EASY COME, EASY GO

During the week I wrote a Prayer Letter to those who support our ministry in the forefront of the spiritual battle. (If you would like to join our Prayer Team, just drop me an email at david@wwj.org.nz We would love to have you.) In the letter I mentioned how our new church has a 6-month programme that all newcomers have to complete before getting involved in ministry within the church. So everyone who attends is encouraged to find out exactly what the church stands for and learn the basic principles of the Christian Faith. Kathy and I are two-thirds of the way through.

One of my 'mates' (New Zealand speak for 'good friend') wrote back to me and asked, as a joke, "What if they don't like you at the end!" Of course, that is not the point of the course, indeed the opposite! For the purpose is to help us get to know the church and check out whether we want to commit to it. It is a good fun time of meeting new people, many of whom we would not otherwise know, a real 'pot pouri' of believers at various stages of their walk with Jesus. How different to so many churches who bend over backwards, even to bending standards, in order to attract new people.

We need to be really realistic about our walk with Jesus. He is indeed the 'Good News', but the gospel is only transposed from the paper pages of the Bible to the faith pages of our heart through the internal printing press of perseverance and commitment to the Word. The gospel of 'believe and receive to get rich without a hitch' (Another David's Doodling coming on!) simply leads to a cycle of promise, hope and disappointment that that results in the 'easy come, easy go' mentality that burdens and curses so many churches today.

So let's be radical and realistic like Jesus was, and make our churches more difficult to join! He told us that we need to love Jesus more than our mothers and fathers, give all we have to the poor and cut out our eye when we inevitably sin, in order to follow Him! Now, of course, (fortunately!) Jesus was making illustrative points only in these examples, but the principles nevertheless, still apply today.

From the hugely old biblical story of Gideon defeating the might of the Midianites with 300 fully committed men out of an army of 32,000, to the much more recent old English song I had to learn at school, "Give me 10 men who are stout hearted men, and I'll soon give you 10,000 more," the principle of achievement through commitment hasn't changed.

So instead of making things easier and all-inclusive, as is the general philosophy of our modern society in New Zealand and in many other countries, we should be making the entry to our churches harder! Yesterday our church had 35 commitments of young people to the Lord in our Sunday School and 6 adult baptisms. Not a bad day for a church of 300 people, including children! A church that is easy to attend, but requiring of a commitment to join. Worth thinking about, isn't it?

But then, if they will have me....... !!!

Find out more about us on ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/about.php

FROM THE WORD

"“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:37-39)

"“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:32-34)

"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’"
(Mark 9:43-47)

DAVID'S DOODLINGS

INCLUDES 170 NEW SAYINGS THIS WEEK!

ON PERSEVERANCE
685. Perseverance perseveres!

686. Perseverance is keeping running the race with feet blistered by the problems of life.

687. Perseverance is wading through the mire of life, confident of reaching our eternal heavenly home.

688. Perseverance is walking through the valleys before ascending to the mountaintops

689. Perseverance is retaining hope when all seems hopeless.

690. Perseverance is …
… forgiving one more time
… one more prayer.
… going on when others are giving up.
… picking yourself up once again.
… loving that little bit extra.
… just one more step.
… serving one more time.

Please feel free to quote these quotes. Acknowledgement of David Tait as the author would be appreciated. There are now 700 David sayings for you to view at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php

YOUR COMMENTS FROM LAST WEEK'S NEWSLETTER

Thanks David, your email was the first one to read this morning. Very inspiring and encouraging. To read your witness and testimony and to have your account of the faithfulness and goodness of our wonderful God made a good start to the day and blends with the Word to create a healthy, nourishing spiritual breakfast! Thank you.

Just a little comment - my experience as a child was that when tea in the cup was too hot to drink, it was poured into the saucer and became cool enough to sip from the saucer. All grown-ups in my family did it and I was taught to do it. So, it was just a logical and practical (English?) remedy. Though I'm not sure if nobility and 'uppercrust' families would have done likewise!

