Mark and Helen Smith

The Silversmith

I found this posted on a Facebook forum and thought it definately merits a blog post:

Malachi 3:3 says: ‘He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.’

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. Continue Reading…

Holy Sex!

Have you every noticed that Christians are often very embarrased about anything to do with sex? The thought  of a Sunday sermon about sex just doesn’t fit, somehow. But why should that be, when all around us people are surrounded by images, adverts, suggestions and influences, primarily geared around sex? Of all the issues people face today there can be no doubt that this is the big one!

So being the brave pastors we are, Helen and I decided to face it head on and stage a seminar at our Church, called, ‘Holy Sex!’ It should be interesting, to say the least. Fascinating to see people’s reaction in the congregation when we first announced it a few weeks ago; mmmm – whisper, whisper, chat, chat, giggle, giggle!

Doing some research, it’s very encouraging how many Christians are actually talking frankly on the subject – loads of great books, forums, websites and teaching series.

We’ll be covering issues such as:

• The meaning of sex in the context of covenant and the Jewish Tabernacle

• The nature of sex – why it’s so emotive

• Sexual sin and guilt from the past

• Dealing with sexual pressures

• Sex in the context of marriage and relationships

If you’re in the Dumfries area, come and join the seminar – Friday 11th December, 7pm at the River of Life Christian Centre, by Dumfries Station.

New Wineskins for New Wine

There are three accounts in three of the four gospels, where this message from Jesus is recorded. We can assume that when most of the gospel writers cover something, it’s not just important (all of Jesus’ teaching is important), it’s vital. What we are dealing with today is of vital importance, in order for Christians to function as we are called to, and for the Church to be all we are called to be.

See Matthew 9 v 16, Mark 2 v 21-22 and Luke 5 v 36 – 39.

We’re taking Luke’s passage; it says slightly more than the other two.

³⁶He told them this parable: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. ³⁹And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ “

The context is that Jesus chooses to associate with ‘Tax Collectors and sinners’. Not only that, but he actually visits the home of Levi (later called Matthew), who has called together all his tax collecting and sinning friends. Levi was probably very frowned upon by the Pharisees because, as his name suggests, he must have been of a priestly family – priest turned tax collector was a real indictment. Continue Reading…

This Church has got it!

We’ve just got back from a superb four days with Dan and Hanna in Stockholm, Sweden. The weather was awesome – really sunny and warm too. So different from how it’s been over there all winter.

While we were there, we got the chance to visit their Church – Hillsong Stockholm. It was totally inspiring – we visited a few months ago and it was good then too, but they’ve grown, matured and moved premises. They now meet in a renowned Stockholm night club – GK, close to the city centre. How cool is that – Church in a night club!

I find it amazing that some Churches manage to find their niche and develop a positive ethos which enables them to go from strength to strength. Hillsong Stockholm is one of those. Some of the key points are that they confidently raise up young people to take responsibility and release people’s creativity. Pastor Andreas has stayed faithful to God’s call through thick and thin – now it’s paying off. Everyone is encouraged to be real with their Christianity – no false ’spirituality’, but honesty which draws people to the thing which motivates them – relationship with God.

So if you’re ever in Stockholm on a Sunday – look them up – easy to find at hillsong.se.

Our wee nephew, Alex

Last Sunday, Mothers Day, we had a fantastic time with Helen’s brother Ramsay, partner, Catherine and their 17 month boy, Alex. He’s rather cute and at that stage of life where everything is ready to be discovered!

Here’s a link to a ten minute video of Alex:

Live life “full on” … or … Do what you do to the very best of your ability

Ecclesiastes 9: 7-10

⁷ Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favours what you do. ⁸ Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. ⁹ Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun- all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labour under the sun. ¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going; there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

Live life to the full.

Ephesians 6: 5-8

Serve wholeheartedly – not as slaves who have to and get no reward, but as people who honour and love God in all they do.

So much depends on our attitude to life and its challenges … whether we serve “because we have to” or “as unto God”  makes a big difference! Continue Reading…

You’re bigger than you think you are!

Mark talks about the way in which we usually run ourselves down and therby miss out on the opportunityto rise to God’s calling.

To Sweden and back for 2p each (incl taxes etc.).

It’s amazing – Helen was browsing on-line last week, thinking how nice it would be to go an see our son and daughter-in-law in Stockholm. We keep in touch a lot, but they are so far away. Things are really going great for them over there, especially with the Church – have a look at www.hillsong.se. They’re growing at a speed of knots and Andreas, the Pastor is a fantastic leader – pointing everything to God. They meet in one of the most notorious night clubs in Stockholm – hiring the whole venue every Sunday for Church!

Anyway, back to Helen surfing for flights. She came upon a Ryanair flight for 1p each way; 2p return and, if she selected no checked in bags, online check-in, no insurance and used a Visa Electron card, there were no taxes or extras – so all five of us get to fly to Sweden for 10p in April! Three cheers for Ryanair – I just hope they don’t go bust before we fly!

Job – helps us to stay positive

The book of Job is a great inspiration when life isn’t going too well! Here are some thoughts, which may help you, if times are a bit hard.

Job 1

We see Job as a righteous man … upright before God. He was very wealthy, Godly, and cared about the right things.

v.6:  God has a conversation with Satan and is confident that Job is undergirded with the principles that make a Man of God … it’s not “stuff” or blessings alone. Satan is given leave to test him.

Total disaster befalls Job… he loses everything… all of his livelihood, his workers and his children, but he blesses the name of the Lord and doesn’t blame God.

Job 2

He loses his health … yet despite his wife’s encouragement to curse God and die, he refuses to blame Him.

So how did Job respond to these very negative situations? Continue Reading…

What an amazing wedding!

So it all happened! Rebecca and Emile are well and truly married. Two ceremonies – one a low key CofE marriage service in St Matthew’s, Fulham, the other, a big celebration in The Crypt on the Green, Clerkenwell, Central London.

What can I say? Well I could explain all the details of the way it looked, who was there, what we did, but that can come later, with pictures. I’d rather talk about the experience … what it felt like. As the bride’s dad, for me it was an incredibly emotional experience, in a really nice way. Travelling with my daughter, in a London cab, to her wedding was just an amazing start, then to walk her down the aisle, her arm on mine, in front of all her friends and family, then to hand her over to her husband – so right, and all I could have dreamed of for her.

Did I cry? Why, yes! Impossible not to on the happiest day of her life!

Mark.