Woodies Blog

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For 11 years Jane Hoskins suffered with ME. The illness was so serious that it left her housebound, barely able to walk or even stand.

Then one day, after receiving prayer at the Release conference, God told her to go out for a run. This is her remarkable story.

Being a scientist by training I appreciate the wonder of creation and realise that it is the result of an amazingly artistic and creative God. Being made in God's image, we have the capacity for creativity too.

Over this week (18th-27th June) in the Westbury area we have a selection of guest events around the ideas of creation, the environment and God (www.ctwa.co.uk).  On Saturday 26th (10am-4pm) we are hosting one of the venues of the Arts Trail at the Community Church building on Albert Place. Many artists from the church will be exhibiting their work. Why not call in and enjoy some homemade cakes while appreciating the God given creativity of our artists?

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A quick overview of Woodlands Group of Churches and some of what we've got up to this year. There's a lot to be grateful for.

The video was first shown at the Thanksgiving Evening this year.

When Jesus said "Do not worry" he obviously didn't know about the situations I am facing! Is it possible to live a life that is worry free? Psalm 37 gives us some helpful hints on how to overcome worry. You might like to listen to the talk from Sunday night on line (Click here to listen). There is some biblical insight into beating anxiety. A local GP contacted me as a result of the talk and made the following recommendations:

"It is a very important area as lots of people get disabling anxiety and there are definitely ways to help this. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT has a lot of good evidence for working. I feel that it's basic ideas are easily compatible with Christian beliefs and are similar to the points you brought out of David's Psalm. The basic idea is that your emotions tend to follow your thinking. Different people in the same situation feel different because of how they think about it. Changing the way you think about situations can improve your mood. Maybe considering how God views your situation might give you some perspective. There are two very good non-Christian web-sites where you can work through this

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As Love Running comes to a close we review this incredible initiative, from launch to race day.

So far more than £120,000 has been raised and the total keeps rising. This is what it looks like when Love runs.

We held the first of our two Grand Finale events for Love Running on May 16th. An amazing night with a huge buzz. Loudest cheers came when we presented cheques to two of our three causes - World Vision and Stop the Traffik.

Listen to the cheque presentation and interviews here. Listen to the full 'Run Your own Race' message here. Click on any thumbnail to view pictures from the night.

What an amazing day. Around 550 runners took part in the Bristol 10k under the banner of Love Running, raising well in excess of £100,000. About 2,000 people gathered in Queen Square for the after-race party.

Click on a thumbnail below to view images of the day.

Should I vote? As a Christian, who should I vote for? The answer to the first question is "Yes". I think it is our duty and privilege to exercise our right to vote. For the second question, I don't think it is my place to say who you should vote for. That is for you to decide. Here are links to a couple of videos where the 3 party leaders give their views on Christianity/the church and politics. Why not take 10 minutes to watch them both and see if that helps you as you come to vote on May 6th?

1. Christians in Politics (click here)

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The third of our Love Running Causes focuses on those in Need in our own City.

This is a profile of the three Bristol charities that we are supporting - Crisis Centre Ministries, The Noise and St Peter's Hospice.

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What are you going to do with your May Bank Holiday weekend? Enjoy some time with family and friends? Do a spot of gardening, perhaps? Painting and decorating? Mend that fence that fell over years ago but you've never got round to fixing? Maybe even organise a party and simply have lots of fun?

Well that's just what 500 volunteers are going to be doing as they take part in The Noise, a huge community action event which takes place in north Bristol from Sat 1st until Mon 3rd May. Now in its ninth year, and taking in Southmead, Manor Farm, Horfield, Lockleaze and Sea Mills, The Noise can be described simply as a practical demonstration of God's love.