S.O.S

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“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” – Matthew 8:23-27

On the 3rd of November in 1906 at the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention in Berlin, it was decided that Germany’s ‘Notzeichen’ (distress signal) be accepted and used as the international standard. It was explained as; “Ships in distress shall use the following signal: · · · – – – · · ·  repeated at brief intervals”. The first ship to actually use the S.O.S was Cunard Line’s RMS Slavonia on 11th June in 1909, when she ran aground off Punta dos Fenais in the Azores. Everyone onboard was saved by two other ships that responded to the distress call.

Like the disciples in the passage above who cried out to Jesus to save them; the distress call went out, was heard and responded to, and lives were saved as a result.

When God speaks to Moses out of the burning bush; He demonstrates how He hears our cries for help when He says “I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.” – Exodus 3:7-8.

“He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.” – Psalm 91:15 is even more direct in letting us know that God hears our cries for help and answers.

He hears our cries of S.O.S.

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:12-13

At Llandudno Youth for Christ, we want to be used by God, like the two ships that rescued the passengers aboard the RMS Slavonia. We want to be part of His S.O.S plan for the young people of Llandudno and beyond.

To better do that, we need to partner with Christians in our local area; people who will support us faithfully in prayer; cheerfully in finances and generously with their time. In 2016 & 2017 we want to…

Reach further to connect with every young person at Ysgol John Bright.

Reach further to ensure that no young Christian feels isolated and alone.

Reach further to provide a weekly space for any young seeker to hear and respond to Jesus.

Reach further to develop and train a whole generation of young Welsh leaders.

Reach further and call every church in this area to pray regularly for the young people in the community around us.

If you want to partner with us in Reaching further with the good news of Jesus to Llandudno and beyond, then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Grace & Peace.

LLYFC

“You can’t do life alone”

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“As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.“ – 1 Corinthians 12:20-27

We held the last of our ‘We Believe’ series nights at Redefine.

It was yet another great night, where we looked at the importance for Christians to be in fellowship and community with each other.  We looked at how God had made it so that we had to work together to see His Kingdom come and will be done, both in our lives and the lives of our local community.

As a Christian ‘You can’t do life alone.”

The above passage from the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth uses the metaphor of a body with its many different parts to illustrate this point. We need every part of the body functioning properly in its right place for the whole body to work.  If one part is missing or not working correctly, then the body will not function correctly.

We are all important in God’s kingdom and in His church, and we all have a vital part to play. In the human body we have some parts that are hidden and not very well known, such as the spleen.  However, without it our body would be much more susceptible to infection, amongst other things.

So too in the church.  If one part is missing, there is a life and vitality that is missing, and we all need to play our part.

A great opportunity for playing your part in the body of Christ is in prayer.  Supporting one another in prayer.

This coming Sunday we will be holding our monthly prayer meeting for the work of Llandudno Youth for Christ at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre and we would like to extend an invitation to you to come along and fellowship with us and as the write of the book of Hebrews says “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.“

The prayer meeting we be held on Sunday 23rd October from 7-8pm.

We hope to see you there.

“I will weorthscipe with all of my heart”

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Last Sunday night with our ‘Redefine’ youth Bible study evening we looked at the statement ‘Everyone is a worship leader‘, and this blog comes out of the teaching given during the evening.

The title of this blog comes from David Ruis’ song ‘I will worship‘, but I have inserted the Old English spelling of the word worship: ‘weorth-scipe‘ or ‘worth-ship’.  This is the state or quality of having value or worth.  Or to convey the worthiness of something.  So we can look at worship of God as being conveying or acknowledging the worthiness or value of God.

When we turn to the first time that the word worship is mentioned in the Bible, we see the Hebrew word שָׁחָה – ‘shachah’ used.  This is in Genesis 22 when Abraham has been asked by God to sacrifice his only son Isaac; a son that God had promised to Abraham. The hebrew word here means to ‘bow down’ or ‘prostrate oneself’ before a superior or God. Abraham’s worship was not singing songs, doing a dance or painting a picture.  His worship was a sacrifice. His worship was obedience in the face of adversity. His worship was doing what God had asked him to do.

Worship comes from a place where we know that God is God and we are not.

We naturally bow down before our amazing God in the awe and reverence for all He has done for us and because of how great He is.

This awe and worship leads to action and obedience, as in the case of Abraham.

In the book of Isaiah, we see God paint a picture of the kind of worship He looks for: “Set free those who are held by chains without any reason…. Break every evil chain. Share your food with hungry people. Provide homeless people with a place to stay. Give naked people clothes to wear. Provide for the needs of your own family… Stop pointing your finger at others as if they had done something wrong. Stop saying harmful things about them…Satisfy the needs of those who are crushed. Then my blessing will light up your darkness...You will be like a garden that has plenty of water... ” Isaiah 58 (excerpts)

God doesn’t want long ceremonies or religious parades; He wants us to love Him and love each other.

