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Hope through the bad times. - 22 February 2007
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13.
In December 2003 my wife Ann was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was obviously shocking news for us both. Not knowing whether Ann could be treated successfully, we had no certainty of what the future would hold. I found the worst time was at night, when the blackest thoughts seemed to crowd my mind, mainly the possibility of being left on my own with a young child.
Yet it was here that I did find God, when I was almost at the end of myself. I knew that God was in control, and therefore whatever happened it would be alright. This was far from a joyful experience, but it did bring me peace knowing God was there.
I believe God does allow us to go through such experiences so we can grow. How else could we really experience putting our trust in him?
Thankfully three years down the line it is looking like Ann’s treatment has been successful, although we had another trial to go through… |
Jon Seaton, 21/02/2007 |
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| Tue 27 Feb 2007 - Really? | | “"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,'
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| Mon 26 Feb 07 - Murderer gets ‘Life’ | | I think it’s quite significant that the three largest contributors to the Bible were murderers. God’s grace is so powerful and wonderful that nobody is too hardened for God’s love to change their life, and for God to use them.
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| Mon 19 Feb 07 - Hope | | In his book “The Growing up pains of Adrian Plass”, he relates a conversation with one of his fellow late night TV panellists.
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| Fri 16 Feb - Crown Him | | I once went to a Church Service when (due to various permutations of repetition) after 40 minutes we were only just starting the third song. If we’d been singing the hymn I want us to think about today then in all honesty we’d probably still be there!
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| Thu 15 Feb - Strength for the Fight | | recently had the privilege of going skiing. It was my first time; in fact if truth be told, halfway through the first day I’d decided it would also be my last. This I felt would be lived out via one of two possibilities,
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| Wed 14 Feb - Love Songs | | I’ve heard it said that whilst hymns are all about thee, worship songs are all about me. Yet I think that if my Valentine’s message to Rosie spoke only of a list of facts about her and not how those truths impacted me, and made me feel – she might feel a
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| Mon 12 Feb - How can it be? | | As I write these devotionals, schools are closed due to snow, and as usual there’s the ubiquitous radio phone-in about how we can’t cope with bad weather
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| Thurs 8 Feb 07 - Friends and Forgiveness | | I knew I had not been a good person; I was pretty selfish in my pursuit of my own pleasure, never really thinking about anyone else. I used to laugh at the beggars in the market place, taunting them and saying they were sinners just to see them cringe.
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| Tues 6 Feb 07 - Sanity restored | | I think there was once a time when I lived a normal life. I grew up and did my lessons at the synagogue and had my bar mitzvah like any other boy, and I learned a trade and earned my wages and did all the usual things that a young man does.
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