Iceberg

Dear Friends,

Here is a thought for you as we start August.

Did you know that 80% of an iceberg is underneath the water and what we can see at the surface is only the visible 20%? This picture is a metaphor for the kind of life we have the potential to build with God through prayer, reading God's word and being apart of a life giving community.

I think that in this social media age of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, (which I like in moderation) there is a tendency to be seen and to share our lives publicly. With this in mind, it is easy to dismiss the hidden below-the- water-line or behind the scenes work God is doing in our lives.

May I encourage you to continue to invest the time in reading God's word regularly because it has the power to changes us.
'For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.' Hebrews 4:12-13

To help in this endeavor look for the Bible In One Year app at the app store. Listen to God's word read to you as you start or end each day. You are also welcome to join our Bible in One Year Whats App group for short discussions.

Invest in your prayer life daily with a simple conversation with God. Be honest with Him, share your concerns and frustrations. Thank Him for your many blessings. All too often we see the things that are not working for us and forget to notice all the things that are. Perhaps take a moment to acknowledge ten blessings you are already experiencing. God is faithful and longs to have a deeper relationship with us, one that lies below the surface friction of our lives. Here's an encouraging verse: 'Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.' Hebrews 11:1

Lastly, I remember a quote from a great saint named Leonard Ravenhill.
He said, "The person who is intimate with God will never be intimidated by men."

Sending much love for the month ahead.

Derek & Cathy

Adventure and Courage

Dear Friends,

Sir Ernest Shackleton was a famed British explorer. On one expedition, his ship, The Endurance, got caught in pack ice and sank. He had to leave twenty-two men behind and go off for help with five companions. Together they made a 1200-mile journey in a 22-foot whaleboat through the stormiest ocean in the world to South Georgia, an island off the coast of Argentina.

 After arriving on the wrong side of South Georgia, another of the trio who rowed across that perilous sea, wrote of the equally perilous scaling of the mountain range to reach the whaling station on the far side of the island "Throughout that long and perilous climb, I had the distinct impression that there were four of us and not three".
Perhaps an echo of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego perhaps?

After four attempts trying to battle sea ice, the twenty-two men who'd been left behind were rescued more than ten months later, everyone was saved.

Shackleton's whole life was one of exploration, pioneering, adventure and challenge. Before taking one of his trips to the Antarctic, he assembled his crew by putting the following advertisement in a London newspaper: 'Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful.’ It was signed Sir Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer. Amazingly, this ad drew thousands of applicants, all eager to sacrifice everything for the prospect of a meaningful adventure.

James Houston, in his book Joyful Exiles: Life in Christ on the Dangerous Edge of Things, wrote:
'How strange is it that human curiosity impels us to explore distant lands, to climb mountains, even to probe the depth of the oceans, which are all external things. Yet how little concern for the inner life before God.'

Why do we Christians often lack motivation when we have someone we really can count on in a storm.
Let's be adventurous explorers and pioneers, not in order to conquer creation, but to represent the Creator through our attitudes and actions. Let's show our beliefs through our behavior.

I remember a Pastor back in the UK, David Shearman (Senior Pastor of The Christian Center in Nottingham) asking, 'When was the last time you did something for the first time?’  What a good question. Let's be bold and adventurous and do something new this week.

May you know the Lord's blessings, all around the compass and the clock.

Derek+

Look Up and Forward

Dear Friends,

The other morning I was listening to my Bible In One Year app and was faced with this question:

'Where is the first place you look when you are in trouble or don’t know what to do? Do you look to friends, family, or the medical profession?'
Of course, there is nothing wrong in looking for help in all those directions, but the first place the Psalmist looks is upwards.
 
"I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains. He won’t let you stumble, your Guardian God won’t fall asleep. Not on your life! Israel’s Guardian will never doze or sleep." Psalm 121 (The Message)

Then I read Nicky Gumble's encouragement, "Regret looks back, fear looks around, worry looks in, but faith looks up and hope looks forward." I like that thought.
Can I encourage you to let the words from that Psalm reshape the circumstances of your day? The strength you need doesn't come from any earthly force but from God. He's watching over you and won't let you stumble. If you are frustrated with something or someone, root yourself in this Psalm today.

Romans 8:34 says, "Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."

May you sense some encouragement too as you look to the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, with all you have going on in your world.
Please send me your prayer requests.

