Pastor Phil's Blog

David

2009-05-14T10:20:00.003+01:00

I've been reading all off King Davids final Psalms in Cover to Cover 72, 133, 124, 104, 145, 47, 33, 30, 65, 29, etc and wow what words of encouragement from a guy who had been betrayed by his closest friends, watched his family fall apart, have a wife who snubbed him, been driven off the throne by his own son and chased by a madman father in law making him live in caves. and yet in his closing season of life he takes time to leave us some amazing stuff. He dosn't relate his experience, he just points to heaven.
Psalm 65;1 Praise is rightfully yours God in Zion.
29:11 The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace.
33:18 Now the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him.
33:20 We wait for the Lord, He is our help and shield.
145:9 The Lord is good to everyone.
and probably his final one 72:18 May the Lord God, the God of Isreal be praised Who alone does wonders. May His glorious name be praised forever; the whole earth is filled with His glory.

Read his final words in 2 Samuel 23: 1-7; 1 Kings 2:1-9 Absolutly incredible.
Is it any wonder 1 Chronicles 29:28-30 records He died at a good old age, full of days, riches and honour.

Sorry for sounding like a bible study today but I was blessed by this lately and it encourages us to keep looking above the muck and mire of life to our eternal destiny.

Off Parrotts and Eagles 2

2009-05-08T08:41:00.002+01:00

Here is number two of “Eagles and Parrots” from Swindoll.
Eagle thinkers ask the hard questions, take strategic risks, search hard for the whole truth, and soar high above mediocrity. Parrot people enjoy the predictable, routine, rehearsed words of others. As we discussed yesterday, the church is overrun with parrots and virtually devoid of eagles. Too harsh? You decide. Who are the eagles today who offer fresh-from-the-mountain insights about world missions, biblical doctrines, evangelism, Christian education, apologetics, and the disciplines of the faith? Who are those who forge out creative ways of communicating the truths of Scripture so that it's more than a hodge-podge of borrowed thoughts and rehearsals of the obvious which tend to paralyze the critical faculties of active minds?
Eagles are independent thinkers.
It's not that they abandon the orthodox faith or question the authority of God's inerrant Word . . . it's simply that they are weary of being told, "Stay on the perch and repeat after me." Eagles have built-in perspective, a sensitivity that leaves room for fresh input that hasn't been glazed by overuse.
The church today is in desperate need of eagles---people who come to their tasks with the abandonment of that keen-minded Jew from Tarsus. If you need an illustration, read Romans. Like a careful midwife, Paul assists in the birth of doctrine, allowing it to breathe and scream, stretch and grow, as God the Creator designed it to do. And he isn't afraid to say it for the first time, using a whole new vocabulary and style that is as original as it is accurate. There's not as much as a parrot feather on one page of that one-of-a-kind letter.
So then, which will it be? If you like being a parrot, stay put. But if you're an eagle at heart, what are you doing on that perch? Do you have any idea how greatly you're needed to soar and explore? Do you realize how out of place you are inside that cage? Even though others may not tell you, eagles look pretty silly stuck on a perch picking over a tasteless pile of dried seeds.

What an amazing anology of Paul's letter to the Romans. Wow!

Off Parrotts and Eagles

2009-05-07T08:53:00.001+01:00

I read this from Swindoll and was truly inspired.
“We are running shy of eagles, and we're running over with parrots. Content to sit safely on our evangelical perches and repeat in rapid-fire our religious words, we are fast becoming overpopulated with bright-coloured birds having soft bellies, big beaks, and little heads.
What would help to balance things out would be a lot more keen-eyed, wide-winged creatures willing to soar out and up, exploring the illimitable ranges of the kingdom of God willing to return with a brief report on their findings before they leave the nest again for another fascinating adventure.
Parrot people are much different than eagle thinkers. They like to stay in the same cage, pick over the same pan full of seeds, and listen to the same words over and over again until they can say them with ease. They like company too. Lots of attention, a scratch here, a snuggle there, and they'll stay for years right on the same perch. You and I can't remember the last time we saw one fly. Parrots like the predictable, the secure, and the strokes they get from their mutual admiration society.
Not eagles. There's not a predictable pinion in their wings! They love to think. They are driven with this inner urge to search, to discover, to learn. And that means they're courageous, tough-minded, willing to ask the hard questions as they bypass the routine in vigorous pursuit of the truth, the whole truth. ‘The deep things of God’ fresh from the Himalayan heights, where the thin air makes thoughts pure and clear rather than the tired worn distillations of humanity. And unlike the intellectually impoverished parrot, eagles take risks getting their food because they hate anything that comes from a small dish of picked-over seeds; it's boring, dull, repetitious, and dry. Although rare, eagles are not completely extinct in the historic skies of the church. Thomas Aquinas was one, as were Augustine and Bunyan and Wycliffe. So were G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and A. W. Tozer. Many of the reformers qualify, as do John Newton, George Whitefield, and a long line of nonconformists, original thinkers whose lives were interwoven through the treasured tapestry of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. And in our day? We could name some but they are increasingly rarer, as the ‘Entertain Me’ philosophy of the public outshouts those who plead "Make me think!" Have you fallen prey to a similar mind-set? Do you find yourself contentedly sitting on your perch, pecking at dry morsels rather than longing for the skies? Think about it.” I loved this

