Posts in Bern Leckie
‘What the gospel means to me’ by Bern Leckie, 19 November 2023
‘What the gospel means to me’ by Bern Leckie, 19 November 2023

What is it like to approach Jesus and faith like a child? Bern Leckie shares his experiences of growing up in a religious community and how some things seemed to make more sense than others. When Jesus told people they had to receive God’s kingdom like little children, what did he mean? Was he telling people to be mild and obedient, or hoping that they’d receive the enormous superpower of God’s love and enjoy finding out what it could do in and through them? And is this love only for a special people, or for everyone?

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Bern LeckieSevern VineyardWhat The Gospel Means To Me
‘Encounters With God - Stories from the Old Testament, part 9 - Daniel’ by Bern Leckie - 31 July 2022
‘Encounters With God - Stories from the Old Testament, part 9 - Daniel’ by Bern Leckie - 31 July 2022

How can God make the impossible possible? Bern Leckie looks at how God used Daniel in impossible situations, giving him wisdom to make impossible choices and do impossible jobs. These are not really stories about how good Daniel was but how amazing God is. The way God gave “living water” and connections to his presence and principles to Daniel are also available to us because of Jesus. What impossible things do we need God to do for us and want God to do with us?

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Bern LeckieSevern VineyardEncounters with God, Daniel
‘How dare we believe?’ by Bern Leckie - 20 February 2022
‘How dare we believe?’ by Bern Leckie - 20 February 2022

When we or people around us are suffering, how dare we believe in Jesus? Bern Leckie looks at two people in chapter 5 of Mark’s gospel who dared to approach Jesus in different ways, both looking for specific help, and both receiving more than they expected. Can their stories help us to get close to Jesus and share our situations, even though we don’t know how to fix things? And can they even help us to deal with the times when God is not answering our prayers in the way we hoped?

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Bern LeckieSevern VineyardWho Is Jesus?, Mark
'The Parable of the Talents' by Bern Leckie - 25 July 2021
'The Parable of the Talents' by Bern Leckie - 25 July 2021

What can you do that you love to share? In this talk, Bern Leckie looks at Jesus’s story about people trusted with incredible resources that they managed to multiply. It’s described as money, but is it really something else? What if we can overcome the things holding us back from sharing our talents, like comparing ourselves with others, and what if we can’t? Can this warning and encouragement from Jesus help us to grow good things in our relationships and ourselves?

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Bern Leckie, first in seriesSevern VineyardMy favourite Jesus stories, Jesus, Talents
‘The journey from rage to restoration - Psalm 139:19-24’ by Bern Leckie - 24 July 2021
‘The journey from rage to restoration - Psalm 139:19-24’ by Bern Leckie - 24 July 2021

If you could tell God what you really think, how much of it would be nice and how much would be angry, driven by rage, hatred or fear? Bern Leckie looks at how King David opened up his thoughts and emotions, and what journey God was taking people on to fix the problems David saw.

What difference does it make to see David and the law of his time as part way through that journey, not the destination? If that journey points to Jesus, and the law’s purpose is fulfilled with him, can he show us what God wanted for us all along, and could that surprise us?

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Bern LeckieSevern VineyardPsalm 139
‘I am wonderful (and here’s how I know) - Psalm 139:13-18’ by Bern Leckie - 17 July 2021
‘I am wonderful (and here’s how I know) - Psalm 139:13-18’ by Bern Leckie - 17 July 2021

How and when did God start getting involved in your life? Bern Leckie looks at David the Psalmist’s view that he didn’t have to do anything for God to do wonderful things with him. If we believe that we start life as originally sinful, broken, faulty ‘fixer uppers’, we might always think that we need to do something special to earn God’s acceptance. But when we look at how David credits God for making him wonderfully, can change how we relate to God and what we believe about ourselves too?

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Bern LeckieSevern VineyardPsalm 139
‘Fleeing from guilt, met by grace - Psalm 139:7-12’ by Bern Leckie - 10 July 2021
‘Fleeing from guilt, met by grace - Psalm 139:7-12’ by Bern Leckie - 10 July 2021

If we believe in God, why would we try to run away? Bern Leckie remembers being confused about God's acceptance and forgiveness as something we might have to keep earning, but finding that God went to some lengths to be found for who he is. Does David's praise show the size of God's love and grace instead as something too big to be earned? And can we enjoy God's presence lighting up darkness in our lives too?

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Bern LeckieSevern VineyardPsalm 139
'Cries of the Heart: The Cry of "Train me!" (Psalm 18)' by Bern Leckie - August 23 2020
'Cries of the Heart: The Cry of "Train me!" (Psalm 18)' by Bern Leckie - August 23 2020

How can we face huge obstacles and learn to overcome them? In this talk, Bern Leckie looks at Psalm 18 and the training journey David is taken on by God after crying for help in a desperate situation. He sees what God can do, then starts to walk with God, get trained and strengthened by him, and finally can do everything he needs to claim victory in God's strength. Can we apply this where we need help and strengthening in our lives?

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Bern LeckieSevern VineyardCries of the Heart, Psalms