news letter april 2012

8/2/2019 News Letter April 2012

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From the Vicars DeskMy Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Why do we love God? Do we love god, because He

is the dispenser of heavenly goodies? Do we love God,

because He is God? A life full of profit would pack the

churches. Jesus did not do a thorough market research

before He decided to launch his mission of the Kingdom

of God. But Jesus did consider the options. Jesus was not

willing to prostitute his divinity by dazzling the masses or by building a following based on free food (Matthew 4:

temptation of Jesus). Loving Jesus for stones turned into

bread is like loving our cow for grass turned into milk. To

love God as God is to follow Jesus on the way of the cross

and not just in the Palm Sunday parade and to allow the

spirit to fashion us.

Let me conclude with the words of Mathew Fox

( Meditations with Meister Eckhart , 1983), Some people, Iswear, want to love God in the same way as they love a cow.

They love it for its milk and cheese and the profit they will derive

from it. Those who love God for the sake of outward riches or for

the sake of inward consolation operate on the same principle.

They are not loving God correctly; they are merely loving their

own advantage. Let us genuinely love God, because He is

our God!

May God bless us!

With love and care,

Mothy Achen

!

The Mar Thoma Parish Perth www.perthmarthoma.org.au 1

PARISH MESSENGERThe Mar Thoma Parish Perth April 2012 Edition 4, Volume 12

Service Schedule

1 April 2012 Palm SundayService in Malayalam -9:00AM

1 April 2012 - Kaisthana

Samithi Meeting

02 to 04 April 2012 PassionWeek Evening Services 7:30PM

05 April 2012 MaundyThursday Service 7:30PM

06 April 2012 Good FridayService 8:00AM

08 April 2012 Easter Sunday

Service in English 7:00AM

15 April 2011 HolyCommunion Service inMalayalam - 9:00AM

22 April 2011 HolyCommunion Service inEnglish - 9:00AM

29 April 2011 Worship

Service lead by YuvajanaSakhyam Members - 9:00AM

Venue: Murdoch UniversityWorship Centre

(near Car Park 5)
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Parish Activities and Events


Birthdays April Wedding Anniversaries AprilValsa Mathew (1 April)Ben Komattu Mathews (3 April)Shilu Thomas (3 April)Anish Thomas Varghese (5

April)Babbin Susan Mathews (6April)Shaji Varukunnel Mathews (8April)Biju Daniel (9 April)Ankita M George (10 April)Shiney Thomas (11 April)

Leela Kurian (12 April)Maria Ann Philip (15 April)Elizabeth Ninan (16 April)Nikhil P Mathew (17 April)

Stanley John (19 April)Somin Jerry (20 April)Philin Mathew Philip (23April)Benny K David (29 April)oanna Ann Thomas (29April)

Prasad Mathew & Smitha Jacob (12 April)

Raji Mathew & Marine Thomas (18 April)

George Thomas & Moitree Dey Thomas

(28 April)

Benny K David & Susan Abraham (29

April)

May the Almighty Lord continue tothe year to come. Have a fantastic y

guide and strengthen you inar ahead!

May the Almighty God continue to bless yourfamily more and more in the coming years. Mayyou be an inspiration and example for others inthe days to come.

Sunday School

Sunday school on all Sundays

before the Holy CommunionService.Venue: Murdoch UniversityWorship Centre (Near Carpark # 5) Time: 8:00 AM

Sevika Sangham

The Sevika Sangham membersget together for fellowship

once in every three months.Please contact Ms. ShushanaGeorge for more details.

Edavaka Mission

Edavaka Mission meetings areheld on 4th Saturdays of everymonth. Please contact Mr. SamKoshy for details.

Senior Citizens Fellowship

Senior Citizens Fellowshipmeeting will be held on 28thApril 2012 at 12:00 PM. Please

contact Mrs. Mary John formore details.Yuvajan Sakhyam

Yuvajana Sakhyam meetingwill be held third Saturday ofevery month. Please contactMr. Vitty Jacob for moredetails.

Parish Choir

Regular practice sessions of the

Parish Choir are conductedafter the Sunday service atMurdoch University WorshipCentre. Those interested in

joining our Parish Choir mayplease contact the Choir Co-coordinator Mr. Philin Philip.

Area Prayer Meetings

North of River

Prayer meeting conductedfourth Saturday of everymonth at 6:30PM. Please

contact Mr. Sajan Jacob formore info.

South of Leach Highway

At the residence of Mr. BennyK David on 1st April 2012 at

6:00 PM. Please contact Mr.Shaji Mathews for more info.

