February Fun Day

Feb 19, 2026

Yesterday at our family fun day we looked at the topic of wisdom. We went on an owl hunt to see what the Bible has to say about wisdom, and learned that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10) and that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God for it (James 1:5). We also learned that God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom (1 Cor 1:25) and that we can learn wisdom from others, including ants! (Prov 6:6) This last fact is well known to parents of toddlers who listen to the song ‘The Grasshopper and the Ants’ approximately twice every day…
We also asked people to pass on their wisdom, things they have learned in life. Many of their tips were practical (remember to prick a potato before putting it in the microwave, remember to add water to the pan before you try to boil an egg, don’t forget your underwear when you go swimming…) but others were more profound. These tips included:
  • Don’t be too critical of others.
  • Laugh at yourself
  • Don’t worry – God’s in control
  • Treat others like you want to be treated
This last tip is actually called the Golden Rule, and is found in Matthew 7;12 – ‘So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.‘ Sometimes, we make wisdom out to be something beyond us, but it’s actually very simple. Kindness, thoughtfulness, consideration, unselfishness are all wise ways of living. Come, be a wise owl!

Ash Wednesday

Feb 18, 2026

Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, the period of preparation leading to Easter.
It marks a period of reflection and repentance, an acknowledgment that we need a Saviour. Our sin – every wrong thought, every evil act, our very propensity to go against what God ordains – separates us from God. We need His help if life is to be restored to His original good. During this period, we focus on God’s ways and God’s wisdom.
This leads us to the startling discovery (symbolised by the ash cross drawn on people’s foreheads in some services) that God’s wisdom and ways are quite unlike ours. (1 Cor 1:18-25) Often we equate knowledge with wisdom, but as the saying goes, knowledge tells us a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom warns us not to include it in a fruit salad! God’s wisdom led to crucifixion as the means of reconciliation, but His ways went further than our power in raising Jesus from the dead on the third day.
Easter cannot be glamourised, no matter how many fluffy chicks or cute bunnies make their way into our Easter cards. Easter is not synonymous with spring, though the daffodils and snowdrops are welcome signs of new life. As we walk through Lent, we fix our eyes, as Jesus did, on Jerusalem and the cross. “My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!” (John 12;27-28)
Journey with us through Lent as we look at spiritual essentials for life found in John’s Gospel on Fridays, starting on 27 February at 11.45 a.m. at Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church. We’ll start with soup and sandwiches and a drink and then go on until about 2 p.m. using Paula Gooder’s book ”Lentwise” to focus on the compass, nourishment, light, shelter and water and how God meets all our needs through Jesus.

Clothed In God’s Garments

Feb 15, 2026

Today we looked at our identity as God’s people and how God has given us clothes to wear that reflect this new identity. (Rom 13:14, Col 3:12-14) Fashion is a very profitable trade these days, and what we wear reflects our identity in many ways, whether that is from national clothing (think of the kilts of Scotland and the Lederhosen and Dirndl dresses of Austria!) or our preferences for posh clothes or pyjamas! The proverb says, ‘clothes make a man’, but in spiritual terms, we need to understand the need to put off our old self and put on the new clothes God provides for us. (Eph 4:22-24)

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed; the need for clothing arose after they sinned, and they made clothes out of fig leaves to cover themselves. (Gen 2:25, Gen 3:7) God realised this was not enough, and so the first animal was slain to provide clothing for humanity, reminding us that we can only approach God now through the sacrifice of Jesus. All our righteous acts are described by Isaiah as ‘filthy rags’ (Is 64:6); without Christ, we are like Cinderella in her rags, unable to attend God’s ball because of our inability to be righteous.

In Christ, however, we are declared righteous (2 Cor 5:21), and God gives us new clothes to wear: a garment of praise, instead of a spirit of despair (Is 61:2) and garments of salvation and a robe of His righteousness to wear. (Is 61:10) We are even given accessories (a crown of beauty instead of ashes and jewels to adorn our head.) In Ezekiel 16, we see a picture of our neediness without God and how His love lavishes all we need on us. (Ezek 16:1-14) We now have clothing to wear that is custom-made with God’s label on it, a new nature that reflects God’s nature. We are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with others and forgiving as Christ has forgiven us, wearing love as our ‘all-purpose garment.’ (Col 3:12-14) We are also called to put on the armour of God so that we can stand in the spiritual battle that is a part of life. (Eph 6:10-20) This armour protects our minds and hearts and enables us to hold up the shield of faith and wield the sword of the Spirit. We are soldiers together in God’s army.

