Church Central
Church Central is a monthly meet up of Oaks to go deeper in teaching, training and ministry than we have time for on a Sunday.
We meet at Acton Green Church, Cunnington Street, W4 at 8pm.
Market & Helping Hands – Sat 28th Feb 2009
February 23, 2009 by MarkB
Filed under Helping Hands, Market Church
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Can you do the market this week? Or paint some walls?
Life without fear
February 23, 2009 by irishmark
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Dear Oaks,
Justin Thacker, Head of Theology for the Evangelical Alliance recently wrote this.
Everyone seems a bit scared these days. Duffy who won ‘best female solo artist’ at this weeks Brits has told us:
I’m scared to face another day
Cos the fear in me just won’t go away.
In an instant, you were gone and I’m scared.
Similarly, Paul Weller, who won ‘best male solo artist’ has sung:
Above the clouds, what’s to be found,
I have to wonder –Will I be around.
As my anger shouts –At my own self-doubt,
So a sadness creeps –Into my dreams
When your scared of living –But afraid to die
Get scared of giving –And I must
Find the faith to beat it.
So Duffy is scared of being alone and Weller is fearful of death and what lies beyond.
What a sad reality this is but also a great opportunity for us at Oak Tree and in the wider to church to show people what it is to live a life without fear. In Christ we are never alone and beyond the horizon of death is a landscape more beautiful and wondrous then anything this world can offer. In the words of the late President Reagan “you aint seen anything yet.”
But how does the world respond, and how does it reflect our own attempts to dull the pain of fear?
Just a couple of weeks ago Lily Allen released ‘The Fear’ and in it she captured the mood of many.
I want to be rich and I want lots of money
I don’t care about clever I don’t care about funny
I want loads of clothes and f***loads of diamonds
I heard people die while they are trying to find them
And I’ll take my clothes off and it will be shameless
Cause everyone knows that’s how you get famous
I’ll look at the Sun and I’ll look in the Mirror
I’m on the right track yeah I’m on to a winner
I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
And I don’t know how I am meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear
Cause I’m being taken over by the fear.
Some how in all of that chase after all the world seems to offer she is likely to finish up with nothing more than her fear. What a dreadful way not to live. As someone else once said “the opposite of life is not death it is fear.” Fear is faith placed in the devil.
So as for me I choose life. I choose to boldly go wherever God sends me. I am in Christ and Christ is in me and nothing can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39). HOW ABOUT YOU?
Talking of going anywhere I would love your prayers as I go off to minister in India from Wednesday. I look forward to hearing from you as to all God does in you and through you whilst I am away.
Blessings,
Mark
A Rocha – Prayers for Creation
February 19, 2009 by RuthR
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A Rocha
Prayers of Confession & Intercession for Creation.
Originally used in York on 13th May 2007 by Lindsay Schuman
Holy Father, you are an awesome God. We come before you and we thank you for your creativity and your generosity in sharing with us the world we live in. We praise you for the beauty of the natural world and intricacy of how you fit all things together.
In Genesis we read ‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.’ Lord, we are painfully aware of how we have neglected to look after your earth. We hear of environmental pollution, ozone destruction, loss of forests and global warming and it is plain that we have not been good stewards of your planet. Forgive us, Lord for taking your world for granted and for the disrespect we have shown. Lord, we are sorry for our omissions and our emissions, which have had such a terrible impact on our world. We humble ourselves before you and ask your forgiveness.
Lord in your mercy…Hear our prayer.
Father help us to take our stewardship seriously. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by giant issues such as climate change, Lord would you reveal to us how we can respond both as individuals and as your Body, the Church. We pray, Lord, that you would highlight to us over the coming weeks, those areas you would have us address in our own lives. Give us ears ready to hear your promptings, Lord. Would you be working within us. Please allow alterations in our lifestyles to be acts of worship to you.
Lord in your mercy…Hear our prayer.
Lord, guard the hearts and motives of those people who lead us. We pray that you would bless those in authority with a genuine heart for your world. Lord, inspire our leaders to see their environmental responsibility as a matter of priority and importance, rather than political expediency. we pray for your hand over lawmakers and ask that you give them wisdom in deciding where limits should be set.
