Crieff Adventist Church

Links from the Training Day

steve — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:05:09 +0000

Following on from the Church Officer’s Training Day here are some links that were discussed in the ‘Children’s Ministries’ groups.

Children’s ministry section from the www.familyministry.co.uk web site
more to come later (21/22 Feb…)

Pastor’s Page ~ January 2010

carole — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:18:49 +0000

Hard Wired for Power
Yesterday was my ‘first day’ off for months. Besides taking and making a few church related calls, I spent most of the day feeding an electrical cable through the studwork of our bathroom walls.* The proposed new shower in the bathroom needs power. After hours of drilling holes in very awkward places I needed to ask my son Joel to help me feed the cable through the holes and round the corner as I couldn’t push and pull at the same time. Eventually the wires were connected and I was so pleased when the neon light on the fused switch came on showing that I had not made any dramatic mistakes so far! Yet after hours of work, there is hardly anything to show for what I have done. The cables are all buried and the holes I made are covered up. Only an inconspicuous switch on a wall labelled ‘shower’ indicates that there is a hidden source of power running through the walls.
On the street on a winter’s day it is very difficult to tell the difference between an Adventist Christian and a person who does not believe in God. On the outside all humans look similar. Inside, I believe we are all ‘hard wired’ to connect with God. We are all created in the image of God with the capacity to relate to Him and one another. To extend this analogy, the essential difference between those who decide to follow God and those who have not, is that they have chosen to switch on the button that connects them to the Holy Spirit, the source of infinite power to live and love.
It will only be possible to have hot showers in our bathroom because the invisible cables are drawing on the electrical power supply. I needed help to put the cables in place. I couldn’t do this by myself. Christians must work together to create networks of positive relationships. When we are ‘switched on’ to God, we experience the privilege of showering His grace, love, joy and peace in our communities. Allowing the power and presence of God in our lives will change the multiple worlds in which we live. Let us pray that all of us will choose to switch on to the Source of infinite power each day and then be energised to bring the warmth of God’s presence into a cold world that needs us to reveal Him and make a difference!

Pastor Bernie
*(For those who are wondering about my competence to do this job, I should mention that I don’t compromise on safety issues, so followed all the instructions and will be calling an electrician to sign off my work.)

Pastor’s Page ~ December ‘09

carole — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:52:39 +0000

Dear friends,
It’s been snowing for a few days in Auchtermuchty, but we have a warm dry house, thanks to the good insulation in our newly renovated home and a useful connection to the national power grid. Fortunately our family is protected from the winter elements. Five decades ago life would have been much colder and damper in our old whinstone home. In 2004 we visited a reconstructed Scottish black house (taigh dubh) in the highlands. These single storey, stone-and-thatch buildings were the homes of rural Scots for hundreds of years. In the winter, the open peat fire burned around the clock to keep the home from freezing. There was no chimney, so the acrid smoke drifted up to the rafters and eventually through the straw of the thatched roof. There was a peat fire burning when we visited and I found myself bending down to avoid the thickest smoke. When it was cold, the cattle where brought into the byre or barn in the lowest part of the house and their body heat provided an early and very eco-friendly form of central heating! Their manure added another potent smell to the heavy, stifling atmosphere, and a degree or two of extra heat as a bonus.
The byre where Jesus was born was possibly as dark and smelly as an old black house. Can you begin to imagine what it was like for Jesus, the Son of God, to take his first breath in a place like this? Can you imagine what it was like for Mary to give birth in an animal shed? It is unlikely that Jesus was born in December, as the sheep were still in Bethlehem’s fields, but the barn could well have been chilly and damp.
Jesus chose to come and experience the normal hardships of traditional rural societies. Our Lord could have chosen a more comfortable and attractive birthplace, but he wanted to identify with needy, homeless and deprived people, throughout the world and down through the centuries.
The poor matter to God. At this time of year we are reminded of God’s generosity in giving up so much to save our world. Living in a time and place where we experience relative riches and comfort, it is our responsibility and privilege to reach out and share what we have with those who have less than us. When we connect with God’s heart for hurting, hungry and homeless people, he gives us compassion, and inspires our creative generosity. Through his love, we are called to give our money to the poor, our time to the lonely and our worship to the Saviour of the world. Paul says, ‘As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.’ Col 3:12
When we sit in our warm houses with our plates of food and water in the tap, we can thank God for all the blessings he has provided for us. List them all. Count them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done, and what he will continue to do.
May God be with you as you enter into a very blessed new year!

