Author: admin

Thursday 12th June 2025

 “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 KJV

“For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? 23 For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 2:21-23 NKJV

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 NKJV

Father,

Father, today I call You Father as well as Lord because it reminds me that You understand personally what it is like to be human. Your Son experienced the joys and disappointments of life. I do not want to linger in Ecclesiastes for two reasons. One I am reading through the Bible in a year and cannot linger too long in the short books. Secondly this book seems to have been written by someone (Solomon) at the end of their life and not very positive. In fact rather than have a glass half empty as we say he seems to have lost most of that too.

Today we talk about mental health. But it is also about his spiritual health. He has achieved much but also knows his own downfalls and mistakes. And after considering life he comes to the conclusion that regardless of it all he needs to stick with the God, You that have got him this far and trust You to be the one to judge what he has done and not done.

We know we have Jesus to take away the guilt of sin and wrongdoing and like Solomon we know that the only judgement that matters is Yours. We do all we do for an audience of One. Our glasses are full of the water of life. We will pass through judgement safely if we fear You God, keep Your commandments and trust Jesus to keep us . Keep our mental health seeking You and lift us up when we are down.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Thursday 12th June 2025
Simply dependent.

Faithful one so unchanging
Ageless one You’re my rock of peace
Lord of all I depend on You
I call out to You again and again
I call out to You again and again

You are my rock in times of trouble
You lift me up when I fall down
All through the storm
Your love is the anchor
My hope is in You alone

Lyrics: Brian Doerksen

Wednesday 11th June 2025

“Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. 2 The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. 3 He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.” 1 Kings 11:1-3

“He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command. 11 So now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. 12 But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. 13 And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city.” 1 Kings 11:10-13

Father God,

James reminds us that You give good gifts to Your children (James 1:17). And You gave the gift of wisdom to Solomon at his request. But it was his to choose to use it! And his weakness in one area trod over it unfortunately! It reminds us that gifts have to be used and Your Word cannot be put aside while we indulge ourselves! Or refuse to admit to our own weaknesses. How sad that he achieved so much and yet in indulging in others was led astray.

So You bounce me into the New Testament and to Paul and also to the Book of Hebrews. (Did Paul write it?). Reminding me that it is not the start that is all important but the finishing is. “Don’t you realise that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) And there is a crown for everyone, thank You Lord. “. . . and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Solomon reminded us, “there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). So help us when we make silly mistakes, slip into indulgence or selfishness in its many guises, or just run out of steam not to give up. Pick us up Lord, dust us off, wash us clean and help us back into the race. And when we are running well, help us to help others get back up and find their joy again.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Wednesday 11th June 2025

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

Turn your eyes to the hillside
Where justice and mercy embraced
There the Son of God gave His life for us
And our measureless debt was erased

Jesus, to You we lift our eyes
Jesus, our glory and our prize
We adore You, behold You, our Savior ever true
Oh Jesus, we turn our eyes to You

Turn your eyes to the morning
And see Christ the Lion awake
What a glorious dawn, fear of death is gone
For we carry His life in our veins

Chorus . . .

Turn your eyes to the heavens
Our King will return for His own
Every knee will bow, every tongue will shout
“All glory to Jesus alone”

Chorus Twice
Oh Jesus we turn our eyes to You

Chorus: Helen Howarth Lemmel
New Verses: George Romanacce, Kevin Winebarger, Nathan Stiff, Nic Trout

Tuesday 10th June 2025

“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.” Song of Solomon 8:7 NKJ

“Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.” Song of Solomon 8:7 NLT

God who is love,

We say it and we sing it – God is love. And yet we cannot deny You are also Judge. And yet for all You see our sin and must judge us guilty for it . . . Your love for us, personally, intimately cannot be quenched.

Here Solomon talks about love. Not lustful love which burns out, not possessive love which suffocates and not blind love. But love that cannot be put out or bought. Jesus came and suffered once and for all for our sin and died. (1 Peter 3:18). He did not buy our love he offered us His in return for our sin. And a life of being loved fully by You God.

We all need to know we are loved. To know that belonging. We gain some of it via our friends and family. But there is something deeper, wider and everlasting about the love that God offers through Jesus, that Christless eyes can never see. Oh fill us with Your love Lord that we may have not just enough but plenty to keep us healthy and generous in sharing it with others in word and deed.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Tuesday 10th June 2025
Last line of each verse says it all (Song of Solomon 2:6) The second hymn is because it kept going through my mind as I considered todays reading and brings me to tears in gratitude.

Loved with everlasting love,
Led by grace that love to know;
Spirit, breathing from above,
Thou hast taught me it is so.
Oh, this full and perfect peace!
Oh, this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.

Heaven above is softer blue,
Earth around is sweeter green;
Something lives in every hue
Christless eyes have never seen:
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow,
Flow’rs with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know,
I am His, and He is mine.

Things that once were wild alarms
Cannot now disturb my rest;
Closed in everlasting arms,
Pillowed on the loving breast.
Oh, to lie forever here,
Doubt and care and self resign,
While He whispers in my ear,
I am His, and He is mine.

His forever, only His:
Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss
Christ can fill the loving heart.
Heaven and earth may fade and flee,
Firstborn light in gloom decline;
But, while God and I shall be,
I am His, and He is mine.

Lyrics: George Wade Robinson

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
That is wider than the deepest sea
And so I know it covers even me.
There’s a depth to His compassion
That is deeper than I’ll understand
And so my life is safe within His hands.

His love is deep enough for me
To cause these blinded eyes to see
To set this lowly captive free from sin.
His grace is flowing from above
Reflected in the Saviour’s love
O precious Father help me take it in.

Geoff Baker
CD: Spring Harvest, Take Off Your Shoes, ICC.