Really wanted to expand the reach of this great, encouraging testimony that was shared at our recent baptism service. May it stir your love for God and passion to share the gospel!

My name’s XXXX. I’ve been coming here for about 3 months after completing the Alpha Course, and this is my testimony: I thought I was happy before… I had dreams, most of which changed on a daily basis. CEO; Club-Owner… I remember one of my mates back at uni saying I should become a WWF wrestler once. It didn’t stick!

No matter where I was going in my life, or what was the top of my list for that day, God never featured. I believed there was something out there, but was never sure what, and it didn’t bother me. I had heard the name of Jesus, but he wasn’t a part of my life.

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A few of us have been reading Just Walk Across the Room by pastor-evangelist Bill Hybels. It is a provocative challenge to be bold and prepared in our personal evangelism. One of the ways Hybels encourages believers to be prepared is to have their own before-and-after story refined and ready for use.

“When people living far from God throw open the door and ask sincere questions about your faith, you don’t need to freeze up. You also don’t need to fire off machine-gun bursts of Scripture verses that make no sense to them. Or jump on a soapbox about how they need to start flying straight. Or launch into any sermonettes…Instead, you can train your mind so that your default response exhibits … “radical inclusiveness” … Then, with that heart posture fully engaged, you can learn to tell your story – your simple, personal story that conveys the impact Jesus Christ has had in your life. Who knows? You might just give the Holy Spirit something to work with in drawing that person to God.”

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Like many other households, over the last few months we have been caught up with the craziness that is “Angry Birds”.

This morning we were greeted with our young boys coming into our bedroom and Josiah saying “Angry Birds” and Gideon shouting “iPad” followed by lots of clapping! (iPad is only his 7th word – arghh a geek in the making !!!). So, out came the iPad and a few levels of Angry Birds were played together. Great fun!

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“They that pray in the family do well; they that pray and read the Scriptures do better; but they that pray, and read, and sing do best of all.” Matthew Henry

Mr Cow - Julia Plaut

With so many little ones being born and on the way at the Chapel, I just wanted to take a few words to recommend a resource that new and young families might want to use with their tots for times of family worship.

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For many administration is a ‘necessary evil’, something we all have to do but don’t particularly enjoy, form-filling, paying bills, responding to emails and general correspondence, and so on. Most of us Brits tend to have this low view of administration (abbreviating it to ‘admin’) but this isn’t a particularly accurate or biblical view of this gift.

The Greek word for administration that Paul uses in 1 Cor 12:28 is kuberneseis. It is a nautical term meaning navigation; it describes the role of a ship’s helmsman. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament states: “The reference can only be to the specific gifts which qualify a Christian to be a helmsman to his congregation, i.e. a true director of its order and therewith of its life. What was the scope of this directive activity in the time of Paul we do not know. This was a period of fluid development. The importance of the helmsman increases in times of storm. The office of directing the congregation may well have developed especially in emergencies both within and without…”

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