Blog - Denham Parish Church

Prayers Friday 12th March 2021

March 12, 2021/in Prayer/by Christoph Lindner

Thank you, Lord, for giving me the Christian faith, which shows me the path to follow. Fill me with your life as I spend time with you. Give me my daily bread so that I can accomplish your work. Lord, I offer you all my shortcomings, sins, and fears. Help me to walk forward, trusting in your mercy and grace. I want to hate sin. Give me the grace I need to say no to the temptations I face. I want to be holy, I know I cannot do it on my own. Make your thoughts my thoughts and your desires my desires. Help me to move in your peace and patience today, alert to what you want me to do. Holy Spirit, I open my heart to you so that you can fill me and empower me. Help me to keep my gaze on you. Take me into deeper relationship with you. Change my heart to be more like yours. Give me the wisdom and patience to walk with you through all the different seasons in life. May my life be useful to you and bring glory to your name. Amen.

Let us continue to pray for the Church of Christ this Lenten season:

‘Jesus with thy church abide

Be her Saviour, Lord and Guide

While on earth her Faith is tried

We beseech thee, hear us

Keep her life and doctrine pure

Grant her patience to endure

Trusting in thy promise sure

We beseech thee, hear us

May her voice be ever clear

Warning of a judgment near

Telling of a Saviour dear

We beseech thee, hear us’

We will use the prayer of Hannah Kardon , a Methodist Pastor to pray for all mothers:

We remember all mothers especially those who are struggling, to fill them with incandescent joy.

To the Moms who are remembering children who have died, and pregnancies that miscarried.

To the Moms who decided other parents were the best choice for their babies, to the Moms who adopted those kids and loved them fierce.

To those experiencing frustration or desperation in infertility.

To those who knew they never wanted kids, and the ways they have contributed to our shared world.

To those who mothered colleagues, mentees, neighborhood kids, and anyone who needed it.

To those remembering Moms no longer with us.

To those moving forward from Moms who did not show love, or hurt those they should have cared for.

We honor the unyielding love and care for others we call ‘Motherhood,’ wherever we have found it and in whatever ways we have found to cultivate it within ourselves.

Lord in your mercy hear our prayers!

Amen

News Sheet Sunday 14th March 2021

March 12, 2021/in Uncategorized/by Christoph Lindner

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Wellbeing Thought for Friday 12th March 2021

March 12, 2021/in Wellbeing/by Christoph Lindner

Friday 12 March
Pray

Praying for provision is embedded in the Lord’s Prayer: We pray “hallowed by your name” and one of the names of God in the Bible is Yahweh Jireh (Genesis 22.12), which means ‘the Lord provides’. Then, after re-aligning our lives with the prayer “Your kingdom come, your will be done”, we can confidently pray, “Give us today our daily bread”.

Be in the will of God: it means a lifestyle that is in line with God’s Word and the leading of His Spirit. Put in place the principles explored this week. A key part of God’s provision comes by us working diligently and honourably.
Believe it is God’s will to provide for you. Let go of a poverty mindset.
Be specific. Ask specifically for God’s provision.
Be persistent. If you believe your request is in the will of God, don’t give up praying.

> Take a few moments to pray for specific needs – whether it is for yourself or for others.

Wellbeing Thought for Thursday 11th March 2021

March 11, 2021/in Wellbeing/by Christoph Lindner

Thursday 11 March
A journey of generosity

If we want to build generosity into our lives, we need to do it intentionally and with planning (read 1 Corinthians 16.23). This verse shows that giving is to be prioritized, regular, planned and proportional. We give to God first, not from our leftovers (priority), because he gave us the first and very best, his only Son Jesus, so we can be children of God.

The New Testament emphasises grace-motivated generosity. Many Christians follow the Old Testament principle of ‘tithing’ (giving 10% of your income to God). You can give proportionally no matter how little or much you earn! Honouring God with the first 10% and living off the other 90% is far better than trying to go it alone with the 100%! Once people start giving generously, they often experience God’s provision and can be even more generous as a response to God’s grace at work in their lives.

> Thank God for his provision and invite him to reveal more of his love and generosity towards you. Consider which steps you can take in giving that is a priority, regular, planned and proportional.

Wellbeing Thought for Wednesday 10th March 2021

March 10, 2021/in Wellbeing/by Christoph Lindner

Wednesday 10 March

Save and Give

The 18^th century preacher John Wesley famously said, “Earn all you can, give all you can, save all you can.” Receiving an income helps us to gain financial margin, save wisely and live generously.

