Recorded on Sunday 18th February with John and Pauline Bagg
Author: covvineyard
Life & Soul
In the early part of 2018, we will be journeying into the interior of our own lives and learning some of the practices that will enable us to thrive and bring life to others.
Transformed individuals transform culture.
We are to called to grow in our own spiritual lives, to be “formed”, becoming more like Jesus as we follow Him. But life has a habit of leaving us battered and bruised. How do we thrive in the midst of loneliness, isolation and disappointment? How do we live a life that is truly worth living? Your soul is the very centre of who you are and who you are becoming. In this series we will learn some practical ways to restore and heal souls, ours and those of others.
Discover how to strengthen and restore your soul…
1. Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
2. Psalm 23:2-4 “He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”
3. Psalm 42:2 “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
4. Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
5. Matthew 16:26 “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
6. Jeremiah 6:16 “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
2. Psalm 23:2-4 “He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”
3. Psalm 42:2 “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
4. Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
5. Matthew 16:26 “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
6. Jeremiah 6:16 “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
Some recommended reading:
Our soul is like a stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other area of our life. When that stream is as it should be, we are constantly refreshed and exuberant in all we do, because our soul itself is then profusely rooted in the vastness of God and his kingdom, including nature; and all else within us is enlivened and directed by that stream. Therefore we are in harmony with God, reality, and the rest of human nature and nature at large.
Dallas Willard, Renovation of the heart
Soul Train
Some Spiritual exercises to help you connect with God and nurture your soul:
Prayer of Examen
A Vision For Life (Part I)
In the first of a two part series, Nick looks at the vision for Coventry Vineyard. From the first God-given dream 20 years ago to today, Nick explains the vision and direction of our church and how Jesus is building a home in which we are “no longer strangers’ (Ephesians 2:16-22)
ESSENCE Part 9: Self Control
We’ve all experienced that moment of regret, in which we realise that we weren’t entirely in control. Be it in the office, at home or online, self control is an important thing and it affects more people than we think.
ESSENCE Part 8: Gentleness
Not to be mistaken for weakness, gentleness is a highly influential attribute with the power to change how our friends, family, colleagues and children act and react. This week Sid Farley wonders what it looks like to be a gentle person, how we can be more gentle more often.
ESSENCE Part 7: Faithfulness
Faithfulness comes in two forms: God’s faithfulness to us, and our faithfulness to Him.
More than just theology, our understanding of His faithfulness can change everything.
This week Sacha explores faithfulness with some exciting personal stories.
ESSENCE Part 6: Goodness
‘Good’ is a word we use every day, but what does ‘goodness’ mean? And when the dictionary doesn’t really help me understand, how am I supposed to do more goodness?? This week Clare goes in search of Goodness, and discovers that it might already be staring us in the face.
ESSENCE Part 5: Kindness
More than ‘just being nice’, kindness is a virtue innate to humanity. In this fifth instalment Andy asks: what belies true kindness as demonstrated by Jesus?
ESSENCE Part 4: Patience
This week, Clair Thompson takes a look at patience, finding that the things that test our patience might be the very things that grow our patience.
ESSENCE Part 3: Peace
There’s more to peace than just sitting on the beach with a good book, and Jesus makes it clear that we’re called to more than that. So how do we become these “people of the peace”, exuding something more than just earthly calm? Nathan Page takes us on a journey to a new perspective, from which we can see that God’s presence really is home, and that’s where we need to start.
Coventry Vineyard Blog 