They hated faith in God so much that they instead destroyed it and supplanted it with a humanist cult that vested all power in themselves and that—unlike true religion—was bound to die. Peter Hitchens
Quote for the Day
Author: newlifenarrabri
The Lord is near to you…
Reflection on Mark 1:14-20
Scripture
“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
Observation
After the arrest of John, Jesus goes into Galilee and starts preaching the Good News. He tells them that the time has come at last and the Kingdom of God is here. People must turn away from their sins and believe the Good News.
One day Jesus is walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He sees Simon and Andrew fishing. Jesus calls them to follow Him. They leave at once and follow Jesus.
Further along, James and John the sons of Zebedee are repairing their nets. They also leave everything to follow Jesus.
Application
When God’s kairos time or anointed time comes, everything changes fast. People start to respond to God’s call, leaving everything behind to follow the Lord.
And this was God’s appointed time, predicted, hundreds of years before by the prophet Daniel. The Messiah had long been promised and was now here.
What should we do when God starts to move?
Firstly, we must abandon all thoughts of business as usual. God overturns our expectations in the blink of an eye.
Secondly, when He calls, go! Whatever the call is, don’t let family or business hold you back.
Third, turn away from your sins. God wants a holy people totally set apart for him.
Fourth, believes the Good News. The Good News is far deeper than “Say this prayer and go to heaven.” No, the Good News is that God will accept anyone who trusts Him and allows him to turn their life around.
Listening
Beloved, you humans have an ability to turn anything into dead religion. I placed my Holy Spirit in you to bring life into every situation Too many people, my people, live In unbelief, trusting in liturgy and church programs instead of me.
This is not to criticise church. No, I want you to continue to meet together and to build one another up. I love the way you praise me and honour me in your songs together.
Focus on me and listen to my Spirit, my beloved children, The Good News for you right now is that I am with you, I am in you, and I am among you.
Open your eyes to see the king!
Get rich- ride a bike!
School children cycle to school in Africa (credit: World Bicycle Relief)
From road.cc
Earning more, eating better and environmentally resilient: the impact of the bicycle in the developing world shown in new study
A two-year study from the World Bicycle Relief charity showed significant returns on investment and the bike’s power as a “catalytic tool”…
by Callum Devereux
Wed, Dec 03, 2025 11:19
The distribution of bicycles in Zambia, as part of a recent study, significantly enhanced the life outcomes of its participants.
The trial involved more than 1400 participants, including around 200 community health workers, and was held in Zambia’s rural Mumbwa District, west of the capital city of Lusaka. The study found that when adults gained access to bicycles –and were supported with trained mechanics and spare parts – the improvements were clear.
The two year randomised controlled trial began in 2023 and included Zambia’s most severe drought in decades. But the study showed that households with bicycles were found to have better food security and maintained higher incomes whereas households without bicycles experienced a marked drop in overall living standards.
As seen in the developed world, bicycle users were also found to rely significantly less on motorised transport and experienced productivity gains compared to those without.
Dave Neiswander, CEO of the World Bicycle Relief charity that distributed the bicycles and commissioned the study, said that the results showed the bicycle can be “a catalytic tool” which “gives people back their time, connects them to opportunity, and builds resilience that endures beyond crisis.”
Healthcare worker cycling in Africa (credit: Mana Meadows/World Bicycle Relief)
Nearly 70 percent of participants were women, with the study also examining social mobility and life satisfaction. After one year, women who received bicycles were found to have increased their life satisfaction by 11% compared to the control group who were not provided with bicycles, which WBR describe as “leading to greater self-esteem and decision-making power within households”.
After two years, women with bicycles were found to generate 43 percent more in monthly business revenue than women without.
Over the course of the study, WBR estimate that for every £1 invested in bicycle provision, it amounts to a return on investment of £14.70, measured not only in increased household incomes, but also higher rates of school attendance, and increased accessibility of healthcare.
IDinsight’s Junior Economist Kashif Ahmed, who produced the report on behalf of the WBR and analysed the findings, said “A nearly 15-to-1 return on investment places bicycles alongside the most impactful anti-poverty programs, delivering lasting social and economic benefits at a fraction of the cost.
“For policymakers and funders seeking scalable, evidence-based approaches, bicycles represent a proven, high-value solution.”
It’s not the first time that the bicycle has been seen as a key tool of social mobility, and the findings have also been echoed in the UK.
A Sport England-commissioned report last month found that the trial of distributing bikes for free in the most deprived areas of the country substantially improved people’s health, wellbeing and social mobility.
That study, endorsed by the Active Wellbeing Society, found an economic return of investment of £11.80 for every £1. Those trials also included “wraparound support” of bike lessons, maintenance and group rides free of charge.
Let’s go!
Quote for the Day
Atheist states have a consistent tendency to commit mass murders in the name of the greater good. Peter Hitchens
No one knows…
Today’s Bike Ride
A nice ride to Haire Drive this morning. #Narrabri #cycling
Quote for the Day
Utopia can only ever be approached across a sea of blood. Peter Hitchens
Reflection on Mark 1:9-13
Scripture
And a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
Observation
Jesus comes from Nazareth to the Jordan to be baptised by John. As Jesus comes up from the water. The heavens open up and the Holy Spirit comes and descends upon Him in the form of a dove. A voice comes from the heavens saying “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
Jesus then goes off into the wilderness where Satan tempts him for forty days.
Application
The accounts of the baptism of Jesus in the different gospels is a perfect text for understanding the Trinity. Here we have the Father, speaking from heaven affirming that Jesus is the Son, and the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove.
What a wonderful affirmation this was for Jesus to hear his heavenly Father speaking so warmly these words of love and acceptance over him.
One of the great social and emotional ills that befall many people, both men and women, is they lack their father’s approval or affirmation, This leads to a condition known as the orphan heart in which a person is unable to easily express love for others or to trust that they are accepted. This wreaks havoc in homes and in the church.
We all need to hear the words spoken by God the Father to Jesus and to receive them as God’s affirmation to us. “You are my beloved son or daughter and you bring me great joy.”
Listening
To know that you are loved by an earthly father is so important, It colours the way the view that people have towards me. If they perceive that their father was absent From their home or that they were emotionally cold towards them, then they feel in their hearts that I am the same towards them.
This is a lie from the evil one.
The solution is, is the spirit of sonship. Knit your heart to me. Assume in faith that I am who I say I am. Test me and see. You will know that I am a good Father, a loving Father, an awesome. God.
New Life Narrabri 