Nick Taylor

Proverbs 3:5-6
http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Proverbs+3%3A5-6

As I get older my experiences of life, myself, and others makes me aware of how unreliable, unexpected, and even random life can be. I can also feel anxious and less confident about all the decisions each day brings, whether they be large or small. I am therefore finding it extremely freeing and reassuring to let God make the decisions for me.
For years I think my method was: ‘This is what I plan to do today; God, please bless me as I do it’. It ended up in workaholism for me, and concern about living up to the expectations I imagined others had of me, or which I had of myself. And there was no end to what I could ‘plan to do today’!!
God has turned this on its head for me. Now I try to let my method be: ‘What are you doing today God? Show me how I can help you’. And I remember Jesus’ words in John 12 v.26 ‘Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am there will my servant be also’. The result is a sense of God going ahead with his plans, and me following after to fit in with them, and do whatever he has lined up.
When ‘interruptions’ come they’re seen as part of God’s plan so are not actually interruptions at all, but just something I hadn’t expected, and God will manage them effectively through me if I let him.
This brings back enjoyment and spontaneity into life, instead of frustration that the day did not work out ‘as I had planned’!!!!!

Constance Booth

Romans 8:28
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208:28;&version=31;;

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.

If you can hold on to this in difficult times, it helps.

Margaret Rogers

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Life consists of constant change and the only thing that is unchanged is Christ’s constant love, and his abiding presence in every situation. Nothing can separate us from his love. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

John Gay

1 Timothy 1:15-17

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Choosing a passage has been as bad as trying to choose 8 discs for the desert Island - and the jury is still out on that! The reason I have chosen this one is because this passage first showed me the power of the Holy Spirit working through his word, the Bible.

I have said the first verse hundreds of times as a child and adult. It is one of the 'comfortable words' that used to be said every week in the church I went to when I was growing up. Yet that set form never gives the whole verse. It was hearing the Welsh Baptist minister, a brilliant preacher, who eventually became my training course tutor, preach on the verse, putting in the bit normally missing, that made me sit bolt upright in my seat.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners......of whom I am the worst.

Those last six words give comfort and assurance to those who feel for any particular reason that they are unworthy of God, or that perhaps God is not interested in them. If God is interested enough in Paul, a zealous persecutor of the church, to make him an apostle, and one who arguably outdid the rest in zeal for the Lord, then God is interested in any and all of us.
I was working my vocation to ministry out at this time. I was shocked, not because I felt unworthy, but because I realised up to that moment I was so smug I didn't know what 'grace' was...and suddenly I did. Read the rest of the passage and you will see why Paul had such confidence to pray as he does to finish. Praise be to God through Christ, Bless his holy name that he should also take pity on me also! How could I not love him!

Related to this is a couple of verses from Psalm 51 'Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my faults and my sin is ever before me.' This is the little prayer I say when I have prepared the table, just before the Eucharistic Prayer when I wash my hands. But even though I am unworthy, praise and thanks to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that he has put his Spirit in me through grace to minister to his people on his behalf. What good fortune to have the privilege to do it on his behalf. Thanks be to God!

Geoff Winterson

1 Corinthians 12:12-31
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2012:12-31&version=31

(v18) But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.

I like this verse in particular because it embodies the verses quoted above about the different functions of each separate part of the Body of Christ. It is very easy to feel inadequate when not able to do certain things, but this verse reminds me that we all share in the one body,
we all have our own part to play, and God will lead us to do that for which we are best equipped.

Ian Pinder

Genesis 1:1
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genisis%201:1&version=31

“In the beginning, God…”

These are the first four words of the bible and a phrase familiar to everyone with a church background. It was the text taken for the sermon at the wedding service when Rachel and I were married. The message of the sermon was that if we put God first in all things we won’t go far wrong in life. I cannot claim to have done this as much as I should, but it is certainly advice worth passing on.

Peter Westcott

Psalm 139:1-14
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20139:1-14&version=31

I've been watching your Lent Blog with interest, have so far not found one of my favourites. It is Psalm 139, the first 14 verses. I think I first looked this up after viewing the web site of the RAF memorial at Runnymede, ( I'm an “old” RAF National Service “bod”). I'm omitting the later verses as various translations seem to give vastly differing meanings. Anyway, I find verses 1 to 14, in whatever translation, very thought making.

Luke Howse

Genesis 6:11 – 9:17
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%206:11-9:17&version=31

I like Noah’s ark because God sent a flood to make a fresh start and get the baddies far away, and I like swimming! The rainbow is what I like and it shows that God will never send a giant flood like that again.

Chris Howse

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I like Paul’s letters. I know he divides opinion as he was very much a man of his time, but I still like him. Paul seems to have been a great do-er - everything is done to the best of his ability - it is just a pity that he possessed this enthusiasm before his conversion when he was persecuting the early Church.

When I started to read Romans I found it very difficult to follow. I wanted to give up but persevered and I found the further I read, the more I got out of the book. Things started to make sense, Romans was chasing me I could not stop reading it.

Sometimes God’s grace finds me when battling with a Bible passage, trying to make sense of it for me and the times we live in; but sometimes, having a simple faith, I just want things spelt out, this is what Paul does for me here. These words are a great comfort.