Hi there MNLCC Family,
I hope you are enjoying the warmer spring weather. It is good to see the sun and get out into the fresh air a little more often.
This is “Marriage Week” and we are celebrating God’s ideal plan for families. No matter how good your marriage is, there is always room for making it better. Focus on the Family Australia is focusing on marriage this week, and I would strongly recommend that you check out their web-site which has some wonderful resources and ideas for giving your marriage that extra “spark”. Joe and I have registered for the “virtual date night,” and can’t wait to dress up, make a marvellous meal and enjoy a “night in” with other couples from all over Australia. Here is the link. https://www.families.org.au/ . I have mentioned the Focus on the Family website before, but if you are a parent, or family of any shape or size, this site is full of wonderful resources for you and your family.
Wherever your marriage, or your family is up to, remember, God loves you and values you just for who you are, and that our homes should be a place of love, safety and security. As 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Do everything in love”.
At the time of writing this article, we are still waiting for an announcement about easing restrictions in rural Victoria. We are looking forward to being able to meet together soon, even if only in small groups. To this end, we are in the process of calling each of you for a short “survey” to give us an idea of who would like to be involved in a small connect group, either by zoom, or in person as restrictions begin to ease. We look forward to your responses to our survey.
I also would like to encourage you to join with the CRC Churches International day of prayer and fasting on Thursday 24th September, praying for our state and an end to the Covid-19 pandemic, and healing and restoration, and Spiritual renewal for the people of Victoria. We at MNLCC will be joining in our own zoom prayer meeting on Thursday night from 7.00 till 8.00 pm. If you would like to join us, here is the zoom link, or I can send you an invitation by email. Don’t forget you can always join with us on Wednesday mornings at 8.00 am.
In the meantime, keep leaning into the Lord, our strong tower, our rock and our fortress. Why don’t you take a little mini retreat and meditatively read through Psalm 31. “Be of good courage, and he will strengthen your heart.” God bless and keep you in his perfect care.
Love and blessings,
Glenda
My dear family in the Lord,
I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you. It was wonderful to see the body of Christ rally to provide a treat for the Dads last Sunday. Thank you to all who contributed to make the Coffee and Cake “parade” possible.
I was disappointed to hear the Premier’s announcement that the lockdown will be continued into October. While this is not what we were hoping for, I guess we must understand that it is probably better to extend things at this stage for a short while, than to open up the state and then have to close things down again. Whatever we think, this is the way it is for now, and so we need to ride out another few weeks. I was pondering this, and heard the Holy Spirit clearly say to me, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” So, I looked up where that statement is made, and found it in the book of Nehemiah. In chapter 8, Ezra the priest called a national assembly including all the men, women and children old enough to understand, and began reading the book of the law to the people. (Just an interesting side note – this was in the month of October in the Hebrew calendar). They had an amazing meeting, praising the Lord and listening to His word read and explained. They wept over the words and repented in their heart. What a great day of national revival! Then it says in verse 9, “Nehemiah the Governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.: Nehemiah continued….. “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods …don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” They celebrated with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.”
I know that is not how I felt when I heard the announcement on Sunday. But I had to remind myself, that whatever the circumstances, I must go to the Lord’s word for my information – this is what I will believe, this is what I will think about, and this is what my feelings will trust in. I will joy in the God of my Salvation – God the Lord is my strength. I will follow Paul’s example to “rejoice always, pray always, and give thanks continually, for this is God’s will for me in Christ Jesus.” Let us try not to let these disruptive times disrupt our heart attitude. Let us continue to keep our eyes on Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy on the other side. We need to remember that this time of trouble and inconvenience will come to an end, and we will come out the other side in tact if we keep our eyes on Jesus… not just in tact, but overcoming, growing stronger and ready for what lies ahead. Let’s encourage one another with words of cheer and comfort from God’s word over the coming days.
Please remember to pray for our federal, state and local leaders. These are tough times and require our earnest prayers. Remember we pray from our position in Christ – in heavenly places!! Please also keep the chaplaincy in your prayers, as there are discussions at state level to remove chaplaincy from state schools.
