Making Room For The Marginalised
It’s the last week of Advent and Christmas is just 4 sleeps away! This week’s devotional scripture is: And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the… Read More
Making Room For Community
We’re in the 3rd week of Advent and as we continue with our devotional we are looking at another verse from Luke: When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she… Read More
Making Room For Limits
We’re continuing with our Advent devotional and this week we are focusing on the passage from Luke: “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God… Read More
Making Room For a Promise
This week we are looking at the first devotional of Making Room In Advent. It talks about the parallels between ‘Zechariah waiting to have a child. Israel waiting for the Messiah. A barren couple and a barren nation.’ How often do we have to wait for what we think has been promised to us? How long will we have to wait for His second coming? But perhaps those are the wrong questions. Perhaps the right question to ask is, what does God need me to learn and/or who does God need me… Read More
What Are You Thankful For?
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Thanksgiving is most definitely an American holiday but I’ve always loved the idea of having a day to focus on the positive things in our lives. The blessings that the Lord has afforded us, despite always falling short of His expectations. As we close out the year, the first year in a while without lockdowns, there are lots of things we could focus on that could bring the mood down…. Read More
Every Little Helps
In last week’s blog, we looked at how we can turn to God in our stressful times, especially in this financial and political climate. However, though we know and appreciate the power of prayer, sometimes, we need actual, physical help. Whether that be to access resources or ways to entertain our kids in the holidays (that doesn’t break the bank). With that in mind, this week, we want to give practical things that can alleviate some of the stresses many are feeling within the Borough at the moment. So if you know… Read More
Peace Be With You…
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4:6-7, (ESV) Stress. It is something that is guaranteed in this life. Whether it be financial stress, especially in this current climate. Or stress in the work place, where, though the pandemic taught many lessons about the importance of work-life balance, our culture is centred on working hard to… Read More
God’s Steadfast Love
Last Sunday we read the last part of Mark in the devotional we have been reading since the start of this term. We focused on Mark 15:1-33 and when reading through, I found it quite powerful. In this part of Mark, we realise how fickle people can be; those who once broke bread with Jesus, those who shouted “Halleluiah” as He entered Jerusalem now shouted, “Crucify him!” Despite all those that did Him wrong, Jesus still allowed His crucifixion to happen to save us from our sins. Though we had let God… 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
