Are we throwing out the baby with the bath water?

I was invited to preach recently at a church where they use Baptist Praise and Worship as their songbook. This caused me a little issue as I have been using Songs of Fellowship and others for my song selection over the last twenty years. However, not to be daunted by the challenge, I purchased a second-hand copy  of BPW (not one taken from a local church!) so I could select some hymns/songs for the service and have the right hymn numbers.

I strolled down the lane of nostalgia as I came across countless old hymns and songs that I had left far behind me in my leading services. Names such as Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, Joachim Neander, Timothy Dudley-Smith and many others came flooding back to me.

It seems that in our haste to "sing a new song" we can leave out the richness of those spirit-filled songwriters of yesteryear from our services. I am sure I will be finding a place for them in some of my order of services to come!

I think God is trying to tell me something!

I was preparing a sermon for a preaching engagement on Sunday morning, and as usual, I prayed to God to ask what He would want me to preach on. I was led to Like 24:13-35 and the discussion between followers of Jesus walking to Emmaus and Jesus who happened to be disguised from them supernaturally.

The sermon structure came easily as it usually does when God is in control, but just as I was finishing off and my mind drifting to future ministry and what it might be, I was led back to Luke 24:25 when Jesus said to them "‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!"

Now I am not usually one to take a word out of context, but sometimes the Lord speaks through this type of revelation. If it were in isolation, I would ignore it, but after the other weekend ....

From this I know that I don't have to force the issue and try and find what God wants me to do next and where! I will continue to seek Him in my quiet times and studies and I am sure He will reveal more to me when I need to know.

Anyway, it's time to finish off the service plan for Sunday and print off my sermon notes!

Ministry: The Return!

Just before Christmas I felt the Lord calling me to return to ministry. I have really enjoyed my sabbatical and spending more time with the family, moving house, etc. It has been great to be part of Chipping Campden Baptist Church under Phil and Edward's leadership and teaching and receiving from God. However, it would seem my sabbatical is coming to an end as the Lord prepares me for my next role.

I now have the exciting time in exploring the calling to return and to be led by God to the place He wants me to serve Him. I know that the right door will open and all the various things fall in to place.

I finally had the opportunity to go on retreat last weekend after a number of abortive attempts. It was a great time to be alone with God at the Red Hill Christian Centre watching the snow falling, thinking that if I got snowed in, I'd have a great excuse to extend my retreat.

During the evening, I was pondering on all the events since Christmas that has affirmed the return to ministry, and wondering whether they were just coincidences and God led me to Matthew 15:16 where Jesus asked His disciple Peter "Are you still so dull?" (Peter had asked Jesus to explain what He meant by a parable!)

Nuff said!