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worshipping God and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ,
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loving and serving others in practical ways.’
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a community of people excited to be following Jesus Christ.
Creation
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demonstrating His love in practical ways
uniting with others to make a positive impact in Hemel Hempstead
a welcoming and worshipping community
giving credit and glory to God.
The Mag
The monthly magazine from Adeyfield Free Church.
God said ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light.
And it was evening and it was morning, the first day.
December 2015
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the
fields keeping watch over their flocks at night.
From the editor ………………………..
We only have one planet to live on. But what a planet! A place
of infinite beauty and diversity, our planet has been given to us
to sustain us, help perpetuate us and all the living things on it,
to bring us joy and to bring joy to the Lord. What is more
planet Earth and
everything that grows and
lives on it are there to
reflect the glory of the
Creator. We can see
aspects of Him wherever
we look. In the going
down and the rising of the
sun we see his persistence and determination to never leave us.
In the stars we see the glory of His light. In the moon we see
how He has created us to reflect Him. In the cycle of plant life
and animals we see his generation and regeneration of life. We
all have favourite places of beauty or atmosphere and we all
love certain animals or plants. Why is that? Could it be that
because we are made in the image of God and He loves His
creation then we love it too?
We have been given instructions to rule over creation, to
support and look after it and to make sure that the generations
who come after us enjoy it too. So how can we do that? I have
asked some people to write about Creation for this issue of The
Mag that straddles the Old Year and the New Year. I do hope
you enjoy reading what they have sent in.
May God bless you in 2016 and inspire you to live and move
in the power of The Lord Holy Spirit.
Is there anyone who is itching to have a go at editing
The Mag? You could pick it up in June.
Knock, Knock, Who’s There?
Can you guess who? Put your answers in the spaces.
A violent man who farmed the land while his brother
raised animals.
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
A king who wanted to attain the heights of the
authority of God and built a tower to reach heaven.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
A woman who laughed when it was suggested she was
about to become a mother
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
A man who wanted to know about the scripture he was
reading on a long journey.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Snippet from Faith Camp …Fulfilling the will of God is simply
living to please Him.
Pat Gosling’s favourite…………..
I think one of the highlights of the natural world locally
has to be the Hyacinthoides non-scripta; Bluebells to you and me,
at Dockey Wood, Ashridge Estate.
Can be seen April/May.
Also Ashridge is a great place to go this time of the year for a bit of
fungus spotting.
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of them that bring good news.
Evan has been reflecting on the Christmas season……….
a few thoughts on the birth of Jesus,
Reality or near as we can get it is that Mary and Joseph travelled up from
Galilee 100 miles, 8-10 long days of walking, to Bethlehem for the Census.
the likelihood is that they were put up in a relative's home, the shortage
of space meant making room on the ground floor where the animals were
kept. Mary gave birth to Jesus into these circumstances.
Born in the womb 100 miles to Bethlehem
Born from the womb into mayhem
Born into Mary's arms to cradle him
Born man & God in tandem
Favourite Carols or Poems – Carols > Little Drummer Boy (Sung by Boney M) –
Silent Night
Food – Traditional Roast Turkey and all the trimmings
Decorations – Handmade paper chains in various colours: White Balloons:
Chocolate coins and Satsumas hanging from the branches of a lopped
Spruce, A large sprig of Mistletoe suspended at the front entrance with
a tube of Lip balm at the ready
How I celebrate the season - it is never the same, venues change different
people attend – things that don't change – the 5 C's Christ; Church
Services /Carol singing; Consumption of Food, Wine, Port; Crackers
What the whole incarnation means to me – realising that God despite how much
we disappointed him came to us in person in human form because he loved
us so much he was determined to give us
Snippet from Faith Camp …What I do comes from what I am. I
need to choose to be the person God wants me to be.
Christine Smith has a similar passion to the editor………..
When I was a child I lived up north near Bolton in Lancashire. I used to
love going to a place called Rivington Pike. I
think it was an old estate as there was an old
building and some loosely formal gardens. The
best bit though was the rows of pine trees
with hundreds of cones lying around my sister
and I used to collect. It seemed as a child as if
the forest was endless.
I love trees in all seasons, but winter with the
jagged branches is the best. What would we
do without them. I always remember my
grandma saying there was no point in them
we should cut them all down. No matter how many times I told her we
needed them to breath she wouldn’t have it. Funny what sticks in your
mind.
Every valley shall be exalted.
And now?
During the Napoleonic war England was under direct threat of invasion,
so much so that special towers were built along the south coast as
watchtowers. Some are still there and can still be seen. One has been
made into a swish house at Pevensey Bay and another is a museum at
Eastbourne. Christians in the nation joined together and together they
prayed that Napoleon would not come. He changed his mind at the last
moment and went to Russia which was the beginning of his downfall.
