Because You'r Worth It!

Each month I have the opportunity to write something on behalf of Yelvertoft Congregational Church in the local Parish Magazine.  Some of these articles have also been published on my other blog at barryosborne.blogspot.com.  But I thought you might appreciate reading a sample here.  So this is the article for February 2013.

L’Oreal’s famous slogan has gone through two subtle changes due to consumer psychological analysis, but basically it is still saying the same thing.  Yes, the products don’t come cheap but you deserve the best. And it’s a slogan that has been working well for most of the past decade for the world’s largest cosmetic and beauty company.  Had you noticed the changes?  It started out as “…I’m worth it” and became “…you’re worth it” before warping into “…we’re worth it”.

Behind the slogan is the assumption that we all like to be valued.  We want to be loved for who we are.  We want to matter significantly to at least one person. Even if we have self-confidence and a sense of self-worth, we still value having that affirmed by someone else.  However, there is something sad if that affirmation has to come from a commercial entity that makes its millions out of feelings of low self-esteem!

But, hey, you already knew that making people feel good was not their bottom line.  It does not compare with knowing that someone genuinely values us for who we are rather than how much we spend on their products.  That’s why experiencing the love of God is such a bonus in life.  The Christian life is so much more than dogma or theory.  God longs that we might truly know him and his love for us.

At the Congregational Church we have been giving thanks for our new kitchen, kindly donated.  The final phase in the scheduled alterations will be internal porch doors, and we anticipate that will take place any day.

Of greater value has been the privilege of providing support for several in the village who have suffered the loss of loved ones over recent weeks.  We do so as an expression of God’s love, for we are all genuinely valued by him.  Jesus Christ did not die on the cross because we deserved it, but because his love for us makes us truly worth it. Implicit in the cosmetics industry is the philosophy that we somehow make ourselves more desirable if we use certain products. But God loves us despite knowing the worst about us, and that’s a love that will never fade.

In our village we have experienced a significant number of deaths over the last few weeks and I value your prayers as, together with other members of the church, I seek to show God's love and share the gospel in these situations.

During the past week we held another of our Winter Holiday at Home programmes in Market Harborough.  Despite poor weather it was well attended.  Holiday at Home is not an evangelistic event other than it provides a context of showing that we care about the lives of older people in the community, and in that sense creates a context for witnessing to our faith in Christ.  Please pray for those that come and enjoy these occasions that their hearts will be open to the Lord,

This Sunday and next Sunday I will be leading the meetings at Yelvertoft.  On Tuesday I will be in HMP Gartree with the choir.  Last week we had an excellent time and I ask for your continued prayers for the prisoners who attend these sessions.  On Wednesday I will be part of the editorial team planning the next issues of the Country Way magazine

On Thursday we hold the next in our series of Bible Discussion Groups in the village as we explore 1 Corinthians 15.  I might have to miss this unless I can move an important dental appointment.  While those attending these encouraging sessions state that they value my leadership I delight in their enthusiasm to manage without me!

On Friday I will be taking a school assembly in the village of Lubenham.  But apart from these activities there is still a significant amount of administration for Sunrise Ministries, Rural Mission Solutions, the Rural Evangelism Network, and Action for Christ.  I will also be preparing for the Rural Mission event for the Baptist Union of Wales on Monday 28th January.

On a personal note, Doreen attended hospital this week for an endoscopy during which a polyp was removed.  We are still no wiser as to what caused a severe bleed a few weeks ago but the investigation has not shown up anything to cause concern.

Thank you for praying with us.  Your support is clearly very effective.  We give God our thanks and praise.

Barry