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.” (Proverbs 13.11)

Sensible saving makes provision for the future. Robert Morris highlights five purposes of saving:

Emergencies – sometimes called the ‘boiler fund’.
Needs. Many essential items (shoes, washing machines, cars) wear out, if we want to avoid debt we need to save up.
The future. Saving for a wedding, retirement or for a time when we will earn less is sensible.
Wants. There is nothing wrong with buying things you want as long as you don’t go into debt.
Giving. This may be the most important reason to save (read 1 Timothy 6.17-19). If we don’t have money, we can’t save money!

There are two ‘seas’ in Israel – the Sea of Galilee in the north and the Dead Sea in the south. The difference? The Sea of Galilee has an inflow and an outflow. The Dead Sea has only an inflow – that’s why it is dead. Generosity is the outflow from our lives and a key to our own flourishing. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” and research back that up. The Bible doesn’t teach we should give to get, instead we get to give, it’s a privilege! But many Christians have experienced that we can never out-give God – there truly is blessing in giving!

> How can you save and give more? Can you start giving regularly to a cause, an organization, a church you support? Be ready to be generous whenever you can (without going into debt!).
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Wellbeing Thought for Tuesday 9th March 2021

March 9, 2021/in Wellbeing/by Christoph Lindner

Tuesday, 9 March

Cultivating contentment

The goal of financial wellbeing is ‘margin’ – to live within our means and to have a little left. The enemy of financial margin is not being content with what we have and to compare ourselves to others (typically those who have more!).

The antidote is cultivating contentment (read Philippians 4.11-13). In 1 Timothy 6, St Paul says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Here are a few suggestions to get us started:

If you are spending more than your income, find out by how much.
Develop a budget and don’t exceed it.
Do everything you can to get out and stay out of debt. Seek advice – check out capuk.org.
Avoid impulse spending. Talk to God and to a person you trust before buying a more expensive item. If in doubt, don’t buy it!
Cultivate a habit of thankfulness for what you do

Look at the suggestions above. Choose one area to start working on.

Evening Prayer Wednesday 10th March 2021

March 8, 2021/in Prayer, Uncategorized/by Christoph Lindner

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Wellbeing Thought for Monday 8 March

March 8, 2021/in Uncategorized/by Christoph Lindner

God’s plan for our financial wellbeing

There is a highway called ‘God’s plan for your financial wellbeing’, and on either side are two ditches: ‘Poverty Perspective’ and a ‘Materialistic Mindset’. The first one sees life through a lens of scarcity and is afraid of lack. There is a theme going through the Bible that God provides for his people (Read Matthew 6.25-33).

A materialistic mindset is about an unhealthy concern for our physical comforts and the acquisition of material possessions and wealth. This mindset can be found in all income brackets!

Jesus invites us to trust in God and to first seek his kingdom – that way lies freedom! When we live in the will of God we can expect the provision of God.

Think about the picture of the highway and two ditches. Are you prone to one of these mindsets or maybe a combination of both? Re-read Matthew 6.33 and consider how Jesus’ teaching can and will set you free.

(Excerpt from: Dave Smith, God’s Plan for your Wellbeing.)

Wellbeing Thought for Sunday 7 March

March 7, 2021/in Article, Wellbeing/by Christoph Lindner

Stewardship, not ownership

Did you know that 16 of the 38 parables Jesus told were concerned with how to handle money and possessions? True wellbeing includes the financial and material area of our lives. Worries about money are one of the main causes of stress. God wants us to live in financial peace (“shalom”) – having margin each month, with opportunities to save for the future and to give to help others.

As Christians we believe that all things come from God – we don’t own them, but God wants us to steward them. That is a crucial difference if we want to enjoy internal freedom from fear and worry. Once we have settled that God is the owner, we can begin to learn how to manage our finances his way!

Where is your financial dial – red, amber or green? How might knowing God is the owner and you his steward help you grow in financial peace and wellbeing?

(Excerpt from: Dave Smith, God’s Plan for your Wellbeing.)

210307 Sunday Service: Financial Wellbeing

March 6, 2021/in Nnamdi Maduka, Sermons, Service, Wellbeing, Worship and Music/by Christoph Lindner

You can’t win a Rolls Royce in today’s service, but it is full of helpful contributions about our financial wellbeing! We’re showing off the second batch of your beautiful mugs during the countdown. Edda and Christoph are leading the service live from the Rectory as we continue The Wellbeing Journey. [Find all the links below this video]

11.15am after this service:

Church Coffee Online…

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:

Open the Book Bible story (Elijah part 3)…

Wellbeing for pre-schoolers…

Wellbeing for Keystage 1&2…

Bible puzzle colouring in sheets…

Download the latest Denham Parish News…

Christians Against Poverty…

Find out more about the Money Course, run by CAP…

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