9 June 2019 - ENCS

The relationship series today Pastor Joey did conclude

Relationships are critical for we do not live in solitude

But all are different because each individual is unique

Four common principles determine if strong or weak

Trust, love, forgiveness, and today’s topic communication

The key for all of these principles is the implementation

With a blood analogy, Joey does relationships describe

He put this forward extremely calmly, not in a diatribe

The red and white blood cells represent love and trust

Forgiveness, like platelets, heal wounds, he discussed

Plasma is more than half of blood, akin to communication

Per Genesis four, blood has a role in communication

Communication can be defined as a means to exchange

An intent to commune with others, the spirit does arrange

All good communication starts with God, per Edwin Cole

Four basic communication principles the Lord does extol

God’s words always have a purpose, per Isaiah fifty five

Per James one, being quick to listen we should strive

Jesus’ actions as a human many lessons we do learn

Even without words or actions, the Spirit can discern

Joey said relationships become automatic, in summation

If they have trust, love, forgiveness, and communication

2 June 2019 - ENCS

More about relationships Pastor Joey did share today

We need love and trust, and forgiveness he did say

He spoke of the why, what, and how of forgiveness

For it is a cornerstone of relationships he did express

Forgivneess is important for health, per the Mayo Clinic

Lowering blood pressure and an immune system uptick

Paul said we are all sinners, per Romans chapter three

Thus pain and sin each day each of us will feel and see

Forgiveness acts like a reset button and a clotting agent

Per Matthew six, Jesus gave a command not just intent

Colossians three says that if we forgive, God will forgive

Like Mandela, we can choose forgiveness in how we live

Of course showing forgiveness is usually quite difficult

First, we must acknowledge pain caused or the insult

Second, per Mark six, forgiving others involves a cost

But without this step, God’s forgiveness for us is lost

His love for us never ceases, per Lamentations three

It is important that God’s forgiveness we feel and see

Third in forgiveness we should aspire for perfection

Per Matthew five, love our enemies without objection

But we must forgive others before we can show love

As Jesus did, praying for others we may be tired of

Fourth is that for God’s healing we should believe

Pain takes time to be healed, not an instant reprieve

26 May 2019 - ENCS

About relationships, Pastor Harris shared more today

We are to love God and our neighbours, Jesus did say

These two commandments, as per Matthew twenty two

Are the basis of all other laws because they are so true

As we heard last week, relationships are based on trust

Just as importantly for relationships, love is also a must

We all hear about love in songs and poems and vows

First Corinthians thirteen describes attributes to espouse

Patient and kind, not envious or boastful, but enduring

That we cannot do this, our imperfect nature is ensuring

Earlier in the chapter, of love’s importance Paul writes

For without love, meaningless is our faith and its heights

Per Galatians five, Paul talks about the works of the flesh

The fruit of the Spirit is love so of course they do enmesh

And having Spirit-love in us allows us to each other love

Per First John four, that Spirit is given to us by God above

Josh cautioned us to continue with Jesus to spend time

So that our thoughts, words, and deeds are in fact prime

We love because Jesus first loved us, per First John four

Even while on the cross, His persecutors He did pray for

To harness that Spirit we also need the right environment

For our own flesh cannot be trusted one hundred percent

Because sin includes what we have and have not done

We should share God’s love with others, as did His Son

19 May 2019 - ENCS

The short series on relationships, Pastor Joey did continue

For our existence and happiness, relationships are the glue

As with a chair, we must trust a relationship’s foundation

Without trust, relationships falter and go into deterioration

For human beings, having trust and relationships is a must

As we are all sinners, we can never be fully trusted or trust

So about what builders trust, five points Pastor did share

As always, looking to God and the Bible helps us to prepare

For per Proverbs three, trust in the Lord with all of our heart

And in all of our ways, from a straight path we will not depart

Pastor used the letters of the word 'trust’ to form an anagram

For some of us, that is easier to remember than a diagram

With four letters in common, truth is the first basis for trust

Truth is tough, as half truths and fake news are oft-discussed

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life per John fourteen

So from Jesus and with Jesus truth we can surely glean

Reliability is another basis, as trust follows consistency

God is always reliable, so we should trust Him completely

His promises always come through, per Joshua twenty one

While His trust in us is dependent on what we have done

The third basis is unity, our words and actions aligned

The level of  consistency is how our integrity is defined

God is perfect unity, per the words in Deuteronomy four

Therefore versus humans we can trust Him infinitely more

Fourth is standards, akin to our building blocks or bricks

God is considered “holy, holy, holy” in Isaiah chapter six

Last but not least is time as per Hebrews chapter thirteen

Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever it is seen

Pastor concluded by talking about how we build this trust

Giving and receiving trust is inherently risky, he discussed

He mentioned that if we can not trust people to be on time

It is hard to trust them with bigger things (but not a crime)

