet with God. Even today many have this idea of a special building set aside for worship and prayer. It has often been blessed by a Bishop or Priest and is called the sanctuary. To get into this holy place you have to dress immaculately and be on your best behaviour. Unless you are engaged in hymn singing you must speak in a whisper. The sanctuary is so holy that you are not allowed to use it for any other purpose other than to meet with God in worship. It is certainly not the place for idle chatter and social contact. God’s presence in the place is meant to be more real than anywhere else.
The truth is we do not find God in buildings no matter how religious they appear. Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has chosen to dwell in the lives of those who have opened the door of their hearts to His presence. God’s temple is made up of living stones cemented together with love. Are you one of those living stones? Would you like to be?
This prayer will get you started:"Father God I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die and rise again so that I can really get to know you. I need your forgiveness in my life right now and I ask that you come into my life and make me your temple. Thank you"
John 3 v 16
Pastor Mick Reynolds
Friday, 27 June 2008
BRIDGE BUILDING
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5 : 18 - 21
James Roebling was the man who built a suspension bridge between the USA and Canada across the river just upstream from the Niagara Falls. Everyone thought it was impossible even the best engineers of the day; but on the 16 March 1855 the bridge was completed and the first train crossed over from Canada to the United States. James Roebling made the impossible become possible.
Bridge building brings three things to mind:
- Firstly, a bridge spans something that naturally would be very hard to cross. A deep river, a chasm. A busy motorway, or even the sea. The bridge makes a way where before there was no way.
- Secondly, a bridge gives access to something that otherwise we might not be able to reach. Even though the other side of the river might appear a wonderful place to visit, the strength of the current and the distance just make it impossible to get there. The bridge gives me access.
- Thirdly, building a bridge speaks of reaching out to make it possible for folk who do not usually want much to do with each other to get together and overcome their differences.
In our world today efforts are constantly being made to build bridges between the Jews and the Palestinians. Between the two communities in Northern Ireland. Between people of different ethnic groups who find it difficult to live together as one nation, or community. At times this kind of bridge building seems more impossible than building a real bridge across somewhere like the Niagara river. Often it involves real sacrifice to make it happen.
God found a way to build a bridge but it was just a price. Jesus was sent to be the bridge between Heaven and Earth. For God to make peace with us the Son of God had to die on the cross. God took the initiative to build a bridge between Himself and anyone who is at a distance.
AT IPSWICH INTERNATIONAL CHURCH WE SEEK TO HELP FOLK FIND THAT BRIDGE TO GOD. WE ALSO BELIEVE THE CHURCH IS TO BE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE FROM EVERY TRIBE, TONGUE AND NATION FIND A BRIDGE TO UNITY AND LOVE.
Mick Reynolds
SPACE TRAVEL
Scripture: Hebrews 1 v 10-12
Like so many others I am fascinated by the whole idea of space travel. I love all the sci-fi on TV, ‘Star Trek‘; Andromeda’; ‘Dr Who’; ‘Stargate Atlantis’; ‘Deep Space Nine;’ ‘Firefly’; ‘Battleship Galactica’; to name just a few. The idea of travelling to different Galaxies and meeting all kinds of alien creatures sounds like so much fun. Unfortunately it is just a form of escapism because the reality is that we are still a million miles away from anything that resembles such adventure. What man has imagined is out there does not even come close to the truth.
Like so many others I am fascinated by the whole idea of space travel. I love all the sci-fi on TV, ‘Star Trek‘; Andromeda’; ‘Dr Who’; ‘Stargate Atlantis’; ‘Deep Space Nine;’ ‘Firefly’; ‘Battleship Galactica’; to name just a few. The idea of travelling to different Galaxies and meeting all kinds of alien creatures sounds like so much fun. Unfortunately it is just a form of escapism because the reality is that we are still a million miles away from anything that resembles such adventure. What man has imagined is out there does not even come close to the truth.
When the scientists explain the expanse of space in terms of millions of miles and light years it’s head scratching stuff. Grasping that our Sun is approximately 83 million miles away from earth just about comes within my comprehension. With the help of a simple drawing I can even understand how our planet and other celestial bodies orbit around the sun and each other in a vast universe that stretches unbelievable distances in all directions. But then to be told the yellow ball in the sky is only one of all uncountable number of similar phenomenon and to be told that many of the stars we see blinking at night are many times larger than our Sun makes my mind boggle.
To realise our universe is only part , indeed, a small part of a much more incredible expanse that can be described like a bucket of water in the middle of a lake and our little earth is a drop in the bucket makes me feel very small. Yet as I think of these things I begin to realise how fantastic is the God I worship.
