Helper of the helpless,
so much of our lives lie shattered and tattered;
our minds wander through the wreckage of the last few brutal months,
our hearts are heavy through the havoc wrought by suffering,
the deficit of distance is felt in even our closest relationships,
just making ends meet seems to matter more than it has for a long time,
our souls are shredded by the strain and stress of uncertainty.
O, restore us, we plead.
Restore our souls,
LORD our Shepherd.
Restore us, LORD God Almighty, 
make your face shine on us, 
that we may be saved.
Restore our fortunes, LORD, 
like streams in the Negev.
Restore our withered hands,
sightless eyes,
troubled minds,
by today’s touch of the Master,
on the broken body of the church he loves.
Restore to us the joy of your salvation,
and grant a willing spirit to sustain us.
Let us rejoice like Jacob,
and be glad like Israel,
when you restore us as your people.
God of all grace, 
who called us to your eternal glory in Christ, 
after we have suffered this little while, 
restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast.
For Jesus’ sake.
Amen.

Let’s Pray For - Summer refreshment Pray that we would know God’s refreshment in what will be an unusual summer as interruption to holidays, spending time with others and many of the normal ways in which we find renewal remain. Pray for congregational life this summer, asking that we might know God’s renewal after the stresses of the upheavals of the last few months and the efforts required to adjust to new ways of ministry.

Jigsaw ​ Janice 1:44 Jean 3:11 Derek 4:10 Frances 5:11 Wilfred 5:26 Play the "Dominican College from the other side" puzzle! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1fbc30b6a046

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands."
​Psalm 19 v 1 

Recently I discovered there is a worldwide organisation named "The Cloud Appreciation Society". It was founded in 2005 and has around 50,000 members. It has nothing to do with "tech cloud" but with the marvellous ever changing cloud scenes in our skies from sunrise to sunset. As we all know, clouds appear in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. They add beauty and interest to our skies, appreciated by artists, writers and photographers etc. who are members of this organisation.

Sometimes we have a negative attitude to clouds, a sign of approaching rain or storm, but in general, we all enjoy the majestic wonders of our cloud filled skies. Truly marvellous! They are an expression of God's glory. There is another type of cloud we speak about, it is the one "hanging over us", we are conscious of it in life's difficulties and problems. Since the end of 2019 a dark cloud has been hanging over us, it appeared first in China. We heard about it in our news bulletins, it was the coronavirus, now known as Coved-19. Initially, it sounded far away. It didn't concern us too much, until we heard the word lockdown. Bells began ringing, this is more serious than we thought! Soon we heard that Covid-19 was making its way westward, country by country, and many were dying of the disease. It was declared a pandemic.

As cases started to occur in our country, we soon found ourselves in lockdown. Restrictions are in the process of being lifted, but the cloud still remains as the thought of a resurgence exists. It is hard to take our minds off this cloud, however we can discover help in the Bible, as we remind ourselves how important a cloud was to the Israelites. On their journey in the wilderness, God went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to guide them, Exodus Ch 13 v  21. There was an occasion we read in Exodus ch 14 vs 19,20 when the pillar of cloud went behind them and created darkness. It became a shield to protect them from the pursuing Egyptian enemy. When Moses ascended to meet and speak with God on Mt Sinai, a cloud descended hiding the glory and presence of  God.  

To the Israelites, a cloud became a symbol of God's leading, protection and presence, this presence we will not see until Jesus returns to earth "on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory" Matthew ch 24 v 30

However, we can feel His presence and experience, His guidance and protection. We do not know when this pandemic will end, nor do we know when Jesus will return. He calls us to be ready for that day.
Wilma

Let’s Pray For - Local and global mission Pray for every day opportunities to share how Christian faith makes a difference, the hope found in Christ and the love of God, asking for increasing openness to the good news in many lives. Pray for Tearfund and Christian Aid as they seek to support communities most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, asking that God would use their ministry to bring relief to those who need it most.

Jigsaw Janice 1:53 Lynne 2:49 Jean 4:08 ​Eric 5:46 ​Wilfred 6:19 Play the "Dominican College" puzzle! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=10b6bcfd13b0 ​

Let’s Pray The latest prayer guide for this week is available to download let’s-pray_a4_ttr_28-06-20.pdf File Size: 408 kb File Type: pdf Download File

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Psalms 91:4 (NIV 1984)

Jigsaw The Friday Jigsaw is always a little bit more difficult so the times take a little bit longer Janice 28:19 Derek 50:47 The Friday Jigsaw was featured on the Jigsaw website so a couple of thousand people tried it out. The worldwide fastest time was 7:18, And before you ask, I have no idea how you could possibly do it in that time. ​Here is a simpler puzzle for a Monday. Only 40 pieces but those sunset colours are a little tricky. ​ Play the "Portrush Harbour" puzzle! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=29c2c9d8343c

