Comment voulez-vous prendre votre retraite ?
Ministryâ is derived from the Greek word diakoneo, meaning âto serve.â Every believer is called into ministry to serve Jesus and His body. Jesus came to earth to serve others and calls us to follow His lead in selflessness and compassion for others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is human to seek after the cravings of our flesh, but in Christ Jesus, we can turn from old ways. The Holy Spirit empowers us to set our selfishness aside to follow Jesus in service of others. That kind of lifestyle starts with our mindset. Bible study and spiritual discipline allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds, shifting our focus to eternal and spiritual matters. The longer we walk with the Lord, the more able we are to hold up under the temptations of worldly thinking and fleshly desires. Our behavior and attitude change as God gives us the desire to love, obey, and serve Him fervently! Selfish living isnât an option for Christ followers! In dying to our selfish ways, our lives bring glory to God. We may feel pain and joy as the light of God shows up in other peopleâs lives. He does not leave us to our strength to follow the command to love and serve one another. God empowers us to surrender to Him and His ways entirely. Our love for Him and others will grow stronger with each obedient step. Every passing day, by Godâs grace, we mature and cultivate a heart to serve others for His glory! Who is God asking you to serve? What selfish desires do you need to put aside to put someone elseâs life before yours? Are you too busy or distracted to serve or pray for others? Letâs take some time and write down those who might come to mind. Who can you minister to, even if it is just a simple phone call to encourage someone or invite a new couple from your church over for dinner? May God empower us to choose others above ourselves and show the love of Christ with great compassion.
Prayer:
Written by âEducation for Justice,â a project of the Ignatian Solidarity Network that brings social teaching resources to worldwide users.
Sharing the loaves and fishes,
You gave us an image of solidarity with the hungry, O Lord.
Sharing yourself in the bread and wine,
You called all to the table, O Lord.
Give me the hunger to be a part of the feeding
And the healing of this world.
Nourish me with your Grace,
So I may work with joy to serve your children.
Open my eyes and my heart
To recognize those in poverty
And increase my awareness
Of the structures and systems
That need to be changed
So we may all break bread together.
In your name we pray for the end of hunger. Amen.

Les sommets du Cheshire, bien que moins connus que ceux du Derbyshire, offrent des vues imprenables qui peuvent aller jusquâau Mont Snowdon â par temps clair, jâajouterai. JusquâĂ prĂ©sent, je nâai vu que Manchester et les plaines du Cheshire. On ne peut quâespĂ©rer! â ainsi que des forĂȘts de pins et des villages pittoresques.
Ce qui a commencĂ© et devait ĂȘtre une promenade moyennement difficile sâest avĂ©rĂ© ĂȘtre une randonnĂ©e assez exigeante. Dans lâensemble agrĂ©able et Ă couper le souffle â littĂ©ralement.
On a laissĂ© la voiture au parking de Clough House (gratuit !!!) et a continuĂ©, plein de motivation et dâenthousiasme, jusquâĂ Shutlingsloe â le troisiĂšme plus haut sommet du Cheshire (509m). Le sommet est assez distinctif avec sa colline escarpĂ©e qui lui donne ce drĂŽle de surnom de «Cervin du Cheshire». Un peu marseillais les anglais, je vous lâaccorde. TrĂšs loin de la taille originale, aussi.
Eh bien, câĂ©tait une montĂ©e difficile, mais on lâa fait et on a Ă©tĂ© rĂ©compensĂ© par de belles vues, pas de Snowdon cette fois-ci car le temps Ă©tait couvert. Comme dâhabitude, jâai lâimpression quâon finit toujours par prendre le chemin le plus difficile. Lâautre cĂŽtĂ© nâĂ©tait pas aussi raide et pas mal aux genoux non plus.
Ceux qui me connaissent savent aussi que jâai tendance Ă prendre les « chemins de chamois » comme on dit dans le Jura. Et bah, ça a pas loupĂ©.
JâaimeAimĂ© par 1 personne