Habits Bring Us That Bit Closer…
As I said in last week’s blog, Lent is a time for reflection and building on you habits to bring you closer to God, His love and His path laid out for you. Habits are integral to us a church; when we are committed to them, they help us create space for us to have one on one time with Him. To thank Him, to bring our worries to Him, to pray to Him for our loved ones, to learn more about Him. That’s what we as a church have always focused… Read More
A Time For Reflection…
“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 Most people love to get involved with Pancake day, because, lets face it, who doesn’t love a pancake, be it sweet or savoury. But what a lot of people don’t know is where this tradition stems from. Pancake day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday and therefore the beginning of Lent, which is sometimes referred to as “Shrovetide”. Observance of Shrove Tuesday can be traced… Read More
Habits, Hubs & Hands
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”… Read More
Love Is In The Air
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8 Valentines day was on Monday which means depending on the schedules off those who celebrate it, this week is ‘love week’. For some of you reading this, you’re one sentence in and you’re already rolling your eyes, and I totally get it. Valentines is one of the most commercialised days of the year, created so the likes of Hallmark can make as much money as possible. And though I am a bit of a romantic at heart,… Read More
Jesus At The Heart…
As I outlined in last weeks post, we kicked off our teaching series about who Church At Barking Riverside are, in our Sunday Celebration on Sunday just gone. Sam did a great talk on setting the scene, highlighting the fact that the reason why we exist as a church, why we do what we do (hubs, celebrations, community events), are all because we are joining in with what Jesus is already doing here in Barking Riverside. Though we are a church plant, we haven’t just started a church, brought some existing church… Read More
We Finally Have Clarity!
If you’re close to or a part of our church family you know we have had a real vision and a heart for opening a community café for a very long time. A space that would be a charity in it’s own right to help serve the needs of the community, from the oldest to the youngest: a space that residents can come and hang out together and feel connected but also network and get advice on money matters, mental health and careers. However after working through the idea in a workshop… Read More
We’re Getting There…
Well Barking Riverside, we did it again! We made it through another really uncertain December and have almost come out the other end, as we draw January 2022 to a close. Even with a threat of another lockdown and the revelations of the government’s shenanigans in the past couple of years, we still managed to come together and celebrate Christmas. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have had such beautifully decorated trees across the estate, and if it wasn’t for our brilliant Street Tree Hosts, we wouldn’t have had any engagement… Read More
We’re Only Human
We all have those days don’t we, no matter how optimistic we usually are. Tuesdays are my main full day at work and yesterday morning was particularly trying: I snoozed in bed for way too long rather than doing the workout I intended on doing My dad, who looks after our little one while my husband and I work, had major train delays, so I had to sort our little one out, as well as myself while trying to finish off some work before the team meeting I missed the prayers at… Read More
Why So Blue?
Monday 17th January 2022 is Blue Monday; supposedly the most depressing day of the year thanks to being over indulgent over the christmas period (eating, drinking and probably spending too much), the gloomy weather, and this year the ongoing pandemic. However is it really Blue Monday or is it just like any other wintery Monday? The idea of Blue Monday is a fairly recent one and was invented in 2004 by psychologist Cliff Arnall as a marketing ploy for Sky Travel, which wanted to boost business. His ‘formula’ included variables such as… Read More
New Year, New You?
We are used to the narrative peddled at us each year: the beginning of a new year should mean resolutions we can only really keep up for approximately 4 weeks before our enthusiasm wanes. It should also mean a healthier lifestyle: more veggies, more exercising and less of all of our vices like alcohol, smoking, chocolates etc. You can see it in the adverts for things like monthly food boxes, gym subscriptions and vegan products. And to a certain extent, I understand it; we all like to think we can achieve a… Read More
