Our habits shape our lives
Whether you suddenly find yourself incredibly busy or with lots of time on your hands, the Coronavirus pandemic has reshaped all of our lives. Our normal rhythms have been changed and we are all working out what “normal” now looks like.
This is a great opportunity for us to look at the rhythms of our lives and a chance to shape or re-shape the habits that form not only our schedules but also our hearts.
See below for four habits to cultivate our hearts and help us create a posture of faith not fear, hope not despair, and joy in the midst of testing circumstances.
1. Reading Scripture
We become what we look at. Whilst it’s important to pay attention to the news and stay informed, it’s more important that we are shaped by the word of God and so we need to fill our eyes, hearts and minds with the word of God.
Follow a Bible reading plan to allow the Word of God to shape you. Some recommended ones:
- A 7 day plan from Worry to Confident Hope
- A 5 day plan for Finding Your Way Back to God
- A 24 day plan for reading the big picture of the Bible
2. Patterns of prayer
Prayer changes things and it changes us! Creating patterns of prayer in our lives, however small, can help us become more of what we were made to be; lovers of God and neighbour.
Download the echo prayer app and join in praying.
3. Life-giving community
We were made for community and without it we suffer. It is in the context of community where we learn how to live following Jesus and process our doubts, fears and anxieties. We are all needy and we are all needed. Whilst we can now only gather digitally, we must continue to meet.
4. Serve with hope
The cultural atmosphere is currently a strange one of fear and anxiety with moments of hope and little outpourings of joy. So long as hope remains, humans have a great ability and capacity to endure. For us as Christians, our hope is found in the finished work of Jesus and the fact that he is renewing all things. It’s quite remarkable that he calls us to join in and participate in his work!
We have a great opportunity to love people and serve people in the midst of this crisis. As we do we carry a hope with us that points to a bigger better story and so we should also prayerfully look for opportunities to share that hope whenever we can (see 1 Peter 3:15).
Take a look below for some practical ways you can join in:
Ways you can help…within New Community Church:
Practical
We are looking for volunteers to help pack Foodbank parcels, deliver the parcels to Foodbank clients and also people to befriend those feeling lonely or isolated.
To find out more and for details of how to sign up, click here.
Financial
The Fellowship Fund was set up many years ago to help assist church members who are in need financially. Whilst we are aware we cannot meet every need, we would love to be in a position to help where we can. If you are able to assist financially and to find out more about the Fellowship fund, please click here.
Ways you can help…within your local communities:
Bexley
The Volunteer Hub Bexley is looking for volunteers to help with the pick up and delivery of food and people to befriend among other things. To find out more and sign up, click here
Greenwich
The Royal Borough of Greenwich is also looking for volunteers to support their most vulnerable neighbours during this time. For more info and to sign up click here.
The NHS
You may have seen on the news about the Royal Voluntary Service and their campaign to get thousands of volunteers to help the NHS with delivery of medicines, transport to and from appointments for patients and many other areas of need. To sign up to be an NHS volunteers click here.
In need of assistance yourself?
If you are also in need, whether it's just a friendly phone call or someone to pray with, please let us know by clicking here and filling out your details.
