SA Divisional Envoyship - keeping the Faith - Duncan and Carol Starbuck

24/05/2026

Today as a church we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit - Holy Spirit you are welcome here, come flood this place and every place we find ourselves 🙏

8K likes. "God Sends the Holy Spirit"

08/04/2026

❤️

Looking back

‘Jesus . . . said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”’ Mark 5.19

If Jesus told you to do this I wonder what you would say? Although you know that God has been good to you, I wonder whether you would find it challenging to say exactly how?

There is a long tradition in Christian spirituality of ‘examining’ ourselves. We often take this to be an invitation to dig around for hidden sins, but an excellent aspect of self-examination is to look for touches of God’s mercy and to spend time recalling both the general and specific things that he has done for us.
God is merciful. He does things for us that we certainly don’t deserve and that he doesn’t have to do - but he does them all the same. Many of these things may well happen without us paying too much regard to them, and we may not even recognise them as touches of his mercy.

Take a few minutes to think about the past day and begin to call to mind touches of God’s mercy – things that have happened which you neither deserved nor ‘earned’ - and give thanks for them.

www.healingmission.org | www.encounterprayer.net



© John Ryeland

04/04/2026

The journey Jesus took in his final days has always challenged and I have always felt it deep in my heart and soul.

Whatever season of life we find ourselves in we can not help but feel that feeling deep inside, the feeling of disbelief that human’s can treat each other in such barbaric ways.

Yet we see many many times throughout our lives the suffering humankind afflict on other humans.

Yes, it’s been Friday and Sunday is coming, but I wonder how many of us feel the pit of despair at the behaviour of our world.

We see the good, yet we are reminded through the final days of Jesus how low and soul destroying behaviours around us can be.

Our hope is in tomorrow, through the resurrection of Jesus, the miracle of the days before us in which Jesus appeared to those who believed before his ascension to heaven, to sit at the right hand of his father God.

As believers we are often ridiculed at believing that humankind treated Jesus in this way, the fear the disciples would have felt as they wondered if they would be next.

“Why does religion have to get involved with Easter?” Is one opinion we have heard this Easter time, in which the reply was “without Jesus there would be no Easter”.

As resurrection day approaches may we feel the joy of new life, new hope and the promise of eternity.

May we live our lives transparent so Jesus can be seen in our world, wherever that takes us.

Lord as we journey through this Easter time may we take time to pause, to reflect on Jesus sacrifice on the cross, for each and everyone of us.

Help us to be your light, to shine for you, to help those who don’t know you realise life with you
brings hope, love and joy!

We thank you for your provision, for your love, as we journey through the next few weeks may we continue to reflect on the cross, the sacrifice Jesus made and the hope in the future as we invite your Holy Spirit to go before us and with us as you guide us in the way you have planned.

In your precious name
Amen

29/12/2025

2025 brought new challenges, some of these we were able to plan for, others came to our door completely unexpected and impossible to plan for.

Sitting in the midst of those around us’s trauma, reality requires a high level of humility, grace,
prayer and love!

Life is a journey, long in the road we sing in a well known SA choir song, life is a rollercoaster at the same time!

We pray love is at the heart of our world, however messy at times it seems.

Forever grateful for those who love us and our faith in our God who forever holds us!

Thank you Lord

😍❤️🙏

28/12/2025

Reflecting on what 2025 has brought to our lives, remembering we are held in each moment.

Worldly ways take our energy’s and sometimes hopes away.
Thank you Lord for everlasting hope and knowledge that in you our hope is found, our stress and anxiety are very normal reactions where your love is seldom sought out.
Where possession and wealth has become more important than love, light and kindness!!

🙏

🙏

"For I know the plans," said the Lord.
"Why not I?" asked the child.

"Because you could not handle seeing them," He replied.

“For I know the plans," said the Lord.
"Why not I?" asked the child.

"Because you will want to skip over the hard parts," He replied.

“For I know the plans," said the Lord.
"Why not I?" asked the child.

"Because you will miss the opportunities for growth," He replied.

“For I know the plans," said the Lord.
"Why not I?" asked the child.

"Because your faith would not be necessary," He replied.

“For I know the plans," said the Lord.
"Why not I?" asked the child.

"Because you might think you would know better," He replied.

“For I know the plans," said the Lord.
"Why not I?" asked the child.

"Because I need for you to trust and rely fully on me," He replied.

“For I know the plans," said the Lord.
"Why not I?" asked the child.

"Because I want to prosper you, and not to harm you. I want to give you hope. I want to give you a future. And, because I love you. Because your eyes could not handle, nor could your heart, to see all the plans I have for you, My child. But, if you could just trust, and of the control, simply let go; you could never imagine the places we could go."

♥️♥️

Gracefully Woven by Elizabeth Spenner

02/12/2025

The truth of fostering children is sometimes hard to bear, our church plays a big part in our lives and therefore the children in our care!

As we live in the moment, caring for precious souls that as time ticks by will eventually move to the next plan made by strangers in a court room or as a result of a decision made in court we are so very grateful for our church family who see us, support and love us all.

Those times when we just carry on regardless, for the love that is shown both practically and emotionally.

Fostering precious souls is a rollercoaster of emotions!

Thank you Lord 🙏🙏

There is something I want to say with a tender heart.
Something I say as someone who loves the Church
and believes deeply in what God can do through His people.

And I say it softly
because I know my words can come out strong.
I have been known to call out truth
and people sometimes take it as an attack.
But this isn’t an attack.
This is love.
This is invitation.

James 1:27 has been resting heavy on me.
Not as a verse to decorate a wall.
Not as a mission statement for a ministry.
But as a reminder of what God actually said.
He called caring for the vulnerable pure religion.
He did not call it a suggestion.
He did not call it a hobby.
He did not even call it a personal calling.
He called it a command.

I say that gently
because I never want anyone to feel guilted into something God didn’t ask of them.
Not everyone is meant to adopt.
Not everyone is meant to foster.
But every believer is meant to care.
Care in real ways.
Costly ways.
Jesus shaped ways.

Sometimes that looks like opening your home.
Sometimes it looks like standing beside the families who do.
Sometimes it looks like easing a burden
or praying over a child you may never meet
or showing up for the hurting with presence instead of opinions.

When I look at the life of Jesus,
He always moved toward pain.
Toward the lonely.
Toward the ones who had nowhere else to go.
And if we are following Him
really following Him
our lives will start to point in that same direction.

This is not me calling out the Church.
This is me calling the Church up.
Up into compassion.
Up into courage.
Up into the kind of love that feels like Jesus
and looks like obedience
and sounds like revival in the quiet places.

If we pray for God to move
we have to be willing to move with Him.