Let’s throw it back to school. Remember when the teacher was talking about something, and it seemed like everyone else knew what she was talking about, but you sat there looking around scratching your head? You had no idea what the teacher meant, what you had to do, or how to even do it. But you never asked. You didn’t want to seem unintelligent or as if you weren’t paying attention. (more…)
This object lesson was inspired by a long overdue oil change in my car. Without changing the oil, the engine cannot function properly which can lead to very costly damages. As I entered a gas station in a little town in the middle of northern BC, this is what I heard:
There are many types of oil in the world, I will highlight two, crude oil (unregenerated, destructive and likened to this world and our sinful past); and refined oil of the Holy Ghost – that’s Jesus in us – regenerated and renewed. (more…)
“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.” 1 Chronicles 16:8
Over the past 6 weeks our local church has embarked on a new journey, a stewardship campaign, called Give Life. From remembering our past, to promoting our future the journey has driven people to great commitment, as the Lord has spoken. March 6, 2016 The Lord’s church accomplished an astounding commitment for a building fund, it was beyond the miracle goal that was set before the church. (more…)
Tired of all the drama around you? The Bible offers a surprising solution.
“How wonderful it is, how pleasant for God’s people to live together in harmony! … That is where the Lord has promised his blessing – life that never ends.” Psalms 133:1,3b GNB
The King James Version of the Bible translates the word harmony as unity. I knew there was power in unity – both good and bad. The Upper Room and the Tower of Babel both illustrate the power of unity for good (or not!) however I didn’t realize there is also peace and divine blessing in unity. (more…)
Recently a friend commented, “I wish someone would look at me, like some people look at menus.”
It was such an unusual and thought provoking statement that it stuck with me for days. I think at the core of this expression there is a longing that resonates in each of us to be known completely, desired, and loved unconditionally. Most of us long for this kind of unconditional love and search for it through human relationships. Hollywood often portrays the message that if you could just meet the right person, your soulmate, you would find this kind of a relationship. As I was pondering the almost universal longing in this statement, (more…)
Many of us have seen or participated in a game where one person is blind folded and their partner leads them around obstacles to get to the other side of the course. The individual blind folded has no sight, no sense of direction, they just simply trust the voice of their partner to keep them safe.
The same can be said with us, as we follow God. Oftentimes we want to trust Him, and we want to give Him all that we have and follow his voice, however we get frightened because we can’t see the way. (more…)
