From the Coalface

The NORTHLAKES Salvation Army Commu-19th February 2012

HONEYMOON DAYS???!!!

Way back in earlier times, a married couple would get to drink mead during the first month of their marriage. Mead was a honey-based drink. A month was defined by the passage of the moon. Hence the early days of marriage were termed honeymoon days.

Now we use the term more generally to refer to a time when all is going well, when future problems and challenges are not yet confronted. It is part of the landscape of Christian living. We know times when all goes smoothly, success follows success, and no dark clouds threaten to hide the sun. Then things change.

They did for Jeremiah. He devoured God’s message and ministry with delight. But now, faced with fierce opposition and misunderstanding, he wonders about God’s care and wisdom. It all started so positively, so what has happened?

It is a common enough question, though the answer is not always simple. Marriage is not one long honeymoon, nor is life itself. Following God’s ways is not always a honeymoon either. We have to face the fact that this side of heaven, we are going to strike difficulties and then reflect wistfully on the earlier, happier days.

Like Jeremiah, we may wonder where on earth God is hiding. But like Jeremiah, we will discover God is ever present and that he invites us to a life of humility and holiness, rather than a continuous experience of honeymoon happiness.

Jeremiah 15:15-18 15 Then I said, “LORD, you know what’s happening to me. Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors! Please give me time; don’t let me die young. It’s for your sake that I am suffering. 16 When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies. 17 I never joined the people in their merry feasts. I sat alone because your hand was on me. I was filled with indignation at their sins. 18 Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.” (NLT)

But God responds in Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and wonderful things, that you do not know!

FEBRUARY Megan Elliott 1

Claire Kolasinski 2

Ellen Bromhead 2

Claire Dimmock 6

Madeline Chadban 6

Ross Collyer 9

Dyani Ison 11

Julie Collins 11

Vanessa Bromhead 12

Michael Hannaford 13

Kylie Sims 13

Guy Stig 23

Rana Amos 23

Liam Crump 24

Mark Elliott 26

Hailee Anderson 26

Lisa Jackson 27

A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY Good Friday 6th April 2012 at the Civic Theatre

PORTRAITS OF THE PASSION

DO YOU WANT TO SEE GOD CHANGE

CIRCUMSTANCES;

PEOPLE’S LIVES?

THEN JOIN TOGETHER

IN PRAYER THIS WEEK

Monday 6.30am Church House

Tuesday 5.30pm Chadban’s Home

Wednesday 5.30pm Church House

Thursday 5.30pm Church House

Friday 6.30am Church House

Sunday 45 minutes before Church

Choice is Good. More Choice Not Always Better

As our community and society has increased in wealth we seem to have an increased number of choices to deal with. Author, Barry Schwartz reflects on the results of research around our exploding number of choices and writes... "The fact that some choice is good doesn’t necessarily mean that more choice is better...As a culture we are reluctant to give up any of our options...But cling-ing tenaciously to all the choices available to us contributes to bad decisions, to anxiety, stress and dissatisfaction." Schwartz is right. The multitude of choices we face has moved us past freedom and is actually harming our ability to remain balanced. We can also take this desire for choice into our faith and spiritual lives. We want to choose what works for us. We want choice in faith and choice in spiritual ex-pression. But what we may need to consider is that belief is not a consumer product but a discovery of truth. Jesus tells us that this truth will set us free ra-

The 2012 soccer season is fast approaching! If you

are interested in registering for the men's

or women's teams, please see Richard Hall or Grae-me Evans. Regis-

trations must be received WITH PAYMENT by Sun-

day 4th March.

Christian Churches Soccer 2012

You Are Loved

God's love is different from ours. God doesn't just give love - He is love.

We are experts at earning the affections of friends, lovers, children, and our

families. Coming face-to-face with a God who loves us unconditionally sets us

off balance. It's much easier to believe, "If I go to church and read my Bible,

God will love me." That makes us feel safe because it seems we can control

God's love. It's scary to believe in God's unconditional love.

What if it's not true? Then the deepest desire of our hearts can never be a re-

ality. We watch Cinderella and the prince then hope for our own version of liv-

ing happily ever after. But life disappoints us, and God is our last chance to be

fully, deeply loved. So we do everything possible to please Him because even

though we've endured many rejections, His would be unbearable.

But God is whispering the words to our hearts we long to hear if only we can

dare to believe them: "You are loved deeply, truly, always." That's the kind

of crazy love that sets us free forever. God invites us to take His hand, trust

Amos 5:12-15

12 For I know the vast number

of your sins and the depth of

your rebellions.

