03/01/2021 – 14/02/2021
Living a joyful life
Where do we find a joy filled life, especially in these hard times, with suffering, isolation and difficulty. We are not talking about just glossing over the tragedies of the hard questions of life. Instead, we are talking about joy that is available to a thinking person who may be going through a hard time. This series traces the theme of joy written by the Apostle Paul sitting in a cramped prison cell to the church in Philippi. This joy is available to you whatever difficulty you face and whatever situation you find yourself in.
-
Finding contentment with much and with little
Paul, who wrote Philippians, boldly states that he’s “learned the secret of being content… whether living in plenty or in want”. So, what is this secret? How long did he take to learn it? What does being content with plenty even mean? Let’s find out…
-
Overflowing with God’s peace
Deep, lasting peace is something we would all say we are after, particularly during these challenging times. God promises us in scripture a ‘peace that passes all understanding and guards our hearts and minds’. During this talk Simon looks at these promises and discovers what part we have to play to unlock them so that we overflow with peace in our lives.
-
Finding joy through Perseverance
The apostle Paul wrote about pressing on and persevering while he was in jail. That’s a challenge! He compared life to a long-distance race – like a marathon. How can we persevere with God, in His strength, and not lose heart over time? He gave some good pointers to how we can do that.
-
Finding joy even in the January blues
Psychologists have named the third Monday in January as the ‘saddest’ day of the year. With the bad weather, dark nights, post-Christmas debt and failed new year’s resolutions (not to mention the third lockdown) where do find hope? In our series ‘living a joyful life’, the apostle Paul has a surprising take on suffering, difficulties and trials. How can we discover that even these really tough times can help us to grow in patience, character that leads to hope?
-
Finding joy in the hard times
As we start this new series on ‘Living a Joyful Life’ based on the book of Philippians, it seems so appropriate for us to learn from Paul who is himself in prison locked up, as we go through another lockdown. We are all struggling with different aspects of this pandemic and the restrictions we are living under, so how can we find joy in these hard times?
-
Finding joy in our shared vision
As we begin a new year, Simon shares some exciting news around the vision for St Andrew’s over the next few years. In the midst of this pandemic, it is really hard to look beyond our current situation, so it is encouraging to see what God is doing to prepare the way. Using the words from Isaiah about ‘making a way in the wilderness’ we learn that God is always at work doing a ‘new thing’ in your life and in the life of His church. You can view a summary of the talk here.
Speakers
Mike J
Simon Dust
Christine Eitzen
Debbie Dust