Simple.

It all boils down to relationship and focus.  What or who we spend time with and on not only shows what is important to us, but it also shapes us.  So, if we spend time focussing on God, talking with Him in prayer and worship, we will naturally want to spend more time with Him; to use a quote I recently discovered; “As you know Jesus more, you naturally love Him more. The less you know of Him, the less you love. To know Jesus is to love Him.” – Eric Samuel Timm.

Our worship will direct and lead us in the way we live and in turn this will impact upon the lives of those around us.

So it can be said that ‘Everyone is a worship leader’

Let’s lead more people to know and discover our great God, so that they too can give Him ‘weorthscipe’.

 

 

 

 

post about worship following on from Sunday eve’s Redefine.

The Monthly Meet!

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“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25

For the past 4 years, here at Llandudno Youth for Christ we have held an event called ‘The Monthly Meet’. It is held on the 3rd Monday of every month during term time.

At the Monthly Meet we have gathered together a small group of full-time, part-time and volunteer Christian youth workers from around North Wales.

We meet together to share experiences, pray, network and drink good coffee. Each session is focussed around a specific training theme or topic. These nights are discussion driven and try hard to strike a balance between solid Bible theology and relevant application.

Our director here at Llandudno Youth for Christ, Mr Tim Gough, has personally been involved in Christian youth work for over ten years and knows just how easy it is to become isolated. In that spirit, of combatting isolationism and fostering a community spirit of Christian fellowship and partnering with each other, we would love to extend an invitation to you and your team to join us at the Monthly Meet.

You can find us on Facebook here: facebook.com/groups/monthlymeetwales/

We meet, as stated above on the 3rd Monday of every month during term time, from 7-9pm at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, Llandudno, LL30 1LA. There’s plenty of free parking, and we’ll have good coffee waiting for you.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” – Acts 2:42

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” – Psalm 133:1

Our first get together this term is October 17th.

Hope to see you there.

“If you build it, He will come”

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The above quote is taken from the 1989 Kevin Costner film ‘Field of Dreams’ and it is often misquoted as “If you build it, they will come.”

In the film he hears a voice that gives him the task of building a baseball pitch on his land.  I won’t say much more, see the film if you want all of the details.  However, there was a fulfilment to his endeavours.  The building it, lead to miracles happening.

Another man who felt compelled to build something was Nehemiah.

Nehemiah; whose name means ‘God comforts’ was a Hebrew born in exile under the Persian empire. At the start of the book of Nehemiah, he is the cupbearer to Artaxerxes King of Persia; around 444/445 B.C. When one of his brothers returned with news from Jerusalem, this is what happened: “In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

They said to me,‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’

 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:1-4

Nehemiah learned about the great need of the people of God in Jerusalem and his response was to weep, fast & pray.  He immediately turned his focus and attention to God.

But he didn’t just pray.  Out of this time spent with God, he felt emboldened and compelled to action. He spoke to the King and with God giving him favour, he was able to go to Jerusalem and start the work of rebuilding the walls.

This work was not without its difficulties or opposition.

Whenever we are building something for God the enemy will always oppose the work. He will try to use circumstances and people to discourage, hinder, and threaten the work we are doing to build God’s kingdom.

It was the same for Nehemiah; he had to contend with the likes of ‘Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab’, but was resolute in his purpose, and most importantly, he did not try to do the work alone.

Nehemiah got everyone involved in the work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

Even when they discovered a plot by their enemies to take them all by surprise whilst they built the wall; Nehemiah encouraged them and focussed them on who they were building the wall for; ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.’ – Nehemiah 4:14.

They were building the wall together, some with a sword & shield in hand to protect each other.  Building it for God and for their neighbour; for their families, their children & their children’s children.

It’s the same today, when we work together in building something for God’s kingdom, we are also building something good for our neighbours, our families, our children and leaving a legacy for our children’s children.

At Llandudno Youth for Christ we are wanting to build the Kingdom of God, one soul at a time.  Letting young people know about Jesus, and giving them the opportunity to discover a relationship with Him.  As part of this work, we need fellow builders.  Those who will come alongside us and work with us; whether it be helping out at our Saturday Cafe Reverb@St John’s, at our Sunday evening Bible Study: ‘Redefine‘, our Thursday after-school drop-in ‘Reverb – Youth Space‘ or praying faithfully with us at our Monthly Sunday evening prayer meetings; we greatly need and appreciate you being part of building walls of faith, hope & love in Llandudno and beyond.

