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St James<br />
<strong>June</strong> 28 th <strong>2020</strong><br />
<strong>Messenger</strong><br />
<strong>Issue</strong> <strong>15</strong><br />
Stop Complaining<br />
Lamenting well<br />
Fatherhood
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2<br />
Stop<br />
Complaining<br />
Unfortunately for some people<br />
complaining or whingeing and<br />
whining is a way of life and when I<br />
think about this I’m reminded of<br />
that old TV sitcom ‘One foot in the<br />
Grave’, with the short-tempered<br />
Victor Meldrew and his endless<br />
saga of negativity and complaints.<br />
Whether you believe it or not (pardon the pun) unfortunately<br />
complaining isn’t just a laughing matter as it was in the sitcom, but<br />
something that can lead to much more than having a laugh on TV.<br />
It’s about a state of mind and general outlook on life and quite often<br />
it needs someone to snap us out of that thinking.<br />
In Philippians 4 Paul says this: - “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I<br />
will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in<br />
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your<br />
requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which<br />
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds<br />
in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is<br />
honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,<br />
whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is<br />
anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
.<br />
3<br />
Maybe you could discuss these questions with a family member,<br />
friend, or member of your lyfe Group. Use a communication method<br />
that works best for your situation.<br />
Start talking. Find a conversation starter for your group. Have you<br />
felt like complaining about anything recently? If so, what?<br />
What’s something you’re grateful for right now?<br />
Start thinking. How do you think complaining or negative thinking<br />
affects you?<br />
Have you ever personally experienced any benefits of gratitude?<br />
What kind of difference did gratitude make in your life?<br />
Read Philippians 4:4-7. How would your life be different if your heart<br />
and mind were always guarded by God’s peace?<br />
Start sharing.<br />
Choose a question to create openness. How can you start practicing<br />
gratitude this week? What are some ways you can share your<br />
gratefulness with others?<br />
Start Looking praying. forward to Easter<br />
Be<br />
News<br />
bold and<br />
about<br />
pray<br />
our Foodbank<br />
with power.Father, thank You for all the ways in<br />
which Update You from bless the us Church and support Planting us. TeamIn good times and hard times,<br />
we pray that You’ll remind us of the work You’re doing in our lives.<br />
Give us the thankful hearts we need to express the gratitude You<br />
deserve. In Jesus’ name, amen.<br />
Start doing. Commit to a step and live it out this week.<br />
Consider the ways God has been at work in your life.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n take time to thank God and worship Him for all He’s done.
.<br />
4<br />
Lament<br />
without<br />
Complaining<br />
You could say Lament without Complaining is another oxymoron,<br />
because the definition of lamenting is ‘to have a passionate<br />
expression of grief or sorrow’, but I think theres much more to it than<br />
that.<br />
Lamenting is what king David did in 70% of the Psalms, expressing<br />
deep sorrow for the travails of a nation asking for God's blessing and<br />
intervention.<br />
Lament Looking is forward uniquely to Christian Easter and the book of Lamentations weeps<br />
over News the about destruction our Foodbank of Jerusalem. Jesus also lamented in the final<br />
hours Update of his from life. the But Church lamenting Planting is Team not just weeping or venting our<br />
anger over a situation, It’s more than that, it’s a form of prayer.<br />
Lament talks to God about pain and has a unique purpose: trust. It is<br />
a divinely-given invitation to pour out our fears, frustrations, and<br />
sorrows for the purpose of helping us to renew our confidence in<br />
God.<br />
Often a lament begins by an address to God: “How long, O Lord?<br />
Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from<br />
me?” (Psalm 13:1) <strong>The</strong> point is that the person in pain chooses to<br />
talk to God about what’s happening.
.<br />
5<br />
psalm13<br />
Every lament features some kind of<br />
questioning: “How long must I take<br />
counsel in my soul and have sorrow in<br />
my heart all the day? How long shall<br />
my enemy be exalted over me?” (v2).<br />
This is more than a sinful rehearsing<br />
of our anger, biblical lament humbly<br />
and honestly identifies the pain,<br />
questions, and frustrations raging in<br />
our souls.<br />
Seeking God’s help while in pain is an act of faith: “Consider and<br />
answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep<br />
of death, lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him,’ lest my foes<br />
rejoice because I am shaken” (v3-4). Unremitting sorrow can create a<br />
deadly silence as we give in to despair (“there’s no hope”) or denial<br />
Looking forward to Easter<br />
(“everything’s fine”). But lament invites us to dare to hope in God’s<br />
News about our Foodbank<br />
promises as we ask for his help.<br />
Update from the Church Planting Team<br />
Choosing to trust is the purpose for our laments. All roads lead here:<br />
“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in<br />
your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully<br />
with me” (v5-6). More than the stages of grief, this prayer language<br />
moves us to renew our commitment to trust in God as we navigate<br />
the brokenness of life.<br />
Lament is the prayer language for God’s people as they live in a<br />
world marred by sin. It’s how we talk to God about our sorrows as we<br />
renew our hope in his sovereign care.<br />
To cry is human, but to lament is Christian.<br />
Elements<br />
of Lament
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6<br />
A reflection on last week<br />
After Father's Day last weekend, a number of men have been<br />
Looking forward to Easter<br />
reflecting on what it really means to be a father / dad and I suppose<br />
News about our Foodbank<br />
a lot of that applies to being a grandad too.<br />
Update from the Church Planting Team<br />
Fatherhood's an incredible privilege, one that we should thank God<br />
for every day, but which too easily we grow accustomed to and take<br />
for granted and, if we're not careful, occasionally resent (for<br />
instance, after weeks without having a good sleep!)<br />
When we consider our Father's sacrifice for us, any sacrifices we<br />
can make for our children are small. When you're worn out,<br />
remember the people who can't have children or who have lost a<br />
child, who long every day for the opportunity to be run ragged by<br />
these precious little inconveniences.