Pastor Bernie

Pastor’s Page ~November ‘09

carole — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:03:05 +0000

Dear friends,

I do get frustrated when journalists use words like ‘unprecedented’ to describe unusual weather conditions. It wonder if they think that just because they can’t remember a similar situation then this is a sign that things are far worse than ever! As a teenager, I remember hearing preachers using examples from the news to illustrate that life on earth is about to come to an end.

As many young people, I was a sceptic and an optimist. So much of life was getting better than it was when my parents were children during World War II. Are things really getting worse?

Just because the floods in Cumbria knocked out some bridges, does this really mean that the rainfall is much worse than on other occasions? Scientists are talking about the potentially disastrous effects of global warming. Perhaps they can be treated with the same scepticism that we have for reporters using exaggerated language to try to wake us up inevitable trajectory for our society.

Film makers are cashing in on our current uncertainty. ‘2012’ is a new film that predicts the end of the world in 2012 and worried teenagers are reported to be contemplating suicide as there is no point in living.
Christians have some great news at this time. First, Christmas is about commemorating the centre of earthly history, the coming of Jesus Christ, the love gift from God, to save the world and give us hope. When Jesus died and rose again, he proved that there is a God who can make meaning out of our life on earth. This same Jesus promised to return to save us all from the impending disaster.

So ~ was the rainfall last week really unprecedented? Philip Eden, the author of ‘Great British Weather Disasters’ says “The rains which hit the Cumbrian mountains last week were most certainly without precedent in the instrumental record, and that goes back to 1844 in this particular part of the UK.”

Global warming is pointing to a cataclysmic end for our civilisation. Am I overstating the case? We as Seventh-day Adventist Christians can say without reservation, that we are living in unprecedented times. And we can have hope that God will intervene as he has promised – just in time for us to be saved by his second coming. Let’s pray that this great day will come soon and all the suffering will be over.

May God bless you as you celebrate the first advent and look forward to the certainty of God’s unprecedented second coming.

Pastor Bernie

MP3 files, PowerPoint and reading list from Prof John Walton ~ ‘Forbidden Science’

steve — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:54:03 +0000

Below are links to various resources from Prof John Walton’s lecture ‘Forbidden Science and the Controversy over Origins‘, held at the Crieff Adventist Church on 11 November 2009.

MP3 files

The lecture, ‘Forbidden Science‘ (14MB, 58min)
The question and answer session following the lecture (5MB, 22min)

Presentation

The PowerPoint used during the lecture (23MB)

John Walton has also provided us with a suggested reading list.

Science, Philosophy & Intelligent Design

Phillip E. Johnson, Darwin on Trial, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1993.
Michael J. Behe, Darwin’s Black Box, The Free Press, New York, 1996.
William A. Dembski, The Design Inference, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998.
Jonathan Wells, Icons of Evolution, Regnery, Washington, 2000.
Paul Davies, The Goldilocks Enigma, Penguin Books, London, 2007.
John Lennox, God’s Undertaker, Has Science Buried God, Lion Books, Oxford, 2007.
Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath, The Dawkins Delusion, SPCK, London, 2007.
Thomas Crean, A Catholic Replies to Professor Dawkins, Family Publications, Oxford, 2007.
John Cornwell, Darwin’s Angel, Profile Books, London, 2007.
David Robertson, The Dawkins Letters, Christian Focus Publications, Fearn, 2007.
Anthony Flew with Roy A. Varghese. There is a God, HarperCollins, New York, 2007.
M. Beauregard and Denise O’Leary, The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul, HarperOne, New York, 2007.
S. C. Meyer, S. Minnich, J. Moneymaker and Ralph Seelke, Explore Evolution; the Arguments for and Against Neo-Darwinism, Hill House, Melbourne, 2007.
Michael J. Behe, The Edge of Evolution, Free Press, New York, 2007.
Keith Ward, Why There Almost Certainly Is a God, Lion, Oxford, 2008.
S. C. Meyer, Signature in the Cell, DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, HarperOne, 2009.
Norman C. Nevin, editor, Should Christians Embrace Evolution, IVP, 2009.

