Linger a little longer

July 31st, 2026

Dear church family

This week we have started our Selah season until September. As a reminder, this means that we are stopping some of our regular gatherings to leave space for stillness, rest, recuperation and renewal. I wonder how this season finds you? Psalm 46 was written in the middle of a battle and yet in amongst the turmoil and noise, verse 10 reads:

'Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.'

Our culture continually pushes us to move faster, do more, be fitter, leaner, keep running and yet find time for family, friends, neighbours, church but don't drop the balls just keep leaping those hurdles. It's no wonder that our mental health takes a bit of a battering and sometimes that drive to keep going pushes out any time to read, reflect, be creative, pray and just be. As a good friend of mine often says, we are called to be Human Beings not Human doings!

Although we may yearn to stop the world and get off, when we finally get the chance, so often we feel lost. What do I do now? How do I do this? What did I used to enjoy before I got so busy? It can be hard to slow down and more often than not, we are tempted to fill the space with all those jobs that there never seems to be any other time for. I implore you to resist that temptation. Perhaps some of you are reading this and thinking that with the children home and the constant demands to keep them entertained, a chance to stop would be a fine thing!!

With this change of rhythm, let me encourage you to linger a little longer with God. Find a time of day that suits you best and take your Bible, a notebook or journal and try to meditate on just a few verses a day – literally just two verses. Pick a Psalm or a favourite section and repeat just two verses a day over in your mind. Linger over the words, speak them out loud. Ask God to speak to you through those words. Don't rush. If your mind wanders, just gently bring it back to those verses and then write whatever comes to mind in your notebook. You may be surprised at what you write. If you've never tried this, it may seem difficult at first but set yourself a target to work through that one section slowly during August and be open to how God may choose to speak. Some great passages could be: Psalms 23, 46, 62, 139, 1 Chronicles: 16:8-12, 23-36, Isaiah 40:25-31, Matthew 11:28-30. Just pick one or even just a section of one.

If you prefer to be led, perhaps try the Lectio 365 app where there are gentle led sessions for morning, noon and night.
There are also some books that may be helpful such as

Slow Down, Show up and Pray by Ruth Rice
How to Pray: A simple guide for normal people by Pete Greig
How to hear God: A simple guide for normal people by Pete Greig
Sacred Rhythms: Arranging our lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth R Barton

May the Lord lead you into a delicious time of delighting in Him. May he lead you by still waters and be the refreshment for your soul during this season.

Much Love,
Paula x

SUNDAY SERVICES | 10:30AM
Join us in person this Sunday in Ashford or Brabourne

Ashford - Unknown Heroes - Bezalel & Oholiab (Exodus 31: 1-11) Thomas Moyles
Brabourne - Unknown Heroes - Bezalel & Oholiab (Exodus 31: 1-11) Katie Moyles
No Finberry service

You can also join us online from New Wells Ashford: https://youtu.be/XTtsq2dg0qI

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SELAH PRAYER PAUSE IN AUGUST
Please note the following events are on pause throughout August:

Power Hour
Youth
Tots
Early Morning Prayers
Facebook Live Prayers
Reverb

FINBERRY ☀ SUMMER CLOSURE DATES
Closed over the Summer | New Wells Finberry
We are closed for a few dates across Summer ☀ We would love to welcome you over to New Wells Ashford on Hythe Road in Willesborough instead! Have a great Summer and we are excited to see you again at Finberry in August!

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TOTS ON TOUR ❤
At 3 locations around Ashford
This Summer we have 'Tots on Tour'. A great chance for tots to enjoy some social time together during the holidays. There's no need to sign up, just come as you are We can't wait to see you there!

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ASHFORD STREET PASTORS
We're delighted to share that Ashford Street Pastors has been selected for the Tesco Blue Token Scheme! From Monday 3rd August until the end of November, you can support them simply by shopping at participating Tesco stores and placing your blue token in the Ashford Street Pastors slot. Every token helps increase the funding they'll receive for their work in the community. For the full list of participating stores and more information, please visit their Facebook post: https://bit.ly/4g2BSKd

MAF JOB VACANCY
MAF International is looking for an experienced and motivated Senior Finance Officer to join our finance team in Ashford on a one-year fixed-term contract. For more information please visit their website: https://careers-mafint.icims.com/jobs/1906/senior-finance-officer---ashford/job?mobile=false&width=1181&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=0&jun1offset=60