Posted on

Tomorrow at Explore

Roy and Pat begin our new 4-week series for Advent.  Each week is dedicated to considering a key theme that came to its fulfillment in the arrival of Jesus:  Peace, Hope, Joy, and Love.  In this series, we’ll explore each of these biblical words and their meaning within the biblical story as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This week it’s Peace.  11.15am, Ottery St Mary Parish Church.

Here’s the 4-minute video they used in the service, if you’d like to see it again.
Posted on

Deuteronomy 10: Look around you

Look around you: Everything you see is God’s—the heavens above and beyond, the Earth, and everything on it. But it was your ancestors who God fell in love with; he picked their children—that’s you!—out of all the other peoples. That’s where we are right now. So cut away the thick calluses from your heart and stop being so willfully hardheaded. God, your God, is the God of all gods, he’s the Master of all masters, a God immense and powerful and awesome. He doesn’t play favorites, takes no bribes, makes sure orphans and widows are treated fairly, takes loving care of foreigners by seeing that they get food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 10:14-18, The Message

Posted on

Job 19: How I long for that day

“If only my words were written in a book—
    better yet, chiselled in stone!
Still, I know that God lives—the One who gives me back my life—
    and eventually he’ll take his stand on earth.
And I’ll see him—even though I get skinned alive!—
    see God myself, with my very own eyes.
    Oh, how I long for that day!”

Job 19:25-27, The Message

Posted on

Our family compelled

May our family be compelled to preach the gospel.

For you see, even though I proclaim the good news, I can’t take the credit for my labours, for I am compelled to fulfil my duty by completing this work. It would be agony to me if I did not constantly preach the gospel!

1 Corinthians 9:16, The Passion Translation

Posted on

Joshua 1 v. 9: Strength! Courage! God is with you every step you take.

Joshua 1:9 The Message:  

After the death of Moses the servant of God, God spoke to Joshua, Moses’ assistant:

“Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I’m giving to the People of Israel. I’m giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the Hittite country—and then west to the Great Sea. It’s all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”