God wants you to enjoy life

[adapted from Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Connection devotional]

Many fear letting God into their lives, thinking God will make them give up anything and everything fun. In other words, they believe that to become a Christian is the same as saying the party's over; that to be spiritual is to be miserable.

People frantically look for fun fixes, but that means they operate under the law of diminishing returns. They spend more time, more money, and more energy to get less and less of a thrill. They go around asking, "Are we having fun yet?" or, "Is that all there is?"
 
But the way you fight fear is with truth. And the truth says: God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Tim. 6:17b, TNIV). He doesn't want you to live without fun.

The apostle Matthew spent three years with Jesus. "Jesus came, enjoying life" is basically what he wrote in the 11th chapter, 19th verse of the book bearing his name. In Jesus' first recorded miracle, after all, he turned water into wine for a wedding party that had already drunk plenty!

"Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life." —1 Tim. 6:17-19, The Message

 God wants you to enjoy life. Honest to God!

A further powerful point is that even through the worst times, while it will in all likelihood be impossible to be happy, let alone 'have fun', we can still have that internal "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (see 1 Peter 1: 6-9).

Ave Petch: “Well-done, good and faithful servant”

St. George’s church has probably never been so full—of people, of Presence, of sorrow and of joy—as it was recently for the funeral of Ave Petch, longtime parishioner and tireless community worker.

Chris Postlethwaite knew her well. The following is excerpted from an article Chris wrote for the parish newsletter back when Ave was awarded "The Bishop’s Award for Faithful Service" from then Archbishop Terence Finlay.

"Ave received the award for her untiring service to her God, church and the community throughout the years. This has included her quiet work as Directress of the Chancel Guild, assisting [then rector] Christopher [Greaves] with server training, working with brides for their wedding arrangements, and decorating the church for festivals and special occasions as only Ave can, with such artistic talent.

She has been instrumental in keeping the ACW functioning, and has made endless phone calls for organizing Pancake Suppers, receptions for funerals, comforting the families, and organizing fund-raising lunches. The list is endless, but all these functions are handled with quiet dignity and tasteful presentations.

As Director of the 4 C’s, she dons another hat, and organizes the ordering, receiving, and distribution of huge quantities of groceries for the food bank. She has been involved with this organization since its inception by the Rev. Trevor Denny in 1979.There is no mistaking Ave’s love for God, and her courage to serve Him. She may not be a missionary in faraway places—her discipleship is close to home, where she has shown by her actions that serving God is a rewarding and often humbling experience."

All the activities Chris mentioned Ave kept up till her sudden passing.

As the master in the book of Matthew congratulates his servant on faithful and fruitful activity, we know our Lord does the same for our friend and fellow-parishioner, Ave Petch. We’ll miss you, Ave.

Ave Petch with her 2003 ‘Bishop’s Award for Faithful Service’

Empire vs. Love

By Bill Guerrant

In the 4th century, the Roman emperor Julian was concerned about the spread of Christianity in his empire, and was determined to revive the traditional Roman pagan religions.

Here's how he expressed his frustration at his seeming inability to stop the growth of Christian faith:

"Nothing has contributed to the progress of the superstition of these Christians as their charity to strangers. The impious Galileans provide not only for their own poor, but for ours as well.”

No empire can stop humble servants empowered by GOD's love

Julian failed. Christianity was irresistible. Why? Because no matter what charge could be made against the Christians, their charity to strangers and their provision for the poor, Christian and non-Christian alike, was evident for all to see. Love won. It still can.

Stepping into a new life

By Jon Walker

'Come!' answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus.
Matthew 14:29 (TEV)

When Peter stepped out of the storm-tossed boat and onto the water, where was the safest place to be? In the boat or in the arms of Jesus?

The answer, of course, is to be with Jesus, and for a brief time, Peter saw that. Right then he got a glimpse of what it is like to TRUST in Jesus and what it is like to operate within the realm of costly grace as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.

And we get a glimpse of that too. We see that following Jesus requires us to step into apparent insecurity in order to find true security.

It's a paradox of faith: Our first step of faith places us in a position where faith becomes possible. By our obedience, we learn to be faithful. If we refuse to follow, we never learn how to believe. We stay stuck in the shallow end of faith, trusting in ourselves, living by sight and not by faith.

The essence of discipleship is Jesus constantly pushing us into new situations where it is possible for us to trust him even more. He pushes us toward "the impossible situation in which everything is staked solely on the word of Jesus," says the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

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Jon Walker is the author of Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer's 'The Cost of Discipleship', from which this has been excerpted.

Influential thoughts

While this is long-standing biblical wisdom, many secular sources now agree on the huge influence our thinking has on our lives. The following is adapted from a recent Daily Hope reflection posted by Rick Warren.

"Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." (Prov. 4:23)

My interpretation influences my situation. It's not what happens to me that matters as much as how I choose to see it. The way I react will determine whether the circumstance makes me better or bitter. I can view everything as an obstacle or an opportunity for growth — a stumbling block or a stepping stone.

My beliefs influence my behavior. We always act according to our beliefs, even when those ideas are false. For instance, as a child, if you believed a shadow in your bedroom at night was a monster, your body reacted in fear (adrenaline and jitters) even though it wasn't true. That's why it's so important to make sure you are operating on true information! Your convictions about yourself, about life, and about God influence your conduct.

My self-talk influences my self-esteem. We constantly talk to ourselves. Do you run yourself down with your self-talk? Stop doing that: "As you think in your heart, so are you" (Prov. 23:7).