p{ margin:10px 0; padding:0; } table{ border-collapse:collapse; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6{ display:block; margin:0; padding:0; } img,a img{ border:0; height:auto; outline:none; text-decoration:none; } body,#bodyTable,#bodyCell{ height:100%; margin:0; padding:0; width:100%; } .mcnPreviewText{ display:none !important; } #outlook a{ padding:0; } img{ -ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic; } table{ mso-table-lspace:0pt; mso-table-rspace:0pt; } .ReadMsgBody{ width:100%; } .ExternalClass{ width:100%; } p,a,li,td,blockquote{ mso-line-height-rule:exactly; } a[href^=tel],a[href^=sms]{ color:inherit; cursor:default; text-decoration:none; } p,a,li,td,body,table,blockquote{ -ms-text-size-adjust:100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust:100%; } .ExternalClass,.ExternalClass p,.ExternalClass td,.ExternalClass div,.ExternalClass span,.ExternalClass font{ line-height:100%; } a[x-apple-data-detectors]{ color:inherit !important; text-decoration:none !important; font-size:inherit !important; font-family:inherit !important; font-weight:inherit !important; line-height:inherit !important; } a.mcnButton{ display:block; } .mcnImage,.mcnRetinaImage{ vertical-align:bottom; } .mcnTextContent{ word-break:break-word; } .mcnTextContent img{ height:auto !important; } .mcnDividerBlock{ table-layout:fixed !important; } body,#bodyTable,#bodyBackground,#templateFooter{ background-color:#EBDBCD; } #bodyCell{ border-top:0; } #mainBackground{ border:1px solid #CDC2BA; } h1{ color:#7AC1BD !important; font-family:Georgia; font-size:50px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:125%; letter-spacing:normal; text-align:center; } h2{ color:#A48B75 !important; font-family:Georgia; font-size:30px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:125%; letter-spacing:normal; text-align:left; } h3{ color:#A48B75 !important; font-family:Tahoma; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:bold; line-height:125%; letter-spacing:1px; text-align:left; } h4{ color:#036B74 !important; font-family:Georgia; font-size:14px; font-style:italic; font-weight:normal; line-height:125%; letter-spacing:normal; text-align:left; } #templatePreheader{ background-color:#EBDBCD; border-top:0; border-bottom:1px solid #CDC2BA; } .preheaderContainer .mcnTextContent,.preheaderContainer .mcnTextContent p{ color:#524E48; font-family:Georgia; font-size:10px; line-height:125%; text-align:left; } .preheaderContainer .mcnTextContent a{ color:#524E48; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; } #templateHeader{ background-color:#FFFFFF; border-top:0; border-bottom:0; } .headerContainer .mcnTextContent,.headerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ color:#524E48; font-family:Georgia; font-size:18px; line-height:150%; text-align:left; } .headerContainer .mcnTextContent a{ color:#036B74; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; } #templateBody,#mainBackground{ background-color:#FFFFFF; } #templateBody{ border-top:0; border-bottom:0; } .bodyContainer .mcnTextContent,.bodyContainer .mcnTextContent p{ color:#524E48; font-family:Georgia; font-size:16px; line-height:150%; text-align:left; } .bodyContainer .mcnTextContent a{ color:#036B74; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; } .footerContainer .mcnTextContent,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ color:#524E48; font-family:Georgia; font-size:10px; line-height:125%; text-align:center; } .footerContainer .mcnTextContent a{ color:#524E48; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body,table,td,p,a,li,blockquote{ -webkit-text-size-adjust:none !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body{ width:100% !important; min-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #mainBackground,#templateHeader,#templateBody,.templateContainer{ max-width:600px !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnRetinaImage{ max-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImage{ width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnCartContainer,.mcnCaptionTopContent,.mcnRecContentContainer,.mcnCaptionBottomContent,.mcnTextContentContainer,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer,.mcnImageGroupContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightImageContentContainer{ max-width:100% !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer{ min-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageGroupContent{ padding:9px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnCaptionLeftContentOuter .mcnTextContent,.mcnCaptionRightContentOuter .mcnTextContent{ padding-top:9px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardTopImageContent,.mcnCaptionBottomContent:last-child .mcnCaptionBottomImageContent,.mcnCaptionBlockInner .mcnCaptionTopContent:last-child .mcnTextContent{ padding-top:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardBottomImageContent{ padding-bottom:9px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageGroupBlockInner{ padding-top:0 !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageGroupBlockOuter{ padding-top:9px !important; padding-bottom:9px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardLeftImageContent,.mcnImageCardRightImageContent{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcpreview-image-uploader{ display:none !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h1{ font-size:24px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h2{ font-size:20px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h3{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h4{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ #templatePreheader{ display:block !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .preheaderContainer .mcnTextContent,.preheaderContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:115% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .headerContainer .mcnTextContent,.headerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .bodyContainer .mcnTextContent,.bodyContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .footerContainer .mcnTextContent,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:115% !important; } }

View this email in your browser Daily Devotions from the URC <!– –> inspiration in your inbox <!– –> Follow on Facebook Follow on Twitter Podcast Share This on Facebook Tweet this Forward to a Friend 5th February 2023 Psalm 121   I lift my eyes up Up to the mountains, Where does my help come from? My help comes from You, Maker of Heaven, Creator of the earth. Oh, how I need You Lord, You are my only hope You’re my only prayer. So I will wait for You To come and rescue me. Come and give me life. Written by: Brian Doerksen © 1990 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing You can hear this here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veXyN37AgMU CCLI licence number 1064776 Reflection The opening words of Psalm 121 are some of the most powerful known in the English language – especially in their earlier form (I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth).  There’s a resonance of hope in despair, of looking for help in desperate times, and the realisation that our help is only, ultimately, in the Lord’s hands.  For most of my life I lived in cities, rejoicing in the chance to get away to the wide open spaces of North Wales or Scotland’s Highlands and Islands.  Majestic mountains always make me recall these words and, in the busyness of life, I found help in the mountains –  to relax, slow my pace, and think.  It’s not that the mountains were the help but that in the mountains, away from the press and stress of life, I found time for re-creation.    Where, I wonder, does our society look for help?  Foreign alliances can prove tricky (and as Brexit shows rather transitory), financial markets prove unstable, captains of industry prove unreliable, and political leaders have feet of clay.  Institutions which appear stable can be easily rocked as Mr Trump proved on 6th January 2021.  We, of course, can find help in therapy and pharmacology, in spirituality (not always associated with the Church), in music, or in escape through fiction or film.  All these things can be good. Just as I needed my escape to desolate places, we all need various things to help but, in all those things our help is found in the Lord.  God works through mountain and music, therapist, landscape, and carefully made medicine; through the wild waves and chanting, wind, media and heartfelt prayer. Where do you find the Lord helping you? Prayer We find our strength  in you, O Lord, from whence will you help? Will we find you in music and song, in mountain and sea, in therapy and crowd, in stillness and silence? You are our strength,  help us to find You.   Amen.       <!– –> Today’s writer The Rev’d Andy Braunston is the URC’s Minister of Digital Worship and a member of the Peedie Kirk, Orkney Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2023 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.