Category: Sunday Suggestion

Pray for your Neighbour – Sunday Suggestion

This Sunday, after church of course, why don’t you take a walk around your neighbourhood and pray for those living there. You could focus on your own street, or else wander a little further afield. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, and see if He will lead you to pray over a particular house or area.

Prayer walking is a great habit to get into. Not only does your physical body get some exercise, but it also gives you the chance to stretch those spiritual muscles. There are many practical ways to bless your neighbour, but only prayer allows you to invite God into their lives and do His miracle work.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

Love your #neighbour as yourself #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

The chances are that the most popular name on your prayer list is your own… I know that’s true for me, I’m ashamed to admit. Yet verse 31 tells us to love our neighbour as we do ourselves. Well, if we pray mostly for our own needs, then let us each love our neighbour that way, and lift them before the Lord.

Perhaps it just isn’t possible for you to prayer walk right now, and that’s ok. If you can, pray at home for those living near you, as that will be beneficial too.

Finally, if you live in the UK, don’t forget your raincoat!

Have a great weekend!

Take Note and Review – Sunday Suggestion

This Sunday, when you go to church, don’t just keep the seat warm but try to fully engage with your pastor’s message. It took them time to prepare and study, so rather than just listen to what they say, make some decent notes which you can review throughout this week.

Each day, or even more often than that, pull out your notes and go over them. Remind yourself what the key points were, and re-read the Bible passages.

Turn the notes into some actions which you can do. What steps will you take to act on what you’ve heard? How can you put this particular message into practice in your life?

Even better, pair up with someone from church and review the notes together. See what actions you can take together and encourage each other as you do.

James says:

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

James 1:22 (NLT)

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

Finally, when you see your pastor next week, tell them what you have done with the message they taught. It will truly bless and encourage them to hear that you have taken their words and acted on them. Tell them what you enjoyed and how it has challenged you to live more fully for Christ.

How many Christians sit and listen to every word their pastor has said, yet has forgotten every one by the time they reach the parking lot/car park? Don’t let that be you!

Spiritual growth is not automatic, and takes effort on our part. Engage with the Bible, learn from your pastor, and let the Holy Spirit be your guide.

Enjoy your weekend!

Introduce Yourself – Sunday Suggestion

This week’s Sunday Suggestion is as straightforward as ever. Introduce yourself to someone new at church. It may seem obvious, but often it can go undone. Church can be a little busy at times. In the run up to the service, you might be running around, getting things ready or trying to settle unsettled children. Afterwards, over coffee, you might need to have a quick word with someone, or else chat to your friends.

This week though, take a few minutes to pick out someone you have never met and go introduce yourself. If you cannot see anyone you do not know (firstly, well done) then head over to someone you would like to know better or who looks like they may need a chat.

Peter encourages us to:

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

1 Peter 4:8 (NLT)

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9 #Bible #Jesus #Church

Being hospitable is not restricted to your own home, and you can be just as welcoming to those in the Father’s House as well.

This suggestion is not restricted to just welcoming new people, and can apply to anyone in the church – new or seasoned.

I am not the most social of people, and my natural inclination is to drift towards those I already know well. The result is that despite being in my current church for a number of years, there are still people I do not really know at all. I have little excuse for this apart from my own discomfort. Put me in a pulpit in front of a crowd, and I am happy to talk away… but sit me down with someone I do not know, and I find it a real challenge. Just how I am wired I suppose!

As a result, I need to discipline myself to make sure I make an effort, or I too easily find an excuse not to.

The key for me, and I hope it helps you too, is not to worry about yourself and how you are coming across. When our focus is on ourselves, we are being self-centred. Instead, we need to focus on them and really listen. Make them feel welcome, find out a bit about them and you will not need to worry about yourself.

Imagine if you introduced yourself to someone new every week for the entirety of 2022… by the end of the year, you will have potentially made 50 new friends, and made each of them feel welcomed and valued.

Why not take it a step further, and rather than just make the connection for yourself, introduce them to someone else too. Invite them to a home group. Take them out for coffee. Go that extra mile. You will brighten their day, and maybe even their entire year.

Have a great weekend!

Sharing Sunday – Sunday Suggestion

For this week’s Sunday Suggestion, I want to encourage you to share.

Paul writes in Galatians:

But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.

Galatians 6:6 (WEB)

In particular, I want to encourage you to share a blog post which has uplifted or informed you in some way. Here on WordPress, there are many wonderful blogs offering Christian exhortation and teaching, and so do share them on so others can reap the benefit.