Looking up and forward,

Derek+

Pentecost

Dear Friends,  

Canon J.John sent me this wonderful message about Pentecost which we celebrate this weekend."Pentecost is the day when the Holy Spirit was given to Jesus’ followers and when the church was born. The event is described once in Acts 2:1-40.

Pentecost is extraordinarily important today. It has been said that if Christmas is God with us and Easter is God for us then Pentecost is God in us. But I believe that the role of the Spirit is not just to comfort or console us; I want to add that Pentecost is about God in us for witness.

One great theme dominates the book of Acts: the proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord to the entire world. Pentecost marks the great turning point in the history of God’s people. Before Pentecost, God’s dealings with humanity are about one race of people looking towards, and going to, one place, Jerusalem and its temple. With Pentecost, the direction of motion is dramatically reversed: God’s people are now looking outwards and going out from Jerusalem to witness to the nations.

With that subject of witness in mind, let me offer you three observations on Pentecost, each of which has a relevance for the church today. First, Pentecost speaks of a confidence given in the witness to Christ. Although ultimately restored, Peter is broken and humbled by the events of Easter and the resurrection. Here, however, he is transformed by the Spirit and, in the heart of Jerusalem on a feast day, he declares powerfully to all not only who Jesus is, but who bears responsibility for his death.

This confidence is something that we need today. Although as churches and individuals we may strongly reject the prevailing anti-Christian and atheistic worldviews about us, the fact is we live with such opposition that we are tempted to silence. Pentecost reminds us that, in the power of the Spirit, God can give the most timid the confidence to speak out for him.

May God inspire us all to speak out and proclaim the gospel! Second, Pentecost speaks of the communication of the witness about Christ.
How we interpret the disciples speaking in ‘other tongues’ or ‘other languages’ is much discussed. Were the disciples given the gift of speaking unlearned earthly languages or were their hearers given the gift of understanding them?

The debate should not conceal the significance of the event: the message of the gospel is to be proclaimed to all nations and in every tongue. Notice too that the communication of Peter in his speech strikes to the heart of his hearers and brings conviction. May God give us all the ability to effectively witness for him through the power of the Spirit!

Finally, Pentecost speaks of a confirmation of the witness to Christ. The disciples had nothing other than their testimony to affirm the validity of their message. Through the power of the Spirit with the sound of the ‘violent wind’, the ‘tongues of fire’ and the speaking in intelligible foreign languages, the validity of their words had a striking confirmation.

May we also be empowered by his Spirit with words and works; kindness, generosity and compassion, to name just a few, can be remarkably effective. May God confirm our witness for him through the power of the Spirit! Pentecost speaks to us of the fact that at the heart of the Christian faith is the confident communication of Jesus as the crucified, risen and ascended Lord who demands the allegiance of all men and women."

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us this weekend. Amen.  

Be blessed to be a blessing,  

Derek+

The Kings Banquet

Dear Friends,

Recently one of my daily readings in my Bible In One Year App was a story Rev. Nicky Gumbel tells of the day he received a message that Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022), who was then Queen of the United Kingdom had invited him to lunch!

At first, he thought it was a practical joke. But it wasn’t. He turned up at Buckingham Palace on his bicycle, which an amused policeman looked after for him!

He went inside and was seated next to the Queen. They ate some amazing food, then the Queen turned and began to talk to him just as the ‘Parfait de Rhubarbe et Chocolat Blanc’ arrived.

It looked delicious. But he did not want to talk with his mouth full – nor did he want to seem rude by cutting into it while the Queen was speaking to him. Eventually, she asked Nicky whether he did not like the food. ‘No, no, no,’ he said, ‘I love it’ (as he quickly began to eat). He did not say it to her, but the real reason he had not eaten was that he was overwhelmed by the privilege of being invited to lunch with the Queen.

Jesus likens the kingdom of God to a great party with the King, one to which we are all invited. Luke 14 v. 15 says, "What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”

Jesus is the host of this party. The Son of God invites you to experience the lavish hospitality and love of God. You are not on your own with the host. It is the presence of other guests that turns it into a celebratory party.

The food that Jesus supplies satisfies the hunger in your heart. It fills the spiritual vacuum. It satisfies your hunger for meaning and purpose in life, for forgiveness, and for life beyond death. The drink at the banquet satisfies the spiritual thirst in every human heart.