How grateful we should be for our Emergency Services!
Last Saturday morning from our home we heard the familiar sound of an approaching emergency vehicle as it neared Portstewart. It was in fact the Coastguard en route to the Strand where a paddleboarder was in trouble. At the same time Portrush Lifeboat, together with a smaller craft, were making their way to the incident. Thankfully, all went well.
That afternoon, NI Fire and Rescue Services were assigned to a gorse fire at Ballintoy. Two Fire Appliances made their way to the location as we were travelling in the area.
This is, of course, only a small representation of the work that is carried out day by day, but is an illustration of the vigilance and speed required by the responders. Those on duty must be alert and ready to act, often putting their own lives at risk in the service of others.
We often refer to our situation with the current pandemic as ‘being in a storm’ or we refer to our troubles as ‘the storms of life.’
In Mark Ch 4 we read of Jesus being asleep in a boat when the storm arose on the Lake and His disciples feared for their lives. NIV Bible records that ‘He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.’
We have One who is always at our side, ready to assist in any difficulty or emergency we may face. In 1 Peter 5:7 we read, ‘Cast all your worries on Him because He cares for you.’
Our Song today is ‘God will take care of you.’
Frances

Keswick (47 min Audio) The latest Kes Talk Podcast is out now! This is an Evening Celebration sermon from 1999 by Sri Lankan preacher Ajith Fernando. He introduces us to Jesus’ presence & power from John 9, & applies this to the urgent call God gives to us to serve Him Go to: https://www.buzzsprout.com/960415/4300058-7-the-light-of-the-world-ajith-fernando-1999

Spotify Many of you will be familiar with the free music service available on the internet called Spotify. The free version is supported by ads and you can pay a monthly subscription to remove the ads. The free version works better on a desktop computer than a mobile device, but it is an incredible resource for Christian Music and church podcasts. There are all sorts of playlists available which others have put together. The blog is not sponsored by Spotify but I have found it a great source of positive Christian, biblically based encouragement during Lockdown. Check it out here. https://www.spotify.com/uk/​ Here is a playlist of some great worship songs https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4o5ClNUxxw53jma3rzxonI?si=KQu5zC9DSe2s3ZyaejqIYg Here is a link to a playlist of Getty Hymns https://open.spotify.com/user/kqh059m4dt4luu9pqknjiapia/playlist/1v6qWvKil9jmxvFui8EFjy?si=EYssVUvwSuadRO-uSWjBMA

Boxing Day I didn’t realise yesterday, so I’ll tell you today. In six months time it will be Boxing Day! What the world will look like in 6 months, nobody knows, but we serve a God who is Emmanuel, God with us every day of our lives

Jigsaw Janice 3:18 Frances 5:35 Wilfred 7:46 Eric 7:48 Derek 8:12 ​A 90 piece challenge for the weekend. This puzzle incorporates the church car-park and the surrounding houses on a beautiful sun setting evening. No rotating pieces but all the houses look the same. Have fun over the weekend. Play the "Overhead" puzzle! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=275fc08208eb

Listening to the Lord in Lockdown Joe Campbell, an elder in First Holywood congregation, reflects on what he is learning about listening to the Lord in #lockdown,  including a list of six things of which we can be mindful during a #pandemic Read the article here. https://bit.ly/3ebHDmL

SAT-7 (15 minute Video) Rita El-Mounayer, Chief Executive Officer of SAT-7 was due to be the keynote speaker at the 'Faith & Freedom in the Middle East' conference in April. In this video she speaks about the work of SAT-7 which is a PCI mission partner and broadcasts Christian programmes by Satellite Television in the the Middle East and North Africa. It broadcasts in Arabic, Turkish and Farsi to the 500 million people of the region, enabling the Church in the region – isolated, often small and facing many restrictions – to make known the love of Christ, to teach and encourage believers, and share a positive Christian vision for life and society.

Farming Blog In the latest PCI Farming Life blog Rev Trevor Boyd writes of times when we have been between ‘two worlds’. A time when farmers were moving from hay to silage, for example, and how for all of us today we are currently between a pre-Covid and post-Covid world. https://bit.ly/3dkMZdV

When we pray, we can learn to pause more and listen to the Spirit’s voice if we are to participate in His life and purposes. An unknown poet wrote:

In every life there’s a pause,
That is better than onward rush.
Better than hewing or the mightiest doing,
‘It’s the standing still at sovereign will.

The radiance on Moses’ face did not result from a few hurried moments spent in the Divine presence. It was the outcome of being in God’s presence for 40 days. (Exodus 34)

He’s Not Heavy... On Monday I showed you how to weigh a Koala. Wilma sent me this verse. “You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.“ Daniel 5:27 (NIV)

Jigsaw The top of the leaderboard is getting tight! Janice 3:36 Jean 3:37 Lynne 5:17 Frances 5:25 ​ Play the "Arcadia Portrush" puzzle! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=103acecd30d3