The Friendly Church
Today, as I write this message, I do so with gratitude to God that we were spared the direct fury of the first major hurricane of this season. Apart from being the first hurricane of its strength in June, it also grew from a tropical depression to a full-blown hurricane in less than two days. Another first for Beryl is that it is the earliest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic to reach a category 4, and then 5, with devastating and destructive results.
Do you set aside a 24-hour period each week in which you stop your work and rest? “Sabbath is a time to rest, reflect, and renew our spirits.” 1 When we hear about the Sabbath, however, we often immediately think about the Seventh Day Adventists and the seventh day. Jesus, however, insisted that the Sabbath is for all humanity, which He clearly states in Mark 2:27, which reads, “Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath,’” (NRSV).
The Family- Empowered to heal.
Many stories have been shared over the years about people who experience brokenness and pain, loss and disappointment, setbacks and comebacks, failures, and successes in their lives. Not all these people are in the church, but I am sure that all persons in the church have experienced one or more of these stories at some point in their lives.
I sometimes veer from the beaten path in writing these messages but desire to keep my attention focused on the realities around us. The question to you this month is, what do you think is the greatest cause of death in Jamaica?
In our Bible study on Wednesday, we learned that many persons had losses in their families through death. Cancer was implicated several times. You may be thinking that the answer is cancer, but it is not. The latest statistics (2019)* from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Jamaica, show that the main causes for women and men are;
The Jamaica Baptist Union just completed its 174th General Assembly. It launched the theme that we will use for the next two years, “Keeping faith with the Word in an ever-changing world – pursuing Integrity”.
The President, Rev. Dr. Glenroy Lalor’s address to the Assembly and some special events mainly highlighted aspects of this theme. These are documented elsewhere so I won’t repeat them here, except to note a couple issues which we will seek to address on the theme during the year.
What do these two Topics Really have in Common?
I was at my desk at home, on Monday morning, October 30, 2023, hosting a class online and discussing conflict as a useful leadership tool for church growth. Three minutes before the class would have ended at 11:00, I heard a loud rumbling sound and experienced a massive shaking of the house. I immediately realized that we were having an earthquake. Popping the earphones from my ears, I dashed to where I considered a safer spot, simultaneously calling to my wife who was upstairs and crouched with my hand over my head...waiting.
This month we celebrate our heritage. We have set aside some time as a nation to remember our national heroes and heroine, as well as honour those across the nation who have contributed to the growth and development of our country.
What makes these persons stand out as heroes and heroine is their selflessness, willingness to sacrifice their lives, their commitment to the values of freedom, justice and solidarity with the neighbour.
“Going back” is a very huge part of many lives currently.
Many are going back to school, the same school, or a different school; others are going overseas, while still others are returning to their jobs after a break. There are a few others who will also be going back, not physically but mentally as they retrace their steps to a path, they took many years ago. I want to explore the many sides of “going back” in our Pastor’s desk reflection this month.