Landseer Road Methodist Church

09/06/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by David Stone

Continuing reflection on the Prayer Card from the Christian organisation called Medical Missionary News (https://mmn.uk.com). Saturday’s prayer is for STUDENTS

Please pray for the students that we are supporting in their medical studies, that they will be disciplined to give their best in their studies, despite all the pressures. Pray, too, that God will keep their desire to serve the local community alive and He will direct their future ministry.

With the prospect of higher salaries and better conditions in other countries, it is understandable if there is temptation to “adjust” their initial desire. Looking back over my areas of employment, I wonder if there have been occasions when I have changed ambitions for the wrong reasons.

When I hear criticism of landowners letting their fields for the installation of solar panels or even selling land for building, I have to challenge myself as to what I would do in a similar situation if offered a large sum of money, especially if it would not be possible to acquire that sum by working hard. I therefore find it understandable if students, wherever they have been trained, decide to move to another country to earn considerably more money and possibly with less stress.

I recall in the early years of my marriage, it was challenging to weigh the prospect of earning extra money with overtime, against supporting my wife with two young children. Reflecting over 50 years later, I recognise that sometimes I made the wrong choice. I, therefore, understand why a Christian organisation would value prayer for wise choices and decisions by those whom they sponsor.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we pray for anyone, including ourselves, who may be tempted to move to achieve better working conditions and salaries, unless it is in accordance with Your will. AMEN

If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]

08/06/2026

Today marks the start of the second week of the Ipswich Circuit month of prayer. We are lifting the future of the Ipswich Circuit and all the decisions that have to be made in prayer.

This week, we are especially praying for the circuit churches of Capel, Holbrook, Brantham, Chelmondiston, Elmsett and Bramford. Please pray for the circuit and these churches especially during the next 7 days. We are trying to have as many people as possible praying at 6pm each day wherever you are so if you can pray at this time please do :)...

08/06/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Liz Cope

Weeds and flowers

I was recently fortunate enough to go to the Chelsea Flower Show with some friends. We got to the gates for opening time, 8am, but even then there were many crowds all eager to get a look at the show gardens. What surprised me was how small, even the “large”, gardens were. The site was divided up into “large” and “smaller” show gardens, gardens with limited space eg balconies, indoor gardens, as well as many stands for garden related companies. (I’m not quite sure where the pearls and jewellery stand fitted in – perhaps the clientele who can afford the various garden accessories on sale!?)

As we wandered from garden to garden I was heartened to see that cow parsley and other wildflowers featured in several gardens, sitting proudly next to magnificent peonies. All is not lost – the weeds in my garden can stay!!

Jesus spoke of the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13. The kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who sowed good seed, but during the night the enemy came and sowed weeds amongst the wheat. As the wheat sprouted so did the weeds. Distraught the farm workers asked the farmer asked should we go out and pick all the weeds? No replied the farmer, because in doing so you will also pick some of the wheat as well. Let them both grow together, and when the harvest comes, the weeds can be separated and burnt and the good wheat harvested.

The cow parsley in my garden looks beautiful amongst the long grass, but in the autumn both need cutting back in order to get healthy grass the following spring.

In this world we grow alongside all sorts of influences, we cannot ignore them, and it is not for us to judge them. It is God who is the ultimate judge.

I will enjoy the wildflowers that grow, but there will come a time when they need cutting back.

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, we thank you for the beauty of your creation, for magnificent blooms that need care and attention, and for wildflowers that grow in our hedgerows and gardens. Help us to be witnesses of your love to those we meet in the world so that come the day we will not be cut down and discarded but will bear fruit for you. Amen

If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]

07/06/2026

Today at Café Church our theme was based around Pentecost and the fruits of the spirit. We started by celebrating birthdays for this month and then the puppets brought us a sketch telling us the story of Pentecost. Olive brought us a Holy Spirit dance that she had choregraphed herself :) as Olive danced around us, we joined in with our own prayer shakers.

We made fruits of the spirit bunting and the puppets sang us 'Pour Your spirit on us' based on a Def Leppard song :) Then the children all joined in with their instruments at the end as we sang My Lighthouse.

After the service there were plenty of craft activities and a lovely shared buffet. Our next Café Church is on Sunday 5th July at 10.30, we look forward to seeing you there :)

07/06/2026

Rev. Saul Tadzaushe brings us this weeks recorded sermon. The sermon can be viewed by clicking the following link https://bit.ly/3cpjlty.

07/06/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Rev Steve Mann

Sing to the Lord a New Song

Goodness, Love and Mercy


Oh Lord, You're my Shepherd

You make me lie in fields of green

You lead me by the still waters

You restore righteousness to me

Though I walk through the valley

I will fear no evil thing

For You are with me

And You comfort me

Surely goodness, love and mercy

Will follow wherever I go

Surely goodness, love and mercy

Will follow wherever I go

Surely goodness, love and mercy

Will follow wherever I go


I'm gonna dwell in the house of the Lord forever

I'm gonna dwell in the house of the Lord forever

I'm gonna dwell in the house of the Lord forever

I'm gonna dwell in the house of the Lord forever


Surely goodness, love and mercy

Will follow wherever I go

Surely goodness, love and mercy

Will follow wherever I go

Surely goodness, love and mercy

Will follow wherever I go


Bear Rinehart / Bo Rinehart / Chris Tomlin / Ed Cash

© Capitol CMG Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group

You can listen to the song here: https://bit.ly/3RIV0DD

We continue a series that seeks to take inspiration from the words of newer hymns and songs. In the last instalment, I introduced us to ‘King of Love’ which was the first of three songs we shall be looking at based upon Psalm 23. Here is the second.