During the Second World War Hitler and his armies were poised across
the Channel and prepared to invade. We were not ready. Our resources
were pitifully low and our strength was minimal, a group of Christians
gathered on the white cliffs and persistently prayed that they would not
come. They persevered until strangely at the last minute Hitler changed
his mind and went to Russia to suffer a huge defeat. We and our
neighbours are under threat again. Now as in both the previous cases we
are not squeaky clean and politically are seen to be in error in many ways
but we know that peace and freedom are the desire of God for all
mankind and we want it for our nation and our neighbours. Joining
together to repent and pray as well as praying every day at home are two
ways that we can be involved. At A.F.C. we are definitely a people who
believe in the power of prayer and we know there are many of us who
pray daily and in our small groups. However when a whole church prayer
meeting is called it has been a historical fact that on most occasions only
a few will arrive to pray. This does not mean that the prayers offered at
those times are not effective. God always listens and responds and
honours those who come. But why are there not more of us at those
meetings? Is it because the time is inconvenient, the way the meeting is
expected to be organised is boring or not to our liking, the weather is too
cold or too hot? If we mean what we profess when we say we know that
God calls us as a congregation as well as individuals then as we meet to
pray we will learn from Him what and how He wants us to do it. This is the
key. How HE wants. If we obey the call, then He will honour His promises
and we will be blessed.
Snippet from Faith Camp …I must live as though I am set apart
for God.
WHEN YOU PRAY
Please include………
 Security forces, that they will find those planning to
cause disruption and death before they can do anything.
 Governments that they will make right and righteous
decisions on our behalf.
 Leaders with a voice that they will say what is pleasing to
God.
The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there He put
the man.
We’re great big polar bears sitting on the ice
And we all think that ice is nice
Don’t let the ice
Don’t let the ice
Don’t let the ice melt away
It’s getting warmer and we’re feeling hot
All this melting’s got to stop
Don’t let the ice
Don’t let the ice
Don’t let the ice melt away
Snippet from Faith Camp … Denying self means that I don’t
allow my will to dominate God’s will.
Brian Jackson has sent his thoughts about our planet……..
God said, “Let us make man in our image,” male and female he created
them, “and let them rule over all the Earth.” God saw all that he had
made and it was very good. God instructed mankind to take care of his
creation.
Why do we not obey God’s commands when they are made for our
good?
Can it get any worse than it is at the present? Multinational corporations
seem to be more powerful than governments and everywhere the
maxim is produce more so the consumer will buy more! But to achieve
this productivity, the resources of the planet whether they be minerals,
food, water or even the air are being used up at an ever increasing rate
with no regard for future generations.
There is a line in ‘Stairway to heaven’ by Led Zeppelin about a woman
expecting to buy everything she needs when she gets to heaven. One
gets the impression that the richest 0.1% of the world’s population
believe that their descendants will be able to buy all they need of the
dwindling resources while everyone else perishes.
Of course it is important that we continually hold politicians and all
others with power to account. But my fervent prayer is that the world’s
population repents and not only reads the Bible but obeys God’s
commands!
Brian Jackson
Snippet from Faith Camp …Jesus always has the last word.
Gordon is involved in an interesting project ……………………………
In the beginning God created and He expects us to look after his
creation. In my various activities I try to balance looking after my fellow
men by helping with DENS by spreading the gospel through such as the
Gideons but also by helping with the preservation of Gods beauty in the
landscape.
I do this through belonging to BBOWT which is the Berks, Bucks and
Oxon Wildlife Trust.
There are similar Societies throughout the UK staffed by a few paid
workers but mostly volunteers.
“The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and
watch over it.” Genesis 2; 15-16
The center or BBOWT
is College Lake in
Tring which is a
wonderful place to go
and watch wildlife
including birds and
learn about them. There are special courses for children.
We have about 50 different sites that we visit on a weekly basis to cut
back the scrub to allow wild flowers to grow, putting up signs and
repairing fences. God created some wonderful plants, animals, trees and
bushes for us to enjoy and unless we preserve them many will be lost to
future generations. One of the most amazing places I have seen is just
outside Tring by Wendover Woods. As you turn up towards the wood on
the left-hand side there is a place called Rag Pits which has hundreds and
hundreds of wonderful orchids in May and June. Other sites have
butterflies so many you could not count and species including Marbled
White, White Admiral and Speckled Wood many of which you will not
see anywhere else
I never cease to be amazed at the variety and beauty of our very own
Garden of Eden- the Chilterns!
For more info. see www.bbowt.org.uk
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, He shall carry the lambs
in His arms.
This letter has arrived from Churches Together ……
To all ecumenical groups...
Dear friends and colleagues,
This note is to invite you and all the various churches you are in
touch with to an event for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that should help us
grow in unity together.
Please do come! The event is called 'Treasuring the Riches of our Christian
Neighbours'. Each year, in the presence of the regional leaders of the various
Churches, we hope to explore something more of one specific Church, learning about
them and discovering their particular beauty. There are likely to be some surprises on
the way! At the same time we will pray intensely together for Christian
unity.