Scriptural Reliability

F. F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents; Are They Reliable?, 6^th Ed., IVP, Downers Grove, 1981.
I. Provan, V. P. Long and T. Longman II, A Biblical History of Israel, WJK, Louisville, 2003.
K. A. Kitchen, On the Reliability of the Old Testament, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2003.
N. Thomas Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, SPCK, London, 2003.
David N. Marshall, The Battle For the Bible, Autumn House, 2004.
James H. Charlesworth, editor, Jesus and Archaeology, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2006.
Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2006.
Paul R. Eddy and Gregory Boyd: The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition, Baker Academic, 2007.

New Atheist and Theistic Evolutionist Books

Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, Bantam Books, London, 2006.
Richard Dawkins, The Greatest Show on Earth, Bantam, 2009.
Christopher Hitchens, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, Atlantic Books, 2008.
Sam Harris: Letter to a Christian Nation, Bantam, 2007.
Daniel Dennett: Breaking the Spell; Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, Penguin, 2007.
Dennis Alexander, Creation or Evolution, Do We Have to Choose? Monarch, 2008.
Jerry A. Coyne, Why Evolution is True, OUP, Oxford, 2009.

Pastor’s Page ~ October ‘09

carole — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:00:22 +0000

Dear friends,

We all know that words are so important, and understanding them can be the key to experiencing the true meaning of a passage. Last week I became very curious when I was reading Psalm 91 and came across two words that I had frequently heard, but was not sure what they meant. In verse 4 God says that ‘he will cover you with his pinions … and that his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.’ What are ‘pinions’ and ‘bucklers?’

The pinion is the equivalent of the wrist joint in a bird’s wing. It enables a strutting bird of pray to bring its wings forward and create a circle of protection. You may have seen this on nature programmes when birds protect food from being stolen by other birds. Ps 91:4 gives us a picture of a God who covers us so that we are totally surrounded by his protection like eagle’s wings that can surround and protect their young.

A buckler is not a buckle for the armour as I thought, but a small shield that can be used both to defend and even attack someone attacking the user. Being lighter and more manoeuvrable, the soldier would have an advantage in certain combat situations over someone with a large and heavy shield. If God is like a shield and buckler this text is saying that God wants to protect us, whatever situation we are in.

As the Psalmist put it:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:1-4 RSV

It is my prayer that we will all experience the presence of our wonderful God who will protect and defend you in all the challenges of this month ahead.

Pastor Bernie

MP3 files of Dr Gunnar Pedersen ~ ‘The Bible as a Grand Story’

steve — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:23:22 +0000

MP3s from Gunnar Pedersen’s weekend study conference, ‘The Bible as a Grand Story‘, held at Crieff Adventist Church on 23-24 October 2009.

‘What is the beginning of the story?’ (23MB, 1 hr 37 min)
‘What is the Centre of the Story?’ (13MB, 56 min)
‘Jesus, the Lamb of God’ (7MB, 32 min)
‘What is the Goal of the Story?’ (14MB, 1 hr 4 min)
‘A 7-stage structure for the reading of the Bible’ (70MB, 1 hr 15 min)

Pastor’s Page ~ September ‘09

carole — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:56:04 +0000

Dear fellow servants of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Last week at the end of Sabbath School, I sat as a visitor in a small Adventist church in England. (My Sabbath plans had been unexpectedly changed!) There is a stereotype that ‘Southerners’ are not friendly so I expected there would be a time of quiet as the congregation waited for the beginning of the service. To my surprise, as I looked around, almost everyone was quietly talking to their neighbour. Old people were smiling in conversation with the young. Trendily dressed professionals were listening and engaged to those without work. A child was happily drawing on a work sheet lovingly supervised by a parent. Nobody was being ignored. I experienced a beautiful moment of wonder – holy awe.

The stereotype of southern coldness was shattered by the love of God showing in the members’ interactions. It did not take a degree in psychology to realise that these people really liked each other and enjoy being together. The pianist stopped playing, the worship leaders walked in, and conversations were replaced by a moment of silence as the worship time started. During the service there was a focus on teaching from the Bible and prayer. After the service ended, almost everyone stayed and talked together over drinks and snacks.

