MEMORISE THE WORD OF GOD?
IT’S HARD ENOUGH JUST READING IT!
I am sometimes amazed at how the 3 different devotion books I am reading all have the same common thread running through them at the same time. In the recent weeks “Everyday With Jesus”, has been dealing with spiritual disciplines, “Daily Encounter” has dealt with overcoming the cunning of Satan and “Purpose Driven Life” asks - why memorise God’s Word - and then suggests how to memorise God’s Word.
I will attempt to uncover these threads for us to discover the answer in articles over three different weeks.
Firstly: Why memorise God’s Word?
Being disciplined to read God’s Word is hard enough, but to study and memorise scripture…are you kidding!!!
I recently read an extract from a story of a young girl who, under sufferance, was doing her piano exercises while her friends were out playing. She found the piano exercises to be tedious and boring. Then suddenly, as the story goes, she was visited by an angel who took her to see a young woman playing in a packed concert hall where the audience was entranced by her breathtaking presentation. She asked the angel, “Who is that amazing pianist?” The angel answered, “That is you in a few years.” From that moment on the young girl had an entirely different attitude to her daily piano practice.
You may not believe you can memorise Bible verses, but that’s just not true. You can memorise what you want to memorize. You probably know the Port Power or Crows club song. For your confirmation day you may have memorised the Lord's Prayer. You memorise what’s important to you: phone numbers, song lyrics, recipes, cricket and footy stats. How important is the Bible to you?
It's a matter of motivation rather than skill. David wrote in Psalm 119:72, “The law that you gave means more to me than all the money in the world”. When you understand how important and how valuable God's Word is, you’ll get serious about memorizing significant portions of it.
So why should you memorize God's Word?
• It’s the number one tool for resisting temptation. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, his only defence against this attack was the Word of God. If Jesus knew a better way to fight temptation, believe me, he would have used it.
• It helps you make wise decisions. Ask God for guidance about things very specific. Scripture memorised will come back to mind, showing what to do. The Bible says, “Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). The more you know what God says, the more you are going to know how God thinks, because the will of God is found in the Word of God. The more you fill your mind with the Word of God, the more you will know the will of God.
• It strengthens you when you’re under stress. We all get stressed from time to time. And the Bible says this, “Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles” (Psalm 119:49-50 NLT). If you will memorize Scripture, your stress level will decrease dramatically and your confidence level will increase dramatically.
• It comforts you when you’re sad. The Bible is full of comfort. Jeremiah said, “Your words are my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16b). I know the times I have been discouraged, dejected and disheartened and opened and read Scripture, and it gave me great comfort.
• It helps you witness to unbelievers. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”. If someone asks you what the Bible says about an issue or what they should do in a situation, what do you tell them? If you have Scripture memorized, it’ll help you be far more effective in sharing because you can share the truth of God’s Word.
Think about this:
• What advice have you shared recently with a friend or family member? Was that advice based on your own intelligence or the wisdom of God’s Word?
• Are you regularly praying for God’s guidance for big and small decisions alike?
One of the most powerful ways you can transform your spiritual life is to learn to memorize Scripture. The Bible says in Proverbs 7:2; “Guard my words as your most precious possession. Write them down and also keep them deep within your heart”.
Barry Klaer
Pastoral Care and Fellowship team Leader.
Prayer Requests
For privacy the prayer list is not included in this Blog but if you would like to view the current requests refer to the e-mail that alerted you to this site. If you have a prayer request or wish to be covered by prayer please email churchenquiries@paravista.org.au with your request.
This week we continue the new series, “Jesus crosses the boundaries”. This week’s message Jesus crosses the boundaries of brokenness. As Mark shares in his gospel, Jesus' ministry is characterised by many healings. The kingdom of God is present in Jesus. He crosses the boundaries of brokenness; he embraces the sick; he makes broken people whole.
Bible Reading: Mark 1:40-45; 5:24b-34 James 5:14-16
Lenten Service
Lenten service will be held in the church at 4.00pm Wednesday 7th March 2012.
Kingdom Kids at the 10:30am service for ages 0-12.
Kingdom Kids
This Sunday is buddy week. That means all the kids will be starting together for opening prayer, devotion by Kool Zone and music with Laura. We will be working on a song for Easter and look forward to sharing it with you later in the term.
Room changes
Thank you for your patience this term as we’ve been experimenting with new classrooms. These changes were made to accommodate our ever growing groups. Our Kindy Zone group is settling into the OSHC room and has enjoyed having access to the kitchen and a larger open space. Kids zone are settling into the library and are also enjoying a larger space. Kool Zone is growing by the week and is still looking for a large enough space to call home. We have appreciated the support of the school in helping us find an appropriate room and again thank you for your patience as we sort this out. What an exciting problem to have. Praise God for the growth we are seeing in this ministry!