If you want to help us with this great work, please contact us via email: llandudnoyfc@gmail.com, by phone: 07517 429 763 or by post: Llandudno Youth for Christ, c/o Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, Ffordd Yr Orsedd, Llandudno, LL30 1LA.

“If you build it he will come.“

“Saved People, Serve People!”

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“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord”, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” – Jesus (John 13:12-17)

Last night at our weekly Sunday evening Bible Study we looked at the whole issue of servanthood, servant-heartedness, serving one another.

The title for the evening was the same as the one for this Blog post.

Philippians 2:5-11 was the main text we referred to in looking at how God calls believers to serve not only one another, but the world around us.

As always we look to Jesus, the author and completer of our faith. Jesus who we follow and who, by the power of His Spirit at work in our lives, we are becoming more and more like as He transforms us into His image (see Hebrews 12 & 2 Corinthians 3).

This humility of Jesus that we see in Philippians, is also on full display in the act of washing His disciples feet. Walking on the roads in 1st Century Palestine was often a messy and dirty affair.  Your sandals were open to the elements. Your feet could get covered in dust and dirt and even animal droppings. Pooh indeed!

Maybe you cut yourself and the blood mingled in with all of that dust & pooh. There might even be blisters.

Pretty yucky.

Yet it is these feet that have been dirtied by walking through the world that our Lord and Saviour washes.

He is willing to kneel down and get his hands dirty to clean the feet of those He loves.

The Creator of the Universe.

The great ‘I am’ humbles Himself to serve those who have given up everything to follow Him, even one who will deny Him and one who will betray Him. Jesus’ love is unconditional and extravagant.

The hands that formed the first man out of dirt are now washing the dirt away and cleaning the feet that He created.

Our God wants to be involved in our lives.

He wants to clean us up and make our lives beautiful.

He also calls those of us who have had our feet washed by Him, to go and serve those around us in the same way. To humble ourselves and get involved in the dirt and dust and mess of life and bring His cleansing and life.

Saved people, serve people.

Let’s go out there and serve others and in doing so, serve Jesus.

PS: The next Study in our ‘We Believe‘ series will be ‘Everyone is a Worship Leader‘. If you are aged between 11 and 18 years old, or know someone who is, perhaps you or they want to come check it out on Sunday 2nd October @ ‘Redefine’, Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, Ffordd Yr Orsedd, Llandudno, LL30 1LA.

 

Store it up!

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‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.‘ – Jesus

During the whole of this discourse by Jesus, He is trying to get his listeners to realise that the true rewards of a relationship with God, are essentially a relationship with God.

He compares the Pharisees and their hypocrisy of doing ‘righteous’ acts in full view of everyone in order to be praised by others, with the person who does the same acts out of a heart of love in relationship with God.

Acts done without any thought of or desire for the praise of man, but done to please God alone.

The ‘treasure‘ that Jesus keeps referring to is, I believe, the praise of God in heaven. That ‘well done good and faithful servant’.

Also, within the context of treasure and reward, Jesus tells his listeners to ‘not worry‘ about their life, what they will eat or drink, but to trust in God’s provision for their lives. A trust that will flow naturally out of relationship.

Our focus should not be on building empires and kingdoms for ourselves here on earth. Getting the biggest car, and best ‘stuff’; but rather on ‘seeking first His kingdom’. It’s a shift of focus, putting our hearts in the right place. Not on the temporal and earthly, but on the eternal and heavenly, for ‘where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’

What is our focus in our day to day?

Are we seeking to build God’s kingdom? Are we praying for His kingdom to come and His will to be done in our lives and the lives of those around us?

With that thought in mind, we are having the first of our monthly prayer meetings this Sunday 25th September, 7-8pm at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre. We would love for you to join us this coming Sunday and pray for God’s kingdom to come and for His will to be done. To pray that the lives of young people in Llandudno and beyond will be transformed by the good news of Jesus.

Let us put effort into where our heart is; for “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Galatians 3:1-4

Let’s store up treasures in heaven today!

Redefine – We Believe Series!

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Last night we held the first of our Redefine meetings for the new term.

The title of the night was ‘Found People, Find People.’

It was a great night where the young people go to grips with the challenges Jesus give us as believers in the ‘Great Commandment’ and the ‘Great Commission’.

Above is the promotional video for the series, with the titles of each night’s topic:- Found People, Find People. Saved People, Serve People. Everyone is a Worship Leader. Growing People Change. You Can’t Do Life Alone.

Each week we will be looking at 5 different applicable creeds or beliefs that will help the young people walk out their faith in real and practical ways.

