13th April 2026.
(1Chronicles 28:9-20)
I’m told that whitewater rafting is a white knuckle experience as the guide in the back of the raft takes you through one set of rapids after another.
Transitions in our lives can be like whitewater experiences. The inevitable leaps from one season of life to the next, school to career, new jobs, leaving home to marry, career to retirement, youth to old age are all marked by uncertainty and insecurity.
In one of the most significant transitions recorded in Old Testament history, Solomon assumed the throne from his father David. I’m sure he was filled with uncertainty about the future. His father’s advice? “Be strong and courageous, and do the work…For the Lord God, my God, is with you” (v.20).
We’ll have our fair share of tough transitions in life. But with God in our raft we’re not alone. Keeping our eyes on the One who is navigating the rapids brings joy and security. He’s taken lots of others through before. So reflect on this SLM:-
“God guides us through the rapids of change.”
…Pastor Ross.
(1Chronicles 28:9-20)
I’m told that whitewater rafting is a white knuckle experience as the guide in the back of the raft takes you through one set of rapids after another.
Transitions in our lives can be like whitewater experiences. The inevitable leaps from one season of life to the next, school to career, new jobs, leaving home to marry, career to retirement, youth to old age are all marked by uncertainty and insecurity.
In one of the most significant transitions recorded in Old Testament history, Solomon assumed the throne from his father David. I’m sure he was filled with uncertainty about the future. His father’s advice? “Be strong and courageous, and do the work…For the Lord God, my God, is with you” (v.20).
We’ll have our fair share of tough transitions in life. But with God in our raft we’re not alone. Keeping our eyes on the One who is navigating the rapids brings joy and security. He’s taken lots of others through before. So reflect on this SLM:-
“God guides us through the rapids of change.”
…Pastor Ross.
10th April 2026.
(1 Corinthians 10:1-13).
Certain road signs are strategically placed to warn us of the wrong way.
Just so God’s Word cautions us to stay away from the “wrong road” of sin and temptation: “Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way” (Prov 4:15). But Scripture doesn’t just say “leave it if you can.” It offers assurance and tells us where to turn: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (v. 13).
The promise that God will not allow us to be tempted above our ability to withstand is an encouraging reminder. When we turn to God in the moments when temptation comes, we know He is more than willing to help us stay away.
The Bible affirms that Jesus is able “to empathise with our weaknesses.” But He was “tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin” (Heb 4:15). Jesus knows the way out of every temptation. He will show us as we run to Him! So reflect on this SLM:-
“God promises to help us when we are tempted.”
…Pastor Ross.
(1 Corinthians 10:1-13).
Certain road signs are strategically placed to warn us of the wrong way.
Just so God’s Word cautions us to stay away from the “wrong road” of sin and temptation: “Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way” (Prov 4:15). But Scripture doesn’t just say “leave it if you can.” It offers assurance and tells us where to turn: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (v. 13).
The promise that God will not allow us to be tempted above our ability to withstand is an encouraging reminder. When we turn to God in the moments when temptation comes, we know He is more than willing to help us stay away.
The Bible affirms that Jesus is able “to empathise with our weaknesses.” But He was “tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin” (Heb 4:15). Jesus knows the way out of every temptation. He will show us as we run to Him! So reflect on this SLM:-
“God promises to help us when we are tempted.”
…Pastor Ross.
8th April 2026.
(Acts 17:22-32).
When the apostle Paul stood before the people of Athens, he let them know that he knew their culture. He told them that he had noticed their altar to “an unknown god,” and he quoted one of their poets. Of course, not everyone believed Paul’s message about Jesus’ resurrection, but some said, “We want to hear you again on this subject”(v.32).
As we interact with others about Jesus and the salvation He offers, the lessons of Scripture show us to invest ourselves in others–to learn their language, as it were–as a way to open the door to telling them the good news. See also 1Cor 9:20-23.
As we find out the “lingo” in others lives, it will be easier to share what God has done in ours. So reflect on this SLM:-
“Before you tell others about Christ, let them see how much you care.”
…Pastor Ross.
(Acts 17:22-32).
When the apostle Paul stood before the people of Athens, he let them know that he knew their culture. He told them that he had noticed their altar to “an unknown god,” and he quoted one of their poets. Of course, not everyone believed Paul’s message about Jesus’ resurrection, but some said, “We want to hear you again on this subject”(v.32).
As we interact with others about Jesus and the salvation He offers, the lessons of Scripture show us to invest ourselves in others–to learn their language, as it were–as a way to open the door to telling them the good news. See also 1Cor 9:20-23.