Thanks for another edifying and entertaining PGIM - I always look forward to reading them.
Love and prayers
Mollie Allen

Dear Dave,
Thanks for your Walking with Jesus Ministries of June 22nd. I certainly remember drinking tea from a saucer. So can my secretary! We both agree that it was an English custom that was established simply when tea was served piping hot and one was thirsty. You poured it from the cup into your saucer in order to cool it down. It was not that we were prosperous but that we were thirsty!
Yours in our Lord,
Malcolm.

Hello David ,
From memory I think Shakespeare write 154 sonnets , re your question in this weeks newsletter .

Also drinking tea from the saucer , my Father used to drink tea from the saucer , he reckoned it cooled quicker and tasted better. Naturally us kids followed suit much to Mum's disapproval. It does taste better !

I also think it was a throwback to the pioneering days in NZ when billy tea was brewed over an open fire in the bush. ( beautiful tea to those who haven't tried it ) The tea would be piping hot, so it was poured from cup to saucer and back again to cool it.
I think these days there would be very few wives who would allow this pratice! I still drink tea from the saucer when I'm by myself (don't tell my wife )
All the Best,
Regards,
Ian.

Your comments to me or fellow readers are always welcomed at... david@wwj.org.nz

FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK

In conjunction with Inspirational Tapes
inspirational.org.nz we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to download the following message in MP3 format, free of charge. Inspirational Tapes offers a range of over 4,000 Audio Cassette Tapes, CD's and Videos to members worldwide, for hire, download or purchase.

This week's free download is...

MOTHER IN ISRAEL

By: Lydia Prince

An amazing story by an amazing lady. The husband of renowned Bible Teacher, Lydia devoted herself to her adopted family in the newly founded State of Israel.

Download your free MP3 now at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/tape.php

FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

ANSWER: Shakespeare's volume, 'Sonnets', contains 154 sonnets. (You're right Ian!) Sonnets 1-126 are addressed to a male friend while sonnets 127-152 are addressed to a mysterious woman. The last two, 153 and 154, fit in neither category.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What's the difference between a fiddle and a violin?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS

933. WALKING ON WATER
The basilisk, a Central American iguana, due to its webbed feet and speedy gait, can run across water without sinking. (Have great faith and do it. Peter had faith and lost it. I have never had it - yet.)

934. A TREE OR THREE
Arbor Day, a special day for planting trees, was celebrated for the first time in Nebraska on April 10, 1872. The holiday is now usually celebrated on the last Friday in April. (Early environmentalists?)

935. IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED...
It required 277 nuclei transfers to produce the single, viable cloned lamb, finally able to be named Dolly. (Practice didn’t make perfect in this case, as she died young.)

A CHALLENGE FOR YOU

If you have 3 apples and you take 2 away, how many do you have?

Answer at the end of A David Musing.

You can download a 250 item sample Trivia Book at Truly Trifling Trivia

Or view all 1200 online at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/facts.php

LAUGHING AT OURSELVES

***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***

*** "Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others." ***

178. LATERAL WISDOM
A preacher stepped into the pulpit one Sunday morning with a Band-Aid on the side of his face. He explained at the start of his sermon, “I cut myself while shaving. I guess I was meditating on my sermon.”

An hour and fifteen minutes later a sleepy member of the congregation whispered to his wife, “He should have meditated on his shaving and cut his sermon!”

177. A REAL STAYER
The sermon had gone on a long time. A visitor leaned over to the person next to him and asked, “How long has he been preaching?”

Came the reply, “Almost thirty years.”

“Oh,” said the stranger. “Guess I’ll stay. He ought to be through soon.”

Now one of the most comprehensive sources of Christian Humour on the Net with 500 sermon fillers for your entertainment and use at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/laugh.php

SMILES FROM THE BIBLE

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married?
A. Ruthless.

Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Q. What was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.

Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord.

