PRISM  Download the bible study sheet for this week.

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Let’s Pray For Global Mission Partners Pray for our global mission partners in countries like South Sudan, Myanmar and Indonesia, many of whom are struggling because of the impact of Covid-19 on food security, health systems and infrastructure.  Leaders in Training Pray for Wamaka Nyondo from the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Malawi. Wamaka has just returned home after completing a Masters degree in Edinburgh, supported by PCI. He plans to work in the Synod’s health department. ​

Trapped In A Room With A Lion How would YOU fair if you were trapped in a room with a lion? ? In Bible Biogs, we look Daniel's story. What did his visions of the future reveal about the present? And how DID he fair so well being trapped in a lions’ den? Listen now on UCB Player! https://t.co/DJSYtNpjY0

Refreshed By God! Are you DESPERATE to be refreshed by God's presence? Watch this inspiring message from UCB's CEO, David L'Herroux, as he talks about the manifested presence of God and how we can be connected to God NO MATTER where we are! https://ucb.lightcast.com/player/21321/208253

God Told Me (40 minute audio) When someone says 'Oh, God told me,' do you ever wonder – what does it MEAN to listen for God's voice? This episode of 'Mark & Mark at Full Volume' looks at tuning in to God's voice and the different ways that God speaks to us! Listen now on UCB Player. https://t.co/BcnIRAHnma

Corrie Ten Boom I normally just include links to the items that I want to share with you, but a friend posted this on Facebook and I couldn’t find it any where else, so here is a powerful story about Corrie Ten Boom.

Due to a clerical error during WW2, Corrie Ten Boom was released from Ravensbruck one week before all the women her age were killed. She began traveling and telling the story of her family and what she and Betsie had learned in the concentration camp. Eventually, after the war was over, she was able to obtain a home for former inmates to come and heal from their experiences. And she continued to travel tirelessly over the world and tell to anyone who would listen the story of what she had learned.


"It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavy-set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. ...


And that's when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were!


Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent. 


"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he was saying. "I was a guard in there." No, he did not remember me.


"I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us." "But since that time," he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, ..." his hand came out, ... "will you forgive me?"


And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?


It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.


For I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." ...


And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling."


And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.


"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!"


For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then."

Jigsaw The times for yesterday’s Jigsaw ​ Janice 6:59 Derek 12:23 Play the "sunset" puzzle! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1e5ea5c06b03 ​

CityAlight is the Worship Ministry of a Church in Sydney, Australia. The group states that their vision is to write songs with Biblically rich lyrics and simple melodies for the Christian Church to sing. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 –1892)  was one of the greatest preachers and expounders of the Gospel, who spent his time travelling and teaching the Word of God. Known as the ‘Prince of Preachers’, Spurgeon was famous for his firm, straight talking nature. He once commented, ‘If men are dull in the worship of the Lord our God, they are not acting consistently with the character of their religion.’ In other words, the realities of Christianity provide us with so many opportunities for deep and lasting joy.

This may be a reminder of the Acronym I mentioned over the last couple of weeks: JOY…..  Jesus, Others, Yourself.
We read in Psalm 100 NIV, Verse 2,  ‘Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.’
Each verse in the Song for today by CityAlight, concludes with the reminder that we can do nothing on our own, stating, ‘Yet not I but through Christ in me.’ 
 Frances.

Let’s Pray For Blended children's and youth work Pray for those involved in planning and delivering children’s and youth work in congregations as restrictions continue to make meeting together difficult and programming has to be provided with a blend of digital limited gatherings with social distancing, asking God for creativity and wisdom. Pray for the maintenance of good contacts with children, young people and their families at this time, asking that God would make his love, care and encouragement evident in every conversation and communication.  ​

Beauty In The Familiar It is always interesting when you see something that is very familiar from a different perspective. This week I was out walking and met a friend who I hadn’t been talking to for a few years. We were on the coastal path at Rock House and he was admiring the view and said, “I suppose you get very used to all this and don’t really appreciate it!”. I was able to say truthfully, that after twenty years in Portstewart, we still do appreciate the beauty of the coast and have never taken it for granted. It is a very odd day that we don’t walk to the beach or at the very least walk past the beach. Yesterday however I did see something very familiar that I had totally taken for granted, and I can say truthfully that I never appreciated the beauty of it. Yesterday afternoon our TV was tuned to RTE2 and the Irish Open Golf from Galgorm Castle. I left the TV turned on and as I moved about the house I would sneak another peak at the screen. I wasn’t watching the golf, but the scenery. I attended primary school in Gracehill and everyday the school bus would drive past the gates of Galgorm Castle and over the river Maine. I hardly noticed the castle or the river, but yesterday in the sunshine they looked magnificent. The camera operators captured the images and the commentators describe the setting, and the world watched. Sometimes this world becomes so familiar that we do not realise the beauty all around us. We get annoyed by thoughtlessness, frustrated by incompetence and frightened by uncertainty and yet everyone we meet is created in the image of our heavenly Father. The people that we hardly notice each day, as we go about our business, have a dignity instilled by their creator and the same need of Salvation from our Redeemer as we have. Imagine if Jesus was providing the commentary for our lives today, how would he describe the people that we rush past? What needs would he notice that we have ignored? What beauty would he gaze upon that we have taken for granted? The Irish Open from Galgorm Castle continues this weekend, televised live on RTE 2 & Sky Sports with highlights each evening on BBC1.

Teach The Bible Nancy Guthrie has produced an incredible resource. It is a podcast where she interviews prominent bible teachers on how to teach a particular book of the bible. She now has episodes on the whole bible. Well worth listening to. We have featured some of her books on previous blogs. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/help-me-teach-the-bible-episodes-by-scripture/

These Three Remains - Refined In the last #TheseThreeRemain blog Jane Nelson, minister of First Omagh Presbyterian Church, reflects on her experience of the truth of 1 Corinthians 13:13 lived out during the pandemic - and reminds us that "the greatest of these is love" http://bit.ly/35QL3d8

What Does God Think About Money? Can money really buy you happiness? Listen to this episode of the 'Not Playing the Game' podcast on UCB Player as our hosts are joined by businessman Arron Kent and musician Jon Kendall to talk about what God thinks about money! https://ucb.lightcast.com/player/21338/262911

Jigsaw The times for yesterday’s Jigsaw Janice 1:24 Derek 3:10 Frances 4:10 A Familiar picture of the harbour but it should take a little longer than the other puzzles this week. Play the "Portstewart Harbour" puzzle! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=152a998876f8