BH Bulletin - Thursday 16 July 2020

Thought for the Day by Ben Martin (Curate)

​Take a moment and think of someone that you know really well, the sort of person who you can finish their sentences or just glance across the room and know instantly what they are thinking. Thought of someone? Now ask yourself this question, is your relationship deeper, fuller, richer because you know them in a deeper, fuller, richer way?
 
Keep that in mind as you read these words from Paul:
 
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.  (1 Timothy 1:3-5)
 
When Paul wrote to Timothy about the church in Ephesus one of first things he told Timothy to do was to tell some of the leaders to not teach certain doctrines (Doctrine means truth). In other words he was to tell them to not spread things that were not true about God, and by implication to teach people right doctrine, right truth.
 
Right doctrine leads to right understanding of God… But here is the key bit… the more we know God, the more we will love him. The deeper, fuller, richer we know God, the deeper, fuller richer our relationship will be with him.
 
Therefore as Christians we ought to be those that long to know more about God, we ought to be trying to understand what it means for God to be the creator and for us to be his created creatures. We ought to be longing to know something more about what it means for God to be a triune God. Why? Not so we can pass a theology test, but because the more we grapple with such things the deeper, fuller, richer our love of God will be.
 
To close, here is a really helpful quote from Frank Sheed that sums it up well:
 
‘A virtuous man may be ignorant, but ignorance is not a virtue. It would be a strange God who could be loved better by being known less. Love of God is not the same thing as knowledge of God; love of God is immeasurably more important than knowledge of God; but if a man loves God knowing a little about Him, he should love God more from knowing more about Him: for every new thing known about God is a new reason for loving Him.' 
 
If you would like to try and dig a little deeper into God but don’t know where to start please get in touch and i’d love to help you start digging.

​Ben

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We have a Guardian by Phil Moon (Vicar)

On October 31, 1942, Winston Churchill addressed three thousand mine- owners and mine worker delegates. He said:
‘I sometimes have a feeling of interference. I want to stress that. I have a feeling sometimes that some guiding Hand has interfered. I have a feeling that we have a Guardian.’
 
His faith was vindicated to the full by event after event during World War ll
It would appear, however, that that guiding Hand responded to a national willingness for this nation to call upon God in their hour of need. 
 
Post-virus, post-Lockdown plus the glorious weather is having a rejuvenating effect on society. For now. But the future, especially for younger generations, holds daunting challenges.
 
Will we as a nation take a lesson from history as outlined below and will the Church lead the way?
 
Dunkirk 1940 -  the King called for a Day of Prayer. Crowds flocked to church to pray. What was widely acknowledged as a miracle occurred with a gap in the awful weather, plus Hitler inexplicably halted his advance. 
 
Battle of Britain 
August 11,1940 - a Day of Prayer was called by George VI.  The following week 180 enemy aircraft were shot down
September 8, 1940 - defeat in the air seemed inevitable.  The King called another Day of Prayer. That week, 185 enemy planes were shot down and Goering gave up his assault.
By 15th September, Churchill was able to declare victory in the air.
 
Planned invasion of Britain 
23rd March, 1941 - the King called another Day of Prayer unaware that this was the date chosen by Hitler for the invasion. German ships were blown off course and the Fuehrer changed his entire plans.
 
North Africa 
September 1942 -  a fifth Day of Prayer was called. Montgomery was appointed as the commander of the Eighth Army and led the British forces to the significant victory of 
El Alamein - a major turning point of the war.
 
Italy
3rd September, 1943 - a sixth Day of Prayer was called. Italy surrendered within 24 hours.
 
D-Day and beyond
Spring 1944 - a seventh Day of Prayer was called for all military personnel. As at Dunkirk, the poor weather hindering the offensive suddenly gave way to fine weather on 6th June allowing the Normandy invasion to begin, during which time far fewer lives were lost than expected.
​
Psalm 11:3
​"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
Phil

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25 years in Bolivia - the Frith's latest newsletter

​https://mailchi.mp/5a90f2b807af/noticias-3876338?e=714c4585fc

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