Date: 2026-02-13
AO: 3rd-f
Q: Schnitzel
PAX: Cinnamon, MilkMan, Schnitzel, Wee Man, Frodo, Pinto, Next Time, Web, Yogi (Florence), Mr Rogers
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
CONDITIONS: Cold, so thankful to Mr Rogers for a warm place to meet.

WARMUP: prayer

THE THANG:
We started with John 15:4-7

Jesus says ‘abide in me…for apart from me you can do nothing”

“If I am in you and you in Me, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you” this is not about a genie in a bottle but more about answered prayers, in other words, if we have a real relationship with Jesus, we can pray, He will listen and answer…not necessarily the answer we want or expect…but still an answer and that is a true blessing.

Jesus cares about relationships, He wants us to make our home in Him!

Q1) What does abide mean? To remain, continue, dwell in, to be held…

Abiding is not “trying harder”, or being perfect, or following the rules better, or even going to church…abiding is making your home in Jesus…chasing real relationship!

Q2) what did the disciples have that no-one else did? Proximity to Jesus, to the true Source

Q3) can we have bad proximity? Like a rotten piece of fruit, it can cause the rest of the fruit to go bad…so we have to care for ourselves by choosing the right group of friends and in some cases being cautious of toxic family members.

Anyone like playing with fire? What happens when a coal or ember get disconnected from the source of the flame? It goes cold…what happens when you bring a cold ember back to the source…the source heats back up. So let’s stoke the fires of our relational proximity to Jesus!

We read Mark 6:12-13 – Jesus sends the disciples out on mission to share the gospel, challenges men to repent, and cast out demons. In 6:30-32, they return to Jesus and they are all tired, so Jesus invites them to a retreat, however that is interrupted when the people desire to be with Jesus…so He has compassion on the crowds and plays the role of both pastor and Sheperd, setting an example for all! They wanted something to eat and the disciples lost sight of the mission they had just got back from, exclaiming to Jesus, “let them feed themselves” – Jesus asks the disciples to loook at what food they had and they fed 5000 people with 2 fish and 5 Loaves of bread – this is the only miracle that appears in all four gospels. So we know that it impacted those men in proximity.

Point 1 – So we are called to bring what little we have to Jesus as He will make it enough! Jesus is the source when we are empty!

We read Mark 6:45-52 – Jesus walks on water intending to pass by the disciples, however they are scared and struggled to row in the weather/wind and Jesus meets them where they are at to take care of them…

Point 2 – Jesus stays close when fear hits – addressing them as “it is I” which are the same words God uses to introduce Himself to Moses in Exodus, “I am”…same Greek translation…awesome!

Faith in action is not pretending that we are not scared, it’s staying the course and abiding in the source, even when we are, even in storms.

We read through Mark 1:1-13 – the Pharisees are challenging Jesus and the disciples when they do not wash their hands at mealtimes – Jesus challenges them by staying “you look the part and you know the laws” but your hearts are far from me.” We can look close to the far and yet be cold!

Point 3 – Jesus wants relationships. He cares about closeness not appearance. Life doesn’t come from effort, it comes from connection.

Stay the course, abide in the source!

MARY: prayer

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
5K – great success – nice work everyone involved.

PRAYER REQUEST:
Lost jobs
Travels mercies
Those battling illness or ailments

BOM: Schnitzel

MOLESKIN: Men, the daily struggle isn’t just against stress, temptation, or pressure — it’s against drifting into self-reliance. Jesus doesn’t tell us to try harder; He tells us to abide — to remain connected to Him. A branch doesn’t strain to produce fruit; it simply stays attached to the vine.

When we start our day with Him, return to Him when we fail, and depend on Him instead of pretending we’ve got it handled, strength replaces striving and fruit replaces frustration. Real strength isn’t independence — it’s staying connected to Christ. Love you all!

Have a great week!