As ever, it was a great privilege to be able to speak at our church is lent meeting yesterday evening.
Over the course of Lent, we are thinking about Luke 15 in the three “lost “parables. I gave a brief message last night about the parable of the lost sheep and I share the recording below.
I hope you enjoy!
Over the season of Lent, I have been fasting. It has not always gone according to plan, I hasten to add, but it has been an enriching experience in many ways. This Sunday, why not give it a try yourself? Be sure to do it sensibly and wisely if you have never done it before.…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/04/10/fasting-sunday-suggestion/
Happy Easter!
It was my privilege to share for a few minutes this morning at our early morning sunrise service on this Resurrection Sunday.
I share below a recording of the message which I hope you enjoy.
May you be eternally blessed this Easter weekend!
Over the season of Lent, I have been fasting. It has not always gone according to plan, I hasten to add, but it has been an enriching experience in many ways.
This Sunday, why not give it a try yourself? Be sure to do it sensibly and wisely if you have never done it before. For instance, if you have any medical conditions which may be affected by it, then give it more thought and seek some advice if you need to.
There are different ways to fast, and it does not necessarily mean giving up all food altogether. You may choose to limit what food you eat, or to only eat certain foods. You may decide to miss a particular meal, or you may decide not to eat anything at all for a period. Pray about it before you begin, and follow the Lord’s lead. Start off slowly, and build yourself up.
Most importantly, fast with a purpose. Do not do it merely to appear spiritual to others. Instead, use the time you would have spent eating or preparing food to talk to the Lord or read your Bible. When you feel that sense of hunger, use it as a prompt to thank God for all the good He is doing in your life. Let this disciplining of your body remind you that we are not merely physical, but rather spiritual beings, and the spiritual needs to be primary, not the physical.
Remember, Jesus said:
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)
Jesus wants us to fast for our spiritual good and to draw nearer to God, not to look good in front of others. If we talk about our fasting, or worse fish for compliments, then we have already received any reward we may get from the exercise.
Use the experience to strengthen your relationship to God, and praise Him for the plenty you have.
The season of Lent is approaching once again, with ash Wednesday next week.
Christians celebrate Lent in many different ways. Some give something up, while others try to pick up a good habit. in a previous church I belonged to, we tried to read a Christian book during Lent and discuss it as a church family.
If you wish to follow this practice, then may I humbly suggest my own book.
As you can see, it is a devotional book which you can read over the 40 days of Lent. it was written with lent in mind, and tries to think about some of the things Jesus would have considered during his time in the wilderness.
It is available to buy on Amazon, in both paperback and kindle formats.
A Journey with Jesus: 40 Day Devotional https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/1798136317/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_GZ8880VGPRE9ZD8KG2CH
If you decide to take the plunge, I do hope you enjoy it and that it challenges you. Please also leave an honest review on the site, as I value your feedback!
Happy reading!
I am still having a few technical issues with WordPress, and cannot upload any videos at the moment. I’ve put the latest video in my Lent series on Facebook, and posted the link below. Hope you are able to view it there.
In this video, I talk about how important it is to understand God’s love for you. Enjoy!
A short audio message introducing Andes book – A Journey with Jesus-which can be used over the course of Lent in 2021.
For Lent this year, I was asked if my devotional book – A Journey with Jesus – could be used in our church. It is a real honour to be asked, and humbling too. I wrote the book many years ago now, and at that time for a specific church I attended. Since then, I updated the material and published it for use by anyone. Although it is written with Lent in mind, it can be used any time of the year.
It is my intention to record a weekly video message to go along with the daily readings from the book. If you want to follow along, then let me encourage you to get yourself a copy of the book from Amazon here – A Journey With Jesus. As you will see, it is available in both paperback and Kindle format. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, then it is totally free to read. There is also a large print copy available for those who prefer it.
If you don’t have a copy of the book, then the weekly video messages will still be of interest (I hope!) so please do not feel excluded.
Lent is an interesting time and I am always fascinated by how people use the time. Some fast, while others do not mark it at all. I have always been a fan of trying to use the time to read a book or study in some way. Do you mark Lent in any special way? Do comment below if you do.
However you spend the season of Lent, I pray that it is a time where you draw close to God. If you fully devote yourself to Jesus this Lent, imagine how different your relationship with Him might be in 40 days time? Imagine how you might have grown, or how He might have guided you. Any day is a good day to focus on the Lord, but Lent gives us a good excuse to do so. Don’t waste this time but embrace it! I pray you are extremely blessed as you encounter Jesus this year.
It’s only about a month until Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
I know that Christians mark Lent in many ways. Some observe fasting, while others start a spiritual habit. I knw many who like to read a new book or follow Lent study throughout the period. And here comes the shameless plug…
If you are looking for something to read and study over Lent, then please consider getting a copy of my 40-day devotional – A Journey with Jesus.
It is available from your local Amazon store, both in paperback and Kindle.
It’s also available in large print for those who prefer.
I hope you enjoy it, but more importantly, I hope you grow closer to God as a result.
I’m excited to announce that my book – A Journey with Jesus: 40-day devotional – is now available on Amazon as a Kindle eBook and paperback!
Some years ago, I wrote this devotional for a Lent series at Bramerton Road Community Church. I’ve now updated this and released it as both an eBook and paperback.
Between Saturday 2nd March and Wednesday 6th Mach 2019, the Kindle eBook version will be available completely free of charge! This is for anyone wanting to use it over Lent.
After that, it will still be available for free as part of the Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owner’s Lending Library programs. For anyone else, it only costs 99p!
Find it on Amazon here: A Journey With Jesus (Kindle)
Also available outside of the UK on the relevant Amazon site.
Prefer to read on paper? Not a problem, as a paperback version is now also available for £3.99. This covers the cost of printing the book and Amazon’s share, so no large profits are made (well, 3p per copy!). I think it is important you know that and indeed, any sales go towards funding this site and blog.
The paperback version is available here: A Journey With Jesus (Paperback)
Please also note that anyone buying the paperback will qualify for a free copy of the Kindle version also.
Jesus spent forty days in the Wilderness – but what did He spend His time thinking about?
Of course, we don’t know for sure, but this devotional explores some possibilities, focusing on God’s love, Jesus’ teaching, who we are in Christ and much more.
Each day is a short read, and is great for individuals and groups alike. There is a Bible verse for each day, some questions to get you thinking plus a word of encouragement.
I hope you enjoy reading it!
Andy Brown 