{"content":[{"text":"Friday Fellowship \n News No 39, \n 29 January 2021 \n -","bbox":{"left":0.516748,"top":0.055319,"width":0.427697,"height":0.15006199999999997}},{"text":"GOD IS OUR REFUGE & STRENGTH \n “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to \n help in times of trouble. \n So we will not fear when earthquakes come and \n the mountains crumble into the sea.” \n Psalm 46: 1&2 NLT.","bbox":{"left":0.05549,"top":0.241432,"width":0.41117600000000004,"height":0.10123799999999997}},{"text":"I don’t know about you, but after nearly a year of this \n Pandemic, I can honestly say that at times it has felt like \n this country - if not the whole world - has been shaken, \n and the land that we stand on feels like it keeps shifting. \n Or, put it another way, it’s felt like a lot of the things \n we’ve previously put our confidence in, our Defences, \n safety from attack that would bring our country to a \n standstill, or our best medicines and practices to stop \n people dying - have quite literally crumbled before our \n eyes like a mountain, or a cliff edge crumbling down into \n the sea. \n So, not only have our lives been shaken, but much of \n what we relied upon has been found wanting and \n insecure. \n For the non-Christian, all that would feel utterly \n depressing, and causing a real sense of uncertainty, \n anxiety and gloom. But not for the Christian! \n The Psalmist, foreknowing that in life Christians would \n go through ‘personal earthquakes’, and times in life \n when their ‘plans, and foundations’ would crumble \n before their eyes, says that we ‘need not fear! \n Really? In the midst of a pandemic? When you’ve been \n furloughed? When your boss has already told staff that if \n this goes on much longer, the business could fold? Or, \n that test, or that operation you so desperately need has \n been cancelled - or postponed yet again? Really - need \n not fear? \n Yes. And here’s why. \n It’s because none of those things that we had put our \n trust and hope in would, or could, ever really be a fool- \n proof defence against trouble. And however much \n humanly we may try to shield ourselves from trouble, \n life has a habit of crumbling at one edge, or maybe two \n at the same time, and it feels like our lives are being","bbox":{"left":0.05549,"top":0.358626,"width":0.4153,"height":0.547768}},{"text":"poured out, and we have no way of stopping the \n crumbling into the sea. \n No. None of our human things would ever protect \n fully against life’s earthquakes and crumbling times. \n But there is one to whom we can commit our lives \n and future: the one who, for thousands of years, \n starting with the Jews, then to all who believe and \n trust in His son, has been a dependable, reliable, \n ever present refuge and strength - God himself. \n No-one else has arms wide enough to encompass the \n world’s problems, or a heart big enough to weep with \n all who weep across the globe, having lost a loved one \n through Covid-19. Or, for the thousands of emergency \n service staff who are literally falling asleep standing - \n such is their exhaustion. \n No one else can provide the strength to the mum who \n has been up everyday for a year at 6am to get as much \n personal work, and house work done, and school work- \n sheets printed off, ready to start being a ‘teacher’ from \n 9-3, before everything else she has to do before flopping \n into bed exhausted, only to start again the next day. \n Or the strength, and place of peace and security to \n the pensioner who is fearful of catching the virus due to \n previous health issues. \n Only God, the one who made us, and knows us better \n than we know ourselves. Who knows what every day of \n our future holds. \n Only God, who loved us enough to send His son to \n die for us could be the refuge “always ready to help in \n times of trouble”. Never too busy. Never so much to \n handle so he leaves the answer-machine on. Never \n overwhelmed by the magnitude of requests for help \n because only God the Father longs to hear his children \n say ‘Abba (daddy), please help me’! \n This past week, the UK reached a horrific milestone \n with 100,000 Covid-19 related deaths. And, even with \n the fabulous hope that the vaccines now offer, if we’re \n really honest, probably each of us, at some point or \n another over the past 12 months, has gone into a room, \n on our own, and shed some tears as it’s all just been too","bbox":{"left":0.529493,"top":0.241467,"width":0.41541000000000006,"height":0.644473}}],"images_bbox":[{"left":0.058824,"top":0.090909,"width":0.427859,"height":0.06351},{"left":0.076634,"top":0.036364,"width":0.421405,"height":0.176199}],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[{"left":0.058824,"top":0.090909,"width":0.427859,"height":0.06351},{"left":0.076634,"top":0.036364,"width":0.421405,"height":0.176199}]}