Household Tips
www.buzzfeed.com/samir/18-household-tips-that-will-help-you-get-through-y?s=mobile
Must visit
www.buzzfeed.com/masseffect3/20-must-see-places-before-the-world-ends?s=mobile
New mum gadget
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/ingenious-things-youll-want-as-a-new-parent?s=mobile
We had an amazing time of worship this morning at the Darlington Art Festival. It is a community event in a small hillside suburb called Darlington. The place is beautiful, old beautiful houses surrounded by a mountain of trees.
Ps. Rod from the local community church invited us to open the festival this morning with some praise and worship whilst people are setting up and crowd starts coming in. He did mention that the community is quite stand off ish towards Christianity. They don't really wanna have anything with it. But he thought it'd be a good idea to just open the festival today with some praise atmosphere and bring God into the community through our praise and worship.
It's been on off raining throughout the week. We haven't had the best weather this week. Even this morning as i was driving there it was raining and gloomy. I wasn't sure how the day will pan out. It even crossed my mind that they might cancel the festival due to bad weather.
I arrived at the venue at about 8.30ish, half an hour before we were meant to start. I put on V's jacket coz the weather was quite cool. But then as we continued setting up and practicing, the sun started to shine....
At 9 am we started our first song. People started arriving. I noticed most of them sat down and watch us like we are some sort of band performing, but some of them actually stood up and worshipped with us, which was great to see.
We had about 40 minutes worth of worship and the atmosphere was lifted, the sun was shinning so gloriously warming us up that I had to take off V's jacket and my own layer of cardigan.
I prayed and believed that the words and the good news of Jesus that were spoken through the songs this morning will be like seeds spread on the ground. God's words are never spoken in vain or for nothing. We will one day reap what we sow and these people will seek God and filled up our English service.
Isaiah 55:11 NLT
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
The worship session was awesome. God was there. He blessed us with the most glorious sunshine and a beautiful morning and atmosphere of worship.
Soon one hour was over and we left. Right after we left the rain started pouring..... I feel terrible for them but at the same time wishful that it spoke of God's blessings over our service this morning.
Overall it was an amazing outreach and we believe that when we give God the small that we have, the Lord will multiply and use it for His Kingdom.
A seed that gives life - A seed that gives life - Parable of the sower.
Luke 8:4-15 NIV
While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."
When he said this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
"'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.' "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Luke 8:5 NIV
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path;
Luke 8:6 NIV
Some fell on rocky ground, ...
Luke 8:7 NIV
Other seed fell among thorns...
If you think about it, why would the sower throw seeds wastefuly like that?
We might think that the seeds might be cheap and worthless.
Or the sower was crazy? Or unwise.
In many sermons we've been taught that the seeds are the words of God.
However, if you dig into this carefully...
"it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up".
"it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture".
"thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants" "thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants"
All these are pointing to Jesus.
He was 'trampled on', was under scorching sun, and thorns was on his head.
The SEED is His own son, JESUS.
If something is so precious and worth a lot. You won't waste it would you?
Exactly.
So the sower, God, knows exactly where he was sowing. The seeds were so precious, they are not to be wasted.
He PURPOSELY sow them on PATHS, KNOWING that the seeds aren't going to grow. He PURPOSELY sow them on PATHS, KNOWING that the seeds aren't going to grow.
He PURPOSELY sow them on the rocky grounds, KNOWING that they won't grow.
He PURPOSELY sow them amongst the thorns, knowing that they won't grow.
Each of the SEED is worth so much!! But the sower purposely sow them on what seems to be impossible grounds to grow anything.
Why????
Each of those grounds represents us, human beings.
Most of us are imperfect, flawed, sinful, full of evil, bad, similar to those rocky grounds and thorns.
The reason God, the sower, sow on us, invested in us, gave us the knowledge of His Son Jesus, is because no matter which kind of ground we are, we are WORTHY in God's eyes, to receive the gift of eternal life and abundant life, because of the person JESUS.
Think about it..... The SEED is Gods own son, and the different grounds are us. But God doesn't think sowing on us is a waste, because He thinks we are WORTH IT.
Will you accept His gift?
God bless you.
ABCF English service, Sun 5th Aug 2012, Ps. Victor Moe.