Let's think to invite others to the party as well, as we respond to Jesus’ command to "go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame" Luke 14 v. 21

The daily invitation of our heavenly King is to talk to him as a friend and co-heir of the Kingdom. That is better than all the pageantry and ceremony on Saturday as King Charles III ascends his earthly throne.
Let’s choose daily to accept Jesus’s invitation to the greatest party of all!

Blessings to you all, and please send me your prayer requests and updates when you have a moment.

Derek+

Titanic Anniversary

Dear Friends,

I share my birthday today with one of the most tragic maritime incidents recorded. This may seem like a strange and sad story to recount on my birthday, but for me, it helps to recalibrate my heart towards the least, the last, and the lost who are on the outside of faith. 

This is a captivating first-hand account recorded by the survivors of the sinking.

"On April 15th, 1912, the White Star line Titanic raised her stern high above the frigid waters of the Atlantic and began her slow, seemingly calibrated descent, as her lighted portholes and towering stern slid silently toward the ocean floor.

That famous night saw the extremes of human behavior, from abysmal cowardice to the terrible beauty of sacrificial love.

But with the Titanic gone and her lifeboats spread across the icy waters among the crying growing swimmers, the story was almost totally devoted to self-serving behavior. Of the 1,600 people not able to get into the lifeboats, only 13 were picked up by the 18 half-empty boats that hovered nearby.

In boat number 5 when 3rd Officer Pitman heard the anguished cries he turned the boat around and he shouted, ‘Now men we will pull toward the reck’, but the passengers protested, ‘Should we all lose our lives in a useless attempt to save others from the ship?’
Pitman gave in and for the next hour Number 5 with 45 people on board, and a capacity of 65, heaved gently on the calm Atlantic while the 40 listened to the fading cries of swimmers some 300 yards away.

The story was much the same on the other boats, on number 2 First Officer Boxall asked the ladies, ‘Shall we go back?', and they said no, so number 2 about 60% full likewise drifted while its people callously listened. On the boat, number 6 the situation was reversed as the women begged Quartermaster Hitchins to return, but he refused, painting a vivid picture of the drowning overturning the boat. The women pleaded as the cries grew fewer and fewer, and of the 18 boats only 1, number 14, returned to help and this was more than an hour after the Titanic’s sinking when the thrashing crowd had thinned out."

For me, this serves as a powerful picture of perhaps my own attitude toward those who tend to avoid God and the church. I am currently doing marriage preparation with a military couple who are far from God but open to a conversation about faith. My goal with them is to build a bridge of trust that bears the weight of truth. They are the reason I have been involved with Alpha over the past 36 years, which does a wonderful job of creating a safe place for people to ask the big questions of faith.

I learned recently that if every church in America was filled to capacity on any given weekend, there would still be 70% who would be in the water. I'm reminded of Bishop William Temple (Archbishop of Canterbury in 1942) who famously said, "The Church is the only institution that exists for the benefit of its non-members."

Are there people you know who are in the water, maybe struggling to stay afloat in their marriage, struggling in their finances, struggling in their workplace? Is there someone you could invite to a BBQ church, or an Alpha or Marriage Course, who may just need to belong before they believe?

My birthday prayer is that I would allow God to continue to soften my heart towards the last, the least, and the lost.

Have a great weekend,

Pastor Derek+

Easter Sunday People, Good Friday World

Dear Friends
Happy Easter weekend to you!

In Western culture, we think of a day beginning when the sun comes up or when the alarm clock goes off, or when Starbucks opens. But the ancient rhythm of days is different. In the creation account, the order is always the same: “And there was evening and there was morning — the first day.” Each day in creation begins with the evening. In Jewish life, the Sabbath begins not at sunup but at sundown.

In part, the Christian celebration of Easter has its roots in a story from the Old Testament book of Exodus. The Israelites had been living in slavery for centuries. They wanted freedom.

So God gave Moses some very powerful tools to persuade Pharaoh to let God’s people go. These are known as the ten plagues. The last of plagues was the death of any firstborn in Egypt, celebrated in Jewish culture as Passover, which remembers the day the angel of death ‘passed over’ any house with a sacrificial lamb’s blood on the doorpost. In the same way, Christ's blood was shed on a wooden frame, He too became the sacrificial lamb setting us free from the bondage of sin.

This Easter as you contemplate the Cross and Resurrection, maybe as you go to sleep tonight, remember the darkest part of the night is just before dawn. No matter what challenges or suffering you are facing Jesus is with you through the night, He is always at work, in fact, He often does more behind our backs than in front of our faces. As Corrie Ten Boom said,“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 

Remember we are Easter Sunday people living in a Good Friday world.

