[8] “I see what you’ve done. Now see what I’ve done. I’ve opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don’t have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn’t deny me when times were rough.

There’s an amazing door of opportunity standing wide open for me to minister here, even though there are many who oppose and stand against me.

And nothing is so broken that god's children can't fix either

With Him

Was and is ment to be there and continue it's intention is to help shelter the people of crookhorn through the storm's of life

Sounds something like what a church is for and sounds like love ❤️

I was reminded a shelters is a covering and protection

But often have litter and messy its not it's not about the look of it it's protection also in the dream some are out in the storm as it's not big enough but the vulnerable we're inside

It made me think about New Wine and one of the messages, that God calls us to be on his team, not by anything we have done but by his grace and love for us. He doesn’t call perfect people he reaches out to us all through his love.

• Timing seems important.  Ecclesiastes 3:1 ‘here is a time for everything, a season for every activity’.

• Beware of restarting the cafe too soon when we don’t have the resources to run it in the longer term.  It may be better to do nothing rather than offer a ‘miser’s portion’ too soon.

• Is the vision more ‘Bus Stop’ rather than ‘Cafe’?  Perhaps it is about people being welcomed (open doors) and then helped on a journey towards faith (along with tea, coffee and light refreshments)?

• ‘Feed my Lambs’ - 2 people had this

• Do we need to be prepared to review the use of the limited resources we have, in terms of labour and finance, and be prepared to direct more resources to the bus stop vision?

• We are trying to do everything all at once.  We need to be realistic about what we can do (and therefore consider what we might stop doing).

• ‘Practicing the Way’ may help us to refocus our priorities based on where God is leading.

The White's Group

The bible also refers to the individual churches which make up the church. ‘Write this letter to the church in Laodicea, etc.’. Paul also writes to the individual churches, and refers to divisions when the Corinthians meets as a church (1 Cor 12:18).

So one could take the view that God has organized His Bride, the church into a myriad of groups of churches, with groups of believers realizing visible, individual churches. Paul states that as individuals we are all different, with different gifting's, but when united and in harmony, TOGEATHER we are Christs body (1 Cor 12:27).

I’ve heard it said that Bus Stop Café is the REAL church, but surely that is to confuse one of the things we organize ourselves to do as a church, with what we are as individuals, TOGEATHER, as a church?

Looking at John 21, where Jesus invites his disciples to breakfast, it is so relevant to us today:

The disciples were depressed and bored, they were expecting so much and it had all come to nothing – a waste of years of work. Like those whose life has been turned upside down with no way-out:  been made redundant, forced to retire early, separated from close family, long term illness, and COVID has infected so many areas and ways of being.

Now Jesus appears, and there's 153 large fish when previously there were none. Now the Greeks being educated in maths would have noticed the significance of this number. Written today it would be better hash tagged: #DEEP KNOWLEDGE HERE, to get our attention. So what is so special about this passage?

Well Jesus lets Peter know he’s forgiven, asks him to be the shepherd of His sheep, how he would glorify God in his death, and asks him to follow him. A calling and vision to lift him out of his depression.

Peter’s response: ‘What about him Lord?’ To which Jesus answers ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.’

So perhaps one could say: Peter’s calling was to organize the church using the available believers to do what he was called to do whilst following Jesus, and not be concerned with what the Lord was doing elsewhere.      

We need to expect to be boarded by all sorts of people - those who are like us and those who are not. No matter how challenging the people who come are we are to love them. The crew are people from the church who are listening to people and getting alongside them and loving them - no matter who they are. We are being called to walk with people who are struggling and that might mean (probably means) putting ourselves out for others.

The buffers may refer to stopping either the Bus Stop or some other activitie(s) which have run their course. Are we coming to the end of the line?

The book being shut again suggest closure of something.

when praying about the bustop cafe. I felt it meant that it was important to be real, no false masks in all we do in the cafe.

posted on behalf of M

As we come to the end of our 24/7 prayer for the Bus Stop Cafe, is this God's timely reminder to us?

Keep: things we want to keep doing.

Improve: things we want to improve.

Stop: things we want to stop doing.

Start: things we want to start doing.

Isn't this what we are seeking God's direction for, in our reaching out to the people living and working in Crookhorn?

I saw a highly polished door which I could only partly open. It stuck at one corner and no matter how hard I tried the door did not fully open.

The message

The message for me was no matter how much we push we can only open doors that are spiritually prepared and in the right position to fully open to everyone.

