As the siren is about 600-700 metres as the crow flies from our home we hear it every time. Every time it goes off I can’t help but pray for the workers and the people who need their help.

As we spend a lot of time at home we usually hear about it over the next few days as we venture out to the shops, church or a friends house.

Last night it went off at 2.46am and it was another call to prayer for me. I was awake and was able to pray for all the possible scenarios that flashed through my mind.

I am hoping and praying all is well with the people of Merredin… especially the people we know personally.

God Bless,

Dave

The first one is found in Matthew 13:31-32 NLT and says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

Jesus uses this parable to say that in its initial phase the Kingdom of Heaven [on earth] was relatively small, but in time it will grow into a huge Kingdom that God intends it to be. It is about small beginnings compared to spectacular future glory.

The second parable is found a few verses later in Matthew 13:33-35 NLT. It says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

Jesus further illustrates the point using the ratio between yeast and flour in making bread. You use a small amount of yeast by comparison, but rather than growing, the yeast permeates the rest of the mixture. Again we see that while the Kingdom is small in its initial phase on earth, eventually it spreads all through the earth and effects everything.

As I read and reflect on these parable I am greatly encouraged. I like that what I see around me Kingdom wise (in the natural) seems small at the moment, but in time it will grow into something very very substantial. Like the yeast it will permeate all parts of this world that we live in.

As I type it gives me hope for our region and it gives me hope for our new fellowship that we have planted recently. Out of small things do big things grow and out of small things are many things be effected!

God Bless,

Dave

Imagine if Jesus came to Merredin. Wow that would be awesome! But then I started to think about the things He would do?

As my mind wandered I imagined Jesus starting His day on Merredin Peak. It is a solitary place overlooking town where He could pray to His Father.

When He came down where would He go? I suspect to where the people were. My first thought was Barrack Street where all of the shops are. I could see Him interacting with people. Preaching, teaching and healing like He did in the Bible.

Then I could see Him crossing Great Eastern Highway and going to Merredin Hospital and the Nursing Home. Praying for and encouraging people who were sick. Some would be miraculously healed and many would be set free.

After that I could see Him going to the western end of Barrack Street where the Christian Bookstore and the bakery are found. I could see Him encouraging the people in the bookshop then sitting across from the bakery waiting for the lunchtime crowd.

As people came and went I could imagine Him talking about the Bread of Life and having spiritual food that never runs out. People would forget their physical hunger and crave the spiritual food He would give.

From there I could see Jesus going to the primary school and shooting hoops and kicking the footy with the kids. When He was tired I could see Him sitting with all of the pre-school kids on His lap and even more gathered around. He would be sharing the Parables.

As day turned to night I could see Him looking for a place to sleep. I could imagine that rather than staying in the best hotel in town, I could see Him curled up in a doorway with one of the homeless people who sleep rough every night.

The next day He would wake and do it all again in Merredin… or move on to some other town that His Father in heaven showed Him.

If Jesus came to Merredin… I suspect it would be about people. It would be about blessing, encouraging, healing, loving and saving people – all people. It would be about showing God’s love and God’s Kingdom to everyone.

God Bless,

Dave

I guess if I was involved with a few other families I would plant a church that focussed on a few keys things…

1. Jesus – The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. That means He is the beginning and the end. For the Christian and the church our focus should be on Jesus – who He is, what He has done for us, and what He wants us to do. As Galatians says, “Jesus is our all in all”.

2. Bible teaching – I think that for us as Christians that the Bible is our road map. It is where we find out about God, life, salvation and what God requires of us in this life. For me the Bible stands above all things when talking about issues of faith and life. Teaching people how to live out the Bible’s message in vital to being a disciple of Christ.

3. Prayer – Prayer is our lifeline to God. Not only do we connect with God through prayer, but we can pray for our needs and the needs of those around us. We also find direction and purpose for ourselves personally and corporately from God as we pray.

4. Holy Spirit – I really believe that for a church to be successful that it needs to be built on the power of the Holy Spirit. Often as Christians we rely on the Bibles teachings, but neglect the fact that the Holy Spirit is God’s power in this world. He is the one who brings about the new birth, empowers us the live the Christian life and gives us gifts to serve Him.

5. Family fellowship – I just have such a heart for families and families being in fellowship. I think at times we separate off in to groups like men, women, youth too much. I feel we should be coming together as a family unit and building relationships with each other as a church. Strengthening the family unit is just so important.

