News Archive

Open book: Andy Carlisle

Posted on June 26. Archived.

What are you reading at the moment? Elisha and Sign and a Wonder by Greg Haslam. Elisha didn't just prophesy about the spiritual climate of his age: he brought about a change. He was a thermostat, not a thermometer. A man with a prophetic edge that translated into a miracle ministry. He asked for a double portion of Elijah's annointing so that he could glorify God and bring about change, rather than just look good or have status.

What book has had the biggest impact on you? Gordon Macdonald's book Ordering your Private World has had a lot of impact. He writes that to have an ordered public life, we must have a Christ directed inner world that governs that public life. There is a lot of honesty here from someone who struggles himself. If we don't start on the inside and let God work on us what is on the outside will reflect this. One quote that is stands out is "Jesus Christ will not do mighty works in the private worlds of people who are driven. He never has. He seems to prefer to work with people whom He calls." This an antidote to the world around us that often makes us driven people who lack the grace and peace that life with Christ should be about. The only downside of the book is the old cover with a clockface on it. It made me feel driven just to look at it!

What are you planning to read next? The New Rebellion Handbook: A Holy Uprising, Making Real the Extraordinary in Everyday Life by Jerome Daley. I have read a couple of his other books and found the style and content helpful. It addresses 24 themes of life with fresh ideas, biblical insights, applications. Each chapter has a story from people like Billy Graham illustrating the point.

Answer to prayer

Posted by Steph Wallace on June 26. Archived.

On Saturday, June 24th, the 'Healthy Heaton' Event was held. There were lots of activities planned for adults and children, and several information stalls. I  helped to plan the event along with the North/South Heaton Ward Co-ordinator and several others.

A dry day was needed to enable all the activities to go ahead. The weather forecast was heavy showers! The organiser knew I was praying for no rain, which really set my faith 'on the line'.

God was faithful and the day was dry throughout the event, and I am so grateful to Him, and thrilled to bits.

Psalm writing

Posted by Tim Fletcher on June 13. Archived.

I was teaching the Lazers group (school years 5 and 6) on Sunday. I think that I learned more from the children this week, than I taught. We were writing our own Psalms. Their honesty and trust was evident in their poems to God.

However, I did collect in a picture of giraffe-man football striker (that must be Peter Crouch) - so not everything I said was taken in.

Open book: Tim Fletcher

Posted on June 13. Archived.

What book are you reading at the moment? I'm reading Grow in Grace by Sinclair B Ferguson. I bought it because I heard a tape of him at Keswick on atonement and thought it was good. Sinclair has one of those Scottish accents that you could listen to all day long. (I see he is coming to Longhorsley at the start of July.) The book is about how we grow and reach maturity in the Christian faith. Jesus as God was perfect in his life, yet in each stage from childhood to maturity he must have had new experiences, and he grew at each stage. He valued the scriptures, prayer and close friendships. He feared God, not in a slavish sense, but as a son with reverence and awe of his father. Sinclair urges us to follow in his footsteps.
What book has had the biggest impact on you? Definitely The Fight by John White.
What do you plan to read next? Wild at Heart by John Eldridge, as it has been recommended. And as people know, it sums up my life philosophy.

Cry freedom

Posted by Andy Carlisle on June 13. Archived.

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him (Jesus). Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." Luke 4:17-19

Jesus' message is one of liberation and release. He reflects his Father’s message of grace, love and mercy. Recently I have found that I had begun to think of God as a harsh taskmaster, demanding greater and more determined effort, somewhat like Pharoah who commanded the Israelites to make bricks out of straw (Exodus 5:1-20). His yoke can seem heavy and I have twisted his message in my mind from one of full acceptance and love by God whatever I do, to one that tried to be good and earn his love.

In my head I knew this to me rubbish, but God needed to speak again. He seemed to be saying that the message needed to get the 18 inches from head to heart. It’s rather like the message that Paul brought to the Galatians (Galatians 3:1-20), starting in the Spirit and ending up trying to fulfil the law.