Stay Open for a New Thing

Today's Scripture
"Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:19).

The Word:
If we are going to be all that God created us to be, we have to be open to change. Just because something worked five years ago doesn´t mean it´s still going to work today. We can´t get so set in our ways that we won´t try anything new. Many people today have lost their enthusiasm, or there´s no freshness in their life because every time an opportunity comes for change, for promotion, for increase, they shrink back because they´re not used to it. They don´t realize that´s what´s keeping them from going to the next level.One thing I´ve noticed about successful people is that they know how to change with the times. They don´t get stuck in a rut doing the same thing, the same way, year after year. They´re constantly evaluating where they are and what they´re doing. They make adjustments so they can improve.Decide today to stay open for the new thing God wants to do in your life. Remember, He´s promised to make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Look for the new thing so that you can fulfill the destiny He has prepared for you!

A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, search my heart today. Remove any attitudes or thought patterns that would keep me from Your best. I will stay open to the new things You have in store for me. In Jesus´ Name. Amen.

Ways to help...

Matthew 25 says: Truly I tell you, just as you did for the least of these, you did it for me.

I ask us all to consider carefully what role our community of faith will play in our lives this coming Christmas. For many outside and within our community Christmas is a difficult time of year. It is important for us to take every opportunity to celebrate together and it is equally important that we not allow the break of school to be cause for us to forget our motto – Non Nobis Solum. The motto we ask our students and daughters to model here can only be fully appreciated if we all are prepared to model it to them in return. The sacrifice of putting others first this Christmas, I am sure you will agree, would bring a below but do not be limited by this list or a single giving; rather, continue to seek out ways to model selflessness every day these holidays, as I am sure many do with their families already. My best wishes to all this Christmas, and I look forward to your safe return next year.

I hope this list is of some assistance to you this Christmas. God bless, Ian Dredge.


Anglican Board of Mission Australia - they do some amazing work.

http://www.abmission.org/

Free Rice (fun, learning and giving!)

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Ausaid

http://www.ausaid.gov.au/

Reconciliation Australia

http://www.reconciliationaustralia.org/i-cms.isp

Oxfam

http://www.oxfam.org/

GREAT IS THE LORD & MOST WORTHY OF PRAISE! (Psalm 145:3)

Please the Lord

Scripture:
“When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7).

Today's Word:
What does it mean to please the Lord? In the book of Hebrews, it says that faith pleases God. Faith is simply believing that God is who He says He is, and that He rewards those who seek after Him. The Bible also tells us that faith without works is dead. In other words, we know that we have faith in our hearts because it impacts our actions. For example, when you go to sit down in your favorite chair, you probably don’t stop and study it or wonder if it’s going to hold you up. No, you have faith in that chair because you’ve probably sat in it hundreds of times.
If you didn’t have faith that the chair would hold you, you wouldn’t sit down. Your actions are affected by your faith. In the same way, when we have faith in God, we follow His commands knowing He will fulfill His promises. Every believer has been given a measure of faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The more we act on that faith, the more we will see His faithfulness and the more confidence we will have in Him!

A Prayer for Today:
Father in Heaven, my greatest desire is to please You in all things. Fill me with Your faith and revelation of Your Word so that I can stay close to You always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW:

Seek to Do Good

Scripture:
“See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody” (I Thessalonians 5:15).

Today's Word:
In Galatians chapter five, the Bible talks about nine specific fruits of the Spirit. These are spiritual qualities that manifest in our lives when we allow Him to work in us. The more we invite God to move in our hearts and follow His Word, the more those attributes will be displayed through us. Kindness and goodness are two of those qualities. The Bible tells us that His kindness leads people to repentance. Kindness advances the kingdom of God. The more kindness and goodness we show other people, the more we are acting like God.
The Bible tells us that what we sow, we shall reap. When we seek to do good for others, we will reap goodness in our own lives in return. I encourage you today to look for ways to show kindness and goodness to the people around you even when they aren’t kind to you. Don’t repay evil for evil. Take the high road. Bless those who wrongfully use you. Seek to do good, show kindness, and you will see it come back as blessings in your own life in return!