Pastor Derek+

Weather vs. Climate

Dear Friends, 

Before I went into full-time Christian ministry I was a Physical Education and Geography High School teacher in inner city London. As a geography teacher, I had a great enthusiasm for the changing weather systems that came across the UK. So I want to share this thought with you about the difference between Weather and Climate. 

If you're currently going through something difficult, that is a setback, a mistake, a failure, a tragedy, or a sadness, it is "weather." But faith, strength, resilience, belief, and positivity are "climate."

Often, you may have no control over the weather. Weather can come from other people, it can come from other situations and events, and because we're attached to the people who are going through inclement weather, it can affect the weather in our lives too. Sometimes we can’t control the weather, but we can always control the climate.

In Mark's Gospel, Jesus is asleep in the boat. The apostles are trying their best to keep the boat afloat and not perish, and all the while Jesus is asleep on a cushion, in the stern of the boat. I never thought much about that while reading the passage, I had only focused on Jesus calming the sea.

After a long day, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4:36-40)

Jesus was able to sleep peacefully because His internal climate was stable. He offers us that same peace when we are faced with storms. John 14:27 says, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."

Remember, the thing about the weather is it's seasonal. I want to encourage those of you today that are going through a difficult weather front. It may last a while, but don’t mistake it for, or read it as the new climate in your life. It’s not. 

A prayer: Jesus I ask you to stand up in my boat and declare Your climate, Your peace, Your rule and reign, Your Kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven, over my current storm. Amen.

Please let me know how I can pray for you. 

Cheers, 

Pastor Derek+

Prepare and Enrich

Dear Friends,

Every other year here in the US we may get a reminder to take our cars in for a vehicle inspection to ensure that they are roadworthy. In the United Kingdom, the equivalent MOT stands for the Ministry of Transport, the government department that introduced the test in 1960 as a means of testing vehicle safety, exhaust emissions, and road worthiness.

It is easy to make the correlation between automobile maintenance to marriage. After all, relationships have to be tended to and managed just like a house, an automobile, or a business. Left unattended, they deteriorate.

Giving your relationship a regular tune-up can be an effective way to focus on the big little things and nip them in the bud before they become major problems. It can help you to identify any underlying feelings that may be bubbling away, and take positive steps to work through them. It can also help to focus your mind on what's going well. Can I suggest two simple you ways to help get your relationship back on track, or simply tuned up.

1. Establish a date night every week or fortnight.
Put it on your calendar and guard it in the same way you would a business appointment. Take it in turns to organize, get creative, and remember to keep it simple, keep it honest, and keep it up.  

2. Prepare and Enrich Assessment:
This year I am offering a Prepare and Enrich assessment free of charge to the first 10 couples who would like to take the questionnaire. This Includes two private & confidential 1hr Zoom sessions going over the report of your strength and growth areas. Just simply reply to this email if you would like to take the free assessment. Please feel free to forward this email to any friends or family whom you think might like to take me up on this offer!

(https://www.prepare-enrich.com/the-assessment/married/)

In other news we also want to congratulate our dear friend, artist Charlie Mackey for being nominated for an Oscar for his animated film, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse.

Blessings on your Lenten season,
Derek+

Dirty Jobs

Hello Friends,

I hope your New Year is off to a great start!
You may be surprised to know the one TV show in which I have identified, is Mike Rowes’Dirty Jobs. Mike Rowe is a champion of essential workers, rolling up his sleeves to celebrate the next generation of hardworking men and women who have made civilized life possible.

The reason for my connection to this show goes back to my first ministry work at HTB in London. I was employed half-time as the Youth and Children’s leader, and half-time as the church janitor. Part of my job was to weekly clean the toilets, vacuum the floors and do general maintenance items. Cathy and I lived in the ground-floor apartment next to the church and often a homeless person would come by our bedroom window at 2 am, asking for a sandwich…but that’s another story!

One summer's afternoon there was a torrential thunderstorm and the alley beside the church was overflowing with water because the sewers were backed up. The Rev. Nicky Lee and I quickly figured out that the solution was to pull up the manhole cover in the alley, get down into the sewer and manually unclog the pipes. Before Nicky could do it, and I’m sure he would have, I intervened and jumped down into what I can only describe as the "dirtiest job" I’ve ever done. Once unplugged, the contents of the alley above me rushed down, making a hugely satisfying gurgling sound as it went.