6. Relational Evangelism and Discipleship – Another thing I would like to see a new church built on is relational evangelism. As we live our lives and really follow Jesus, I think we should be contagious. People that we are in relationship with should see our lifestyle and our love for Jesus. In my experience this usually draws people to Jesus and the Discipleship process can begin.

7. Serving others – When I read the Bible I can’t help but see that Jesus came to be a servant. He lived amongst us and He served us. I really believe that a new church plant should focus on people using their gifts to serve each other. Recognising and releasing people into their God given gifts should be a priority.

8. Worship – One of the few things that we can do in this life that we will do in heaven is worship God. For this reason I think worship should be a key to church life. Worshipping God with all of our hearts as individuals and as a church would be a focus. God is just so worthy of our praise and worship!

9. Fun – Lastly I think church should be fun. I believe as Christians we should be the most joyful and fun people on earth! Church life should be a reflection of the joy and happiness we have inside from knowing Jesus. And this fun and joy should be contagious!

I guess I could see a group of people meeting together in a home group type situation first and as the numbers grew we could meet in a local facility like a Recreation Centre. I think church should be in a place where people naturally go and meet.

God Bless,
Dave

Here are a few simple things I have enjoyed in the last week…

1. My girls and I went for a walk down to our local lake to check out the new walk path. As we walked, we just talked and enjoyed each others company. We then finished with milkshakes at the local cafe and walked home. It was simple and fun.

2. Now that I only work part time I have more time for other things. One of these is Bible study. This week I spent some time just pondering one passage of Scripture. I reflected on it, prayed about it, read all the commentaries and talked it over with several people. It was great to have the time and brain space to really dig in.

3. Last night I went to the prayer meeting at church. We read from a book that talked about past revivals and we prayed for the needs of the church, people we know and our town. It was a great time of connecting with others and with God.

Now to many people this might not seem like fun, but for me I am enjoying these simple things. I have intentionally decided to spend less time at work and spend more time with my family and doing the simple things that I love.

I am really enjoying this new simpler life we have found since moving to Merredin nearly three years ago.

God Bless,

Dave

For me, each time I hear this siren it is like a call to prayer. I pray for the firies or the ambo’s and I also pray the people and the families who are caught up in the accident or incident. I lift the situation up before God and ask Him to help.

The great thing is it is not just me. When I have talked to Christians around town I have found out many do the same. We hear and instantly we pray for God’s protection, guidance and help for all involved.

It is great to know that even though we can not be directly involved with the help and caring in emergencies, we can still lift people up before God and ask Him to help.

God Bless,

Dave

Each week I try to go on a prayer walk up our local rock in town. It is called “Merredin Peak” (pictured above). I park my car down near the Railway Dam and then I follow the trail up to the top of the peak. It is a great time to relax, get some exercise and pray.

The reason I do this regularly is that it helps me to still my heart and my mind and helps me to connect with God. I find that at times well all get very busy and we need to have things we do to slow us down and allow us to reconnect with ourselves and connect with God. For me, this is it.

Sometimes as I walk I prayerfully mull over some of the things that have been on my mind. I do in a conversational way that includes God. It is about turning things over to Him, asking His widom or seeking His will. I find after I have walked up the peak, sat for a while and come back down, that I am ready to go again. I always feel mentally and spiritually “clearer”. For me, this is so vital.

How about you? Do you have a place you go to get away and spend time prayerfully with God? Have you got that place where you recharge mentally and spiritually? If not, I pray that you can find your own “peak” to go and spend time with God.

God Bless,

Dave

We are setting two small patches of dirt one metre square each. In both patches we will prepare the soil the same, except one we will water every two weeks and the other we will just leave to be watered by the rain. We are also going to give the first one the right amount of fertiliser etc that it needs. Hopefully we can give it “ideal” conditions.

What we are hoping to do is see what happens in both plots and see the difference between them. We will record the growth height and take photos every two weeks. We will also weigh it all when we harvest at the right time and see the different between the two crops.

What I am hoping will happen is we will be able to see the difference in the crops and we can learn just how important the right conditions are for farming in this region. As a by product I think we will also get a better understanding of some of our friends who are farmers. We will be doing on one metre square plots, but some people we know do it in the thousands of acres!

I already have a huge respect for long term farmers, but somehow I think this experiment might up that respect to a new level!

My kids are still in the pool and I have just been out standing in it and just letting it fall on me clothes and all.

There is something special about rain in summer when it has been really hot for a while