Lord in your mercy…Hear our prayer.
Father God, we are blessed to live in a country where provision is plentiful and we thank you for the clean water, food and electricity that are so readily available. Father, help us to resist the temptations associated with abundance. Help us to see honestly what we need and what we don’t. Keep us thankful and appreciative and protect us from greed and waste.
Lord in your mercy...Hear our prayer.
Father, we pray for a growing global understanding of how our lifestyles and choices impact on other people and on our planet. We pray for a move of your Spirit throughout the nations. We pray Lord that you would enable countries to shoulder their share of the responsibility for safeguarding the environment. We pray that you would provide the means for greenhouse gases to be cut and climatic disasters to be avoided. We lift up to you those developing nations liable to be affected worst by drought and flood and we pray for your hand of protection.
Lord in your mercy…Hear our prayer.
Challenge us Lord when we choose convenience over conscience; when we love ourselves more than our neighbours. Help us to accept our responsibilities and give your Church a voice in the international debate. We pray that your Church would be at the forefront of a move for social and environmental change.
Lord in your mercy… Hear our prayer.
Finally Father, we pray that you would change our hearts to be in line with your heart, even if this means sacrifice. We thank you that you made us stewards of your creation and that your natural world is so incredible. Thank you for giving it to us to enjoy and look after and give us passionate hearts to defend and preserve this world which belongs to you.
Lord in your mercy….Hear our prayer.
No Prayer Breakfast this week!
February 17, 2009 by RuthR
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As it’s half term this week on Wednesday 18 February – there will be NO prayer breakfast! Enjoy your lie in and we’ll look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 25 February at 7am!
Hope For Planet Earth
Coming to a venue near you (see details below), the tour will again be a fast-paced multimedia event. There will be information about the science of climate change, about the impacts on the poor and the planet, about what the Bible says, and what we can all do practically. To find out more visit www.hopeforplanetearth.co.uk
It would be great to see you there, and why not bring your friends too? Whilst the event has a clear Christian framework it is deliberately suitable for those who may not share such a faith. Tickets can be booked through the website or by calling 020 8781 1740.
We are also looking for help. At each venue we need a couple of local A Rocha Friends to run an information table with A Rocha resources. They will receive complimentary tickets. If you might be able to help please contact Maria on uk(@arocha.org or 020 8574 5935.
Pete Hawkins
UK Operations Director
February
|
Mon 23rd |
Hamilton |
Hamilton College, ML3 0AY |
|
Tues 24th |
Edinburgh |
Morningside Baptist Church, EH10 4DB |
|
Wed 25th |
Selkirk |
Selkirk High School, TD7 4EW |
|
Thurs 26th |
Newcastle |
Brunswick Methodist Church, NE1 7BJ |
|
Fri 27th |
Harrogate |
Starbeck Methodist Church, HG2 7LH |
|
March |
|
|
|
Mon 2nd |
Manchester |
Salford City Academy, M30 7PQ |
|
Tues 3rd |
Wirral |
St. Luke’s Church, Hoylake, CH47 2BF |
|
Wed 4th |
Coventry |
Blue Coat School, CV1 2BA |
|
Thurs 5th |
Cheltenham |
St. Matthew’s Church, GL50 3PL |
|
Fri 6th |
Reading |
Reading Community Church, RG30 4NX |
|
Mon 9th |
Poole |
Poole Grammar School, BH17 9JU |
|
Tues 10th |
Worthing |
St. Andrew’s High School, BN14 8BG |
|
Wed 11th |
Cambridge |
St. Bede’s School, CB1 3TD |
|
Thurs 12th |
Tunbridge Wells |
St. John’s Church, TN4 9LG |
|
Fri 13th |
Ealing |
St Martin’s Church, W3 9SG
|
So what did God say to you today?
February 13, 2009 by irishmark
Filed under Mark's Blog
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Dear Oaks,
So what did God say to you today?
I wonder if you expect God to speak to you daily? I put it to you that this is exactly what you should expect to happen. He has so many ways of communicating with us. It may be through creation which is one way he inspired me on my early morning dog walk earlier today. I saw my first crocus bursting up through the ground as a sign that spring is on the way. The seasons speak to me of God’s faithfulness.
