Shop better this Christmas and help workers, the environment and your fellow global citizens.
Below is the brand index (excerpt) from the Baptist Union of Victoria Ethical Fashion report, 2017:
Baptist World Aid – 2017 – Fashion Brand Index
Blog
Spiritual Disciplines: Study Material
Following on from the past two weeks messages from Bron, here is follow up material from Richard Foster’s book ‘Celebration of Discipline’:
Crossword of the week: Worship
Here is this weeks crossword that happens to be linked to last weeks Sunday service on worship:
Meditative Prayer reminder
Loving your neighbours
We truly live in an interconnected world and we know what’s going on better than ever before. We can truly help our fellow global citizens whenever we shop the best we can.
From Mark 12:30-31 and Matthew 22:36-40, loving our neighbours is second only to loving God.
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”
Here are links to the brand index collated by Baptist World Australia dated 20 April 2016 and also the full report. Be warned, the full report is just that, it is comprehensive.
Happy shopping
Crossword of the week, 25 May 2017
Here is this weeks crossword:
Crossword of the week, 18 May 2017
Here is this weeks crossword:
Crossword of the week, 11 May 2017
Here is this weeks crossword:
Crossword of the Week
Here is this weeks crossword:
Psalm 40
Thanks for Bron for sharing a message on Psalm 40 with us on 15th January. Here is a little word find puzzle that may or may not act as a refresher and be a bit of fun as well:
For the musically inclined you can view the song “40” performanced by U2 and MW Smith through these links:
As a refresher here is the full text of Psalm 40.
1I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.
4Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
6Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”
9I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You Yourself know.
10I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.
11Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
12For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.
13Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
14Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.
15Let them be confounded because of their shame,
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.
4Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
6Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”
9I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You Yourself know.
10I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.
11Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
12For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.
13Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
14Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.
15Let them be confounded because of their shame,
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
And to end, the message from Psalm 40 is sometimes thought of as:
- Faith Persevering in Trial
and I guess all of us have had trials in our life to overcome.