Easter

2009-04-09T23:52:00.001+01:00

Easter, wow where has the first three months of 09 gone. It is this time we Christians all around the world remind ourselves that two thousand years ago Jesus Christ our Hero and Friend defeated the enemy of death when He burst asunder its bands and walk healthily and powerfully from the grave. We can shout and herald the good news today “HE IS RISEN”. Even the angel on resurrection morning could say “He is not here, He is risen, come see the place where He lay”. I can only imagine the panic among the roman government and indeed among the church leaders, the big guys who Jesus had openly confronted about their hypocritical ways. But this panic and confusion could never have matched what must have went on in the caverns of hell when the report came in to satan himself, I feel I can hear the seething shriek even now.
I love Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 15 when in the first few verses he seems to prove the fact of resurrection. He says “He (Jesus) was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once…after that He was seen by James, then by all the Apostles. Then last of all he was seen by me also…” The calculation is simple, about five hundred and twenty plus people saw the risen Christ. Paul is saying this is no delusion folks; this is not some senile old person who people wonder could or couldn’t it be.
In verse 14 he says, “Now if Christ is not raised then our preaching is empty and our faith is empty also.”
What a package of Salvation we have. A Saviour that not only died in our place but who rose from the dead AND who went back to heaven in a body becoming the first fruits of those who have risen from the grave. Do you know what that means? Jesus was just paving a way for us, making it possible for all of us to one day conquer death itself and rise to meet our King.

Strong Families

2009-03-25T12:27:00.002Z

Last weekend our wee son Daniel Caleb decided to make an early surprise appearance. What a wee blessing he is to us. That makes me the Father of five kids all of whom have been a great blessing to me. And God is true to His word that “Children are a gift from the Lord” Psalm 127:3 (nas)
Despite the pessimistic headlines announcing that the family is an endangered species; I refuse to sigh and give up hope. Who says “endangered” means doomed? If we’re ingenious enough to preserve the badger, the corncrake and the humpbacked whale, I’m convinced we can preserve the family. The “want to” is certainly there with a lot of us, especially in churches.
Professor Nick Stinnett launched a fascinating study some years ago. All sorts of questions were asked to families from many backgrounds, cultures, and countries. His research represented a wide range of the families of humanity. The goal very simply, to discover what makes families strong. Dr. Stinnett writes of his findings:
"All together, we studied 3,000 families and collected a lot of information. But when we analyzed it all, we found six main qualities in strong families. Strong families:
• are committed to the family,
• spend time together,
• have good family communication,
• express appreciation to each other,
• gave a spiritual commitment, and are able to solve problems in a crisis."
Look back over that list. There is enough there to talk about for months and yet its not rocket science actually it’s quite simple really. I think if I could sum it up in one phrase it would be, “Be Transparent”. No hidden agenda’s, no manipulation and putting the others first every time. Just as its manners to let someone through a door first so it is in family life. Giving ourselves away, loving when it’s tough and staying in there make “Strong Families”.

