Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Last Thursday the school celebrated the Easter story by reflecting upon the Stations of the Cross or Way of the Cross; the journey that Christ took between praying in the garden after dining with His disciples, all the way through to the resurrection from the tomb. The grade 9’s have been, for some time, the group who present this to the school, and with the grade 4’s to 12’s in attendance, this was always going to be a challenging ask; but the students beautifully, subtly and yet very inspirationally took us all on this journey. Thanks to those grade 9’s who took so much time and effort preparing for this service and for all the family members who supported this journey. A big thanks also to the choir for their contribution in creating the desired environment.
Amongst the multitude of messages that should be recalled at Easter is a very simple one, one that I reminded the girls of: At the very centre of the mission that Jesus undertook is the notion that He began to change to world, for the better. He preached of love and peace as being the primary needs of all people. I pray that as you continue to reflect on your own spiritual journey, whatever stage you are at, that you seriously consider what you value most, and what you show to others. As always, if I can assist you in finding new ways to be an example of love and peace, then I will do so gladly.
With thanks and prayer in this time of love, peace and resurrection, Ian Dredge.
prayers@sthildas.qld.edu.au
idredge@sthildas.qld.edu.au
Amongst the multitude of messages that should be recalled at Easter is a very simple one, one that I reminded the girls of: At the very centre of the mission that Jesus undertook is the notion that He began to change to world, for the better. He preached of love and peace as being the primary needs of all people. I pray that as you continue to reflect on your own spiritual journey, whatever stage you are at, that you seriously consider what you value most, and what you show to others. As always, if I can assist you in finding new ways to be an example of love and peace, then I will do so gladly.
With thanks and prayer in this time of love, peace and resurrection, Ian Dredge.
prayers@sthildas.qld.edu.au
idredge@sthildas.qld.edu.au
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
WALK PROUDLY AND UPRIGHTEDLY:
WALK PROUDLY AND UPRIGHTEDLY:
SCRIPTURE:
“For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see His face” (Psalm 11:7).
Our God is a god of justice! He loves truth, and He loves what is right. The Bible promises that if we follow His plan and walk uprightly before Him, we will see His face. And God wants you to see His face. He wants to reveal Himself to you in ways you never imagined. Walking uprightly simply means following the Word of God with a humble heart. It means you have a heart to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. In this day and age, people have so many different ideas of what they think is right, but God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and His standard, the Word of God, will never change. The Bible also says in Psalm 84, that no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. God longs to pour His blessing and goodness on your life. Choose to follow His Word and allow Him to work His purposes on the inside of you. As you do, you will walk uprightly and see His face and experience His hand of blessing in every area of your life!
A PRAYER:
Father in heaven, today I submit myself to Your ways. I choose to walk uprightly before You because I long to see Your face. Thank You for guiding and blessing every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
SCRIPTURE:
“For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see His face” (Psalm 11:7).
Our God is a god of justice! He loves truth, and He loves what is right. The Bible promises that if we follow His plan and walk uprightly before Him, we will see His face. And God wants you to see His face. He wants to reveal Himself to you in ways you never imagined. Walking uprightly simply means following the Word of God with a humble heart. It means you have a heart to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. In this day and age, people have so many different ideas of what they think is right, but God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and His standard, the Word of God, will never change. The Bible also says in Psalm 84, that no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. God longs to pour His blessing and goodness on your life. Choose to follow His Word and allow Him to work His purposes on the inside of you. As you do, you will walk uprightly and see His face and experience His hand of blessing in every area of your life!
A PRAYER:
Father in heaven, today I submit myself to Your ways. I choose to walk uprightly before You because I long to see Your face. Thank You for guiding and blessing every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Monday, 17 March 2008
Weekly reflection...Baptism
Baptism is the funniest of things, for all the emphasis we place on its importance, it was a ceremony which Jesus went through, but of which there is no record of Him ever doing himself (He did however, command all His disciples to do). It is an important ritual welcoming new members into the life of the Church, and yet so often an isolated Christian event in someone’s life. It is a conundrum of an era which is currently changing – to baptise or not to baptise? For hundreds of years now, we have baptised infants because the whole of society was driven by faith and religion, a child was by virtue of their birth a member of the Church; yet, this may no longer being the case. Baptism is a tricky one.
