God walks alongside us in the trials and mystery of life

I've lost count of the number of times people have said to me, '˜I'd love to have a faith like yours.'
Bishop Richard JacksonBishop Richard Jackson
Bishop Richard Jackson

Often that’s in response to a personal tragedy or unexplained event.

They can see the value of a personal faith, even if they don’t share that belief.

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For some people, it doesn’t matter whether our beliefs are true, only whether our faith is helpful.

Faith in that sense could even mean belief in spite of the evidence, or despite evidence to the contrary.

But Christians use the word faith very differently.

For us, it is staking our lives on something we passionately believe to be true.

The root of it is our conviction that Jesus rose from the dead.

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We believe the evidence for this historical event is compelling and have experienced the life changing reality of encountering Jesus.

As a Christian I do believe in the hand of God moving the world. But this is a personal God who loved me enough to die for me, and rose again to shout decisively that evil will never have the last word.

He is not like ‘The Force’ from Star Wars.

Jesus shows us that God walks alongside us in the trials and mystery of life and offers hope to all who trust in him.

Chichester Churches Together host ‘Stories from the Edge’:

Churches Together in Chichester have linked with a church in Beirut and Children on the Edge to support their work among Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

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On Monday April 25, from 7.30pm until 9pm they are hosting an evening at Chichester Baptist Church (Free entry).

It includes a chance to hear from the leader of the Beirut Church and the organisation that is running the schools, as she tells stories of change and hope. The evening will also include a time of worship and refreshments.

Redeeming our Communities – Family project in mid-Sussex:

Redeeming Our Communities is a charity that aims to bring about community transformation by creating strategic partnerships which open up opportunities for crime and disorder reduction and improved community cohesion. ROC brings together community groups, churches, the police, the fire service, local authorities and voluntary agencies to encourage them to work together in positive partnerships for practical ‘on the ground’ change.

This autumn they are launching a ‘ROC Family Mentoring Project’ in Mid-Sussex. The project is being run in partnership with local churches and the local authority.

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They’re looking for members of local churches who would be willing to undergo nationally accredited training and could give up an hour a week to support families over a 6-12 month period. If you are passionate about families and would like to be part of this exciting new project or would like to know more, visit www.roc.uk.com.

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