4 minute read
We are The 12 and
Sarah (support worker) Sandy (maintenance)
and willing to listen while not judging is key. Something I have discovered in recent years is that there is only one Judge, and we need to be sure we do not try and take that role from him.
Our reason for being is to journey with each person while they are with us and eventually see them move into secure housing, where they can continue to rebuild their life.
Some of our people have a faith, some once had a faith and others have
Claire and Service Manager Saul
never heard of Jesus. As we journey together, we discover more about him and what he can do for us, and the Core Recovery church model has helped us meet people where they are.
If you were to pop your head in the door, you might find yourself thinking, ‘That’s not church!’ But the church is the people who come together, and the worship is what we each have to offer. Our motto is ‘more than a place to stay’, and we try and make a sad situation as
good as it can be. I have always felt that if we can do it at home, then we should be able to do it in the Lifehouse. That’s why we do open-air cinemas, garden renovations, barbecues, pool, pizza and slipper nights, women of worth evenings, film nights, homemade cakes and coffee and MacMillan Cancer Support fundraising.
All this takes a good team, headed up by Service Manager Saul Jalland. Cleaners, kitchen and maintenance staff members, administrators, support workers, assistant support workers, specialist support workers, receptionists, night staff and chaplains all work together, giving of themselves to care for our residents.
There are challenging times – very few people thrive on community living and this can lead to tension. But, with a cool head and a calm heart, there is nothing that cannot be brought to a good conclusion when you have a team and community who are all working together to provide more than a place to stay.
Look forward in hope
Lieutenant Nazia Yousaf reminds us to focus on who God is
PSALM 146
IN today’s impatient world, we expect instant solutions to our problems. When results are not immediate, we become impatient. If solutions seem further down the road, we can be tempted to lose any hope that things will ever change. Let’s not lose hope, though.
Hope keeps us moving forward expecting that something will happen or that truth will be confirmed. Hope is future-focused and allows us to believe, and strengthens faith in the likelihood that it will be realised. We prefer to be hopeful but sometimes it can be so hard.
PAUSE AND REFLECT
The psalmist writes: ‘Blessed are those … whose hope is in the Lord’ (v5). What does that mean for us and how do we live it out?
I love how the psalmist just talks right to his soul when he praises the Lord and states his intention that this will be ‘as long as I live’ (v2). It is good to be reminded that God is worthy of our praise.
If we are honest, we don’t always feel like praising and worshipping the Lord. Our feelings change as our emotions are affected. We need to focus on who God is and seek to understand his ways.
When we prioritise God in our lives, we are truly worshipping him. Then his words are more important than those of others and we put his plans and purposes ahead of our own.
Jesus reminds his hearers of this when he commands: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ (Matthew 22:37).
PAUSE AND REFLECT
When hope is lost, how does this affect our worship? How can worship give us a renewed sense of hope?
Honest self-examination can be healthy for our soul, but we often neglect what could be our spiritual strengths, while ignoring – or excusing – our shortcomings or even our sin. Remember what Jesus asks: ‘Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye’ (Matthew 7:3).
Is this something we need to fix?
Self-examination helps us discover who we are putting our hope and trust in. The psalmist warns: ‘Do not put your trust in … human beings who cannot save’ (v3).
We put our trust in our families, friends, governments and other people.
Through the week with Salvationist
– a devotional thought for each day
by Lieut-Colonel Brenda Oakley
SUNDAY
My hope is built on nothing less/ Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,/ I dare not trust the sweetest frame,/ But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. (SASB 662)
MONDAY
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (Psalm 146:1 and 2)
Prayer
Our Father God, we bring to you those in our world who have lost hope. We pray that through your Holy Spirit they will find Jesus and the wonderful hope of eternal life. TUESDAY
All my hope on God is founded,/ All my trust he will renew;/ Safe through change and chance he guides me,/ Only good and only true./ God unknown,/ He alone calls my heart to be his own.
(SASB 530)