As said above, last night we looked at how we love God and our neighbours and how out of that place of love we are commanded to ‘go’ to share Jesus with those around us. Not merely to ‘evangelise’ them, but to actually walk with others and ‘make disciples’; just a Jesus walked with his disciples, sharing life and bringing ‘Kingdom’ transformation to their lives.

Next Sunday we will be building upon this foundation stone, for as Jesus said after being asked which is the greatest commandment in the Law? ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ – Matthew 22:37-39. Loving God and loving others is the foundation upon which everything else hangs and depends.

Our going and serving flow from this.

We really hope that this series of evenings will encourage, challenge and transform the lives of the young people that come to the events; and we look forward to seeing what God does in and through what we are doing.

Please continue to support us in Prayer, Provision and with People (we are always looking for volunteers to help us in the work that we do).

If you are interested in helping in any way with the work of Llandudno Youth for Christ, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email: llandudnoyfc@gmail.com, by post: Llandudno YFC, c/o Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, Ffordd Yr Orsedd, Llandudno, LL30 1LA, or by phone: 07517 429 763 (Mondays & Thursdays 9am – 5pm).

Have a great week and “go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” Matthew 28:19-20

Who is the greatest?

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“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said:‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:1-5

The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Paralympics was held last night at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio De Janeiro. It was a wonderful spectacle with dance, stunts, music and the lighting of the Olympic flame.

During the Paralympics, just as with the Olympics, each sports-person is competing to win the gold, to see who is the ‘greatest’ at their respective sport. It is a wonderful and thrilling time for all of us spectators as we watch these titans clash.

We love watching competition it seems.  Like all of the cooking, sewing and talent shows on the television; such as ‘the great british bake-off’ or ‘the X-factor’. We are watching to see who will win, who will succeed, who is the ‘greatest’.

This can also spill over into our lives, where we look at those around us as we compare ourselves with them. What kind of car do they drive, where do they live, what is their job, what is their family like?

Compare, compare, compare.

We are so competitive.

We want to be the greatest.

It makes us feel good about ourselves, but it comes from the wrong source.

Jesus’ disciples were asking the same question and as always, Jesus took their question as an opportunity to declare the kingdom of God. Turning all of their wrong ideas on their head to reveal the heart of God.

Jesus took the smallest, youngest, most inexperienced and unqualified person to show who was the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

A child.

A little child is dependant on their parents for love, protection, provision, support. A little child is teachable, open to learn and discover. A little child is full of wonder at the world around them. A little child is humble.

Jesus was challenging the disciples to drop their own success, self-effort and self-righteousness. In God’s kingdom we rely totally on our heavenly Father. Dependant on Him, like little children.

Our comparisons and competitions drop to the floor when we see how loved we are and that our worth comes from what God thinks about us, not how ‘great’ we are.

From that place of receiving God’s love comes a freedom to love and accept others in turn.

“And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:5

“The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

When we do this, we see the Kingdom of God at work.

If you want to get involved in some work that is all about building the Kingdom of God, we at Llandudno Youth for Christ are always looking for volunteers to support what we do.

Whether it is at our Saturday Cafe, our Reverb – Youth Space after-school drop-in club, or Redefine, our Sunday evening youth Bible Study, or being a champion in your congregation promoting the work we do, we would love to hear from you and find out how you can get involved.

Contact us on tel: 07517 429 763. email: llandudnoyfc@gmail.com.

Kicking-Off Soon!

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Next week Llandudno Youth for Christ have the launch, or ‘kick-off‘ of the events we will be holding in the 2016-2017 academic year.

Reverb. youth space banner

On Thursday 15th September our ‘Reverb. Youth Space‘ will start. We are really looking forward to this.

Our first ‘Recess‘: school lunch-time meeting at Ysgol John Bright will also be held on Thursday 15th of September.

Then on Sunday the 18th of September; ‘Redefine‘, our Sunday evening Bible study group for young people will be the first of what is going to be a great autumn term.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Genesis 1:1-2.

I love that, ‘in the beginning God‘. Right at the beginning of everything was and is and always will be God. Or as it is put in the letter to the church in Colossae “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 4:15-17. Jesus holds it all together and he is ‘before all things’.

As we start this new season and this new time of reaching out to many young people in Llandudno and beyond, will you join with us in praying that God would be with us, blessing us right at the ‘beginning‘ of all that we are wanting to do. Praying with us and for us that as we take the gospel relevantly to these young people, Jesus would hold everything and everyone together.

That Jesus would be right at the centre of all that we do, and that we would always begin everything we do with God.

Also, don’t forget that we will be holding our next group prayer meeting for the work of Llandudno Youth for Christ at the end of the month: Sunday 25th of September at 7pm in Ty Llywelyn Community Centre.

We hope you can join us, but even if you can’t we really appreciate your prayers.

Thank you & keep on praying.