CMWDT Wellington : Encourager 110

( March 2006 )

First things first -

God

Give God a chance ....
	A man came across a child perched on a rock repeating the alphabet. "Why are you saying your 'ABC's so many times ?" the man asked him. The child replied, "I'm saying my prayers." Patiently the young child explained, "Well, I don't know all the words, so I give God the letters. He knows what I'm trying to say, and He can put all the letters in the right order." Up to the top
Eternal
	Rolling waves up and down height and depth crest like edges edges of the sea the wild wild sea until it hits rocks and rocks overwhelm it and the wave is no more Lord of the waves and sea the wild wild sea Your love is so high and deep Higher and deeper than I'll ever know the rocks do not overwhelm it for You Jehovah are the Immense Rock Up to the top
Prayer needs
	Pray for your Branch Committee. Each member, John, Kay, Lyn, Tony, Sharon, Ron and Teresa. Thank God for each of their skills and pray for the knitting together of them in His work in the Branch.   Thank God for Lesley and the OT Wellington Branch sponsors each month.   Thank God for the recent regional camp. Pray that God would continue the work He started at camp.   Pray for the coming year in the Wellington Branch. Up to the top
WHAT IS "FAILURE" ?
	"Beginning to sink, he cried... 'Lord, save me !' " ( Matthew 14:30 NAS ) Just because Peter started to sink, didn't mean he failed. Here's why : Failure is not an event - only a judgment about an event. Failure is an indispensable part of learning. Sir Edmund Hillary made several attempts to scale Mount Everest before succeeding. After one such attempt he stood at the base of the mountain, shook his fist in defiance and shouted, "I'll defeat you yet; you're as big as you're going to get, but I'm still growing !" He learned something from every unsuccessful attempt, until one day he succeeded. Winston Churchill said, "I've never failed at anything in life, I was simply given another opportunity to get it right." What an attitude ! The real failures were still in the boat ! They failed quietly and privately; their failure went unnoticed and uncriticised. Although Peter 'crashed and burned' publicly, he experienced two things : The euphoria of walking on water. He alone knew how it felt to be empowered by God to do what he could never have done by himself. Once you've walked on water you never forget it; Peter would take this moment to his grave ! The joy of being lifted by Jesus in a moment of despair. Peter knew in a way the others couldn't, that if he sank, Jesus would be there to save him. He shared a moment, a connection, a trust that the others didn't. How could they, when they never left the boat ? Failure doesn't come from sinking - it comes from letting fear stop you from obeying God. ( written by Bob and Debby Gass and taken from "The Word For Today". ) Up to the top
ABCs of Faith
	( A request for a favourite from Sharon Blackwood. )
	A im high B elieve in God C onsider your options D on't give up E nrich your soul F ind faith in doubt G o for the grace H ang on I gnore discouragement J ust let Jesus K eep trying L ove life M ake merry N ever say "I can't" O pen your mind P ray hard Q uit whining R ead the Bible S tay strong T ake on the challenge U nderstand the obstacles V alue virtue W ait patiently X -ccelerate hope Y ield to the Holy Spirit Z ero in on joy Up to the top

News from earth :

SEPTEMBER MEETING
	Our meeting in September was up the coast in Paraparaumu where we all enjoyed the drive up on the beautiful sunny day. Ron and Sharon led us in worship and we all sang in fine heart. It was good to have Ric and Lynjoin our musical team for the first time adding guitar and clarinet to the mix. We ate lunch in the bright sunlight. David Baxter from Wellington Central Church came and spoke to us. Up to the top
NOVEMBER MEETING
	We were welcomed to Upper Hutt by the several locals who are in our group ( nice for an old Hutt local ) as we hadn't been that far up the valley ( for a meeting ) for a while, and started the Christmas carol season in great style. We did several puzzles, answered quizzes, showing off our skills and gaining chocolate treats. Up to the top
DECEMBER CHRISTMAS DINNER
	Our annual dinner was a good do as always. We were entertained by members of the AOG Women's group who did a "live by satellite" of what Jesus' birth would look like today. Our Johnsonville venue was awesomely decorated with the true meaning of the "12 days of Christmas" carol. I wonder how the kiwi version of a pukeko in a ponga tree would translate ! Up to the top
FEBRUARY MEETING
	Our meeting in Tawa, the first of 2006, was started with worship. Vicky Macmillan read from Romans and we continued in prayer. We finished our morning in prayer. Ruth Jones spoke to us on the trait of servanthood, and got us to study our Bible as we looked up examples of men of God, namely Abraham, Noah, Jesus and John. We enjoyed our time together. Up to the top
.... ever wonder .....
	Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin ? Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery" ? Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice" ? You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes, why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff ? If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal ? Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavour, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons ? Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour ? Why isn't there mouse-flavoured cat food ? When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it ? Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes ? Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections ? Why don't sheep shrink when it rains ? Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together ? Up to the top

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