Cheap Substitutes

2009-03-19T21:37:00.001Z

Isn’t funny how we tend to run to ‘Cheap Substitutes’ in life. We know that nothing is as good for us as good clear pure water yet we drink everything but it. The same with food, we constantly eat the stuff that tastes good even though we know it’s going to pile on the pies.
In the comic strip Charlie Brown, his wife asks, “do these trousers make my bottom big honey? No dear” he replies, “chocolate makes your bottom big.” For all you husbands reading this please do not try that line or you’re in the dog house.
I’ve been thinking lately how we do the same with spiritual things what’s true in our physical life is equally true in the spiritual realm. For centuries, people have turned to substitute gods, thinking they are just as satisfying as the living God. Wrong! A prophet named Jeremiah once lived in a culture a lot like ours, where this kind of lifestyle was common. Broken-hearted over the idolatry, he delivered God's message in bold, clear words: "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, they have dug for themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water at all." (Jeremiah 2:13)
“The fountain of living waters” sounds like a great place to eat, drink dwell and satisfy ourselves yet we run everywhere else except to the source of life itself. Think for the next few minutes about the “broken cisterns” in your own life…the things you give too much time and attention instead of drinking from “the fountain of living waters.” Be honest. As you identify them in your mind, admit them to God. Acknowledge what they are: cheap substitutes that can't satisfy. Even worse, they have taken the place of a genuine and deep relationship with the living Lord.
Come to the only one who can quench your thirsty soul today and live.

Poverty

2009-02-24T21:13:00.003Z

Just home from Albania, still working through my own emotions. here are a few pics to help you visulize just what its like. The little boy sits in aworld of his own cherishing his shoe box.

Loss

2009-02-09T08:48:00.002Z

We lost Gareth yesterday morning, it was his 28th birthday. Our friend who for nearly six years now has carried a horrible illness. The last eight months we watched him deteriorate to being unable to communicate with his wee family (although he fought to discover new ways of doing that) or enjoy his much loved grub.
Yesterday afternoon I stood beside his lovely Gayle and we watched little Joseph who is just one play in the snow with some of the guys. I thought my heart was going to explode right there.
I felt as I stood beside his bed yesterday morning that God had stepped in and said "enough is enough, time to come home". I then had this notion that God pulled aside the curtain and give him a glimpse of home.

Heavens gain is all our loss. I miss him. X

Day 21

2009-01-30T20:00:00.005Z

Well done folks, we made it and we are still alive, although I am going to murder a big starbucks coffee. My prayer for everyone of you that have set your face to seek God in your life over the last 21 days is that your personal lives will be abounding with the blessings of the Lord.

I end my 21 days with the word's of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:20.

"Now unto HIM who is able to EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL that we can ask or think according to the POWER that works in us. Verse 21 - Unto HIM be GLORY in the church.

X

Day 20

2009-01-30T19:07:00.002Z

Someone ask me recently do I believe this is still the "day of miracles", my answer was i'm don't believe there is just a "day of miracles". I believe we serve the "God of miracles" and He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Lets pray for a new annointing on our faith for miracles and please pray for a miracle for Garth today. X

Day 19

2009-01-28T22:43:00.002Z

The last three days of our 21 day Daniel fast, You have all done great. Today we stretch out our faith and unite our voices together to pray for Israel. Boy does it need it at the moment!
It would be good to read Isaiah's prayer for Israel in chapter 62 of his book, verse four say's your new name will be the city of God's delight.

I would love us to all unite and pray for Garth as weel the next three days. i know you do but lets raise the bar between now and Sunday. X

Day 18

2009-01-28T07:58:00.002Z

Just four more days folks. I hope you have enjoyed focusing on God and that you have been hearing His voice. Tody our focus is on Worship and Prayer, that God would give us a fresh annointing for it. How easy it is to pick up a format from someone else today. The world has become a small place with travel and internet access. The problem with it is we become imitators of men instead of imatators of God. Freshness in the Holy Ghost in the areas of Worship and Prayer are what we pray for today. X

Day 17

2009-01-26T23:55:00.002Z

Church vision - what a subject. The scripture tells us that without vision people perish. Someone once put it like this, without vision people move parish. I think there is some truth to that.
While its important in church life to love everyone after a while everyone will get cabin fever and think its great to be loved but where are we going?
Thats why Habbakuk encourages us to Write the vision down, make it clear and to run with it.
Please pray for freash annointing in vision today. X

Day 16

2009-01-26T21:01:00.002Z

Today we pray for unity, fresh annointing and wisdom upon our church leaders. The Apostle Paul says it clearly in 1 Thessalonions 5:17 brothers/sisters "Pray for us". One translation says "Never stop praying for us".
Sorry about the mistake in the sheet today, it was not deliberate to test you. The 1 Peter 5:15 should have been 1 Thessalonians 5:17. good work to all who spotted that 1 Peter 5 doesn't have a 17. X

