- 7 September 2011 : (No Comments) Leave a Comment
Be Sure to check out our updated website and let us know what you think! :D
- 13 May 2011 : (No Comments) Leave a Comment
Hi folks, here we go again!
The sun has been shining.. the nights are bright... so it must be exam time.
We thought it might be helpful to try and use the online exam prayer support forum again.
So here is the idea…. it’s quite simple really.
Add a comment to this blog and give your name (first name will do) and dates/subjects. You can leave as much or as little detail as you want. Check back regularly to see the details others have posted… pray for others as they are praying for you.
All the best!
John, Barry & Carolyn
(Chaplaincy Staff Team)
- 18 March 2011 : (No Comments) Leave a Comment
This post has been contributed by Ayomide, one of the members of the Church of the Resurrection
‘Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.’
~ Luke 4:1-2
This is the foundation of Lent. It is a time during which Christians remember the forty days of preparation that Jesus went through before beginning his ministry, seeking the face of his father and putting his will above all else, including seemingly cogent physical desires like hunger, despite the temptations of the devil. And what was Jesus tempted by? It was nothing more than the chance to live life in his strength alone, doing what he wanted, when he wanted, for himself. On the surface of it there’s nothing wrong with changing stones to bread if you’re hungry and have the ability to do so. Using your divine powers to perform stunts seems less worthy, but even that doesn’t really hurt anyone. It’s only by the third temptation that it becomes apparent what the real test is – do you live to serve God, or to please yourself? And if the latter, then who are [More...]
- 30 January 2011 : (No Comments) Leave a Comment
A couple of Sundays ago we took a bit of an overview of the middle part of the book of Genesis which contains the stories of three generations... Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. At the end of Genesis 11 we find the story of the tower of Babel in which the people of the world build a tower which is supposed to symbolise human achievement and greatness. However the problems that existed prior to the story of Noah and the flood (Genesis 8-10) had not gone away. Positively, technological advancement and new discoveries had given humans new opportunities. However this human ingenuity had given people an inflated view of themselves and God has been squeezed out of the picture.
So what does God do? Send another flood?
No, the next set of readings tell us that God did not turn aside from humanity, but instead persisted in reaching out to us. From Genesis 12-33 we read about the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... known collectively as the Patriarchs.Three figures of great significance to Jews, Muslims and Christians, the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are quoted many times in the bible. Future generations look back to the experiences and the faith of these individuals and see that [More...]
- 25 January 2011 : (No Comments) Leave a Comment
This week we read about God's promises to Abraham and his family and especially that they would be a great nation.We see that the people weren’t perfect and made many mistakes but God remained faithful to them and kept his promise. Later in the Old Testament we discover God referring to himself as 'the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob', this reminds those who hear and us of the Covenant that God established with Abraham and his descendants. And it tells us that throughout the Old Testament God wanted to reassure the people that they were his chosen people and he would be faithful to them even when things seemed impossible. We see how God, in times when we start to lose hope and forget his truth over our lives, comes in and reminds us how much he cares for us and that we can trust him with everything. I think the readings for this week helped me remember the promises God has given me and that God wants me to have faith in these even when they seem impossible (Gen 15.6).
- 13 January 2011 : (No Comments) Leave a Comment
(Throughout E100 we hope to publish thoughts from the weekly talks given in the Church of the Resurrection on the readings. What follows are those of Barry as we launched the E100 initiative on January 9th... no doubt such posts will be longer than pure blogs but we hope and pray that our ramblings might, in His wisdom, be of some help or encouragement to you!)
As we begin the journey through E100 we do so in Genesis 1, declaring that one, good God created all things and declared His creation to be ‘very good’. Yet as I write there are unspeakable floods in Brazil and Australia, shootings in Arkansas, wars on every continent across all manner of tribes, religions and creeds. Moreover to speak of there being some sort of divine power in the universe that is still in control is dismissed by some as unintelligible nonsense, whilst to claim that there is one, true God in a world full of differing belief systems is considered as sheer bare-faced arrogance. As a revelation of truth the bible is the product of a by-gone age, its truth claims exposed as a work of fiction by scientific minds or, where a ‘felt-need’ [More...]
- 12 January 2011 : (No Comments) Leave a Comment
The first few words of Genesis 1 are incredible as they open up the story of the Bible...'In the beginning God'...These words just remind us of the incredible power and holiness of the God we serve who has existed before the beginning of time. The Bible becomes a story not simply focused on the journey of human salvation which we often turn it into. Ultimately, the Bible is a book about God as He reveals His character to us through each and every chapter. Before going into the E100 programme, it's good to be reminded about the awesome God we serve and the incredible priviledge we have to be in a relationship with Him.
Carolyn
- 10 January 2011 : (No Comments) Leave a Comment
Over the next 6 months students from the centre and members of the Church of the Resurrection congregation are reading 100 key passages from the bible... 50 for the Old Testament and 50 from the New Testament. Doing this will give participants a complete overview of the biblical story. Check out www.e100challenge.org.uk for more details.
If you would like to join in do drop us a line and we can give you a list of the readings. We also have a booklet you can purchase to aid your reading... £3 for students, £5 for non students.
Different members of the community are going to be blogging on what they have read so do check back to see how it is all going.
Thanks
- 7 January 2011 : (20 Comments) Leave a Comment
Hi there, trusting you all had a good Christmas and a peaceful New Year
This requires a little bit of urgent attention cos we realise some exams have started already.
We thought it might be helpful to try and form some kind of online exam prayer support forum during this season of joy!
So here is the idea.... it's quite simple really.
Add a comment to this blog and give your name (first name will do) and dates/subjects. You can leave as much or as little detail as you want. Check back regularly to see the details others have posted... pray for others as they are praying for you.
All the best!
John, Barry & Carolyn
(Chaplaincy Staff Team)
- 7 January 2011 : (1 Comment) Leave a Comment
Hi, welcome to the new blog site for thehubbelfast.org
Check in here for the very latest in what is happening in the Church of Ireland and Methodist Chaplaincies at QUB
