Minister's Message
October 2019

Dear Friends,

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

The Bible is full of inspiration and wisdom. The above proverb describes an attitude that is really at the heart of faith. I've just read a book by Jim Phillips entitled, The Key to Life: Living in Full Expression. To be clear, the challenge presented in this book is that our true purpose in life is to discover who we really are. I think most of us know the BBC series, where celebrities are shown the uncovered records and facts about their ancestor's lives. This popular television programme is called, Who Do You Think You Are? However, we can only really begin to answer the question of who we think we are by 'seeking the presence within the body.' The psychologist, Carl Jung wrote, "To live a rich life, we have to be in contact with our inner world." Towards the end of his life he stated, "I have never lost a sense of something that lives and endures underneath the eternal flux".

When Moses at Mount Horeb found himself in the presence of God, he asked how God should be referred to. God replied, 'I am that I am'. This is the eternal nature of God, who always has been and always will be. The awaiting revelation for each of us is to discover that we are not just the flux (flesh) of this world but that there is something of the eternal within each one us. Simply put, we are all spiritual beings. If only we could reflect this reality in our own short lives!

The problem appears to be that we find it difficult to accept a truth that ancient scripture takes for granted. In life we are given a label, an identity, or we each give ourselves an identity, we may think we have a reputation to live up to, or perhaps have a need to seek the acceptance of others by conforming to their expectations. But, in the end, none of this really works if we wish to live authentically, if we wish to experience the joy of living, if we want to become the person we really are. We can only do this when we fully understand that love is all there is, that God is love and that we are part of God. When we can trust in God with all our hearts, when we can see our connection to God, then we will know the path of our destination. As Jim Phillips puts it: "To be who you know yourselves to be is to allow the greatness and the glory that is within each one of us to be fully explored". Then, as the title of his book suggests, we will have the key to life, we will be living in full expression.

My best wishes as always,

Bob.