From our Latest Newsletter:

REMEMBER NOT TO FORGET -  Life is filled with special dates which we can associate with places and people as they speak of life’s experiences Sometimes a date gets crossed out as no longer important or another gets added...  Special holidays, people, memorable events; dates remembered which all go to make ‘the rich tapestry of life’.

In Joshua chapter 4 there is the story where to commemorate the miraculous crossing of the River Jordan, God instructed the Hebrew nation to take twelve stones from the dry riverbed and erect a monument to help them remember the event and particularly his goodness to them as a nation.

In April Pam and I celebrated a memorable anniversary and in June it was our church anniversary.  Anniversaries allow us to reflect on the past and the way in which those events and dates have become an important part of our lives.
Some of us can put dates, times and places on those Christian experiences in our lives; when we first became a Christian; when God filled us with his Spirit; when God came to us in a particular crisis.  Looking back is not to be interpreted as living in the past as some would suggest.  It is rather an acknowledgment as how the past has shaped us for today.  In joy, heartache, pain, suffering God has been there.  We don’t necessarily take twelve stones or similar and erect a monument to the events no matter how momentous they might have been.  But those dates are written on our hearts and in our minds.  Places that we visit continue to hold a special significance.

A song sums up my thoughts and attitude in these moments;

‘Come on and celebrate, His gift of love, we will celebrate,
         The Son of God who loved us and gave us life.
         We’ll shout your praise O King,
         You give us joy nothing else can bring,
 We’ll give to you our offering in celebration praise.

David Perry.