More smiles and some more serious stuff can be found at 'Churchspeak', a page mainly devoted to explaining the underlying spiritual meanings of numbers of different words in the Bible. Find out more at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/chspeak.php

GOOD(?) NEWS

*** The parachute company says you'll get a full refund.

*** They say the house didn't float very far at all.

*** The "National Enquirer" just loved those pictures of you at work.

*** Jerry Springer wants to surprise you on his show.

*** The reward for your capture has reached fifty thousand dollars.

*** The insurance pays the full book value ($312) for your 1956 T Bird.

*** The thieves left the push lawnmower and hedge trimmers.

*** Those Grand Juries always over-react. Don't worry about it.

*** The boss said while you're sick, he'd do all your work personally.

For more 'Extensive Explanations' of life see...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/exex.php

FOR A LAUGH A DAY SUBSCRIBE TO...

Pastor Tim's Cybersalt daily joke list. Probably many of you do already belong, but if you don't, here is the opportunity to bring a smile into your day with a good, clean joke. Tim is a Pastor, lover of humour and a stock car driver. I relate to him in 2 of these 3 areas. (but which two?) Offers a daily quote too. Subscribe now at...

http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

A DAVID MUSING

MUSING ABOUT MUSING
Why do a musing?
Simply to be amusing!
Just to entertain?
Looked upon with disdain.

To give a word of advice,
About my cruelest vice,
To add some spice,
That would be nice.

Or to wax on lyrical,
About something spiritual.
To add a religious flavour,
Looked upon with disfavour.

But what is left?
I am simply bereft.
If it is too deep,
You'll go to sleep.
If too shallow,
Be too hollow,
So now I'll end,
Before I offend!

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's Challenge Answer: Two! Think about it.

REPRODUCTION OF NEWSLETTER CONTENT

Most weeks we get enquiries about reproducing, in electronic or print form, articles contained in 'PGIM!' We welcome and encourage you to utilise this material. Freely received, freely given. We would ask though, that the scource be acknowledged as an encouragement to others to subscribe to this newsletter also.

Subscription opportunities are available at the bottom of each newsletter or at...

https://www.macnet.co.nz/wwjesus/pay.html

CHANGING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?

Each week we can lose up to 1% of our readers when they change email addresses without letting us know. If you are about to change your address, please advise us of both your old and new addresses here at
enquiries@wwj.org.nz and we will happily change our records to ensure ongoing delivery. Thanks.

LINKS

If you would like to link your web site to ours, and ours to yours, please advise us on
links@wwj.org.nz

DID THIS EMAIL HAVE A BLUE BACKGROUND AND RED HEADINGS?

YES - Great!
NO - Your web browser needs to be set to 'Rich Text'. If you have an older 'Text Only' browser, this email may also be viewed on our web site at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/wwword.php

ABOUT US

WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. A ministry dedicated to developing discipleship, fostering unity amongst God’s people to achieve the Great Commission, and in doing so, preparing for Christ’s return. It is securely based upon the foundational principles of the Apostles Creed while recognising the wide and rich diversity of beliefs amongst Christians in other areas. In accordance with the Lord’s direction, materials produced by the ministry are available, free of charge, to genuine enquirers upon request. The ministry is solely funded by donations, as the Lord provides. A list of materials available (plus some fun!) is obtainable and freely downloadable from our website
wwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.

Walking With Jesus Ministries
P O Box 5160
Mount Maunganui
New Zealand

Phone: (06) 878-9330 International (0064) 6878-9330
Fax: (06) 878-9330 International (0064) 6878-9330
Email: enquiries@wwj.org.nz
Web: wwj.org.nz

Our role is to bless and encourage those in ministry while promoting co-operation and unity of direction amongst the body of Christ, as emphasised 3 times by Jesus in His longest prayer, immediately prior to His arrest and crucifixion. "… so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:12, 21, 23-4) Our website is currently being developed to encourage your participation one with another, to share resources, and to enable you to promote events and items of interest to the body as a whole – and have a smile while doing it!

For comments upon and contributions to this service, please contact
david@wwj.org.nz