Lost & Found!

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_{A man had a hundred sheep and lost one. A woman had ten silver coins and lost one. A father had two sons and lost one. I think we have all had that horrible feeling when we discover that we’ve lost something. 
 
What a sense of relief when you find it at last. You always find it in the last place you look!  If it’s a door key or a bank card, that could be a big problem, but what a delight to find something, even when it is less important.
 
The hundred sheep, the ten silver coins, the one son, all appear in a story Jesus told one day – it’s worth reading again in Luke chapter 15. Great efforts were made to find what was lost, and great joy when it was found. Whether it was a 1% loss or a 10% loss or a 50% loss, the joy of finding was so real it had to be shared with others.}

A Contract out on your life?

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There is a hymn that I enjoy which celebrates the "wonderful change"  the Lord Jesus can make in a sinner's life. It is called "Since Jesus Came Into My Heart." and the first verse goes like this-

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought   

Since Jesus came into my heart!

I have light in my soul for which long I had sought,

Since Jesus came into my heart!

Here is a story that illustrates this only too well. Violent John Lawson had done it all - from planning robberies and running London's biggest brothel to kidnap and extortion. He was even cold-heartedly planning a murder, until his life was radically changed. His 'legit' side was working as a bodyguard for Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Neil Diamond and bands like REM and AC/DC.

Instructions!

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I really don’t know about you, but one of the most maddening things that I find about people is that they don’t listen and don’t follow instructions. We all know that happens so often in everyday life. We know that people are told things and they don’t even listen. It could be to do with our health or our money but we often ignore the advice that we are given. Or sometimes people are given guidelines but they ignore them and just do it their own way. 

Facing death - a personal testimony

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Some months are particularly difficult months in terms of memories. They see anniversaries of deep loss come and go. Somebody once said 'how strange it is, to think that we pass the anniversary of our death every year not knowing which day it will be'. The day our soul will slip invisibly from this tangible, material, everyday world, into the timeless existence of the never-ending hereafter. Do you believe in an ever after? I guess it's much easier not to - but does that belief change what will be?