The Day of Pentecost is for everyone!
Once you've received the Holy Spirit, then you know God is real and that you will live with Him forever because of what Jesus has done. The Holy spirit shows you what is real in this life. All you have to do is ask.

Peace only found in Christ.

God's love is everywhere!

          HAPPY  RESURRECTION  DAY!

It's all about this: God cannot lie. God promised in Isaiah that His holy One, Jesus would not see death and judgement. Because Jesus had no sin, Hell could not hold Him. He took our place on the cross so we could receive the promise that was given to Him. Jesus' resurrection proves that promise is real and we can trust God to raise us from the dead to receive eternal life with God and His holy Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Good Friday

Isaiah 52- 53-12
He was wounded for our sins, He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped and we are healed!

Hebrews 4:14-16
This high priest understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same temptations we do, yet He did not sin.

Hebrews 5:7-9
He learned obedience from the things He suffered.

Hebrews 10: 16-25
I will put my laws in their hearts and minds so they will follow them. I will never again remember their wrongs. We can boldly enter Heaven's most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. Let us go into the presence of God with true hearts fully trusting Him.

The Lord's Work

March 24

Luke 19: 28-40.
Did the people really know what was going on...

Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29
See the Lord's work everyday and rejoice in that!

Isaiah 50: 4-9a
God, awaken me refreshed every morning and open my understanding to your will.

Everlasting Sign

Isaiah 55: 1-10.
God's word will produce fruit everywhere He sends it...

God provides

Lectionary February 24/13

Luke 6: 27-38
In view of the big picture, it is vital to forgive. You have been given Eternal life, so you must forgive as you have been forgiven by God. Eternity may be at stake for your brothers and sisters, so forgive them. Your love may win their hearts and cause them to repent and accept God's love through you. Then they will gain Heaven too!

Psalm 37: 1-11, 39-40
Don't worry about the things in this world. Don't strive for them. God has provided everything for you. Be humble, thankful and trust God. 
He is taking care of you.

Feb. 17/13

Jeremiah 17: 5-10
It seems to me that, what we imagine becomes how we see our lives. If that is negative, then, even when God blesses us, we don't recognize it and we only see the bad things. So that is one way judgement can come upon us. Trust God and you become like that tree planted by the river, soaking up fresh water, sweet water every day! Everything is new, fresh and you recognize the good things that come your way. They are there for the taking- peace and joy are yours!

Psalm 1
We can look to the law and try to be good or look to Jesus, get to know Him better and let the Holy Spirit transform us into His likeness. We can move on from making sacrifices for our sins, to focussing on Jesus and in doing so, we naturally become like Him.
Bit by bit, just like that tree by the river, growing ring by ring, branch by branch, we grow into the likeness of God! 

The gentle, flowing waters of Shiloh!

Lectionary, Feb. 10/13
Nutshell:
Trust God and be steady and constant in your living and testimony. We don't have to be loud in our testimony, if we are part of that gently, flowing river that flows steadily over all that is striving, all that is not of God. The river constantly flows, carrying the peace of God, the wisdom of God, the joy of God and it may be slow and gentle, but it moves mountains!


Lectionary, Feb. 17/13
Jremiah 17: 5-10
It seems to me that what we imagine and get upset about, we then see our lives that way. Then, even if God blesses us, we don't recognize it and we only see the bad things. We may even see the blessings as bad things! So that is one way judgement can come upon us. Trust God and you become like a tree planted by the river, soaking up fresh water every day! Everything is new, fresh and in your outlook, you recognize the good things you are to take advantage of. They are there for your taking. Peace and joy are yours! 

Lectionary, Feb. 24/13 
Psalm37: 1-11, 39- 40
Don't worry about the things in this world. Don't strive for them. God has provided everything for you. Be humble, thankful and trust God. He is taking care of you. 

Luke 6: 27-38
In view of the big picture- it is vital that you forgive. You have been given eternal life, so you must forgive as you have been forgiven by God. Eternity may be at stake for your brother, so forgive him. Your love may cause him to turn to God and gain what you have already received. He will gain the kingdom too! Sounds impossible? Right! It's impossible for us, but God will enable us to forgive. God will take care of the situation, too. Amen!