In Acts 2:42 it says after the Holy Spirit was poured out, the early church ‘Devoted themselves to:
1. The apostles teaching. 2. The fellowship. 3. The breaking of bread and 4. To prayer.

I came away from that service having experienced great teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer and I was truly blessed. How is your experience of church on Sabbath morning? What can you do to ensure that everyone leaves church on Sabbath having experienced the presence of God and the love of His family? Even though there are many different approaches to meeting together, let’s ensure that we do what the early church members did. With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and following the practices of the early church, I believe that God will really bless and grow all our churches.

Let us pray for the Spirit and love one another and trust that God will perform miracles of love among us.

Pastor Bernie

Pastor’s Page ~ August 09

carole — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:10:33 +0000

Dear fellow servants of our Lord Jesus Christ,

It has been a very eventful week for the Holford family. The move to Scotland has taken us a frustratingly long time, partly due to an unusual boundary issue over the drive of our ‘new’ home. So it was a wonderful answer to prayer, and a great relief, when we finally received the green light from the solicitor. Everything was set for a final sale on the 21st August. We confirmed the moving date with the removal company and Karen took a train to Scotland to collect the keys. Joel and I drove up on Monday the following week after tidying up our old home in Hemel Hempstead. Now we are unpacking boxes in our new home in Auchtermuchty, Fife. We thank God for bringing us safely to Scotland, in time for our son Joel to start school and finally to be with you all after such a long time apart.

I am writing this letter sitting in the car by St Andrews castle ruins. There is a GW inscribed in the road next to my parking place where the protestant preacher George Wishart (a mentor for John Knox) was burnt at the stake in 1546. In the country where we live, many lives have been sacrificed to ensure that the gospel of grace could grow in this beautiful land.

Today, our church has been commissioned to continue the reformation work in Scotland. This is an enormous challenge and I am both daunted and excited as I am looking forward to seeing how God is going to use us all for this task. As I review God’s leading in bringing us to Scotland and providing us with a home and a mission I am reminded of the temporary nature of all we do in our own strength. The ruined castle at St Andrews, with its tragic stories contrasts with the Psalmist’s words; ‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.’ Ps 18:2. ‘To the faithful you show yourself to be faithful.’ Ps 18:25.

I am deeply grateful to God who has shown that he is faithful to those who try to follow him. This may involve sacrifice, but our faithful Lord will be with us. We can thank God for our homes and his answers to all our prayers. At the same time I am looking forward to meeting you and hearing and seeing how God is working in your life as you serve Him. I am also really looking forward to hearing the vision that he has given you for your future. If I don’t see you in person, I hope that you will get in touch with me and let me hear about God’s direction for your life and the mission he has given you.

Blessings and grace,

Pastor Bernie

Pastor’s Page ~ July ‘09

carole — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:27:55 +0000

Dear Friends

For those who were not at the recent SM Day of Fellowship, let me introduce myself in a ‘back to front’ way by telling you about me. I am Karen’s husband and Bethany, Nathan and Joel’s father as well as Tim’s father-in-law. I am Alison, Graham, Colin and Robert’s brother as well as being Alec and Hedy’s son. My nephews and nieces from Australia, Denmark and London call me Uncle Bernie. To many I am defined by my familial relationships. Beyond that, many other people call me a friend, ‘pastor’, or colleague. However, the most important identity that I have been given is that of a ‘son’ by my Father in heaven.

I am passionate about the vision of the church in Scotland and the enthusiasm I am finding in the Scottish Mission to move forward in the strength of our Saviour Jesus Christ. I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, who is in all his children, to reveal his purpose and hopes.

I believe we are living in the time of the end when old and young will have visions and dreams. (Joel 2:28) I am excited about hearing these dreams and visions that the Spirit has given to adults, youth and children as I will be meeting with many of you over the next few months.

This is an exciting time for me as I am looking forward to getting to know as many of you as soon as possible. I have a problem with remembering names and would appreciate it if you could help me out in any way you can!

May God bless us all as we dream His dreams for us all.

Pastor Bernie