Much more easily understood is the practice of confirmation. Confirmation was traditionally a part of baptism, but over time became separated for good reason. Confirmation is that process whereby we stand before God and our community and affirm those baptismal vows made on our behalf at an earlier stage.
Students, staff and family members interested in Baptism and Confirmation have begun to touch base with me. Preparation will take place in term 2 and is great fun.
Our community faith is strong and growing. The faith of its individuals are, I hope, continuing to develop. If you find yourself with questions like ‘What might my next step of faith be’?, then please consider Baptism or confirmation a worthwhile investment! Just call me at the school or send an email if you want to know more!
Much more easily understood is the practice of confirmation. Confirmation was traditionally a part of baptism, but over time became separated for good reason. Confirmation is that process whereby we stand before God and our community and affirm those baptismal vows made on our behalf at an earlier stage.
Students, staff and family members interested in Baptism and Confirmation have begun to touch base with me. Preparation will take place in term 2 and is great fun.
Our community faith is strong and growing. The faith of its individuals are, I hope, continuing to develop. If you find yourself with questions like ‘What might my next step of faith be’?, then please consider Baptism or confirmation a worthwhile investment! Just call me at the school or send an email if you want to know more!
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Monday, 25 February 2008
Separate Yourself
Today's Scripture
“So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himself…be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes.” (II Timothy 2:21)
Today's Word:
Are there people or activities in your life that you know you need to separate yourself from? The Bible says that bad company will corrupt good morals. God wants you to constantly be growing and rising higher in life. That’s why this verse encourages us to separate ourselves from corrupting influences. And those influences are more than just the people in your everyday life. The influences are anything that influence your thinking. Be careful about what you are allowing into your mind. Be careful about what you read and what you watch. Don’t give your attention to things that are going to drag you down. Choose to separate yourself today. Remember. God wants you to live an abundant life. He wants you be separate so that He can work through you and fulfill his purposes in you life. As you cleanse yourself God will work in and through you so that you can live as an over comer the way God intends!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word which is the Truth that sets me free. Give me strength to separate myself from anything that does not honor You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Today's Scripture
“So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himself…be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes.” (II Timothy 2:21)
Today's Word:
Are there people or activities in your life that you know you need to separate yourself from? The Bible says that bad company will corrupt good morals. God wants you to constantly be growing and rising higher in life. That’s why this verse encourages us to separate ourselves from corrupting influences. And those influences are more than just the people in your everyday life. The influences are anything that influence your thinking. Be careful about what you are allowing into your mind. Be careful about what you read and what you watch. Don’t give your attention to things that are going to drag you down. Choose to separate yourself today. Remember. God wants you to live an abundant life. He wants you be separate so that He can work through you and fulfill his purposes in you life. As you cleanse yourself God will work in and through you so that you can live as an over comer the way God intends!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word which is the Truth that sets me free. Give me strength to separate myself from anything that does not honor You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Weekly Column in Extra!
Hi, someone asked me last week if I could post my column somewhere on the web for them to access, now I think they meant just one in particular, but I thought it may be a decent idea to pop them up regularly - so watch this space, every Monday afternoon!
God bless, Ian Dredge.
12.02.08
http://www.lcmb.org/images/prayer.jpg
One of the most important things that our Chapel wardens, prefects and pretty much anyone in the school can be encouraged to do is to pray. Prayer can be light and joyous and song-full, yet it is not reserved for songwriters or those who do not experience hardship; it can be deep and mournful, but is never just for the weary of heart – it can be artful and beautiful in expression, but it is not reserved for the artistic...prayer, like forgiveness, is a gift – a gift that everyone has to offer. It is for everyone – and I want to encourage you to join us as a prayerful community. We have put together two simple ways of making this easier for you: the first is a simple email address: prayers@sthildas.qld.edu.au; a confidential email address. If you have a prayer request just send me an email, and be assured of my prayer. The 2nd is being managed and maintained by several students: sayalittleprayer.pbwiki.com, and will soon provide weekly meditations, a group prayer blog, and a service to keep you in touch with the school.