Kingdom Kids Easter Celebration
We will be having a joint Easter Celebration on Sunday 1st April. This will also mark the end of our term 1 program and the beginning of our term 1 holidays. Kingdom Kids will kick off again in term 2 on the 29th April. Please invite your friends along to our Easter celebration so that they too can hear the message of Easter.
Photos from our 2012 messy church holiday activity at PV
Egg Cartons needed…
We will need lots and lots of egg cartons for our Easter Activity. If you have any you don’t need and are happy to donate, that would be fantastic. We will need close to 100 egg cartons!
Baby Zone
Thank you to our small but wonderful team who has committed the last month to our baby zone program. Last week the kids in baby zone comforted a sad child, sat for 10 minutes to hear bible stories with picture books, puppets and songs, played beautifully together, spent time in prayer and finished by giving their friends and families blessings with our blessing sticks. It is exciting to see such young children embracing their heavenly father with open arms and I am eager to see them loved and welcomed in our church family. We need a strong and committed team to keep this ministry going and are in need of a team leader who can bring the baby zone beginnings resource to life in our church. Could this be you? 1-2 hours a week would be needed from the team leader and you would be rostered on once a month. If this isn’t you, then please join me in praying for the right person to come forward. Team Members are also needed. Very minimal prep required and you would only be rostered on once a month (twice a term). Please consider getting involved.
Play Group
For families with young children (0-5)
Come along next week to play, laugh, learn and grow. Wednesday mornings from 9:30am-11:30am in the church hall. We are still looking for someone to oversee morning tea. Could this be you? Exciting new resources coming soon!
Prayer point
Our first baptism course for 2012 starts this week. Please pray for the participants and for Rolly as together we hear more about baptism and what it means for our families.
Photos from our 2012 State Children's ministry conference Kids Program (run by PV)
Laura Carson – Children and Family Team Leader
lcarson@paravista.org.au
8263 5087
Ignite Youth
Sophie Gerrie
NEW STATE-WIDE CAMPING PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS IN YEARS 7-12
"NOVO (noun): to make anew, to change"
All registrations & info are ONLINE at
http://novo2012.eventzilla.net
SIGN UP NOW!
Earlybird rates finish 4 March!
All registrations close 23 March!
Women's Fellowship
Guest speaker, Heather Cosh will be sharing her experiences in Uganda and helping to set up Maranatha Health
There will be a trading table and afternoon tea.
Another date for your diary is the LWSA Convention at Loxton on Thursday 3rd May. If you are interested in this day bus trip, please phone Jan on 8264 8288.
BSF (BIBLE STUDY FELLOWSHIP) is an interdenominational women’s bible study happening weekly at Good Shepherd.
Each Tuesday morning from 9:30-11:30 between 50-60 women of all ages are meeting to study God’s word. Babies and children up to school age are wonderfully cared for and taught in their own age-specific classes.
This year the focus is on the book of Acts. Would you like to join us? Turn up on any Tuesday morning to join an introductory class, or contact Sonia Hulme on 7122 2903 for more information.
Prayer Ministry Night
Tuesday 6th March, 7.30 pm in the Education Centre
Hey Ewe! Wot’s your name?
John 10:3 “…He calls his own sheep by name…”
I would like a dollar for every one who has told me that they now do not know the names of many people in the congregation! I am told, “I see them around the place but I don’t know who they are!” They probably don’t know your name either.
We are expanding through church transfers and those beginning a new life in Christ or reconnecting with God. If you have a name badge, please, please wear it. Consider that having a name badge helps people connect and reconnect particularly if they are a visitor. Avoid being sheepishly addressed as, ‘hey ewe!’
Name badges can be ordered by writing “Name Badge” on the Welcome Card or by contacting the office staff on 8263 5087 or churchenquires@paravista.org.au The cost per name badge is $9:50 (Please nominate if you want a magnet, clip or pin backing)
Barry Klaer, Pastoral Care and Fellowship (Hospitality and Integration)
Reflections for the second week of Lent
Mark 8:1-9
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
'About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance."
His disciples replied, "How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?" Jesus asked, "How much bread do you have?" "Seven loaves," they replied.
So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them.
They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were about 4,000 people in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten.
In this story Jesus has compassion for the people in the crowd who surround him. They have been with Him for three days without food and they are hungry. Jesus cares when people are hungry. He cares about their wellbeing and worries that if he sends them away they might faint on the way home.
The disciples don’t know what to do. They can only see the difficulties of being in the wilderness with many hungry people and no food.
Jesus asks his disciples what food they have, and he takes the few loaves and fish, blesses them and feeds the 4,000 people and still has many leftovers. The crowd goes home satisfied.