God sees us as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. (Rev 21:2) Our future with Him is great. Our part is to get rid of the old clothes and wear the clothes God has provided for us, becoming who we are in Christ, who God wants us to be.

Things Can Only Get Better?

Feb 9, 2026

In the 1997 Labour campaign, they made use of the song and slogan, ‘Things can only get better.‘ It is a Biblical truth, however, that things tend to get much worse before they get better, because true deliverance comes from God and not from better politics, better human ideas or ingenuity. Things may well get worse before they get better so that we see God’s deliverance rather than having any claim to being the solution ourselves.
Moses, known as Israel’s greatest leader, was called by God to lead Israel from the slavery of Egypt to freedom. (Ex 3-4) He was by no means enthusiastic about this calling, feeling (rightly) wholly inadequate to this task. This is partly the point. We are all wholly inadequate, but God chooses to use failed, flawed people precisely because He wants there to be no shadow of a doubt that when He rescues and delivers people, this is entirely His doing, down to His miraculous power.
Moses was called to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let Israel go to worship God in the wilderness. (Ex 5:1) Even before this happened, God told Moses that Pharaoh would not cooperate. (Ex 4:21) If you are asked to do something impossible, you’re in good company.
Pharaoh’s response was to make life even harder for the Israelites, demanding the same quota of bricks to be made as before, only this time without straw. (Ex 5:7-9) Things definitely weren’t getting better.
Moses felt this keenly. (Ex 5:22-23) But this was all part of God’s plan. It would be because of God’s mighty hand that deliverance would come. (Ex 6:1) God was the one who would free them, redeem them, shape them into His people. (Ex 6:6-8) We know that He did indeed do this ultimately, but there was still a long way to go before they saw the deliverance their hearts longed for and they had been promised. They were, at this point, utterly discouraged. (Ex 6:9)
We, too, may be discouraged, broken by the difficulties of life, unable to see a way forward. Impatience, anguish of spirit and cruel bondage may leech hope, faith and love from our souls. But the Biblical pattern is clear. As Nicky Gumbel says, ‘First comes God’s call and vision; then follows all the challenges and difficulties before you see the promise fulfilled.”
God works in His timing and His way so that only He gets the glory. If you are in the period where things seem only to be getting only worse, not better, hold on. The day is coming when you will stand firm and will see the deliverance the Lord will bring, when He will fight for you and you only need to be still. (Ex 14:13-14) The story isn’t over yet.

Spiritual Choices

Feb 8, 2026

Today in our Bible discussion we looked at Romans 8:1-17 as we focussed on the new life in the Spirit available to believers. In the NET version it talks about our outlook, which is shaped by what we focus on. If we have a Christ-centred outlook, we will see the possibilities available to us through His death and resurrection, but if our outlook is centred on what we can physically see, we will miss a whole invisible realm!
We will live in a spiritual way if we are focussing on spiritual things. Paul talks about the responsibility we now have to live in the spiritual realm, not being captivated by the world, but being won over by Christ. The easy way to live is very rarely the right way to live; we need a focus that will be single-mindedly fixed on Jesus.
Spiritual choices are necessary if we are to grow in spiritual maturity; these require work, effort or commitment. God supplies the power we need, but our part does require effort and if we are to grow spiritually, we must learn to make spiritual choices and have a spiritual focus.

What’s On In February

Feb 8, 2026

As February half-term approaches, here’s a list of what’s on this month in addition to our usual services on Sunday (3 p.m.) and Thursday (7.30 p.m.)

Mindful Moments, our monthly evening of creativity for adults, will be on Monday 16 February between 6 and 8 p.m. at GPCC. Come along to paint vases, make flowers and do bead art.

The ‘Churches Together’ family fun day is on Wednesday 18 February between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at GPCC. Come along to be a wise owl and enjoy a variety of free family crafts and activities as we look at the subject of wisdom. Free lunch and refreshments provided.

We will be singing at Parkside Care Home in Wombwell on Tuesday 24 February at 2 p.m. All welcome.