Following a Compassionate Lord

Compassion has been defined as to be “moved to the very depth of one’s being” (Barclay).

How do we develop compassion in ourselves and how can we reflect the compassion of Jesus to others?

The aim of The Christadelphian Support Network Conference 2012 is to explore the meaning and motivation for compassion and to encourage one another in its application in our lives.

The Christadelphian Support Network always wants to bring together those in need and seeking help, and the skills and experience of brothers and sisters in the love of the Father in Christ Jesus. It also wants to raise awareness and encourage compassionate care in the brotherhood.

Bereavement, loneliness, illness, long term caring, depression, loss, guilt, personal relationships, family and marital breakdown, financial problems, crises of faith, difficulties specific to young people: the list of problems is endless…
But when there are problems you could also wonder if there can be solutions.

We do think that there are several ways to come to solutions, but ‘Compassion’ is something which shall pave the way. We are curious how are British brethren are going to look at that ‘Compassion’. As a community we are blessed with brothers and sisters who have a variety of professional expertise and others who have had personal experience of particular problems. These brothers and sisters are willing to use their knowledge and experience to help others. They all take Jesus as an example and want to follow him and be ready for others.

Jesus . . . saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, (Matt 14:14)

On Saturday 29th September 2012, the day will include an opportunity to share thoughts and reflections and to praise God together.

Welcome from 10.30 for 11.00 and the day will conclude at 6.00 pm.

Full details and booking form can be found on our web site www.chsn.org.uk. > Support Network Conference 29 September, 2012

Derby University, Kedleston Road, Derby

Speakers: Tom Gaston, Cedric Twelves and by video Richard Alleyne

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Downward Mobility (shewhobelieved.wordpress.com)
“The compassionate life is the life of downward mobility! In a society in which upward mobility is the norm, downward mobility is not only discouraged but even considered unwise, unhealthy, or downright stupid. Who will freely choose a low-paying job when a high-paying job is being offered? Who will choose poverty when wealth is within reach? Who will choose the hidden place when there is a place in the limelight? Who will choose to be with one person in great need when many people could be helped during the same time? Who will choose to withdraw to a place of solitude and prayer when there are so many urgent demands from all sides?
You May Not Harm (simonmarsh.org)
Weakness is a gift. An education.
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Christians and many other women and men of goodwill can be tackled to the ground by the very Church or institution they seek to love and serve.The Church is not exempt from the selfish gene, or the self-satisfied one either. Indeed there are certain religious “types” that at times appear more selfish and self-important than most; certain religious types who seem to have forgotten the Divine call and imperative to compassion – and all encompassing embrace, much more concerned with personal tastes and pick ‘n’ mix preferences (the ones they call “biblical” usually being the most distasteful) than with the challenge to a different kind of “choice” flagged up, even unto death, by the hunted and haunted Jesus. Some of the inconsequential tripe that people argue about in and around my parish beggars belief – whilst issues of real consequence like war, greed, racism, selfishness and vanity appear almost entirely to escape their attention.
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Heaven on Earth is delivered by the hands and hearts of those who minister affirmation, compassion, grace and hope to others – whatsoever the human detail of their religious faith (or lack of it) and wheresoever they may be.
It’s not ‘their’ problem… (jacobjuncker.wordpress.com)
Throughout the Gospel narratives, Jesus spends a lot of time with people that we identify as being on the fringe or edge of society. They were people viewed as being uncivil or inappropriate. They were people for whom society viewed with very little worth.
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our insecurity causes us to create boundaries that separate us based upon arbitrary rules of status where certain people are valued and others are not. “In the first century, the poor, the infirm, the orphaned, the mentally ill, the alien, and many women lived with very low status.” In two thousand years, we haven’t really changed all that much. Many still look at the poor and say that if they’d only work harder—pick themselves up by their boot straps—get a job—that their lives would be better. Many still look at the sick who cannot afford healthcare and blame them for being weak.
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The boundaries that define who has or doesn’t have value, boundaries that even Jesus got caught up in, continue to exist.
Never turn away a brother or sister (transientreflections.com)
By helping those in need we help our own selves as well, acts of kindness towards others builds a gentle spirit within. By learning to have compassion for all living things we also learn to be more understanding towards our own shortcomings and negative attributes. Love, kindness and compassion are like muscles, the more you exercise them the stronger they become. The greatest reward one can receive in return for being compassionate, loving and kindhearted is to see those you help smile and to be happy.
Blind and Deaf (citizentom.com)
{Be careful: for the links in the article we got a security warning for blocking the page: Bitdefender heeft deze pagina geblokkeerd Deze pagina is geblokkeerd door Bitdefender Cloudbeveiliging. – So be sure to have your virus and malware security on. We also wonder what is wrong with the pages as loopyloo305 is also a follower of our pages. None of her pages we knew were able to be opened securely today 11 September}
What loopyloo305 observes is that instead of worshipping God, some would rather adore the collective society of man. Yet even the combined efforts of mankind cannot solve the problem of death. Thus, to worship anything other than our Creator, the Holy One, leads to futility.
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Those that believe in the collective, believe that only through the combined effort of all can we be saved. In order to fulfil their desires, they believe that this gives them the right to force their will, no matter how wrong, upon others, in order that all may be saved. In doing so they deny Jesus as surely as those who would deny His existence.