A few years later Nicky, and his wife Sila, asked if they could use this as an illustration in a talk they were developing for The Marriage Course, about forgiveness. It is very possibly the best talk I have heard on the subject. I wish everyone could hear it! I have attached the link below and I encourage you to watch it or listen in, as it applies to all relationships everywhere.

Nicky and Sila used this illustration because it sums up best the much-needed, but often mucky task of clearing the drains, and then keeping the drains clear of the offenses and hurts that can build up. To begin with, there is no way around getting down into the drain and doing the "dirty job” of unclogging the blockage.

As I was praying this afternoon, I felt God give me several "words of knowledge." One big general one was that some have deeply personal unresolved issues with spouses, parents, and older children. More specifically, at least one person who reads this knows there is an ex-boss about whom you have said, "I will never forgive him for that." Someone is having the hardest time "forgiving themselves" for something that has remained buried for years. Also, there is someone asking about the forgiveness of a parent who has already passed away.

At the beginning of 2023, why not watch/listen to the talk by Nicky and Sila and ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there are any clogged drains in your life. If perhaps you need a friend with whom to chat confidentially, about a situation that is hard or seemingly impossible to forgive, then please reach out. I’d be more than happy to jump on a private call, Zoom, or FaceTime with you.

‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ Proverbs 17:17

Blessings to you all,

Derek+

Merry Christmas

Dear Friends,

We would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Christmas! Our hope is that this Christmastime you’ll experience the joy and wonder of the season.

Christmas is a time for celebration and connection with family and friends. We also know that for some, this can present a challenging time, where family dynamics can be difficult and when we are reminded of the absence of loved ones.

These are beautiful words written by King David when he was going through a dark time in his life. Psalm 56:8 says, "You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Your tears are noticed by your Heavenly Father - you’re not alone. If you find yourself in a moment of pain, take a deep breath and turn towards Jesus. Our prayer is that you may experience, in every situation, the power and hope of Jesus Emmanuel - God with us!

As we look forward to the New Year, we are praying these hopeful verses for you from Psalm 27:13, "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

May God richly bless you and keep you in His perfect peace.

Merry Christmas!

With so much love,

Derek and Cathy Rust +

It’s a Wonderful Life.

Dear Friends,

What is your favorite Christmas movie? It’s a Wonderful Life has to be one of my favorites! Recently my friend, Canon J.John, wrote this wonderful piece about the movie:

"It’s a Wonderful Life follows the life of George Bailey, born and raised in the typical American small town of Bedford Falls. But he is someone with ambition and imagination who wants to escape, to travel and to achieve something. Those dreams, however, never materialise. George’s commitment to his family and, above all, to his community, means that he spends decades stuck in the town without the obvious visible achievements that his friends and family acquire.

He is a man whose selfless willingness to do little things for others has prevented him from doing big things for himself. One Christmas Eve George’s frustration comes to a head with a financial crisis that threatens to send him to prison.

In a fit of angry despair, he goes out to commit suicide. At this point his guardian angel intervenes and, in a nightmarish vision, shows him what his community and those he loves would have been like if he hadn’t existed. In the face of this revelation George realises that his life has indeed been wonderful.

There is much to think about in It’s a Wonderful Life but perhaps its biggest lesson lies in how we evaluate what we have done.

Society has always celebrated the visible attainments of wealth, power and fame but never more so than today. We are all inclined to measure ourselves by our number of friends (real or virtual), our job title, our bank balance or the size of our house.

God, however, operates on a very different basis and so should we. Looking back this Christmas you may, like George Bailey, reflect on your life and think that actually you haven’t done very much. That may very well be you assessing things by the wrong standards.

It’s worth remembering that what God values most of all is faithfulness, kindness, generosity and obedience.

Let’s be more focused on what we can do for others and less on what we can get for ourselves.

The lesson of It’s a Wonderful Life is that it’s not what you achieve or have that counts, but it’s who you are."

Remember you are loved and accepted by a heavenly Father who longs for you to come home this Christmas.

A very Merry Christmas to you,

Pastor Derek


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"God Owns All The Donuts!"

Dear Beyond The Blue Friends,

When you have a few minutes, please listen to my audio newsletter: Click here or the link above.

The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 where the Plymouth Colony Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest with assistance from members of the Massasoit tribe.

