Phil Halstead writes...
Good Morning! I wonder what the phrase Good Morning conjures up in your imagination and thoughts. Pollyanna? Harsh words that disturb a deep sleep? A declaration of fact? A trite platitude? Or, something else?
I’m reminded of a statement I read once concerning Derek Prince. While serving at a medical post in the remote and harsh Sudan desert during the Second World War, it was said that “he continued to practice the lessons God had pressed into his life: the discipline of fasting, the power of Scripture, the necessity of thanksgiving, the impact of prayer, and the leadership of the Holy Spirit” (Mansfield, 2005, p. 105).
Why the necessity of thanksgiving? And why should we declare that this morning truly is a good morning if we are immersed in a mountain of work, essays, and deadlines? Well, perhaps it’s because God knows that giving thanks is good for us. Or perhaps it’s as Prince says: Giving thanks is an antidote to complaining, as well as a means of changing our hearts and focus. Or perhaps the Psalmist encapsulates it best: We ought to give thanks because God is good and His love endures forever (Psa. 136:1-2).
My guess is that many of us can readily agree with this rationale and can easily find a host of reasons to give thanks this morning and declare that the morning is good. If this describes you, give thanks! Yet, I also surmise that some of us are simply too hurt, tired, or overwhelmed to give thanks just now. If this describes you, if your experience suggests that this morning is not a good morning, why not tell God and a few trusted others in the hope of receiving their support.
And if like me you find yourself looking for fresh ways to foster an attitude of gratitude, why not pick up one of Calhoun’s (2005) ideas summarised below and see if it works for you:
· Start a gratitude journal in which you keep a record of the ‘Abundances’ God has given you;
· End every day by saying thank you to God for at least one thing in your life;
· Write a letter or an e-mail of thanks to someone; and
· “Practice abstaining from comparative statements about what you don’t have. Instead give thanks for what you do have” (p. 31).
Why am I banging on about focusing on thanksgiving this morning? Well, in many (but not all) ways we create our own realities and our thoughts, attitudes, and words play an important part in this; so, let’s thank God for something good in our lives and see how this helps us to have a good morning!
Calhoun, A. A. (2005). Spiritual disciplines handbook: Practices that transform us. Downers Grove, Il: InterVarsity Press.
Mansfield, S. (2005). Derek Prince: A biography. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House.
TUESDAY 1st
Community Worship 11:15am-12noon
Facilitated by Shaun Hutson
Speaker: Phil Halstead
Matthew 5:41
After Dinner Mints @ lunch
Paul Windsor: Needing little introduction to much of the Carey community, Paul is the immediate past Principal of the college and is the Associate Director of Langham Preaching International.
WEDNESDAY 2nd
Carey Prayer in the Chapel
12:40-1:00pm
Praying for the college, community, country and people. All welcome!
UPCOMING EVENTS
a) ‘Exploring Baptist Ecclesiology’
- What does it mean to be Baptist?
- Are there Baptist distinctives?
- What is a Baptist Church?
- What is the Baptist Gospel?
- What is Baptist Mission?
See website under upcoming events for more details on sessions.
Friday 18 June 2010
9:00am-4:00pm
Carey Baptist College, Auckland
Costs $20 (incl. lunch)
Please register your attendance to rachel.murray@carey.ac.nz or ph (09) 526 6598 by Monday 14 June.
Jointly hosted by Carey Baptist College, NZ Baptist Research & Historical Society and The RJ Thompson Centre for Theological Research.
b) An evening of Politics and Money with Dr. Ron Sider (Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry & Public Policy; Palmer Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania, USA.
Thursday 22 July 2010; 7:30 - 9:30pm
Coffee and Dessert
Cost: $15
Carey Baptist College
RSVP to rachel.murray@carey.ac.nz or ph 09 526 6598 by Monday 19 July
DUTIES
For those with assigned duties, this is Week 11 (an odd week!). If you are unable to carry out your duty for any reason please ensure you find a replacement to cover you. Thanks.
COFFEE!
Each Monday and Wednesday morning during the lecture break the Student Association will have the coffee machine up and running. $2/cup with all proceeds going back to the association to help them provide for the student community in the future.
LIBRARY HOURS FOR LAST THREE WEEKS OF LECTURES
The library will be open until 8:00pm on: Monday 31 May, Tuesday 1 June, Tuesday 8 June
COURSE EVALUATIONS
Course Evaluation forms need to be completed by the end of the semester (25 June) and returned to Neroli Hollis. For both distance and onsite students these forms should be in your course books. Distance students please post these back to Carey (PO Box 12149, Auckland 1642).
QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND
Monday 7 June is a public holiday which means that Carey (including the Library) will be closed.
The Library will be open as usual from 10am-2:30pm on Saturday 5 June.
2010 YOUNGMAN ESSAY COMPETITION FOR EMERGING LEADERS
Essay Competition (With $1500, $500 and $250 prizes) open to all students – see noticeboard for further details or go to www.laidlaw.ac.nz for further details.
SEMESTER TWO ENROLMENT
The Government has set a cap on the number of students that each tertiary institution can have. Carey is already pretty much full after Semester One in relation to numbers in government-accredited programmes. So Carey cannot take new students for Semester Two who want to enrol in our New Zealand Qualifications Authority-validated programmes.
New students can, however, still enrol in our internal Certificate of Christian Studies, but this will mean that no access student loans and/or allowances.
We are accepting new full-time students for 2011. If you have queries about this please contact our Academic Registrar on 0800 773 776 or registrar@carey.ac.nz
If you are aware of people thinking about enrolling for the first time at Carey in Semester Two please pass this information on to them or get them to be in touch with us directly.
Returning students
If you are not already enrolled in courses for Semester Two it’s time to start thinking about this now. You don’t need to wait and in fact it would be helpful if you got onto this sooner rather than later. If you area unsure as to whether you have enrolled already simply check with Neroli (registrar@carey.ac.nz or ph 0800 773 776).
Deadline for enrolment without penalty is Wednesday 23 June.