You oppress good people by

taking bribes and deprive the

poor of justice in the courts.

13 So those who are smart keep

their mouths shut, for it is an

evil time.

14 Do what is good and run

from evil so that you may live!

Then the LORD God of

Heaven’s Armies will be your

helper,

just as you have claimed.

15 Hate evil and love what is

good; turn your courts into true

halls of justice. Perhaps even

yet the LORD God of Heaven’s

Armies will have mercy on the

remnant of his people. (NLT)

Pie In The Sky?

“You will eat, bye and bye, in the glorious land above the sky. Work and pray, live on hay, you’ll get pie in the sky when you die”. So went the song written by a trade union agitator in the USA early last century. An expression of common piety at the time: life might be tough here, but it will all work out in the end when we get to heaven. And so, some church people didn’t bother too much about trying to improve social conditions here on earth because all would turn out for the best in heaven.

The Bible gives us no such excuses for avoiding doing good here on earth. We are to extend the rule of God here on earth. And we know he wants justice and integrity. Of course we can’t fix every problem and somehow create a heavenly utopia on earth. But that doesn’t excuse us from doing what we can.

It seems from Old Testament times that God’s people have a tendency to retreat into religious ritual and speechmaking rather than get their hands dirty by doing something about the mess of the world. This does not impress God. We realise this world is not the ultimate reality: our true home is elsewhere in the new heavens and the new earth. But in the meantime, let’s be careful that we are not so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly use.

Let’s be careful that we

are not so heavenly minded that we

are of no earthly

use.

For the Salvo’s

Batemans Bay Corps, NSW—Lieutenants

Peter & Rebecca Gott

Ulladulla Mission, NSW—Linda Pierpoint

Fairfield Corps, NSW—Lieutenant Joanne

Catalano

Newcastle & Central NSW Division Chap

laincy Services, NSW—Captain Val &

Da vid Prigg, Ross Gilmour, Kath Izzard

(Court & Prison Chaplains), Majors

Trevor & Maree Strong (Rural Chaplains)

World Wide Prayer Meeting

North Brisbane Corps, QLD—Captains

Craig & Donna Todd

Ayr Corps, QLD—Captain Maureen

Nancarrow

SHARE A PRAYER

Check out our website

www.northlakessalvos.com.

For our Church family at Northlakes

Lisa Jackson

Ken—strength and healing

People with elderly parents who are

unwell: Prue’s parents; Di’s parents; Rob’s Mum; Judy’s Mum; Jean’s par-ents; Katrina’s parents; Elaine’s Mum; Brian’s Mum; Jo’s Mumz

Val McLeish—healing and for Leonie

( twin sister) - healing from cancer

Graeme Dunn—full recovery

Karen—44—reovery from stroke

Belinda—Megan & Mark’s neighbour—

healing from cancer

Pauline—suffering lung and brain

cancer. Pray she will find her Saviour.

Iris—stage 4 cervical cancer. For pain

relief and peace over her family.

Donna—Recovery and complete

healing. Peace over her daughter.

Church property purchase—that the

vendor will agree to the offered price

‘Words for Life’ Bible Study John (Chapters 3&4) 29th February

14th & 28th March

7.30pm at Church House 46 Reservoir Rd Glendale

‘You faithfully

answer our prayers

with awesome

deeds, O God our

saviour. You are the

hope of everyone on

earth, even those

who sail on distant

seas’

Psalm 65:5

Northlakes Salvation Army

Theme for Feb/March

National Day of Prayer and Fasting Sunday 19 February 2012

www.nationaldayofprayer.com.au 1. Prayer Guide

The prayer guide for the day is now available for download at:

http://www.nationaldayofprayer.com.au/resources/prayer-guide

2. Live Streaming of the Canberra Prayer Event

The National Day of Prayer Event in Canberra will be streamed lived from 10 am to 4 pm, Australian Eastern Day-light Time. To watch the live streaming go to: www.nationaldayofprayer.com.au. This is a great way for local con-gregations to join in on the day of prayer or you can watch it from home!

3. National Day of Prayer Documentary

We are very pleased to announce the release of "The Power of Prayer - The Story of Australia's National Day of Prayer and Fasting". This is a must see documentary of last years National Day of Prayer and will be available for purchase at this years events, or you can order it online at: www.nationaldayofprayer.com.au