I know not by what methods rare,
But this I know – God answers prayer,
I know not when He sends the word
That tells us fervent prayer is heard.
I know it cometh — soon or late:
Therefore we need to pray and wait.
I know not if the blessing sought
Will come in just the way I thought.
I leave my prayers with Him alone,
Whose will is wiser than my own. Read More
I love to garden. I love animals. Sometimes the two don’t mix, as Was the case recently. Since we rent our home, most of my plantings are contained in flower pots and window boxes. We have 4 dogs, two of which are 5 month old dachshunds, and the pups love to help me work outside, while I’m gardening. Recently my family went on a five day trip to Florida, during the kids’ spring break. While we were gone, the dogs stayed outside, with a dog house for shelter and a neighbor to feed and watch over them. Read More
My life is but a weaving
between my God and me.
I may not choose the colors
But He knows what they should be.
For He can view the pattern
Upon the upper side
While I see it…..
Only on the underside. Read More
When you are tired and discouraged
From fruitless efforts;
God knows how hard you have tried.
When you’ve cried so long and your
Heart is in anguish;
God has counted your tears. Read More
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6, New Living Translation)
Father, give me wisdom as I begin this new day. Help me to use my time, the time You have allotted me, wisely, not wastefully. Read More
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:15
While God speaks to us first and foremost through His Word, God also can speak to us through circumstances. Having said that, I also want to say that I don’t base my decisions on circumstances alone. Read More
Psalm 1 makes a distinction between good men and evil men. 
Good men being like the tree growing by a river that gives fruit every year because its roots never dry up; evil men being like straw that the wind blows away. I presume that this is intended to apply to women too, but women did not signify to the psalmist. If the psalmist was in fact David, his record on honouring women was pretty dire but no doubt he thought of himself as one of the good men. Read More
The only account we have of the first Pentecost is in Acts chapter two. 
All the believers were sitting together in one house, according to Luke who was not among those present and who was writing thirty to sixty years after the event. It is always reassuring to an historian if there is more than one account of an event, or at least an eyewitness, but such is not the case with Pentecost.
Luke paints a picture for us of a sudden explosion of the numbers of believers, from the few that could sit together in one house to many thousands; and all in the space of a few days; the result of a visitation from the Spirit of God and of the powerful preaching of uneducated fishermen. Read More
Author unknown
This is the most powerful aid
to peace of mind.
We often develop ill feelings
inside our heart for the person
who insults us or harms us.
We nurture grievances.
This in turn results in loss of sleep,
development of stomach ulcers,
and high blood pressure. Read More
“Begin to realize more and more that prayer is the most important thing you can do. You can use your time to no better advantage than to pray whenever you have an opportunity to do so, either alone or with others, while at work, while at rest, or while walking down the street. Anywhere!” By O. Hallesby Read More
After a brief illness, my mother died on January 30, 2012. Not only was she my mother, she was also my best friend. I was in shock. One day she was recovering; the next, she was gone.
For two weeks, I grieved heavily and could not focus on anything else. But life got in the way. My son was to be married on February 18, so there was little time. My husband and I were giving the wedding and I was blessed to have the help of a wedding planner. She had taken on more and more of the wedding tasks during my mother’s illness and after her death, but there was still the urgent need for me to shift from deep grief to joyous anticipation. Read More
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16–17
First and foremost, God speaks to us through His Word. We are told in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Read More
The song service is finished.
The sermon begins.
During the first three sentences,
expectant faces look toward the preacher.
A single mother sighs,
praying her children will let her
make it through the sermon,
maybe even listen. Read More
Peter is struggling with his narrow nationalism in Acts 10.
He starts off believing that only Jews can become followers of Jesus but joyfully ends the chapter understanding that Jesus is for all people. Of course, we are not so naïve, are we? We would never write someone off because of the accident of their birth, surely?
I just need to unpack the phrase “follower of Jesus” for those outside the church. Those of us inside the church largely regard Jesus as the supreme example of godliness. He demonstration great love for His disciples and for all of us. Instead of compromising His mission, He accepted torture and death at a time when He had such worldly potential. Some may believe that other people, and not just those recognised as saints, have shown similar love and courage; but we might all agree that trying to be like what we know of Jesus is a lofty aim. Read More
For it is the God Who commanded light to shine out of darkness, Who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (NKJV)
The Source of Light, Jesus the guiding Light,is important in our lives.
