John spoke this morning from Psalm 91. He reminded us that it is easy to feel pessimistic about the world and our prospects; recent newspaper reports indicate that 1 in 3 teenage girls worry about being stalked by strangers and 1/4 of teenage boys are in dread of being assaulted. The whole world is affected by shadows which cloud our perspective – shadows of guilt and failure, debt and ill-health, family problems or work issues, disappointment or bereavement. Nonetheless, despite all these shadows (which affect Christians as well as non-Christians), if we dwell in the secret place with God, we can abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Ps 91:1) –  a very different kind of shadow!

In hot countries, the shadow provides a place of refuge and protection from the sun’s scorching rays. God Himself is our refuge and fortress, a place of safety and survival. We are protected from snares and pestilence, from visible and invisible threats. Moreover, even in the middle of death and destruction, we are preserved (Ps 91:7-8), just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were. We are protected in dangerous situations and from dangerous situations (Ps 91:10-11).

Not only does God’s shadow provide protection, it give us the promise of deliverance, honour and salvation. God’s shadow overshadows everything; as Elisha’s servant discovered, God’s armies are far greater than the armies of our enemies! (2 Ki 6:17) If God is for us, then none of our enemies will prevail. We can dwell in the secret place and find both protection and promise.

Don’t forget that this Wednesday (20th September) is the ‘Churches Together’ prayer meeting at the Salvation Army at 10.30 a.m. It has been very encouraging to pray with other Christians over the past few months and we believe that God hears and answers prayer, and that as we share our heart’s desires, He speaks to us and moves us into new areas of intercession and service. Please spread the word and come along if you can! Other ‘Churches Together’ prayer meetings will be on Tuesday 17th November (7.15 p.m. at GPCC) and Wednesday 15th November (10.30 a.m. at Houghton Road Centre in Thurnscoe).

On Saturday 30th September we will be having our Macmillan Coffee morning from 10 a.m. until 12 noon. If you can bring any home baking to this event, that would be much appreciated. Another fundraising coffee morning (for Barnsley Hospice) will be on Saturday 28th October at the same time.

In November, we will be taking part in two community events: the Winter Wonderland at Thurnscoe Flower Park on Saturday 18th November from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and the Goldthorpe Christmas Market on Friday 24th November from 4-8 p.m. At both events, we will be giving out goody bags containing sweets, leaflets, flyers about Christmas services and other small toys. If you can help with preparing these goody bags, come along to the Salvation Army on Wednesday 11th October at 10.30 a.m. All proceeds from the craft stalls and refreshments served at GPCC will go to the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal.

Last night, we continued looking at psalms of thanksgiving. So often, our expectations stop us from being thankful; we live in a society that thinks it is entitled to so much, and as a consequence we take so much for granted and don’t take the time to be thankful.

The psalmists reintroduce us to a world of awe and wonder. Ps 8:1-3 begins by marvelling at God’s amazing creation; Ps 139:14 marvels at the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Every day, God gives us breath and opportunity to participate in a wonderful world, but we can easily take this for granted. Instead, God wants us to stop and reflect on all He has done. Ps 8 goes on to marvel at how God cares for us and blesses us in so many ways.

A child explores the world with zest and enthusiasm, and we need to lay aside our jaded perceptions of the world in order to cultivate thankfulness. This does us good, for as we meditate on the wonderful works of God (Ps 78:1-4, Ps 126:2), we are encouraged in our own faith, remembering what God has done in the past and being strengthened in the faith that He will continue to work on our part because of His faithfulness. We have an obligation to pass on what He has done to the next generation. How will others know of God’s faithfulness and power unless we tell them?

We have received the following email from Compassion about the situation in Haiti:

‘As you may be aware, Hurricane Irma passed over Haiti at the end of last week. I know you will be anxious for news of Bedline, so I am writing to share what we know.

The hurricane’s impact was felt primarily in the northern part of the country. Bedline does not live in this area, and we believe she is unlikely to be affected. If we do hear that she has been affected, we will be in touch right away.

The highest priority for our field team in Haiti right now is to establish communication with each project in the affected areas and provide assistance in the form of medical care, shelter, clean water, food and counselling.

Project staff are visiting children and their families to pray with and encourage them and provide other assistance as needed. Compassion’s disaster funds will initially be used to ensure they are safe, fed and cared for.

We will be praying for Bedline and for all Compassion-supported children, families and church partners in Haiti in the aftermath of the hurricane. Please join us in praying that they would know God’s peace and comfort.’

Ps 107:2 says ‘Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.’ It is so important for each one of us to realise we have a story to tell and to be involved in telling that story. We often think of evangelism as something difficult, something best left to the ‘professionals’, but at its heart, evangelism (good news!) is simply telling others what God has done for us. It is a personal testimony or witness to what God has done in our lives and what He means to us.

I grew up not giving God much thought at all. My parents had had a religious upbringing and been part of the Methodist Church at Furlong Road, but church was not a regular part of my childhood. God was a vague presence to me; a personal relationship with Him was not mentioned, and reading the Bible and praying did not form part of my daily experience. When I was in my early teens, God began to work wonderfuly in my family as my youngest aunt became a Christian when she left home to begin teacher- training in Leeds. My mother, grandmother, uncle and his wife all became Christians and started attending a local church, but still I was only vaguely aware of what God could do or why it was important to know Him.

Through their prayers, however, I began to consider this God who had clearly made a visible difference in their lives. I wanted God’s help – to do well at school, for example – but on my terms. I didn’t really understand anything about sin or salvation, but I was curious.

I read biographies and testimonies of people like Nicky Cruz and Joni (paralysed in a diving accident at eighteen), but it was only when a friend’s sister went to university and started attending Christian meetings there that I began to wonder if God was relevant to younger people as well. My friend’s sister and her friends were intelligent, educated people who were articulate in defending the historical credibility of their faith and passionate about living out what they believed. I started corresponding with one of them to debate many issues, only to discover that for Christians, the true launchpad for everything was God and His revelation in the Bible.

I visited this group in 1983 and continued to see how real their faith was. By this time, I was acutely aware that I did not have the same personal relationship with God that they had, and so it was on my return that, convicted and uncomfortable, I cried out to God for myself in the lounge of my house one Thursday morning and my Mum had the privilege of leading me to know the Lord for myself.

That’s my story. What’s yours? And how can we share this with other people?

Two years ago we celebrated September birthdays at a wedding. Last night, we celebrated the birthdays with an extra member of the family…!