The first 'Treasuring the Riches' will be at the Coptic
Centre, Broadhall Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG2 8NP. It will be on Wednesday,
20 January 2016. It will start at 8 pm. We will experience
and learn about Coptic Christianity.
Hoping to see you there,
The Revd. Dr. Callan Slipper
Ecumenical Facilitator
Churches Together in Hertfordshire
Snippet from Faith Camp …Our lives are made to thrive in God’s
presence.
Obituary
Many of you who have been members of CAD for a number of years will remember
Elizabeth Rathbone who worked as our receptionist for many years and latterly as a
volunteer with our Community Transport Scheme. Elizabeth was a valued colleague
and a great supporter of Community Action Dacorum and it is with great sadness that
I am writing to let you know that Elizabeth passed away on Monday 7th December
after a very short illness. We are in contact with Elizabeth’s family and our thoughts
are with them at this difficult time.
Kind regards
Helen
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding from the throne of God and from The Lamb.
Snippet from Faith Camp …When we worship we are joining the
worship that continually goes on in heaven.
Paul Bradford sends this …………………..
"As an Engineer I like to catalogue what there is in the universe in which
we live. This is a great link to the large and the small things that we have
found when we look: http://htwins.net/scale2/ - if you are not awed by
the amazing variety in creation I would suggest you take a second look!
For all it spectacle this does not tell us why the things are there. If we
start to think about that, and to make scientific hypotheses about why
things are the way they are, we quite quickly become struck by our
limitations. It used to be thought that we could calculate the answer to
any question - but it has been shown by Alan Turing and Alonzo Church
that there are some problems that cannot have a calculated answer
(look up Entscheidungsproblem first posed by Hilbert) all of which rather
puts us in our place.
A simpler example is that if you put a few hundred ping-pong balls into a
box they organize themselves in two different ways depending on
whether the box dimensions are a multiple of the diameter of the balls
(in which case they form a cubic arrangement) or are a multiple plus one
half of a diameter (in which case they form a hexagonal arrangement) –
we know it does this, but cannot adequately explain why this should be
so. The best we can do is to say ..“because it does"
We do need to take time to appreciate the wonders of the universe in
which we live. But also to be informed about what science can and
cannot tell us. This allows us to put God in His proper place - As the
Originator and Sustainer of His amazing creation."
This is a recent Word for the Week…………………………………..
Darkness and Light
by Charles Sibthorpe
“For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our
hearts to give us the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 4:6) I love all the lights that we place in our homes in the time
leading to Christmas. The Advent lights go in the window and the Herrnhut star
hangs outside the front door, the Christmas candelabra hangs over the table and
candles are constantly being lit.
However, in recent weeks I have been struck by how much darkness surrounds
our world. There are the major acts of terror and the tragedy of the migrants
which affect us all, but the darkness that affects people at a personal level is just
as real. We buy a newspaper on Saturday’s and over recent weeks so many of the
personal stories have been of sadness and depression. We also have been getting
news of some very close friends going through really tough times.
So when we read the prophecy of Isaiah, “The people walking in darkness have
seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has
dawned” it is easy to see this only as referring to the coming of Jesus. I have been
seeing it in a wider context. Whatever is going on in our lives, when we bring our
personal darkness to Jesus, He will shine a light on it that will make all the
difference.
Isaiah 61:2-3 says “He comforts all who grieve, and provides the oil of gladness
instead of mourning.” He shines his light, he pours in his oil and he brings
supernatural comfort. Later on it says, “He bestows a garment of praise instead of
a spirit of despair.” Discouragement, broken dreams and things that just went
wrong can lead to great despair, but His light will transform our situation so that
our hearts are filled with praise and our feet feel like dancing.
Do you feel a darkness trying to overwhelm you? - let His light transform your
situation!
Visit us at www.charlesandjoyce.com
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
The Mag’s Back Page
January’s Edition
The Mag in January will be thinking about inspiration. What inspires
you? What has made a serious impact on your life? Is it a piece of
scripture, a person, a place, a piece of music or art, a scientific discovery,
a film, a book,,,,,,,,,,,, ? How has this made a difference to you? Has it
inspired you to do something inspirational? Has it encouraged you to
persevere when you felt like giving up? BUT if you have something else
you would like to share with our readers please send it in. The focus is
never exclusive. Don’t wait to be asked personally, Get writing now and
send it as a Word attachment to pamela.annison@yahoo.com or give it
directly to me.
What’s happening in January………..
Church meeting ………………. 10th
Knock answers……. Cain, Nimrod, Sarah, the Ethiopian Eunuch.
COUNSELLING@AFC
CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING WITH COMPASSION.
contact
Sue Grimsdale
DIP. HE
MBACP
On
07950 394872 or 01442 459006.
Robert Fenwick
DIP. HE MBACP AMRSPH
On
07938383604.
COUNSELLING@AFC
Snippet from Faith Camp …What I do comes from what I am. I
need to choose to be the person God wants me to be.
May you receive many blessings throughout 2016.