Deer season and a full moon had happened during the same time frame. The deer were feeding freely during the night and bedding down during the day. Unless you just happened to kick one up walking to your hunt site, hunting in a stand during the day was almost non-existent. Read More
Revelation 2:17b – To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
John 3:16b – That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Read More
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going. John 14:1-4
We are a one-car family, and so, when I need the use of our car, I have to get my body out of bed early enough to travel with my husband into town and deposit him at his workplace. At the end of the day, I reverse that order and journey to bring him back home again so he can relax and enjoy the comforts of home. Hopefully, it welcomes him with a modicum of order, after I have done necessary housekeeping through the day, thus making it a place for each of us to enjoy at the day’s end.
I tend to be very punctual, and so, when my husband is not at the appointed place at the agreed time, I begin to portray my “antsy” disposition. “Okay, I’m here — where are you?” or “Come on, Mister; I’ve worked hard at home cleaning and preparing supper and I’m tired too. I need to get home” or “I’m here; come and find me, then I can take you home.” I agree — it is sadly not the best attitude and certainly not a godly one.
Thankfully, God is infinitely gracious and patient and will wait for us to meet Him, any time and any place. He wants to be welcomed into our day and into our lives. He waits for us to meet Him and allow Him to take us along the path that leads to His heavenly abode — our eternal home — where He has promised that He has already prepared a place for each one of us. All we have to do is meet Him and agree to take that journey with Him, trusting that He holds the promised rest and comfort.
Isaiah 55:6 – Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.
Prayer: Father God, help us to look for You, wait for You, and follow You on the journey of life that is Your choice for each one of us. Help us with our attitudes, and grant us grace. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Patricia Day
as seen in PCCWeb Daily Devotional
Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. John 11:3-6
Thoughts
Have you ever had a big outdoor adventure all planned out and just about the time you were ready to get it started, something happened that caused the trip to be delayed?
Sometimes, God causes delays in our lives for a purpose. Maybe, you’ve been too selfish with your outdoor time and God knows that you need to spend more time with your wife and kids or maybe God is protecting you from an unseen danger.
Whatever the reason, know that God has a purpose and a plan for your delay.
Action Point
Jesus delayed not out of a lack of concern, but because He was about to do something extraordinary in the lives of those He loved.
Christ knows all things. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He even said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
Jesus delayed because it was time to get the wheels in motion for why He was put here on Earth. Yes, He raised Lazarus from the dead which was an exciting miracle. This wonderful act did something greater; it set the stage for His own painful death and glorious resurrection. After He raised Lazarus, people either believed that He was God or they began to plot His demise. Read all of John 11 and carefully see how this entire great story played out.
When God delays you, get ready for something greater!!!
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2)
God is doing a unique work on the earth today. There are seasons in which the Holy Spirit speaks things to the Church. During one decade it might be a focus on evangelism. During another, it might be a greater awareness of the Holy Spirit. During yet another, it might be a focus on social problems in cities.
Today, God is speaking very clearly to the Church about societal transformation. Fifteen years ago, the idea of a community being totally transformed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ was a foreign concept. However, according to George Otis, Jr, director of the Sentinel Group, there are over 500 communities that are in some form of quantifiable transformation process today.
The defining characteristic of a community that is being transformed is that the socio-economic traits are being positively affected. The crime rate goes down, the economy is improved, and the number of Christians in the city increases, prayer increases, and the city leaders become Christians. It is the manifestation of Deuteronomy 28:13, “The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.”
In order to go beyond the Gospel of Salvation to the Gospel of the Kingdom we must exercise a different level of faith for our communities. Jesus talked about the kingdom of God more than 70 times in the New Testament – much more often than he mentioned salvation. While salvation is part of bringing the kingdom of God on earth, it includes much more.
When the Gospel of the Kingdom comes into a life and a community, everything in its wake is transformed. How might God want you to be the catalyst to bring the entire Gospel of the Kingdom into the lives and communities you are called to influence?
as seen in Today God is First
Wesleys is Baildon’s community cafe and there is always a warm welcome awaiting you.
Come along and join us!