I am not sure if it is common on all blogs, but my own tends to have slightly less traffic on a Sunday., I suppose this is because many Christians are heading to church, spending time with family or just having a well-earned day of rest. If that is true of all Christian bloggers, then sharing one of their posts today would give them a real boost.

There are two major positives about sharing quality Christian blogs. Firstly, it widens the audience of the blog and so more people can enjoy the writer’s words. Secondly, it acts as a real encouragement to the blogger themselves. I’ve written about success before, and page views are by no means the best or only measure, but they are a tangible way for the author to get feedback on their work.

I hesitate to mention some of my favourite blogs here, as there are so many and I am bound to miss one out! I try to share posts from those favoured authors fairly regularly, and do hope it passes on their work to more people.

Don’t forget though that WordPress (and other sites too) offer search facilities to discover new authors and blogs you might not otherwise have heard of.

Today, share one of your favourites. Others will be grateful. Take a few minutes to scan a new blog you’ve not looked at before. You never know what treasure you might uncover!

Have a great Sunday!

Pray for your Pastor – Sunday Suggestion

Today’s Sunday Suggestion may seem an obvious one, but your pastor/minister/vicar needs your prayer support! I am not a pastor, but have been in church leadership for many years, and let me tell you it is no easy task! You know the phrase, “You can’t please everyone all of the time…”? Well that is sadly apt for church leaders!

If you have a faithful pastor or group of leaders over your church, then you ought to be eternally grateful. I know so many church leaders who have worked themselves sick for the sake of their flock, and now more than ever, pastors and leaders need our help and support.

The Bible encourages us to pray for those in authority over us. Scriptures such as Romans 13 and 1 Timothy 2 direct us to pray for kings and ruling governments, and I do not think it a stretch to include those in church leadership over us also.

A passage I return to when thinking of my own leaders is found in Exodus:

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Exodus 17:10-13 (NIV)

Now your pastor may not be facing a physical battle as the Israelites were (although I bet it feels like that sometimes!) but they need just as much support. Can you be an Aaron or a Hur for them, come alongside and hold up their hands for a time?

How can you pray for them right now? If you are not sure, why not ask them, or send them an email?

Most leaders or pastors would probably like the following to be prayed over them:

  • Prayers for strength, energy and good sleeping patterns
  • Prayers for protection for them and their family; physically, mentally and spiritually
  • Prayers for wisdom and discernment
  • Prayers to help them manage their workload and prioritise
  • Prayers for their own relationship with Jesus
  • Prayers for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their life and ministry

The list could go on and on. If you have other good ideas of how to pray for church leaders, do share them below.

One final suggestion – you might like to set aside a specific day or time to pray for them each week. If your life is like mine, then it can get rather hectic at times. Set a reminder or put a weekly appointment in your diary or calendar so it does not get missed.

Your pastor will be ever thankful for your prayers and support!

Go for a Goal! – Sunday Suggestion

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14 (NIV)

I want to begin this new year with a series I’ve entitled “Sunday Suggestion.” It’s not too cryptic, and I intend it to be a fairly brief post each week about how you can make the most of your Sunday, and engage more fully with your church.

As it is a new year where people are setting themselves various resolutions, why not set yourself some goals around church?

You might want to improve your attendance, and commit to being there each week no matter what other offers you get.

You might want to set a goal that you will make notes during each sermon and review them throughout the week.

You may wish to set a goal to help out in the youth or children’s group, or serve coffee after the service.

There are any number of things you could commit to this coming year, and don’t do so lightly. Sit down with the Lord later today and ask Him what He might want you to do. If you get a clear direction, then go for it.

I know that goal setting can become a legalistic exercise at times, and I do not want that for you. Equally, I know life can be extremely busy and the thought of taking on something new might leave you in a cold sweat. If that’s the case, then do not feel you must take something new on. Perhaps your goal could be to prioritise your activities so you can be all the more fruitful for the Lord?

Write the goal down somewhere where you will see it often. If you don’t have a useful place, set a reminder on your phone or tablet to keep the goal in your mind.

Lastly, tell someone about your goal. Ask them to help you stay on track, or to at least review it in a few months. Accountability keeps us honest.

If you intend to go for a new goal this year, please share it below (if you are happy to do so). I’m sure others will be inspired to do the same, and we can help one another stay on track.