News from Copenhagen

What a great weekend it’s been here in Copenhagen! Angie & I been here visiting the many friends that we have here at Copenhagen Community Church (CCC), spending time with the leaders and planning for the future.

Yesterday, Saturday we began talking together over brunch together - Angie & I with David, Finn Allen and Joy, reflecting on how far CCC has come since the last time we sat in the same place having brunch last September. (No, we don’t just eat brunch all the time on these visits!). Last September we still couldn’t find a new place for the church to meet, and we spent our time together exploring all possibilities and praying for a good place. Now, just 8 months later we not only have a great place in a central location, but it has also been extensively renovated and transformed into a brilliant place for church to gather and also a high quality conference centre to serve the business community. Check it out at http://www.copenhagencc.com. And please PRAY that bookings will now start coming in so that it can be the blessing that God wants it to be.
(Special thanks to Jim Drew & Jon Mullender who have done an outstanding job with publicity, websites, and setting up the new building)

This morning (Sunday) the church met in the new building. Brilliant! What a place! What great people! What special friends they have become! What great worship – including some African dance! There were 11 nations present and it was so good to hear people praying out in their own languages. We prayed in groups for the nations (see pic), including Josef & Elin in Turkey . I read from Isaiah 43 about God’s hear to gather a people from north, south, east & west, from all the nations, and then I preached on “Church – the Family God is looking for”

It is such an honour for us at Kings to be connected and working together with CCC.
Pray for CCC and the wonderful opportunities that are opening up for them here in Copenhagen. Pray for growth, for influence, and that God will amazingly provide for them – especially financially – at this key time in their history.
You can check out their website at http://www.ccchurch.dk

Back to Norwich this evening and then a couple of days off!

Goff
(You can now follow Goff on Twitter)

Jesus makes all the difference

Knowing Jesus makes a huge difference – at least it should! Life can never be the same again – nor can death. Everything is changed by an encounter with Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, when one becomes a ‘Christ-one’, a Christian. Of course there are those who try to follow Jesus from a distance, keeping their options open. Their lives don’t tend to change much and they worry, fear & preoccupy themselves with all the same things as people with no faith.

How special it is then to cross the path of someone whose faith in Jesus just shines through everything about them – in the good times, the tough times, and even when health deteriorates and eternity beckons. Daniel Hopley was one such special guy. In life and death his life shone brightly, giving testimony to his Lord and Saviour.

Angie and I were privileged to attend Daniel’s funeral and Thanksgiving last Tuesday and yes, there was much sadness and sorrow at a life cut short, and a sense of great loss. But there was also testimony after testimony giving thanks to God for a young man who made such a lasting impression through the way he lived and bore witness to his Saviour in every situation of life. Even, or rather I should say, especially in his last months, when battling with pain in his body, he was an inspiration to be with, more concerned about those around him than he was about himself, and anyone visiting Daniel went away uplifted and encouraged! Trevor spoke of how he wanted to honour his son, recalling his exploits, achievements, and his bright witness

Perhaps most moving of all was to hear Jo relate their first date and how Daniel had told her that Jesus was the most important person in his life and how he looked forward to going to be with him one day. Not the usual stuff of a first date – but this was no ordinary guy! Jo went on to say how she went on to enjoy wonderful times with Daniel, sharing his zest for life as well as his devotion to Jesus, and how she was grateful to God for every day of those 7 years.
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It’s not often you can say of a funeral / Service of Thanksgiving that it was inspiring, but this one really was. The brightness of Daniel’s devotion to Jesus shone through it all, reminding me that knowing Jesus really does change absolutely everything.

Goff

(You can now follow Goff on Twitter)

All clear...

All Clear…

I saw the consultant the other day. While we were talking, I had a vivid feeling of what I will feel like when I get the all clear from cancer… Wow! The Relief! A weight lifted & a lightness of heart at the prospect of the enjoyment of life ahead! I can hardly express how I felt at the thought.

Then in the moments that followed I sensed God whispering to me about the fact that He has already given me the all clear from a far more serious, debilitating and damning disease – sin. Again, I sensed in those moments a welling up of indescribable relief, joy and gratitude as it dawned on me afresh just what it means to have been saved and forgiven! Every last shadow in the hidden corners of my heart – dealt with! No hidden sin cell lurking, waiting to pounce with unstoppable insidiousness to rob me of my righteousness – or more precisely, of Jesus’ righteousness. No, I am thoroughly and totally and lastingly clean because the blood of Jesus is completely successful, totally effective in terminally dealing with my sin!
Being in Christ is like being totally covered by the rays (zaps!) of his cleansing and restorative righteousness. I am a new creation! Remember the song?

I am a new creation, No more in condemnation,
Here in the grace of God I stand
A joy that has no limit, A lightness in my spirit
Here in the grace of God I stand
(Dave Bilbrough)

And this has opened up to me not just the prospect of the enjoyment of life ahead but a whole eternity of delight in the presence of my God & Saviour!!

So this is where I now live, day by day, moment by moment – In Christ, in the radiance of His presence which is changing me from one degree of glory to another! Why on earth live anywhere else?

So how do you feel about having the all clear from all your sins?... It’s awesome! Followers of Jesus are very blessed people!

Goff
(You can now follow Goff on Twitter)

Waiting...

 

Sitting in a waiting room this week, watching a 24 hour news channel, I got into conversation with the person next to me who observed that the volcano in Iceland had at last been pushed off the top news spot, to be replaced by the election coverage. One lot of hot air for another, I flippantly commented. We both felt tired of the non-stop barrage of repeated headlines that those channels churn out. "This is doing my head in…. how do you suppose you switch channels…?"

You get like that when you spend a lot of time in waiting rooms watching the same item over and over again, believe me! I've sat in the same waiting room at the hospital every weekday for the last 7 weeks, awaiting treatment – and it's nearly over. Just 3 more days, 3 more sessions, and it's over.

May I a say a big "Thank You" to all those who have been such a big support, standing in for me here & there, putting up with my slightly distracted state of mind, and of course, praying for me. All very much appreciated.

 

But back to the waiting room briefly - your world shrinks somewhat in those circumstance (literally, as you just can't travel far) and the things that really matter become more obvious as you watch and chat a little with people facing varying degrees of uncertainty in their lives. And on the subject of uncertainties, with no outright winner in the election, uncertainty seems to be the order of the day wherever you look – except that of course, as a Christian you are able to buck the trend in the sure knowledge that there is nothing haphazard, circumstantial or unplanned about your future. But there is a 'waiting' that I don't believe we are as actively focused on as Scripture says we should be…. waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13.

Personally I make a point of looking at the sky every now & again, and saying to myself: "one of these days……….! Now that kind of waiting is very energizing, inspiring and motivating!

 

Have a great week

 

Goff