Rev Mark Houston

  A new month, a new day, a new hour or minute….we are never far from God’s love.   The new year gave us a re-set to do or to be better / different / kinder etc. but in God’s reality this is something we can do at any time.   The Julian calendar that we use to regulate the year bit of our time might work for us but I’m not convinced that God feels obliged to stick with it!   (He was around a bit before Julias Caesar!!!) Every moment, in reality, is a time to stop what we’re doing and re-set our thoughts onto God.   Not that I would explicitly recommend this when driving or performing open heart surgery, but perhaps have the re-set before getting behind the wheel.   Anyway, I’m not trying to be flippant here.   God loves us, God sent Jesus to teach us how to live as was His design.   Ephesians 2:10  (ESV): For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.   ...

  The ‘mid-month message’ is a few days early this time but there is something exciting I wish to share with you and I need to give you as much notice for it as possible. Please click on the link below about the National Week of Prayer.   It will explain how churches and Christian organisations across the land are coming together next week (12-20 October) to encourage those of us who call ourselves Christian to come before God in prayer and He will return to us (Zechariah 1:3). As part of our effort to join in with this national event there will be an evening gathering at St Marys on Tuesday 15 th .   There is already a meeting on Tuesdays from 7.30 until 8.30 .   On the 15 th the evening will stretch until 9pm, when we will conclude our time with a short service of Compline.   Please do come along at any time from 7.30, and be part of something special.           www.nationalweekofprayer.uk   SUNDAYS I...

  Dear friends. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Col 3:1) I came across this verse (again) recently and it has refused to let me go.   It creeps back into my memory at some point most days and so I have been wrestling with it, how it perhaps affects my life and if it might offer any direction to you as individuals or us as Church. We can appear to be very busy and often this can mean being very busy doing stuff, stuff for the church, stuff for God.   In those days do we ever stop, take a breath and think why we’re busy.   I love the music group at St Marys.   They meet in the week to prepare, they arrive in good time on Sunday to set up and then, in all of the busy-ness they stop, take a breath and pray.   They are setting their sights on things above rather than their ‘performance’ of the worship music.   I could spend from 8am to 5pm every wor...

Dear friends. I hope you have all enjoyed some rest over July & August.  I feel as if I had managed some times of relaxation & refreshment ... and then we brought a new puppy into the house!!!  Eddie is a 3 month old Border Collie who, along with 'big brother' 7 year old Kirkbie is bringing much excitement to the vicarage. On 1st September both churches (St Mary's in Allithwaite & St John the Baptist in Flookburgh) merge to become one group, or benefice to use the legal term.  I will be vicar of both parishes.  We will, of course, seek to continue the work of sharing the Good News story of Jesus with our other Anglican friends as well as our ecumenical partners on the Cartmel Peninsula.  But, I would say our top priority is to be God's 'hands & feet' in our immediate, local community.  Let us, by the way we live our lives, encourage the world weary to be intrigued by whatever it is that makes us different to them.  As our church communi...