Who knows where a little prayer will take you: as Martin Luther King Jr said: “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Maybe today is a good day to start breathing!
19.02.08
A time to meet
Making time to meet with friends and family can be very difficult. We live in a society and often have lifestyles which present challenges in maintaining close relationships with one another – the paradox of course is that in such a society it is all the more important to do just the opposite, and keep your relationships alive and healthy, for the sake of our very sanity! Of course we use technology as a life line, and with mobiles and skype, ims and sms making contact easier, and while a quick conversation may not be the face to face that we so often yearn for, it can certainly plug the gap until time is made for that all important catch-up.
From the Christian perspective, comes the question of: How do we keep our relationships with God alive...? Of course there are many ways, such as thumbing through your Bible regularly, and of course there is prayer (see last weeks column), which can be tough on your own, especially if it is something new to our lifestyle. It can be made easier of course by meeting with friends or family and praying together regularly, something we are hoping to be able to offer everyone in the community in time. Remember, even Jesus took time out for prayer, for connectivity with God, prayer is an expression of an intimate relationship with our heavenly creator, who makes love available to us all, anytime we need it. Don’t be afraid to touch base with God, and certainly don’t be afraid to ask for help doing it!
26.02.08
Several grade 12 girls asked that the Boarder’s Chapel this week be themed on family. Family is so important to us social beings, they are so often our source of guidance and help, love and acceptance, forgiveness and hope. Now sure, families can also be hard work, challenging, even unbearable sometimes; but this is not a new conundrum – dealing with family is as old as the hills, and dealing with it is important, because when we need them for the love, acceptance, guidance and so on, we had better make sure we have dealt with the niggles which may otherwise get in the way.
The challenge placed on us by Jesus is to question not the value of family, but why perhaps we do not apply these same values to our entire world.
The words of Jesus himself are that his commandment to us as “his friends” was to love one another, as he loved us (John Chapter 4), and that anyone who does this, is His brother and sister (Matthew 12). Little niggle or big argument, brother, sister, mother, father; neighbour, workmate, employee or boss ~ it is our prerogative as leaders in our community (because that is what you are when you come to St Hilda’s), to take the command of love first, and show it to everyone! Need help working out how to do this? I am more than happy to, if I can!
P.S. Don’t forget – any prayer requests that you might have, please don’t hesitate to email them to prayers@sthildas.qld.edu.au!
God bless, Ian Dredge.
12.02.08
http://www.lcmb.org/images/prayer.jpg
One of the most important things that our Chapel wardens, prefects and pretty much anyone in the school can be encouraged to do is to pray. Prayer can be light and joyous and song-full, yet it is not reserved for songwriters or those who do not experience hardship; it can be deep and mournful, but is never just for the weary of heart – it can be artful and beautiful in expression, but it is not reserved for the artistic...prayer, like forgiveness, is a gift – a gift that everyone has to offer. It is for everyone – and I want to encourage you to join us as a prayerful community. We have put together two simple ways of making this easier for you: the first is a simple email address: prayers@sthildas.qld.edu.au; a confidential email address. If you have a prayer request just send me an email, and be assured of my prayer. The 2nd is being managed and maintained by several students: sayalittleprayer.pbwiki.com, and will soon provide weekly meditations, a group prayer blog, and a service to keep you in touch with the school.Who knows where a little prayer will take you: as Martin Luther King Jr said: “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Maybe today is a good day to start breathing!
19.02.08
A time to meet
Making time to meet with friends and family can be very difficult. We live in a society and often have lifestyles which present challenges in maintaining close relationships with one another – the paradox of course is that in such a society it is all the more important to do just the opposite, and keep your relationships alive and healthy, for the sake of our very sanity! Of course we use technology as a life line, and with mobiles and skype, ims and sms making contact easier, and while a quick conversation may not be the face to face that we so often yearn for, it can certainly plug the gap until time is made for that all important catch-up.
