{"id":2075,"date":"2019-01-06T15:00:20","date_gmt":"2019-01-06T15:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/?p=2075"},"modified":"2019-10-02T15:31:19","modified_gmt":"2019-10-02T14:31:19","slug":"ministers-letter-january-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/ministers-letter-january-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Minister’s Letter – January 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.<\/em>
(1st Corinthians 10:31 NIVUK)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The question, \u201cwhy?\u201d is an important one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It is often one of the most basic questions a person can ask. Children will ask things like, \u201cwhy is the sky blue?\u201d. The question, \u201cwhy?\u201d is frequently an attempt by one person to understand something. Granted, frequently asking the question over and over can become annoying (again, I am thinking of children), but it is nonetheless an attempt to gain understanding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How we respond to the question, \u201cwhy?\u201d is also important.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We could respond dismissively; \u201cbecause this is just the way it is!\u201d That may well end the line of questioning, but it will often leave the questioner dissatisfied. Indeed, if we think about it, we haven\u2019t really answered the question at all!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As Christians, I believe the question \u201cwhy?\u201d is one we should continually ask: of ourselves, and of the Church. Why do be believe what we do, or behave in the way we do? Why does the Church do certain things in worship and in service?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Equally, how we answer these questions truly matters. If the answer is, \u201cbecause it\u2019s always been this way\u201d\u2026 well, that\u2019s not good enough! We are not called to be unthinking automatons who mindlessly follow: we are the People of God, redeemed through His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should know why we do what we do \u2013 seen as we are meant to be doing it in His name!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I, therefore, encourage the question of \u201cwhy?\u201d. By reflecting on why we believe or do certain things, we will either reinforce that we are doing the right thing, or challenge ourselves to move toward the right thing. It is for this reason that our over-arching theme of 2019 is that question: Why? It is an invitation for us all to reflect on our Christian living, and on the life of our congregation, and to ensure we are doing the right things for God.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Because, ultimately, that is what matters. As we ask, \u201cwhy\u201d and reflect on the answer, we should eventually reach the foundational answer: we do this for the glory of God. It is the glory of God alone which should matter most to us as Christians, and it is His glory we should seek in all we do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If we are confident that what we say\/do\/believe glorifies God, then let us do it all the more. If what we say\/do\/believe does not glorify God, then we would do well to set it aside, so we can concentrate more on the things which do bring Him glory.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I pray God\u2019s blessing upon you as we begin this new year of reflection, asking the question, \u201cwhy?\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

God bless,
Stuar<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.(1st Corinthians 10:31 NIVUK) The question, \u201cwhy?\u201d is an important one. It is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[288],"tags":[231,229,230],"class_list":["post-2075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ministers-letters","tag-1st-corinthians-10","tag-ministers-letter","tag-the-glory-of-god"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1400%2C786&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8z2vw-xt","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2140,"url":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/ministers-letter-february-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":2075,"position":0},"title":"Minister’s Letter – February 2019","author":"admin","date":"8 February 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.(1st Corinthians 10:31 NIVUK) I was really struggling to find inspiration for this month\u2019s letter; but thanks to a walk, God gave me some! I had to pick up a parcel at the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Minister's Letters"","block_context":{"text":"Minister's Letters","link":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/ministers-letters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2214,"url":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/ministers-letter-may-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":2075,"position":1},"title":"Minister’s Letter – May 2019","author":"admin","date":"5 May 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I was asked to write the following article for the May 2019 edition of Life and Work. Since I know not everyone receives this magazine, I thought I would replicate it in this month\u2019s Informer. Enjoy! When I was first asked to write a piece reflecting on the experiences of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Minister's Letters"","block_context":{"text":"Minister's Letters","link":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/ministers-letters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1992,"url":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/ministers-letter-october-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":2075,"position":2},"title":"Minister’s Letter – October 2018","author":"admin","date":"13 October 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people\u2019s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ\u2019s ambassadors,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Minister's Letters"","block_context":{"text":"Minister's Letters","link":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/ministers-letters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2549,"url":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/ministers-letter-january-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":2075,"position":3},"title":"Minister’s Letter – January 2020","author":"Stuart Love","date":"2 January 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"9\u201cHave I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.\u201d (Joshua 1 NIVUK) This is our verse for 2020. Each year of ministry at Clincarthill, I have tried to prayerfully discern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Minister's Letters"","block_context":{"text":"Minister's Letters","link":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/ministers-letters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2089,"url":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/verse-of-the-year-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":2075,"position":4},"title":"Verse of the Year: 2019","author":"Stuart Love","date":"8 January 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Sermons"","block_context":{"text":"Sermons","link":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/sermons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/190106.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/190106.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/190106.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/190106.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/190106.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1972,"url":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/ministers-letter-september-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":2075,"position":5},"title":"Minister’s Letter – September 2018","author":"Stuart Love","date":"18 September 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3: 20-21 NIVUK) It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Minister's Letters"","block_context":{"text":"Minister's Letters","link":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/ministers-letters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2408,"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075\/revisions\/2408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clincarthill.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}