Over the last few weeks I've revisited this several times and it keeps on growing. I confess that I find myself teetering between great excitement and mild terror during these times!

I once asked what happens about holding a service with 'all this' going on, and the answer came that when it gets to 10am on Sunday you just start a church service. Nobody gets up and says, "right you lot, we're doing a holy bit now, so off you go, you're welcome to come back later"!

That's when I feel the excitement, but then so many thoughts and questions come to mind (some of you know how much I like organisation!), and I start to panic as I grapple with the practicalities and the realization that I might not be very comfortable with this 'church'.

I'm calling it 'operation don't look down' after remembering how Peter was walking on water with Jesus until he looked down and began to sink!

On my last encounter with this vision, if I can call it that, I distinctly heard a loud voice call out, "A HOUSE for the Lord, and a HOME for Crookhorn" which, I must say, gave me goosebumps!

Submitted by Odette

All You Need Is Love, sang the Beatles; Love Changes Everything, sang Michael Ball; and Celine Dion sang lustily about the 'Power of Love'.

It seems clear that secular society has no problem with love and is prepared to acknowledge that it has power.

We Christians worship the God who actually IS love, and yet we seem to struggle with the idea that just loving people as Jesus does will set them on the path towards faith in Christ. We seem reluctant to accept that our mission could be that simple. We have allowed the enemy to convince us that mission is difficult.

It's true that we cannot love people as Jesus does without the help and power of the Holy spirit, but we already have that as Christ's parting gift to the Church, and we MUST use it.

The word I bring is that we need to stop MINISTERING to people, and START loving them instead.

How long will we pour resources into this ministry or that, before we come to understand that meeting people's physical needs is not our ultimate goal? Jesus himself acknowledged that poverty would always be an issue in this world.

Providing quality child-care or sound debt advice will not necessarily win hearts, minds and souls for Christ, BUT loving them with HIS love will.

First comes love, then ministry will happen naturally, from and through that love. Surely our experience thus far has been that it doesn't really work the other way round, or at least it may not be nearly as fruitful.

Submitted by Odette

PS Please don't take this as criticism of any of our ministries, I've been involved with quite a few myself over the years. But if there's a better, and frankly easier, way to reach people for Christ I think I want to give it a try.

I include myself in that. the problem is we are all trying to get our opinions to be the right one as everyone wants there way No change there then

and often the loudest or the higher positions you have are the decisions that are chosen

How long will we go around in circles doing what we think

Just do what Jesus would do

Love people into the kingdom personally the cafe has already

shown this was working my opinion

feed my sheep

get to know the community without judging them

and be prepared to help it work. and if your not be quiet

rather than make things difficult

after all of your not prepared to help I don't think you should have an opinion

there are many ways to help

Jim webb

God showed me Morelands school and I was reminded that many years ago nothing grew alongside the perimeter fence. Then Morelands school set a task. Every single person from the youngest 4 year old to the eldest adult, from the least able to the more able, began to prepare the ground, sow the seedlings and neuter them. I remember the enthusiasm and excitement of the 4 year olds and many adults as we stomped in mud and got our hands, arms and often clothes muddy. Some adults and children didn’t share in the excitement and enthusiasm but non the less took their part. Once planted I watched the seedlings, vulnerable, blowing in the wind and thought “they won’t last long”. I was proved wrong, and every time I walk by I am reminded that what I see before me is the result of a whole school community working together. God said,

“ THE CHURCH, MY PEOPLE, ARE THE GARDENERS “

• shut it down if volunteers can't be found. I am willing to volunteer if needed.

• all church members take a turn at working in the cafe (similar to jury duty, I guess!).

• A picture of an open door. We should be welcoming people in to our family, especially those who feel cut off from their own family.

• Offering people a warm and safe space is more important than what food we serve. Could we make life simpler by starting with tea/coffee and cake?

• Could we link with organisations trying to reduce food waste, such as FareShare https://fareshare.org.uk/ ?

"My bag had been taken into the kitchen for safe keeping. Later I went into the kitchen to get it. I could not find it. In the kitchen were a number of people I did not recognise, they were friendly but there were coats, bags and debris everywhere. All the while they were cooking and preparing food. I felt stressed and anxious. Eventually I found my bag tucked away under a counter. I left the kitchen.

The person who had this dream thought, the kitchen had been given away to those we do not recognise, without border or structure."

They also included this verse;

Ecclesiastes 3:1-6 NIV

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away.