I love that the etymology of the word ‘Thanksgiving' originally meant ‘a public celebration acknowledging divine provision.’ Giving is supposed to be a celebration! There are three main ways to give in our lives — through our Treasure, Time & Talent. Jesus spent a lot of time talking about 'Treasure.' In fact, two-thirds of all Jesus’ parables were about...

To hear the rest of the story, listen here.

If you are alone on Thanksgiving, please let me know because I would love to Zoom/Skype or FaceTime with you! Masses of love to you all and please keep sending me your prayer requests.

Derek+

The passing of Her Majesty the Queen

Dear Friends,

‘I feel as though I’ve lost a grandmother!' That was one of the many sentiments expressed this past Thursday, and best summed up my own emotions. It has been a very sad loss with the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch that tied our family generations together, from grandparents and parents of the 'Greatest Generation,' through to our own children. We knew the Queen as our Sovereign. My mum Sylvia, was born only a couple of months before Queen Elizabeth, in the same year and so we had that connection too, knowing that they were the same age.

Cathy shared that as a Girl Guide, she would say her pledge to the Queen every week, growing up thousands of miles away in Australia. The Queen's portrait hangs in every school assembly and town hall across that sun burnt country. Like me, Cathy grew up singing, 'God Save our Gracious Queen' at every gathering of any significance. Although we have never met, Queen Elizabeth was vital to the fabric of our lives. It is the end of an era and another poignant moment realizing that our own parents and grandparents are very much gone. Perhaps that is why we feel the loss so deeply. The world has lost a grandmother figure and we will miss her, in ways we are all yet to realize.

If you would like to continue reading then please see what our dear friend Canon J.John, has so eloquently written below.

Blessings around the compass & around the clock,
Rev Derek and Cathy Rust
www.BeyondTheBlue.life  

“'The Queen has died.' We have always known that someday we would hear those words, but that certainty has not robbed them of either their sadness or their solemnity. In the sea of tributes now overwhelming us, how should we react?

Our first reaction should surely be appreciation. We need to reflect with gratitude on all that the Queen achieved for the nation and the Commonwealth. The reign of Queen Elizabeth II was certainly long, yet length of reign – like length of life – is no measure of greatness. The Queen’s accomplishment was not simply to reign for a long time, but to reign well. It is an achievement made even greater because she ruled in difficult times. She has been compared to both the first Queen Elizabeth and to Queen Victoria yet, unlike them, it was not her lot to rule at a time of either national glory or imperial splendour. Our Queen Elizabeth came to power in a Britain still recovering from war. Her reign witnessed the end of the British Empire and the emergence of a new, confused Britain, increasingly adrift from its traditional values. During her reign fashions in culture, art and manners came and went; kings, emperors, presidents and regimes flourished only to be swept away by time.

Yet if the winds of change blew strongly the Queen seemed unaffected by them. Whatever happened to the nation – economic turmoil, terrorist atrocity or political uncertainty – the Queen was there and the nation found comfort in that. In an age of uncertainty and confusion she came to embody what Britain stood for. For that solidity and stability in turbulent times we are grateful. It is salutary to read the words of the Queen’s coronation service and see all that, so long ago, she promised to defend for the nation and the church. At the end of that long life, we can say with appreciation that she fulfilled her vows and did what she promised. She kept the faith. We are doubtless called to lesser things, but may we keep our promises as well as she did hers.

Our second reaction should be acknowledgement. Something worth dwelling on is that the Queen’s achievements came not from her genetics, her upbringing or her force of will but from something more. She had a deep and authentic Christian faith, which she took seriously and sought to live out. It seems to me evident that the Queen recognised two things. The first was her own frailty and weakness. She had the gift, so often denied to the powerful, of being humble and was wise enough to realise that to reign well required more than human skills and strength. The second thing she recognised was that to be monarch meant that she needed God to give her strength. Only the foolish would see her life as a tale of unending privilege and overwhelming wealth. The reality is that, from the moment of her untimely accession to the throne, she served what was, in effect, a life sentence without hope of remission. True, she served it out in a gilded cage, but she also served it under the increasingly harsh spotlight of a curious and cruel world.

Physically, the Queen was a small woman but the title Majesty was totally appropriate for her. She was a little lady with a very big God. In the first of the Beatitudes Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ This was a woman who recognised that the only way to rule an earthly kingdom was to seek a heavenly one. Our circumstances may bear very little comparison with hers but the way she lived out her faith should inspire us all.