North of Leach Highway

At the residence of Dr. Vijay

Lazar on 15th

April 2012 at6:00 PM. Please contact Mr.Jinu Johnson for more info.

Freo & Others

Prayer meeting conductedsecond Saturday of everymonth at 6:30PM. Pleasecontact Mr. Raja Gopal formore info.
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How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time

taken from a message given by Adrian Rogers

Oh how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119:97

Christianity is not a legal relationship, it is a love relationship. Ten thousand don'ts will never make youone iota more like the Lord Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Himself Who makes you like Him. But you need to spendtime with Him. I want to give you five factors for spending some quiet time with Him each day.

The Proper Period

You must find the right time. Your quiet time should last at least half an hour. But some time is better than notime, so if you cant start at thirty minutes, begin with ten. It should be your very best time. Don't give theLord your leftovers. And don't try to find time make time, and make it a priority. Also find time early inthe day. Psalm 5:3 says, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up. You don'ttake the trip and then read the map, do you? Spend time alone with God to begin your day.

The Proper Preparation

A quiet time is fellowship with a holy God. There are a few things you can do to be prepared for this time.First, be physically alert. Find a time when the cobwebs are out of your mind and you can think clearly.Second, be mentally aware. Be focused, and know Hes there. Emotion doesn't really have all that much to dowith it. And third, be morally pure and clean. Some people don't have a quiet time because they feeluncomfortable looking God in the face with sin in their lives.

The Proper Place

Find a place where you can focus. Jesus said enter into your closet and pray (see Matthew 6:6). That simplymeans find a place of isolation where you can shut the door on the world and open the windows to heaven.

Jesus sought out places where He could be alone, and so should you.

The Proper Provisions

In order to have an effective quiet time, you need the right tools. Here are some tools I use:

a readable Bible - Invest in one with plenty of room to jot notes in the margins.

a prayer journal - Expect God to give you something and write it down. Also use it to record things yourepraying about.

a notepad - Write down your daily assignments.

The Proper Procedure

Finally, may I recommend some procedures to follow in your quiet time?

Get still and quiet. The Bible says in Psalm 46:10, Be still, and know that I am God. Focus your mind onHim. Calm down, relax, and recognize His presence. Take a deep breath and focus your thoughts on theLord.

Get into the Word of God. It's better to start by reading the Bible than it is to start in prayer. It is moreimportant for you to hear from God, even than for God to hear from you. God already knows all about you,

but you need to know a lot more about Him.

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Read the Bible for quality and not quantity. Its good to have a goal to read the Bible through in a year, or asimilar goal; but that's not the purpose of your quiet time. Also, devotional books are wonderful. But again,this is not the place for them. This is the time when you simply read the Bible with an open mind.

Meditate. As you focus on the Word of God and meditate, let it permeate you. Ask:

Is there a command to obey? Is there a promise to claim? Is there a sin to avoid? Is there a lesson to learn? Is there a new truth to carry with me?

Record what God has given you. Write down what God says to you and what He tells you to do. It doesn'thave to be flowery. You're not writing it for publication or to impress other people.

Now you're ready to pray. When you pray, pour out your soul. Be natural and honest with God. Tell Him

how you feel. Pray out loud. It keeps your mind on track and enables you to stay focused.Begin to share out of your quiet time. God did not make us to be reservoirs; He made us to be cond uits. Tellothers what is God is showing you.

Finally, obey what God tells you. Your spiritual train is running on two rails. One is revelation and the otheris obedience. And if either rail stops, your train stops. Learn to obey the Word of God.

I pray these simple suggestions will help you have a daily quiet time in the presence of our loving, almighty,powerful God


From your Webmaster

Photos of Episcopal visit is available for download from Parish Website, Facebook and Picasa.

Creativity Corner started in our website to publish the creative eforts of our kids. See the link

below.

http://www.perthmarthoma.org.au/The_Mar_Thoma_Parish_Perth/Creativity_Corner.html
http://www.perthmarthoma.org.au/The_Mar_Thoma_Parish_Perth/Creativity_Corner.htmlhttp://www.perthmarthoma.org.au/http://www.perthmarthoma.org.au/The_Mar_Thoma_Parish_Perth/Creativity_Corner.htmlhttp://www.perthmarthoma.org.au/The_Mar_Thoma_Parish_Perth/Creativity_Corner.htmlhttp://www.perthmarthoma.org.au/The_Mar_Thoma_Parish_Perth/Creativity_Corner.htmlhttp://www.perthmarthoma.org.au/http://www.perthmarthoma.org.au/

news letter april 2012

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