The Psalmist writes, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained.” The vastness of space is hard to comprehend, but my Bible says God cannot be contained in the heavens so great is He. But what is even more wonderful is that this God loves each one of us human beings and has an incredible plan for our lives.
Mick Reynolds
THE ENTRANCE TICKET
Scripture: John 10 v 1-10
I remember as a small boy walking past the football ground where the city team played. It seemed such an awesome place to me with its eight foot high metal fences with sharp edging so that you could not jump, grab hold and pull yourself up to see over the top.
We tried as kids to look through the gaps in the fence to watch the game but to our frustration there were always bodies standing in the way. We could hear supporters shouting inside but a ticket to get in was outside our price range. Then one day a grown up took me to my first professional football match and paid the price for the ticket to get me in. It was amazing. I was inside. I could see everything.
Religion is like that small boy trying to catch a glimpse of God. No matter how hard we try we cannot seem to find a way in to see God for ourselves. It is not until we realise that God has already brought the ticket;
When God sent His Son into the world, He paid the price on the cross for the ticket for us to enter God’s presence. He came to remove the barrier that stops us experiencing God’s love.
When we believe and receive Jesus into our lives we can walk straight in without having to do anything ourselves. It then becomes amazing because we can see everything clearly that before was so obscure.
That is the unique thing about Christianity – we cannot reach God but He has reached down to us and lifted us up into his presence. As a child I knew the only way into the football ground was through the turnstile where you had to pay for an entrance ticket.
The only way any individual can come to God is through the one who declared. “I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.” John 10 : 9
Mick Reynolds
BREAKING THE MOULD
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4 : 7-12
When I think of a mould I remember the ‘Jelly’ moulds that my mum used so that jelly came out in the shape of a rabbit or other animal. A Mould is a hollow container into which a substance is poured or pressed to allow it to harden into a certain shape. Moulds are used in everything from cooking to fashioning precious metals. When we speak of ‘breaking the mould’ it is usually to do with a human breaking free of their limitations. Life has a way of pressing us into a set of circumstances that leave us feeling trapped. We want to break out.
Len was the first drug addict I ever met. A painful upbringing was responsible for him being moulded into someone who had totally rebelled against authority. By his mid-twenties Len had reached rock bottom. Living alone in a rented room, addicted to drugs with nothing to live for, he was desperate and suicidal. As he went over in his mind the best way to end it all he noticed on the bedside table a Gideon’s Bible. He opened it and started to read from Genesis chapter one. As Len read, the words seemed to come alive and he began to experience a presence in the room. He couldn’t put the bible down but continued to read right through Genesis and into Exodus.
It was at this point Len told me he experienced such a sense of God that he fell on his knees and called out for God to help him. In response the presence of God that filled the room seemed to embrace him and fill him with love. Something broke in Len at that moment as tears filled his eyes; The mould was being broken and Len began to experience a new freedom. Len went on to be a songwriter, Gospel singer and preacher before emigrating to Australia where he is still a minister.
Len is living proof that it is possible to ‘break the mould’ with a little help from above.
Mick Reynolds
When I think of a mould I remember the ‘Jelly’ moulds that my mum used so that jelly came out in the shape of a rabbit or other animal. A Mould is a hollow container into which a substance is poured or pressed to allow it to harden into a certain shape. Moulds are used in everything from cooking to fashioning precious metals. When we speak of ‘breaking the mould’ it is usually to do with a human breaking free of their limitations. Life has a way of pressing us into a set of circumstances that leave us feeling trapped. We want to break out.
Len was the first drug addict I ever met. A painful upbringing was responsible for him being moulded into someone who had totally rebelled against authority. By his mid-twenties Len had reached rock bottom. Living alone in a rented room, addicted to drugs with nothing to live for, he was desperate and suicidal. As he went over in his mind the best way to end it all he noticed on the bedside table a Gideon’s Bible. He opened it and started to read from Genesis chapter one. As Len read, the words seemed to come alive and he began to experience a presence in the room. He couldn’t put the bible down but continued to read right through Genesis and into Exodus.
It was at this point Len told me he experienced such a sense of God that he fell on his knees and called out for God to help him. In response the presence of God that filled the room seemed to embrace him and fill him with love. Something broke in Len at that moment as tears filled his eyes; The mould was being broken and Len began to experience a new freedom. Len went on to be a songwriter, Gospel singer and preacher before emigrating to Australia where he is still a minister.
Len is living proof that it is possible to ‘break the mould’ with a little help from above.
Mick Reynolds
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