Hey All4God fans
Summer Madness (Northern Ireland's biggest and best Christian teen/young adult festival) is happening this weekend, and with worship from Paul Baloche and Ryan Griffith, speakers such as Andy Hickford, Brian McLaren and Andy frost plus bands such as 29th Chapter, Four Kornerz and SixStarHotel it is shaping up to be one of the best SMs yet.

But there is more. Because All4God is excited to announce that at the SM bookstall you will be able to purchase Reflections, the collection of 45 devotions by All4God founder Peter McMurray, for just £5. The book is full of inspiring, challenging, raw, honest devotions that could be used as part of your quiet time, or just read through like a regular book. For added value there are also 3 appendixes of bonus content. (For more info check out: http://www.all4god.x10hosting.com/?p=164 )

SO if you are going to Summer Madness this year make sure you take a trip to the bookstall and check out Reflections - it'll make for some great summer reading, and give you some inspiration after SM has finished

Thanks,
Peter

1 Corinthians 1:26-27: “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.”

We may feel weak, unqualified, unequipped for the task God has called us to (either a specific, personal task or just the general task of making disciples of all nations). We may be worried, afraid, unsure. We may think we don’t have the skills, the wisdom, the faith. Good news! That means we are exactly the sort of person God calls, according to this passage. God doesn’t call the euipped, he equipps the called. If God calls us, though we may feel we can’t answer that call, we can be reassured that he will be with us, helping us (In Joshua 1:5 God reminds us He “will not fail you or abandon you“.)

So if you are feeling inadequate for the challenge of living all for God, in whatever shape that takes in your life, be reassured - you are! But God has called us specifically because of our inadequacies, so that all the glory for what we achieve goes to Him, not us, and so that we can be a shining example to non-believers as to what is possible when you put faith in God.

To Ponder

* Do you let God get the glory in your life, or do you try to take it?
* In what ways do these verses reassure you?

Mary’s Boy Child

I’m guessing you are probably pretty familiar with the whole Christmas story, including the bit where the angel Gabriel visits Mary and tells her that she has found favour with God and going to give birth to His Son, the Saviour of the world. (It’s found in Luke 1:26-38 if you want to read over it again.)

And the thing I want to focus on comes towards the end of that passage. I want to look at Mary’s attitude. And maybe before we get to that it would be an idea to look at just what was being asked of her. She was told that despite being a virgin she would give birth to a child – a scientific impossibility (at least until IVF made it theoretically possible). She was being asked to have a child out of wedlock in a time when society was highly religious, and getting pregnant out of marriage was one of the most taboo things she could have done. She would have had to put up with public shame and scorn. And to top it all she was expected to have faith that her child would have a kingdom that would never end.

I’m sure that most of us, if asked to go through that would try and get out of it, or try to argue that someone else would be better suited to that than us. That someone else would have a better level of faith. Yet look at Mary’s attitude: ‘Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”’ (v3
When asked to do something for God, she had a totally acceptant servant heart. She didn’t try and get out of it. She didn’t make excuses as to why someone else should give birth to Jesus. God asked her (through the angel Gabriel) and Mary said ‘Yes’ to God’s plan. She saw herself as a servant of God. She was willing to do whatever it took to serve Him. She was prepared to put up with whatever came along with that – shame, public rejection, the possibility of losing her fiancée (remember when Joseph found out she was pregnant he wanted to divorce her until the angel Gabriel visited him too).

So maybe this Christmas we can learn from Mary. Maybe we can strive to get an attitude more like hers. Possibly the greatest gift we can give to the world this Christmas is resolving to have a determination to be like Mary and just say ‘Yes’ to God, no matter what He asks, no matter what the consequences might be for our reputation. And remember the words of Gabriel to Mary – “Nothing is impossible with God” (v37). Whatever God is asking you to do, no matter how impossible it seems, strive to give it your best shot and let Him work through you to achieve great things, just like He did through Mary’s boy child Jesus Christ.