Some passages for you to look-up: -<br />
1 Kings 2:1-10 1 Timothy 2:2<br />
2 Corinthians Acts 20:35<br />
Ephesians 5 John <strong>15</strong><br />
Psalm 112:1 Psalm 37:26<br />
Parenthood is a<br />
calling, far more<br />
important than any<br />
vocation.<br />
Our children and<br />
grandchildren are an<br />
ongoing investment, a gift<br />
we leave to a world we<br />
won't be part of, but which<br />
we will impact for eternity<br />
through the generations that<br />
follow us. It will at times<br />
seem long and difficult, but<br />
when your children are<br />
grown-up you'll look back in<br />
wonder at how quickly the<br />
time went by...<br />
“Even when I am old and grey,<br />
do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your<br />
power to the next generation,<br />
your mighty acts to all who are to come.”<br />
Psalm 71:18<br />
7
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8<br />
Send us your stories...<br />
Just email your stories to harry@james4u.org<br />
Pandemic Humour<br />
I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon…I’ll let you know.<br />
I have a great joke about cliffhangers…<br />
My least favourite colour is purple…<br />
I hate it more than red and blue combined.<br />
How does the moon cut his hair? Eclipse it.<br />
Why did King Arthur sign up for so many Zoom meetings?<br />
Because he likes to be on cam a lot.<br />
Why was the little boy afraid of his colouring book?<br />
He didn't want to catch the crayola virus.<br />
Want to listen to our talks on the go<br />
Download the Soundcloud App. for Apple or Android<br />
Go to our website www.james4u.org click on the Soundcloud icon
.<br />
9<br />
10am church<br />
on-line<br />
Stop complaining<br />
Phil. 4:4-7<br />
Looking forward to Easter<br />
News about our Foodbank<br />
Update from the Church Planting Team<br />
www.James4u.org<br />
Next Week<br />
5 th July<br />
Mavis Rouse<br />
https://www.facebook.com/james4u.org/<br />
https://www.facebook.com/stjameschurchthornton<br />
https://twitter.com/harry_gwinnett<br />
Follow the link via our website @ www.James4u.org<br />
If you need help connecting, just give us a call on<br />
01274 830 133 or email harry@James4u.org
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10<br />
<strong>The</strong><br />
Church<br />
Building<br />
Please note that from<br />
the 5 th July our<br />
Church building is<br />
open for private<br />
prayer on Sundays<br />
between 1pm and<br />
3pm.<br />
Anyone wishing to enter the<br />
building will be temperature<br />
screened and asked to<br />
comply with strict social<br />
distancing regulations to<br />
ensure that everyone<br />
remains safe.<br />
If you would like someone to<br />
pray for or with you please text<br />
or phone our Prayer line<br />
07379 39 <strong>15</strong> 18<br />
Don’t forger that on Tuesdays at<br />
9am we meet for prayer and you<br />
can connect with us via Zoom or<br />
by using your normal landline<br />
telephone and it’s a Freephone<br />
telephone number.<br />
To connect via the internet or<br />
smartphone use the following<br />
num. 996-9646-3899<br />
To connect via Telephone call<br />
0800 260 5801 FREEPHONE<br />
0800 031 5717 FREEPHONE<br />
0330 088 5830 Local rate<br />
When prompted enter the<br />
following num. 996-9646-3899#
.<br />
We would<br />
love your<br />
support<br />
During this pandemic our<br />
funding have taken an<br />
unprecedented fall and we<br />
are asking everyone to<br />
think seriously about<br />
helping.<br />
If you give to St James<br />
you’d be fuelling what we<br />
know God is doing in the<br />
midst of this crisis and<br />
safeguarding the future of<br />
St James’.<br />
Many ways to help<br />
on-line<br />
www.james4u.org<br />
bank<br />
Barclays Bank<br />
Parochial Church Council of<br />
Thornton Parish Church<br />
20-11-81 40891355<br />
post<br />
300 Thornton Road, Thornton<br />
Bradford BD13 3AB<br />
text<br />
2FROMME to 70085 to give £2<br />
5FROMME to 70085 to give £5<br />
10FROMME to 70085 to give £10