A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for displaying Your character through me. I choose kindness and goodness so that I can honor You with my thoughts, words, and actions. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

IMITATORS OF GOD:

Today's Scripture:
“Therefore be imitators of God (copy Him and follow His example), as well-beloved children (imitate their father). And walk in love…” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Today's Word:
When people look at you, do they see your family resemblance? Perhaps in the natural, you have characteristics of your father or mother; maybe you have their eyes, or mouth or mannerisms. But we should also have the characteristics of our heavenly Father. We should display His likeness. We should have His eyes, His mouth and His mannerisms, too. We should study Him and imitate Him with the same awe that little children do as they imitate their earthly fathers.The Bible tells us that God is love. We are never more like God than when we are walking in love—when we are being patient and kind; when we are extending grace and mercy and forgiving others the way Christ has forgiven us. When you imitate God, when you do things His way, you get His results! And God’s ways always lead to life, freedom and blessing. The more you imitate your heavenly Father by walking in love, the more you will see Him moving in your life. He’ll open doors for you that no man can close, and you’ll see His hand of blessing in every area of your life!

A Prayer for Today:
Father in heaven, I invite Your love to flow through me today. Show me how I can be a blessing to others and follow Your ways. Let my life please You so that I can be an example of Your awesome character. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

MOTHER THERESA :

QUOTES BY MOTHER THERESA:

• "WE CANNOT ALL DO GREAT THINGS, BUT WE CAN DO SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE. "
• "IF YOU JUDGE PEOPLE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO LOVE THEM."
• "IF YOU WANT TO MAKE PEACE, YOU DON'T TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS, YOU TALK TO YOUR ENEMIES."
• "WE SHALL NEVER KNOW ALL THE GOOD THAT A SIMPLE SMILE CAN DO!"
• "KIND WORDS ARE SHORT AND EASY TO SPEAK, BUT THEIR ECHOES ARE TRULY ENDLESS."
• "THE BIGGEST DISEASE TODAY IS NOT LEPROSY OR TUBERCULOSIS, BUT RATHER THE FEELING OF BEING UNWANTED."

ALWAYS REMEMBER: SERVICE BEFORE SELF, GOD BEFORE ALL.

Madison's Slideshow

Madison's Slide

AN IRISH BLESSING:

DON'T TELL GOD HOW BIG YOUR PROBLEMS ARE, TELL YOUR PROBLEMS HOW BIG GOD IS!

The power of passion:

THE WORD:
"But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not." Jeremiah 20:9

THE MESSAGE:
If you've ever built a fire, you know that its tendency is to go out. You must feed and protect it. Not everyone will help you do that. There are two kinds of people you'll meet in life: fire lighters and fire extinguishers. The first group will inspire you, encourage you and go out of their way to help you. The second group will throw cold water on you. How can you tell the difference? Fire extinguishers use phrases like: 'It's not in the budget ... that's not practical ... we've tried that before and it didn't work ... if it ain't broke, don't fix it ... who will do all the extra work? .. who do you think you are?' If you've heard one or more of these excuses coming from the people around you, pray for them, love them, but don't let them influence you. Fire extinguishers focus on what's wrong rather than on what's right. They find the cloud that comes with every silver lining. They doubt. They resist change. They keep you from reaching higher by trying to put out the fire of your passion. Sometimes they do this deliberately, other times unknowingly. Handle them with care! Instead, spend more time with fire lighters who understand what a calling of God is; who fuel your faith and ignite your passion. It's estimated that there are about 200 million Christians in the Chinese church today. One of the fire lighters who helped start it was Hudson Taylor. He's the man who said, 'The sun has not once risen in China in 40 years, without finding me on my knees in prayer.' That's passion!