Please call, or email if you would like to chat, or need prayer. I know this has been a tough time. But God is still good.
God is still with us, and He will keep us in His care.
Love and blessings,
Glenda.
Father’s Day
Hi there, Church Family, Happy Spring. I hope that your week is going well, and that you are enjoying the sunny days as they arrive more regularly. I pray that you are finding space and time to spend with the Lord and enjoy His presence as this time of isolation continues. I pray that in times of stress, worry or feeling depressed that you reach out to Him for your comfort and encouragement. God is so good, and he certainly answers prayer. We know that we can call out to God in our troubles, and he will hear us. He will send His word into our situation, and we can speak that word over the problem. We can praise Him for his presence, for his healing for his goodness, and give thanks to Him for his overcoming victory, delivering us and setting us free. What is your favourite psalm? Read it out loud and pray the scripture over yourself, your family and your situation.
This coming Sunday is Father’s Day. I am so blessed to have had a wonderful Father, and to see my husband Joe be such a terrific dad to our kids, and now our sons and sons in law raising their kids with love and nurture and respect. I believe that discipleship begins in the home. This is the place where we teach and train our children to love God, love others, respect authority, and love and respect themselves. I really want to encourage our dads today. This is your opportunity to be the man God intended you to be, to match your beliefs to your actions, and demonstrate in your home God’s grace, love and faithfulness to the next generation. There are always times we struggle. There are always days we “lose it” or feel totally incompetent as a parent. But our Heavenly Father is right there to comfort and encourage us on our way. He is there for us in our struggles, and in our victories, so thank him for them both. Because it is in our struggles that we learn to trust him, our character develops, and our faith grows. Your children will see how you handle stress, disappointment, and frustration. Jesus himself had regular “check-ins” with the Father. I encourage you to do the same. As we spend time with Him, and receive His word to us, he transforms us, equips us and provides for us.
I want to recommend some great resources to you for further reading and encouragement.
Focus on the Family at https://www.families.org.au/ They have a weekly newsletter with wonderful resources for home, families, marriage, raising kids – its all there.
Also You Version Bible App has some wonderful Bible plans to follow regarding fatherhood, parenting and being a godly man. https://www.bible.com/reading-plans (There are many other great plans too).
God bless you as you continue to navigate this challenging time.
Best love,
Glenda
Hi everyone,
With a State of Emergency declared for a further 18 months, I imagine that there of those of us who have not taken this news too well. The fact is that life is unpredictable. It is full of ups and downs. This can be an emotionally draining time, full of uncertainty and frustration. As I was listening to the Premier announcing further restrictions, my thoughts turned to a scripture that has helped me through many tough times in the past.
Habakkuk 3:17 ,18 says, “Though the fig tree does not blossom and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”
Often there is no other choice but to praise God through the situation. We see this reflected again in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God concerning you.” So we see that this is God‟s will for his people in all circumstances, to rejoice, to pray and to give thanks. In God‟s presence is fullness of joy. That‟s right where we need to be.
In the meantime, continue to pray for our State and our Nation. Let us lift up the name of the Lord over our region. Let us declare that Jesus is Lord, and that every evil Spiritual influence has to flee in the name of Jesus. Let us pray for wisdom and discernment and integrity for our Political leaders, and for strength for our courageous front-liners dealing with the sick and vulnerable every day. We pray that the State of Victoria will re-open, and business will recover and flourish. We pray for churches to re-open, and for revival to come. Let us pray for those who are suffering from emotional and mental stress through this time, and for those who are going through financial hardship.
If you know of anyone, or you are in any kind of need at this time, please call us, as we do not want to see anyone lacking any good thing. (See contact numbers in the newsletter).
Raise up a hallelujah and keep praising the Lord. He is our refuge, our victory, our comfort and our song. He is our provider, our healer our joy and our strength. “In You, O Lord, do I put my trust”. These are not just trite words, but words we can count on. He is trustworthy, and that is why we can praise Him.
May God bless you and keep you all in His wonderful care.
With love,
Glenda