Our third reaction should be that of assurance. With the Queen’s death, a dark shadow has fallen across our land and beyond. A landmark which we took for granted but which gave us all our bearings, has fallen. In her quiet way, the Queen defined what it is to be British. Other nations may look to their flags or constitutions for their identity; Britain looks instead to its monarchy.

These are sad days but, as the Queen herself would no doubt have wished, those of us who are Christians can – should – lift our eyes upwards.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3 niv)

Twice in that psalm comes the reassuring refrain, ‘The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.’ It was then and it is now.
Our world is shaken but our God stands firm. Queens and kings pass away; the eternal God does not.” — J.John

Running a race with purpose.

Dear Friends, 

Over the course of the summer I have loved watching the World Track and Field Championships, this year held at the home of Nike in Eugene, Oregon. 

Back in the day I was a track and field coach, managing the London schools team. I even nearly ended up in the Oscar winning film ‘Chariots of Fire’, as an enthusiastic extra!

I have always loved the way Paul the apostle talked about running as a way of looking at the Christian life. 

When Paul wrote to Timothy he asked him to pass on what he had learned to some reliable people.
(2 Timothy 2:1-2.)

To make his point, Paul used three pictures of dependability: a good soldier, a victorious athlete, and a hard-working farmer. In the case of the athlete, he wrote, “…Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules…” (2 Timothy 2:5)

To abide by the rules seems a strange quality to mention. I think I would have illustrated reliability by highlighting an athlete’s discipline, strength, or aerobic fitness. However, Paul chose an athlete who knew the expectations, who followed the rules, who didn’t take shortcuts in a race, and who refused to cross the set boundaries. 

Can I encourage you today, no matter what decision you are facing let's receive our victor's crown by making our relationship to God a priority in our lives. When we do that we become faith-filled and faithful to those around us. When God is our focus, the overflow is running a race with purpose and peace.
 

Ministry Highlights and Prayer Requests: 

I had a very exciting Marriage Course Champions and Coaches call in July. During the call Nicky and Sila, shared how they had recently stepped down from their leadership role at HTB in London, to go full time with Alpha International to focus fully on the global growth of The Marriage Course. 

Here is the live stream from Sunday, July 10 to hear Nicky Lee give his last talk as a vicar at HTB Brompton Road. It is a prophetic word for the church today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaFcxlwlH4k

Please send me any prayer requests you may have. 
I would greatly value your prayers on August 19 - I have an appointment to discuss a neurostimulator trial to help with the nerve pain. Thank you! 

Blessings around the compass and around the clock.  

Derek+

Beyond The Blue June Newsletter 2022

Hi Friends,

A week ago, Cathy couldn’t sleep and out of the blue remembered an equation that I used in a sermon years ago. She then promptly fell back to sleep, not unusual when remembering my sermons! However, the next morning she awakened all excited to tell me the letters:

 HP+CP+CC=MI

So to celebrate the longest day of the year, at least here in the northern hemisphere, I thought I’d share my shortest talk in decades!

Audio Update YouTube Link

Listen to the short message above on the YouTube link. 

Blessings to you all,

Derek+ 

Partner Ministries:

At Beyond The Blue we partner actively with a number of Christian ministries that help equip people and churches in their outreach to both family life and evangelism training.

• Canon J.John: I am an Associate Evangelist and supporter of J.John's mission.
   

• Alpha USA: Cathy and I partner with Rev Nicky and Sila Lee’s mission to equip churches to use The Marriage and Parenting Courses.
   

• Prepare and Enrich Assessment : I am a trainer for both the Pre-Marriage and Marriage Enrichment assessments. 
   

• Communio: ‘Equipping Churches to Solve the Marriage and Family Crisis’ 
   

• Vital Church Ministry: I am an Intentional Interim Pastor with Vital Church to help ‘Revitalize Churches in Transition or Crisis.’

 Prayers & Needs:

Thank you for your continued prayers as I recover from spinal fusion here in Northern Virginia.

Thank you all! 

Milestones

Dear Friends,

“These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”
— Joshua 4:7

On May 23rd, Cathy and I will celebrate 35 years of marriage — which to us is barely believable! Lately, we have found ourselves sharing again with our adult children the story of how we met at a ball in Central London…fell in love over a hospital bed in Chamonix, France, got married in Sydney at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, and because of Cathy’s mother Georgie, had our wedding reception at the spectacular Sydney Opera House on the shores of Sydney Harbor. So many amazing memories; but for us there are also some pretty significant spiritual milestones in our journey too that are worth remembering.

