West Kirk Weekly

                                                                

Hello

Who would have thought that this week I am letting everyone know that our Church has all but closed down completely for the time being. On the instructions of The Church of Scotland all services have stopped as has everything else so please do not come along to the church this week and pass this information round to your friends. Better to be told 2 or 3 times than to come along on Sunday morning for a wasted journey.

We are unsure how long this will be for but certainly into weeks and I will keep you informed all the time. This will be a difficult time for our church as we rely on our members for support. We are hoping to try to keep in contact with our members using this email, phoning those who perhaps have no computer and perhaps a note through some people’s door.

Please phone me or email me if you are in the house and are unable to get out for shopping and we will do our best to help.

Scripture: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5 (NIV)

Music has always been an important part of our life in our house. We love all kinds of music, but the music I love the most are hymns.

Here is one of my favourites, "To God Be the Glory." What a great hymn of praise to God. Another that has always been a favourite of mine, "All the Way My Saviour Leads Me." It tells about how Jesus leads us through the difficult times in our life. And another that is definitely on my list of all-time favourites is "Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine." All of these favourites have something in common They were all written by the same person -  Fanny Crosby.

When Fanny was six weeks old, she had an eye infection. Her regular doctor was out of town, and a man posing as a doctor gave her the wrong treatment. Within a few days, she was blind. If that happened to me, I am afraid I would be very bitter and I would probably spend a lifetime feeling sorry for myself. Fanny was never bitter and she never felt sorry for herself. When she was only eight years old, she wrote this poem:

Oh, what a happy child I am,
Although I can not see.
I am resolved that in this world,
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't.
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot and I won't!

Instead of being bitter and feeling sorry for herself, Fanny used the gifts that God had given her to write over 8,000 hymns and poems to praise and glorify God.

One day Jesus was walking with his disciples when they passed by a blind man. When they saw him, the disciples asked Jesus who was to blame for the man's blindness. Was it because of his sin or was it because of his parent's sins? Jesus answered them and told them that no one was to blame, he was blind so that God's works could be shown in him. Then Jesus healed the man and the people praised and glorified God for his goodness.

What about Fanny Crosby? God didn't heal her blindness. Perhaps if God had healed her, she might never have written all of those beautiful hymns -- and the world would never have heard of Fanny Crosby. She used the tragedy of her blindness to glorify God. I pray that tragedy will never come into your life, but if it does, remember that everything that happens can be used to praise and glorify God!

Dear Lord, the difficulties in our life seem small when compared to what others may be facing. Help us not to grumble and complain, but to praise and glorify you in every situation. Amen.

Continue to pray for our many church friends – Kerry, Sylvia, Sheena and Bill, Isobelle, Agnes and Bill, Gil and Sheena, Margaret, Margaret and Jean Mackay. Please also remember Edith and Lawson in your prayers.




I know that all our friends are pleased to know they are remembered by their church family each week.

If you want to add anyone to the prayer list, please let me know. I know that folks do appreciate your prayers and many people have said that knowing others are praying for them helps them get through some days.

Please keep in touch

God bless.

Laura,

Laura Fleming- Session Clerk

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