Day 15

2009-01-25T08:47:00.002Z

Well folks, seven more days, your doing great. This week we pray for a greater annointing and today we ask God for a greater annointing on our own personal vision. The old Testament Prophet Habakuk reminds us tohave a Vision - to write it down - and to run with it.
Thats good advice, another word of wisdom from King Solomon was without vision we perish and lose our way.
Whats your vision for your life spiritually this year, what about professionally and physically. What about your family, maybe its to go on a short term mission trip, whatever it is seek God for it and write it down. X

Day 14

2009-01-24T09:48:00.002Z

Today we pray for the perscecuted church. If you are unsure what to pray look up www.releaseinternational.org and open any of the boxes like release prisoners, you will find loads to keep you praying.
China, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Vietnam, and two of the worst are Sudan and North Korea. Here are seven countries where our brothers and sisters in Christ die, get tortured or imprisoned for their faith.
If you want to research this futher speak to Leslie.
If you need a name to pray for you will maybe remember China Pastor Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan and his wife who have been released but faces new charges. X

Day 13

2009-01-23T15:05:00.002Z

Mission, mission, mission, that what was on the heart of God from the beginning of time. When Adam sinned God already had a mission planned. Before ever there was sin there was a Saviour, "A Lamb slain before the foundation of the world" cool or what!
Our main areas in emmanuel are Uganda, Albania, India and China. lets unite and pray for our brothers and sisters across the globe. X

Day 12

2009-01-22T12:54:00.002Z

Today we pray for unity in churches across the world. we live in a day of fall outs and church spilts which greive the holy Spirit. I read an interesting article lately on church spilts. it gave the statistics of 98% of splits are out of personality clashes while only 2% are doctrinal issues.
We have become good at winning arguments and losing friends.
Psalm 133 calls for unity like the dew on Mount Hermon. An interesting point is that the dew lands on Mount Hermon 365 days a year.
Lets strive for unity.X

Day 11

2009-01-21T08:36:00.002Z

Titus 3:1 reminds us to "submit to those in government and its officers".
Today as we pray for those in authority lets remember local authorities, sometimes its easier to condemn and judge those that make the decisions rather than pray for them. It dosn't tell us to always agree, just pray and submit.
Remember church government as well today and taking it futher afield to pray for Barrack Obama, a new world super power, that he will be a man of integrity and speak out against injustices. X

Day 10

2009-01-20T12:23:00.002Z

Oh the injustices of our world and how they much grieve the Holy Spirit of God. its unreal what can come under the banner of "Legal" today.
God is a God of Justice and we must lift our standards to His and pray against such immoralities. X

Day 9

2009-01-19T14:32:00.002Z

Today we pray for a fresh power to stand in the gap for ourselves and others. This is a very biblical principal as the devil told God in Job 1:10 "You have placed a hedge about him." It is great thing to pray for others and I often find it helps me as I intercede for others. X

Day 8

2009-01-18T15:02:00.002Z

One week over, well done. It has been encouraging to hear reports of new spiritual energy being awakened.
This week we focus on the word POWER. Today we know from one of our readings 1Peter 5:8-9 that we have an enemy that seeks to destroy our lives. May God give power to resist his claims and lies.X

Day 7

2009-01-17T09:19:00.002Z

Well folks, almost a third of the way today. Today we focus on renewing the mind, how fitting in a day when mental illness ranks as one of - if not the top illness. Even Solomon when writing his wonderful Proverbs recorded for us "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he." I translate that, "The me I see is the me i'll be." We have to be so careful as to what we put in to our minds, rubbish in - rubbish out, its a simple calculation really.
Gaurding our ears and eyes is the best way to protect this as that is the way into our minds. X

Day 6

2009-01-16T11:58:00.002Z

Praying today for favour on our work or maybe its your need of a job today whichever it is I am thankful that my dependency is not upon the economic climate but in the Lord.
The Psalmist in 20:7 says "Some put their trust in chariots some in horses but we will remember the Lord our God."
I wonder what your chariot or horse is that you continually lean on, God would say today, LEAN ON ME". X

Day 5

2009-01-15T09:36:00.002Z

Hope the fast is going ok and you've overcome the headaches by now. Psalm 127:1 say's "Unless the Lord builds the house they labour in vain who do".
Today as you lift your family situation before God, allow Him fresh control. Oh how easy it is for us all to give things over to God just to take them back again because its not working out the way we planned it to.
I pray for Favour for you and your family today. X