What a comfort it is to know that we have a God who cares for all who are hungry. Sometimes we are like the disciples and can only see the problem of too many people and not enough food, but God has made provision for all and is so generous. We can all be fed if we share the generosity to those around us.
At Lutheran Community Care we see some families where the choice has to be made between feeding the family and paying the bills. Our financial counsellors help people to work through their expenses and to try and help make a budget work so that no one goes hungry. Last week one of our workers helped a man through an interpreter and so did not understand what the person said when they came to the end of the session. She asked the interpreter to translate the last comment and it brought tears to her eyes. ’Thank you,' he said. 'I will be able to sleep tonight.’
You too can help others by donating to LCC's Lenten Appeal. Use the tear off donation slip at the bottom of the letter in the March edition of the Together magazine, visit the website at www.lccare.org.au, or telephone 08 8269 9333 to make a donation that will make a real difference.
From the Office
For Sale
Laminated table
To increase efficiency in the church office we have installed a new desk which gives much more room for staff and volunteers working at the computers. The laminated desk that was in use is for sale. It measures 1500mm x 900mm. It can be used as a work or computer table. Cost $100
If interested please contact John Dolling on 8263 5087
Staff on Leave
From the Administration Manager
Financial Report
January – December 2011
| Income | | Expenditure |
| December | | December |
| Offerings | $ 44222( budget $44000) | |
| Other | $ 3668 | |
| Total | $ 47890 | $ 46555 |
| January- Decenmber | | January- December |
| Offerings | $ 500586(budget $499000) | |
| Other | $ 46351 | |
| | $ 546937 | $ 538040 |
Comments
The figures provided above are unaudited figures. The audit commenced on Tuesday this week. I will inform you of the final outcome for 2011 when the audit has been completed.
The 2011 budget had a forecast deficit of $13076. We thank God for your support of His mission at Para Vista that offerings were $1586 above budget and that before the audit, it appears there will be a credit balance of around $9000. Besides generous giving this surplus was brought about by a generous an unbudgeted donation of $6500.
This week the Finance Team will meet to discuss the outcome of 2011 and recommend to the Board on the best way to utilise this surplus to support the mission at Good Shepherd.
New Administration Manager
Congratulations to Stephen Zanker who will be the New Administration Manager at Good Shepherd. It is anticipated that Stephen will commence in this role in the week after Easter.
Position vacant at Good Shepherd
The following positions are available at Good Shepherd:
Worship Material/ Media Production – 7 hours
Preparing multi media material for services.
Preparing written material for services.
Preparing other publications as required.
Maintain procedures complying to the position.
Reception/ Publications – 9 hours.
Reception duties and associated administration tasks.
Preparing and publishing the Weekly News for distribution in written form and via the internet.
Preparing other publications as required.
Maintain procedures complying with the position.
Although these are advertised as 2 positions they could be combined into one position.
Full details are available on our web site under members section, log in paravista password jesus
notice board
Bushed blokes
SHOW ME A SIGN!
Ever felt like this?
Not sure which sign post to follow…….
Well come to BuShed Blokes and get some direction.
Bring ya mates, ya camping gear and a heart to be encouraged by Peter ‘Sticks’ Steicke and Ian ‘Watto’ Watson. Connect with your identity as a Son of the King and come to know who you were created to be.
All blokes welcome!
Date: Friday 23rd March 6pm – Sunday 25th March 11am 2012
Location: South Kilkerran Picnic Grounds, MAITLAND SA
Cost: $50 per Bloke/ Under 15 free
For more info and registration forms contact: Luke Doecke Ph: 0403 801 990 Email: lukedoecke@bigpond.com
Lay Worker
Are you seeking an opportunity to work with Indigenous people in Alice Springs?
This full-time lay position is available for a 2 year contract. We are seeking a person who is passionate about bringing the good news of God’s love to all people and providing pastoral care to Indigenous people living in town camps and the wider community.
Alice Springs Lutheran Church, located in Australia’s heart, is a large congregation of over 500 baptised members and works with local Lutheran organisations and schools.
The person we are seeking will have an inspirational faith to proclaim God’s love to others. Proven talents including administrative, organisational and people skills are also necessary, as is a drivers licence and the ability to pass a relevant police clearance.
Further information is available from Pastor Dave Kuss on mobile 0439 521 402.
Expressions of interest must be received by Wednesday 14th March 2012 and can be emailed to alicesprings.nt@lca.org.au
Living Well in the Living City
Salisbury Healthy Communities Initiative
For more information and to register to receive regular program updates, please visit www.salisbury.sa.gov.au/livingwell or contact Cathie Graham or Jim Binder from the Salisbury Healthy Communities Team on 8406 8251.
Looking for a good home
Corner workstation desk 1470mm x 1170mm available for a donation. Contact Bill Waring on 0405 213 460.
The longest journey begins with the first step.
Church Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9.00am – 3.45pm