It is co-written and originally recorded by Chris Tomlin who is responsible for many of the worship songs sung in churches today. The words take us fairly quickly through the Psalm, emphasising particularly its final verse:

Surely your goodness and love (translated as mercy in some translations) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is done through the repetition of two lines, ‘Surely goodness, love and mercy

will follow wherever I go’ and ‘I'm gonna dwell in the house of the Lord forever’. We sing out the truth that we are loved and protected both in life and in death.

You may we wondering the significance of the photo above. I took it recently on a trip to Cork and it’s a picture of my father’s house, at least the one recorded on his birth certificate. It’s a corner building on South Mall in the centre of Cork where his parents were renting rooms at the time he was born.

What comes to mind when you hear that phrase, ‘My father’s house’? Most likely you are thinking of John 14 where Jesus speaks about going on to Heaven ahead of us to prepare a place for us there. If that is so, you’re doubtless not thinking of it as a physical building, like my father’s house in Cork, but as an eternal spiritual reality. It might surprise you, therefore, that there probably was a physical building in the mind of whoever wrote Psalm 23.

Most people in Old Testament times didn’t have the expectation of an afterlife that we do now. Notice that the writer of the psalm only speaks of their own earthly lifetime – ‘all the days of my life’. Most likely they were thinking of staying close to the Temple (or the Tabernacle) which was said to be the dwelling place of God on earth. They had no expectation of that continuing in a meaningful way after death.

What a privilege it is that we have New Testament truth to add to Old Testament truth. What a privilege that our vision and understanding can be enlarged and our faith strengthened. What a privilege that we have Jesus to widen our expectations and give us the assurance that, when we put ourselves in the care of the Good Shepherd, it’s a relationship that will never be broken.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I long for that day when you will lead me on to your Father’s house where there is a room and welcome for me. Until then, may I find goodness, love and mercy in my daily walk with you to such an extent that it overflows into the lives of all those that I meet. Amen.

If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]

06/06/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Tanya Pearson
www.ellel.uk

God Knows

“He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.”
Exodus 2:25, NLT

I enjoy reading different versions of the Bible for my devotions, because when a familiar story is told in a different way, it catches my attention. I was reading Exodus recently in the NLT version, and today’s verse really impacted me, especially where it says, ‘He knew it was time to act’. The KJV says, ‘God had respect unto them’. The NIV says, ‘was concerned about them’. The ESV says, ‘God saw the people of Israel – and God knew’. The original word translated ‘knew’ is the Hebrew word ‘yada’, which implies intimacy, care, concern, knowledge, and action.

God knew that the time had come for Him to act and set His people free. He knew they were ready. They did not realise that they were ready. Moses didn’t realise that he was ready. In Exodus 3, when God talks to Moses from the burning bush, Moses tried to convince God to send someone else to lead the people. But God knew that Moses was born to lead the people out of Egypt.

Later, the people were upset with Moses, because Pharaoh made their work harder after Moses talked to Pharaoh about letting the Israelites go. Exodus 6:9 tells us, ‘So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery’. But still, God knew, and He rescued them from Egypt in a mighty way.

I encourage you today that God knows you intimately, personally, and caringly. He wants to act on your behalf. And He knows what you can do. He will never give you more than you can handle with His help. When you are discouraged, think about how God rescued the Israelites. He will surely bring you out too!

Prayer - Father, thank You that You know me intimately. You know what I am ready to do. You know how I feel about everything. Please help me to be obedient to Your call on my life. Help me to trust You more. Amen.


If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Christine O’Neill

Praise and thanksgiving

It is good manners to start our praying with praise and thanksgiving. Praise to God for who He is and what He does in general and thanksgiving for what He does for us in particular. We praise Him for His greatness and thank Him for His goodness to us in particular. Both involve vocalising our feelings and are the direct gateway to God. Psalm 100:4 says “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.” The gate leads into the courts, the courts lead into His Presence. You get through the gates with the passport of thanksgiving ,and through the courts with the visa of praise. Then You are there.

It is beneficial for us to constantly review who God is – His Nature and Attributes and what He has done for us in the past. It is humbling and makes us eternally grateful. It puts us and keeps us in our place. It has the psychological effect of making us love Him more as it builds our faith. As we remember what He has done, it is easy to believe that He will do what we ask next.

Prayer - O God, We praise You for who You are. Creator, sovereign Lord and Saviour. We thank You for establishing Your Church – for keeping it through the years and the changing scenes of life. We think particularly of our churches at Museum Street, Bramford Road and Landseer Road. We thank You for their particular ministries and we pray that You will show us the way forward. We praise You for how You have provided financially for our circuit and churches through years of war, scarcity, recession and illness and we thank You that You are the same God who will provide in the future. Show us Your way, Amen


If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]