Devotionals

Psalm23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
3 He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Continue reading “Psalm 23, By Pastor Peter Norris”

Last week, we began considering the Kingdom Of heaven, and we were looking at Jesus’ parable from Matthew 13 that likened his Kingdom to a mustard seed. We discussed how with Jesus, small things are valuable, whereas in contrast, we tend to focus only on the big.
Continue reading “Kingdom Of heaven (Part 2), by Rev. ernie Banwell.”

I’d like us to consider a phrase we often use in church. Perhaps or those outside of the church it might not be so familiar. That phrase is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Continue reading “Kingdom Of Heaven (Part 1), By Rev. Ernie Banwell.”

Leah had never truly been loved. It pains me to write those words, because I grew up in a family where I felt safe, valued and appreciated. Yet this Bible character whose story seems to be often overlooked clearly enjoyed none of those privileges. She was the eldest of two sisters, and the daughter of Laban, the brother of Abraham’s wife Rebekah.
Continue reading “Learning From leah.”

I have always openly admitted that my favourite book of the Bible is the gospel of John. For me, there are so many incredibly special moments in John’s account of the life of Christ, but none more so than the way in which the apostle ends his writings. Having detailed Jesus’ death and resurrection and the way he appeared to the disciples to prove he was alive, John wraps it all up by saying: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21: 25.) So you mean there was more?
Continue reading “There Is Always More.”

My theme for this devotional is “I promise you a better future.” It is easy to make a promise with the best intention of keeping it. However, making a promise is one thing, but keeping it is another.
Continue reading “I Promise You A better Future, By Pastor Peter Norris.”

In the gospels, we read of two incredible miracles where Jesus multiplied a tiny amount of food into a meal for thousands. Many of us remember hearing about the five loaves and two fish that fed five thousand, but there was also the feeding of the four thousand. From seven loaves and a few small fish. The same result twice, with only slightly differing numbers? Do you think Jesus was trying to make a point?
Continue reading “It’s not About The Bread.”

thanks to Sarah for writing this week’s beautiful thoughts.
I read something on Facebook recently about following your heart, and the phrase that immediately came to mind was: “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). We can follow our hearts, but we need to know that a lot of the time, they’ll lead us astray. In Matthew 15:17-20, as He explains that foods are no longer ‘Clean’ and ‘Unclean’, Jesus says: “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person”. First, we need to pay attention to what’s in our hearts. Are we tempted to steal from someone – to grasp what should have been theirs? To squash a dream? Perhaps to lie about them or ourselves? “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).
Continue reading “When It’s Safe To follow Our Hearts, By Sarah tummey”

Recently, I’ve been learning how to read the Bible with imagination. To do this, you literally place yourself in the middle of whatever story you happen to be reading and ponder how you would react and feel. I’ve found this works best with the gospels, since they are mainly narrative. Overall, I have felt myself engaging with the ministry of Jesus while he was here on earth in a fresh new way.
Continue reading “Would I Walk On The Water?”

19th July 2021 will be marked in England as the day when most restrictions due to Covid 19 were lifted, we can debate what it all means. We can look back at previous freedom days such as freedom gained through the end of a war, freedom from slavery, freedom from racism etc. But on reflection we see that all so called freedom never means total freedom. I want to major in on one day in history when all could have a total Freedom Day, freedom not from any of the above but freedom from sin and peace with God.
Continue reading “Freedom Day, by Pastor Peter Norris.”