These Long Dark Mornings
GCD Weekly Newsletter - 17th January 2025
“Why haven’t you opened the blinds?”
Well, the light might be coming out now, but four hours ago when I woke up, it was pitch black. Does it even count as a morning if the dawn refuses to wake up in a timely manner?
Why open the blinds if it feels like the light will never come?
When darkness falls on our lives, it feels like the light will never come. Hopelessness hides well in our shadow.
But.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morningPsalm 30:5b
Each of this week’s articles looks at the struggles we face in this life, and tells tales of the light of the morning ahead. We might have to contend with long dark mornings for a while, but an eternal light brighter than day is coming.
Grace and Peace,
Adsum Try Ravenhill is married to Anna and together they are passionate about seeing men and women discipled in the context of the local church. They live in Reading, UK and are part of a church plant that meets in the town hall. Adsum edits the GCD Weekly Newsletter and can be found through his writing at The Raven’s Writing Desk. You can find all of Adsum’s previous articles for GCD here.
Last Week at GCDiscipleship.com
To (Almost) Die is Gain
by Heidi Kellogg
“It was my family who would have suffered most if the doctor had nicked that vein. It’s not because I’ve been the world’s best wife and mom but because I’ve been their wife and mom. How could I prepare them for life without me?”
Hold Steady in this Trial
By Stephanie O’Donnell
It was Sunday morning. Worship was about to begin. My heart raced as my eyes searched the crowd in anxious anticipation. O God, please bring her! Please! Service began with opening prayer, but my heart wouldn’t bow. I was too busy being angry. First song, no one came in. Second song, my jaw clenched, lip quivering in resentful disappointment. Why, Lord?
“Jenny’s questioning of Christianity wasn’t her trying to find loopholes so she could indulge in sin. Nor was she simply looking for a way to leave the faith because she was tired of being in it. She didn’t want to leave the faith. She wanted to stay. She wasn’t one step away from apostasy. She was desperately trying to trust Jesus and hold on in the midst of the deep questions and the dark night of the soul that she experienced.”
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Church Planter Webinar with Tony Merida
GCD Presents a one hour webinar with pastor and author Tony Merida, Thursday February 13, 2025 at 2pm EST, as he talks about the keys for fruitful and effective church planting alongside his new book Church Planter: Nine Essentials for Being Faithful and Effective.