Dear Friends 

Greetings from Cambridge!

I’m currently working down at Westcott House - a college that trains folk to be church ministers. Today as in the church calendar we celebrated St Andrews Day, in our morning and evening prayer readings we have heard of the different times Andrew introduced others to Jesus. Ranging from his own brother Simon Peter (through whom God was to do great things), to the small boy and his loaves & fish (through which Jesus was able to do great things - feeding 5000+ people), Andrew’s small actions brought about big results. Indeed it’s been interesting to hear the stories of some of those training for ministry here, concerning how the small words of encouragement here and there, or an invitation to try something different, has built up their confidence, their calling, and ultimately, the Kingdom.

All of us I believe can be inspired by Andrew not least when introducing people or situations to the possibilities of God. Let’s not be afraid to do just that, in the remaining encounters of this week. And let’s be open also, to the words that others might have for us too!

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

Simon

Dear friends and families,
 
I hope you all are doing well and living with hope and courage despite the many obstacles we all have in our lives, and that could be a person, circumstance, or health issues. I found obstacles will block our path sometimes when we trying to do God’s will or move forward.  Every obstacle we face reveals our strengths and our weaknesses. It also shapes us and makes us wiser or weak and sometimes more confident or we lose our confidence, it all depends on how we handle our situation.
 
Friends, it’s easy to be brave when we feel strong, but it’s much harder when we feel weak and inadequate. Courage means saying, ‘If God promised it, I believe it and am moving forward despite the obstacles'.
 
As we are entering the season of hope and we all are waiting for Christ’s kingdom let us live with courage and with the living hope of Christ. Don’t let the obstacle stop you from spreading the good news of Christ.
 
As the word of God says and encourages us to go, succeed, and conquer, I rebuke every spirit of fear and discouragement. May, our life will be fruitful, and we will continue to achieve greatness.
 
Have a great and blessed day.
 
Rev Kathreen Shabaz

Dear Friends 

Whilst I know I should be used to it by now, I have to confess that I continue to be shocked each year by the rapid change in the shops each year, once halloween is over. The transformation from all things orange (well mainly pumpkins), to glitter, tinsel and more than a Christmas tree or two, is staggeringly quick. We are now fully aware of the ‘toned down’ TV adverts that all the large chains are broadcasting – toned down because 'things might be tighter this year', but they still nevertheless fill our plasma screens for a good seven weeks or so before Christmas Day. 

However, I have to say that in terms of my spiritual calender, I’m already drawing on the hope of Christmas well before Advent Sunday arrives. The ever darkening nights, together with news that is hard to absorb, be it global, national, or the experiences found within our own community, remind me of the bitter-sweet contrasts that are traditionally found and experienced in the Advent season. As the reading shared at morning prayer today reminded us, there is all the more reason to observe the call to "let our lights shine”, that we in solidarity with our Lord, can be lights that shine in the darkness, knowing that however fragile that light might seem, it can’t be put out.

May our little lights indeed shine, and bring hope to others!

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

Simon

​“It is better to see and experience something once than to hear about it a thousand times.”
 
Dear families and friends, God's promises will be fulfilled according to His timetable, not ours, but we know that His word is sure.  The more we learn of those promises God has fulfilled and continues to fulfill, the easier it is to hope for those yet to come. Sometimes we become impatient, wanting God to act in a certain way. Instead, we should faithfully do what He wants us to do and trust Him for the future.
 
It was our dream for a very long time to set foot in the Holy Land, the land where Jesus was born, walk, died, and was resurrected for our salvation. We managed to fulfill this dream of ours in the last few weeks. However, when we landed in the Holy Land, we saw that God’s presence was missing for some people.
 
Yes, people do not know of God’s Holy presence in that Holy City. However, thousands and thousands of people are coming from all around the world to receive that land’s blessings, yet the inhabitants of that land are unknown of those blessings, and they made those blessings into businesses. As it is written in John 1:11
 
“Jesus came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him”.
 
There were many emotions on this trip: a feeling of happiness, joy, and sadness with lots of reflections too, but I am not going to write all of those here however, I will conclude with both place and God’s presence matters even if it’s the Holy Land or your life’s land. Without God’s presence, the place gives us no meaning. We need to find our God’s presence not only in the Holy Land but in our lives land too.
 
There was one point when we were in Mount Nebo and Petra. Mount Nebo was where Prophet Moses was granted the sight of the Promised Land, which he did not reach. The Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years and Moses died before they reached the place. The reason was even though the Lord was in their midst they failed to find God’s presence in their lives land. That’s why God left them wandering in the desert for 40 years.
 
The point to reflect for us today is did we find our God in our lives? Because if God’s Holy presence is not in our lives, then we will not be able to find even in the holy land.
 
Have a blessed day with God's presence.
 
Rev Kathreen Shabaz

Dear Friends

As we enter a new month, it was encouraging to hear last Monday of Mary’s (one of our more recent church and Positive Steps members) impressive achievement in completing 10,000 steps each day in the month of October. If we are able to, it’s good to remain on the go, both for the sake of exercise as well as taking in our surrounds. My own activity tracker informs me that in the last quarter, I was averaging Mary’s levels too, completing 1,016,802 steps! However, when trying to take in and appreciate such a large number, I started to think about how effectively I had used that time commitment.  Proverbs 20.24 informs us that "All our steps are ordered by the Lord.” As such how much, I wonder, do we allow Him to speak to, inform and guide us on along the way? 

Certainly, the different places and faces when  walking that I encounter can often be an inspiration for intercession, at other times, it can provide a helpful backdrop simply to listen. Rather than dashing from one appointment after another in the car or indeed bike – which has been my practice for many years, the deliberate slowing down that a commitment to walking brings, provides more space for God, as well as an opportunity to be challenged en route, and respond to changes in my timetable and priorities, that He might be asking of me.

So may our steps this week, many or few, be an opportunity to draw more closely to our God. For as we are reminded in Psalm 37:23-24: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

Simon