The bottom line is for us to do the right things consistently

Then amazing relationships with God and people we see

12 May 2019 - ENCS

Pastor Josh shared some thoughts on this Mother’s Day

God-sent angels who teach us how to serve and to pray

Mothers very often exhibit various forms of sacrificial love

Which in effect is replicating the Lord in heaven above

On the importance of relationships, the sermon did focus

They bring out emotions like a beautiful blooming crocus

Our God is a god of relationships, Pastor Josh did state

Starting with his triune nature, ever since creation date

This is clear in Matthew chapter three from verse sixteen

The spirit of God came to rest on Son Jesus, it was seen

God saw that man needed a companion, per Genesis two

Because relationships are critical in everything we do

Given that, Pastor asked why relationships are so hard

God is omnipotent, loving, and is never caught offguard

But as human we all have limits and can get offended

Even if the impact of the action or words was not intended

Per Proverbs eighteen, taking offence is very unyielding

And like a castle, quarrelling puts up bars for shielding

But by putting up bars, we end up being more isolated

We need forgiveness for our mistakes, Pastor stated

As always, the hardest part is determine how to do this

Don't empower others to control our emotions and bliss

God loved Jesus and was well pleased, per Matthew three

And this was before any the Son’s miracles or ministry

Similarly, God loves us for what we are, not what we do

We should remember that to us His power does accrue

God chose us before creation, as per Ephesians one

In line with His pleasure, as each of us is an adopted son

Jesus came so we have abundance, per First John four

And thus we should love one another, he did underscore

God chose us, so we should have love and confidence

But if we do not connect to Him, the challenge is intense

Jesus sacrificed his life for his friends, per John fifteen

When we do things sacrificially, a similar attitude is seen

About relationships, we should have healthy expectations

A flow of generosity starts when it is at our foundations

God does more than he has to, we should remember

He wants to spend time with us January to December

And when we allow that, we learn about relationships

Giving us more security and confidence at our fingertips

28 April 2019 - ENCS

Using Genesis chapter twenty two verses one through eight

On the topic “The Genuine Test”, Pastor Arnie did us educate

Abraham was a great man but like us, was far from perfect

Sometimes his actions and his stated faith were in conflict

But yet through it all, Abraham could recognise God’s voice

He knew God was faithful so obeying God was his choice

We take tests to see if we meet standards and have learned

When told to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham was not concerned

As per Hebrews eleven, he knew God could raise the dead

With firewood and a knife, Abraham and Isaac went ahead

Because test are for individuals, he left his servants behind

Per James two, Abraham's faith and actions were aligned

Isaac asked his father where they would find the sacrifice

God would provide, Abraham stated just once - not twice

Years later, the Lord would send his own son to the cross

Per John three, His love for us led to Christ’s earthly loss

Abraham relied on God to bring him through every test

Loving and worshiping God is the response valued best

Tests can teach us patience or prepare is to help others

For the Lord is faithful to all believing sisters and brothers

He did not spare His Son so will surely give us all things

In return we should honour Him more than we do kings

Giving Him our heart and our life without any debate

For we are all more than conquerors, per Romans eight

21 April 2019 - Easter

Walking into a sunrise service this morning at six twenty

I looked around the room, there were seats a-plenty

Then I walked over and tried to sit in my normal spot

Only to be instructed by an usher that I could not

But no reason was provided when I asked him why

Feeling rather unwelcome there, I then said goodbye

It made me wonder how often this happens to others

Who may feel unwelcome by some Christian brothers

We all have interactions with unbelievers every day

Do our actions or words welcome or drive them away?

Remembering that we were lost before Jesus we found

Do we accept them despite their looks or background?

When we are given the opportunity to meet a new face

Do we focus on their sin or convey God’s love and grace?

God created and loves us all, so wants a relationship

The Bible tells us how to pray, to live, and to worship

On Easter Sunday, Jesus’ resurrection we celebrate

To the world, He brought redemption and love great

So in unison we say “He is risen. He is risen indeed”

Thanks to the empty tomb, that is all that we need