From the Christian perspective, comes the question of: How do we keep our relationships with God alive...? Of course there are many ways, such as thumbing through your Bible regularly, and of course there is prayer (see last weeks column), which can be tough on your own, especially if it is something new to our lifestyle. It can be made easier of course by meeting with friends or family and praying together regularly, something we are hoping to be able to offer everyone in the community in time. Remember, even Jesus took time out for prayer, for connectivity with God, prayer is an expression of an intimate relationship with our heavenly creator, who makes love available to us all, anytime we need it. Don’t be afraid to touch base with God, and certainly don’t be afraid to ask for help doing it!
26.02.08
Several grade 12 girls asked that the Boarder’s Chapel this week be themed on family. Family is so important to us social beings, they are so often our source of guidance and help, love and acceptance, forgiveness and hope. Now sure, families can also be hard work, challenging, even unbearable sometimes; but this is not a new conundrum – dealing with family is as old as the hills, and dealing with it is important, because when we need them for the love, acceptance, guidance and so on, we had better make sure we have dealt with the niggles which may otherwise get in the way.
The challenge placed on us by Jesus is to question not the value of family, but why perhaps we do not apply these same values to our entire world.
The words of Jesus himself are that his commandment to us as “his friends” was to love one another, as he loved us (John Chapter 4), and that anyone who does this, is His brother and sister (Matthew 12). Little niggle or big argument, brother, sister, mother, father; neighbour, workmate, employee or boss ~ it is our prerogative as leaders in our community (because that is what you are when you come to St Hilda’s), to take the command of love first, and show it to everyone! Need help working out how to do this? I am more than happy to, if I can!
P.S. Don’t forget – any prayer requests that you might have, please don’t hesitate to email them to prayers@sthildas.qld.edu.au!
Saturday, 16 February 2008
Love Never Fails:
Today's Scripture:
“Love never fails” (I Corinthians 13:8).
Today's Word:
We all have people in our lives that are difficult at times. Maybe it’s someone you are at school with, a family member or even close friend. Relationships can be complicated, but remember: love never fails. The Word of God clearly defines love in: 1 Corinthians 13. It says that love is patient and kind. It doesn’t seek its own way. Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs. And most importantly, love never fails. Notice that this chapter doesn’t talk at all about how you feel. God’s love isn’t about feelings: It is a choice. You can choose to be patient, even when you don’t feel like being patient. You can choose to be kind, even when you don’t feel like being kind.
No matter what situation you find yourself in, you can choose love. You are never more like God than when you are walking in love. And when you are walking in love, you will never fail because love never fails. Open your heart to God’s love today. Ask Him to show you how to love others better. As you walk in love, you’ll find peace and live in victory all the days of your life!
A Prayer for Today :
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love which never fails. Thank You for loving me so that I can be free to love others. Empower me, by Your Spirit, to walk in love no matter what I may face today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Today's Scripture:
“Love never fails” (I Corinthians 13:8).
Today's Word:
We all have people in our lives that are difficult at times. Maybe it’s someone you are at school with, a family member or even close friend. Relationships can be complicated, but remember: love never fails. The Word of God clearly defines love in: 1 Corinthians 13. It says that love is patient and kind. It doesn’t seek its own way. Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs. And most importantly, love never fails. Notice that this chapter doesn’t talk at all about how you feel. God’s love isn’t about feelings: It is a choice. You can choose to be patient, even when you don’t feel like being patient. You can choose to be kind, even when you don’t feel like being kind.
No matter what situation you find yourself in, you can choose love. You are never more like God than when you are walking in love. And when you are walking in love, you will never fail because love never fails. Open your heart to God’s love today. Ask Him to show you how to love others better. As you walk in love, you’ll find peace and live in victory all the days of your life!
A Prayer for Today :
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love which never fails. Thank You for loving me so that I can be free to love others. Empower me, by Your Spirit, to walk in love no matter what I may face today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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