As we find out the “lingo” in others lives, it will be easier to share what God has done in ours. So reflect on this SLM:-
“Before you tell others about Christ, let them see how much you care.”
…Pastor Ross.
6th April 2026.
(Psalm 22:1-10).
In our prison systems solitary confinement is considered our harshest of punishments. This is because we are intended to live and relate in relationships and community, not in isolation.
Isolation is the agony Christ suffered when His eternal relationship with the Father was broken on the cross. We hear this in His cry captured in Matt 27:46: “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).” As He suffered and died under the burden of our sins, Christ was suddenly alone, forsaken, isolated, cut off from His relationship with the Father. Yet His suffering in isolation secured for us the promise of the Father: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb 13:5).
Christ endured the agony of the cross for us so that we would never be alone or abandoned by our God. EVER. So reflect on this SLM:-
“Those who know Jesus are never alone.”
…Pastor Ross.
(Psalm 22:1-10).
In our prison systems solitary confinement is considered our harshest of punishments. This is because we are intended to live and relate in relationships and community, not in isolation.
Isolation is the agony Christ suffered when His eternal relationship with the Father was broken on the cross. We hear this in His cry captured in Matt 27:46: “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).” As He suffered and died under the burden of our sins, Christ was suddenly alone, forsaken, isolated, cut off from His relationship with the Father. Yet His suffering in isolation secured for us the promise of the Father: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb 13:5).
Christ endured the agony of the cross for us so that we would never be alone or abandoned by our God. EVER. So reflect on this SLM:-
“Those who know Jesus are never alone.”
…Pastor Ross.
3rd April 2026.
(Mark 14:32-39).
On the night before His death, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives overlooking the city of Jerusalem. There, in the garden called Gethsemane, He prayed to the Father, knowing what lay ahead of Him.
The word Gethsemane means “place of the olive press”– and that perfectly describes those first crushing hours of Christ’s suffering on our behalf. There, “in anguish, he prayed…and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Lk 22:44).
Jesus the Son suffered and died to take away “the sin of the world” (John 1:29) and restore our broken relationship with God the Father. “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering…He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:4-5).
Our hearts cry out in worship and gratitude. So reflect on this SLM :-
” Gone my transgressions, and now I am free–all because Jesus was wounded for me” (W.G. Ovens).
…Pastor Ross.
(Mark 14:32-39).
On the night before His death, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives overlooking the city of Jerusalem. There, in the garden called Gethsemane, He prayed to the Father, knowing what lay ahead of Him.
The word Gethsemane means “place of the olive press”– and that perfectly describes those first crushing hours of Christ’s suffering on our behalf. There, “in anguish, he prayed…and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Lk 22:44).
Jesus the Son suffered and died to take away “the sin of the world” (John 1:29) and restore our broken relationship with God the Father. “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering…He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:4-5).
Our hearts cry out in worship and gratitude. So reflect on this SLM :-
” Gone my transgressions, and now I am free–all because Jesus was wounded for me” (W.G. Ovens).
…Pastor Ross.
1st April 2026.
(Luke 23:32-34).
Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith, with our Saviour extending forgiveness even when He was dying on the cross. Jesus loved those who nailed Him there, uttering a prayer asking His Father to forgive them. He didn’t hang on to bitterness or anger, but showed grace and love to those who had wronged Him.
This Easter is a fitting time to consider before the Lord any people we might need to forgive as we follow Jesus’ example in extending His love to those who hurt us. When we ask God through His Spirit to help us forgive, He will come to our aid-even if we take what we think is a long time to forgive. When we do, we are freed from the prison of unforgiveness. So reflect on this SLM:-
“Even on the cross, Jesus forgave those who hurt Him.”
….Pastor Ross.
(Luke 23:32-34).
Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith, with our Saviour extending forgiveness even when He was dying on the cross. Jesus loved those who nailed Him there, uttering a prayer asking His Father to forgive them. He didn’t hang on to bitterness or anger, but showed grace and love to those who had wronged Him.
This Easter is a fitting time to consider before the Lord any people we might need to forgive as we follow Jesus’ example in extending His love to those who hurt us. When we ask God through His Spirit to help us forgive, He will come to our aid-even if we take what we think is a long time to forgive. When we do, we are freed from the prison of unforgiveness. So reflect on this SLM:-
“Even on the cross, Jesus forgave those who hurt Him.”
….Pastor Ross.