Whether you are single or married, we can all commemorate significant events in our relationships in which God has proven faithful. As our lives are intertwined with His, we are caught up in a much bigger story, a story by which God shows us, over and over again, how faithful he is. Whether we understand it or not, ‘God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good.’ Romans 8:28

What are some things you do to mark the spiritual milestones in your life and or marriage? Here are some good questions to ask over coffee with a friend, or date night with your partner.

What has been one of the most positive, life-changing events in my life?
What experiences in friendship/relationship/marriage have drawn us closer to God and to each other?
How can we commemorate significant spiritual milestones in our friendship and/or marriage? Remember when…

Along the marital journey, we will experience spiritual landmarks. Whether they are born from joyous events or times of sorrow, these milestones are to be remembered. Just as Joshua used stones as a memorial to the miracle of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River, we can commemorate significant events in which God has proven faithful to us.
For example — we might throw a party, plant a tree, return to the location of an event, or, as we always do…eat cake! Recalling God’s goodness in the past will help encourage and strengthen us, so that we can continue to hold tightly to God, to our spouse, to our friends and family as we face the challenges of today.

With love and appreciation for your friendship,

Derek & Cathy

P.S. We would love to see your wedding day photos! If you'd like to share, simply reply to this email.

Happy Easter!

Dear Friends,
Happy Holy Week to you!

I was born on Good Friday, April 15th…many years ago! This year is the first occasion since then that I am celebrating my birthday on Good Friday!

On the evening of such a poignant and special day to be born on, here are a few thoughts about these next few days. 

I loved what Pastor Robert Ferguson wrote recently about the Last Supper:
'Jesus gave His disciples a cup saying, “…This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you…” (Luke 22:20).

The cup was the fulfillment of an ancient promise – it contained an offer of forgiveness and divine fellowship which was beyond their imagination. But what would this offer cost?

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus drank from another cup. He prayed, “…Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done...” (Luke 22:42).’

A good question to ask is what poison was in that cup that caused Him so much anguish?

The cup was the manifestation of an ancient symbol of divine wrath – and its contents represented the sins of the world and the judgement they deserved. No wonder the sinless Jesus was deeply distressed as He faced it.

If you think the price was too great, as Anselm said, “…you have not yet considered the gravity of sin…”

This Easter, let’s remember those two extreme cups. It's only as we consider the cost of one, that we begin to understand the grace of the other.

In one we will find our rebellion – in the other our redemption.

In one we will find our judgment – in the other our justification.

Jesus drank from the one - so that we could drink from the other.

As Canon J.John once said, "We are most definitely Easter people living in a Good Friday world."

Blessings on your Easter Weekend, 
Derek+

The Gift of the Season

Dear Friends,

I love Christmas! I enjoy the annual tradition of Christmas shopping and present hunting. I see it as a challenge and adventure – especially when it comes to family gift-giving. When I buy a gift for them, I want it to be practical! Santa might bring us what we deserve; God, however, delivers something we don’t deserve. ‘For the wages of sin is death,’ says the Bible, ‘but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 6:23). God’s practical gift to us, then, is forgiveness.

In the run-up to Christmas, we do lots of tidying, preparing and cleaning – sprucing up our lives. Jesus helps us through this process - he encourages us to focus first on our inside world. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God’ (Matthew 5:8). The Message version reads, ‘You’re blessed when you get your inside world — your mind and heart — put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.’ Jesus’ practical gift is to cleanse our hearts. This changes us from the inside out, transforming our attitudes and actions.

However, we must first want the gift in order to receive it. We need to pray with the psalmist, who said, ‘Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me’ (Psalm 51:10). Are we hungry for what God has to offer? Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which literally means ‘the House of Bread’. Later in his life, he spoke about himself, saying, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’ (John 6:35). Bread satisfies and strengthens, and Jesus came into the world to satisfy and strengthen us all. But this isn’t, as we have already seen, a gift to be received passively. It’s practical by its very nature. When we receive Jesus, we also receive his Spirit, which helps us to live a brand new kind of life – with love, joy, peace, gentleness, patience, self-control and humility.

Remember, ‘life without Christ is a hopeless end, but life with Christ is an endless hope.’

Wishing you a blessed Christmas,

Derek+

Enjoy this beautiful Christmas carol ‘Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem’ recorded by my friend David Clifton with the Peterborough Cathedral choir in the UK.