I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 16th of November, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Exodus 35:10:

”All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded”

- they were building the tabernacle for God.

Then we go to Mark 6:3:

”Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary…”

Who were they speaking about? Jesus Christ. Jesus was an artisan. Jesus was a tradesman. Yes, the Greek word “tektōn” means “carpenter-builder,” so He probably worked with wood and stone. We need to use our gifting to glorify God. We have a widow who stays with us here at Shalom, and she is a very godly woman. She is a quiet woman, she’s not a preacher, but I want to tell you something now, she preaches with a paint brush. Yes, she is a talented artist. Just hanging behind my chair right here in my prayer room is the most beautiful painting that she painted for me, many many years ago of the Holy Nativity and even as we are approaching Christmas, it is very important to me again, to see the little Babe in a manger with His mother and father, literally looking onto Him. She preaches with a paintbrush.

I also have a grandson here at Shalom. I have many grandsons, this one is very young. He is a gifted worker with leather. He’s not shy, but he’s a quiet cowboy. With his hands, he makes leather belts, he makes bridles for his horses, he makes halters to catch his horses in the field, and he expresses his love for Jesus through the gifting that God has given to him. Today, I want to say to mom and dad, let your child express their love for Christ through the gifting that the Holy Spirit has given them, whatever it might be, because through it, God will get the glory.

Do you remember Saint Francis of Assisi? He was a member of a very wealthy family. He gave it all up and went out to live with the poorest of the poor. He built a monastery basically with his bare hands. Now, I don’t know if it is an actual fact or not, but it is attributed to him as having said, “Preach the Gospel at all costs, and if you really have to, use words.” Very interesting!

Today, use what God has given you. We can’t all be evangelists, we can’t all be teachers, we can’t all be ministers, but we can all use the gift that God has given us to glorify His Son.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, 15th November 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Gospel of John 6:15:

”Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

The most humble person who has ever lived! He said if you want to be the best or the greatest, you must become the least. They wanted to make Him king. He knew it was not His time. He withdrew to the mountains by Himself. Oh folks, we need to be more like Jesus. There are too many of us clamouring to become famous and popular.

I looked up John Lennon. He was the leader of probably the most famous rock and roll band in the world at the time, The Beatles. He made a statement and he did apologise afterwards. He said that they were more popular than Jesus, but at the age of 40, he was gunned down and he died.

Elvis Presley - I’ve been to Graceland in Memphis Tennessee, I went with my good friend Tommy. We went to that beautiful house to go and have a look. It was one of the saddest places I’ve ever been. They said he was such a generous man. Elvis Presley was regarded as the most popular man in the world. They called him “The King of Rock and Roll,” but he could never sleep. He used to play the piano into the early hours of the morning and he would sing hymns they said. His kitchen was open 24 hours a day. He was thronged with friends, well I don’t know if they were friends or hangers-on, so much so that his wife and his little daughter eventually left him, and then at the age of 42 years old, in the newspapers, the headlines, “The king is dead.”

I want to say to you today, don’t seek after the popularity of men, of society, of this world, rather seek after the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, a Friend who sticks closer than a brother, Jesus Christ. Rather be like Him, and you will live a long time and you will live a peaceful life because when you follow Jesus, He gives you life eternal!

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful and quiet day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 14th of November, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Book of Exodus 34:29:

”…Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.”

Moses had just come down from Mt Sinai with the Ten Commandments. He had spent 40 days and 40 nights in the presence of our Heavenly Father, and his face was shining like the sun. Isn’t that amazing?

We go to Matthew 17:2:

”…and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.”

That was Jesus, our Saviour, when He went up the Mount of Transfiguration. He shone like the sun when He met with His Heavenly Father.

Folks, that can happen to you and me as well if we spend time with the Lord Jesus Christ, then we start to become more and more like Him. Moses had to wear a veil over his face. The people were too scared to come near Him because of the presence of God in His life. Surely that’s how we should be as well. People should want to come and be with us because they see the love and the presence of God in our lives, not so much by the way we look, but rather by the way we act and live. You know, little children are very good judges of people who know God. They are drawn to people like that. I’ve seen them. They’ll hang around and stand around and be close to people who spend time with God.

I want to tell you about a man that made a big impression in my life when I was a new Christian, many many years ago. His name was Reverend Tom Parker and his dear wife, Gladys. They came all the way from Yorkshire, England and they became the ministers of the little church here in Greytown, one of the dearest men I think I’ve met in my life. He had a hard life. He was in the Second World War, serving on submarines. He never complained and was always gentle. He wasn’t the greatest preacher that I’ve ever heard but he gave off the presence of Jesus wherever he went. I used to love just sitting, listening to him talking and he would get so caught up in the Holy Spirit, that you battled to follow him when he was preaching, but I want to tell you, he gave the presence of God wherever he went.

You and I today as well, people just want the love of God and they are desperate to meet with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Today, let’s be Jesus to them.
God bless you and goodbye.