He can also speak through dreams, conversations (even when the person speaking is not aware of being particularly used by God), circumstances and prophecies. But the way to know that God is speaking is through the bible. After 28 years of reading it I am still amazed at the new insights the Spirit of Truth reveals as I go expectantly to God’s written word.
This morning I was reading the following from Mark 11:22-26.
Jesus said “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself in to the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.”
The great promise of Jesus is that prayer in Christ to God our Father really can move mountains. But the promise comes with conditions.
- We need to know our authority in Christ. He has given us this authority and we must exercise it. It is us that are called to tell the mountain to move. It is our responsibility to say to anything that stands in the way of God’s kingdom purposes that it must move.
- Jesus tells us that it is a condition of effective prayer that we do not doubt. This is not a matter of feeling. We are well trained to experience a sense of being less than certain. Indeed we often associate certainty with pride and so back away from it. But doubt is dealt with by being very clear as to the character and purposes of God. I know that some things are hard to discern but others are not if we take God at his word. He is always opposed to injustice, pride, sickness and demons for example.
- Finally, it is important from these words of Jesus to note that we can believe we have received something before it arrives! This reminds me of the need to thank God for answered prayer before is see the answer.
A long time ago I felt prompted by an Oak to start thanking God for 216 Acton High Street. Even before the contract is signed it is ours! I have been doing that regularly and soon what God answered a long time ago will come in to the sight of those who only believe when they can see the answer. But faith operates in the invisible so start rejoicing!
So does God speak to you every day? If not, then I challenge you to make the necessary changes so that he does. He wants to. He calls it relationship.
Every blessing,
Mark
Market this week… 14th Feb 2009
February 12, 2009 by MarkB
Filed under Market Church
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MarketCHURCH
Ermine are short tailed weasels…
February 6, 2009 by irishmark
Filed under Mark's Blog
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Dear Oaks,
Ermine are short tailed weasels that have a very strange feature. During the winter their fur will turn pure snow white. This is how God created them to be so that they might be protected from others. But man of course has found out a way to overcome this by discovering that Ermine will do anything to protect the purity of their coat.
So fur hunters do not set a snare to capture one of these purity obsessed animals but instead first find their home which is usually in the cleft of a rock or a hollow of a tree. The hunters then smear the entrance of the home with grime. This is followed by setting the hunting dogs loose
With the dogs on their trail the Ermine flee for home but when they get to the entrance smeared with grime they will not enter. The purity of their coat is too important to them. The dogs can then pounce and the life of the Ermine is over.
Ermine are captured because their purity is more precious than life.
For the Christian purity is life. Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” -Matthew 5:8
Thank God for Christ who has given to us his robe of purity in exchange for the filthy rags we once wore. It is his grace that freely gives us what we cannot deserve, it is his mercy that allows this. If he was to give us justice we could not live but he gives us mercy which triumphs over judgement. So like the Ermine let us preserve the coat of purity that clothes our soul but unlike the Ermine let us know that God will protect us and that one day we shall see him!
Blessings,
Mark
Ps This Sunday our guest speaker is Rev’d Dave Bookless the UK Director of Arocha. Dave’s specialist subject and the work of Arocha is around the subject of the environment and all that it means to care for the world we steward for God. In these days of climate change and all manner of “green” issues I strongly recommend coming along and listening to someone who really is a fount of information and wisdom on such matters.
Market this week… 7th Feb 2009.
February 4, 2009 by MarkB
Filed under Market Church
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Market CHURCH
Happy day oaks!
I hope you’re well, did you get a snow day? Sorry to those who didn’t.
We were back for the first Saturday in 2009 last week and it was great fun! There were lots of locals and regulars who were smiling-happy to have us back, it felt like a real honor to be wanted and valued and able to serve and chat and pray for people who love the stall.
Are you free this Saturday?
There are shifts available both 10-12 and 12-2pm… can you give a couple of hours (or less if you want!)?
If you could reply to carolyn who is coordinating market this week that’d be ace!
God bless,
mb
Mark Bishop
Out there, Oaktree Church.