Feb. 3/13 Love verses what we think we know

Luke 4: 21-30
People in Jesus' hometown prided themselves in the fact that they were born Jews.. They believed that they were chosen of God because they were Jews by birth. Therefore they were not open to hear from God that Jesus was their Messiah. They placed their faith in their birthright alone and would not believe God that Jesus was their Messiah.

Jeremiah 1: 4-10
God knows everything! God knew us even before we were born.

Psalm 71: 1-6
God is our rock and fortress. God is our sure foundation. Everything else will be shaken and fall, but God and His ways will always stand strong!

1Corinthians 13: 1-13
Love is the only thing that will endure. Now we only know a little of truth and reality, but when eternity comes, then we will know everything completely. Then everything as it really is will be revealed. But for now, the only thing that is lasting and makes what we do know useful, is love.

Who was this man, Jesus, that walked along the shores of the Dead Sea so many years ago, and why do we still talk about him even now in the 21st Century??

Sunday, January 27, 2013
Scripture reading: I Corinthians 12:12-31, Luke 4: 14-21.

Nutshell: Maybe we can't walk on water, but each of us has everything we need to do the things we are here on Earth to do.

We all have different talents and personalities, but we all have received the same Holy Spirit. You may not feel inclined to go feed five thousand people with a loaf of bread, or walk on water, but you may be anointed to go into that mundane work place with a smile on your face day after day and spread the joy of God to your fellow workers. You may be anointed to teach or just be a helpful, good neighbour right where you are. Yo may be anointed to serve coffee or greet new people who come to your church. With God there are no great jobs or little jobs, they are all God's works!
So what miracles are taking place in your life? What anointing do you have to be a part of them? The Spirit of God was upon Jesus to do the works God sent Him to do. So it is with us. Each one of us is anointed to do the work God has sent us to do. God's not going to ask us to do something that's not natural for us to do. He will get us involved according to our natural abilities. And as a group we can be anointed too. We will find unity between us when we focus on Christ and let the Holy Spirit work in our hearts. Together we can reach out to the community.
It's up to each of us to take the time to know God's voice so we will recognize His leading. Whatever time you need, whatever works for you, so the Holy Spirit can heal you from the inside out and God can minister through you to others.
Songs: Lord I Lift Your Name On High, Only You
(From the next song) Lord, my heart's desire is to know you more, to be found in you and known as yours, to possess by faith what I could not earn, all surpassing gift of righteousness.
Song: Knowing You
 It's God who called us and we just responded to that call. We don't have to go on about our mistakes or the past sins we have done. Just let God's Spirit teach us, make us more and more like Jesus, enabling us to do the things that God has called us to do. It's God that called us. It's Christ's blood that makes us holy before God. It's the Holy Spirit that transforms us day by day into the nature of Christ and leads us to do the things that we are here to do.
( From the next song) Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me, for I am His and He is mine- Bought with the precious blood of Christ. No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of Hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand. Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand!
Song: In Christ Alone
(From the next song) The Spirit of The Lord Is upon me. He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the people with a broken heart, to preach deliverance and give sight to the blind and to set free those in captivity, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Song: The Spirit Of The Lord ( Buddy Axely)
Other Songs: I Will Offer Up My Life, Take My Life And Let It be
Photo of Dream Circus, performing at Buskerfest 2012, St. Lawrence Market, Toronto.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Here is my meditation for this week in a nutshell. We are talking about Jesus' first miracle. When God performs a miracle, He gets people involved. There was Jesus' mother, servants to pour out the water, a head master to confirm the miracle and many others to witness the act. Jesus' disciples were there to boost their faith in him. The thing that impressed me was that God gets ordinary people involved in His work. The miracles aren't always big by our standards but they are still a witness to the world of God's greatness and goodness. And remember, God gets ordinary people involved like you and me.
Song:My Redeemer
Prayer: 
Lord, you took away our sin and you took away our pain. When we are dry you fill us up again- with your love, your joy and your strength. You are our all in all.
Song: My All In All
Sharing:( last verse of Here I Am To Worship) 
King of all days! Oh so highly exalted! Glorious in Heaven above! Humbly You came to the Earth You created, All for love's sake became poor! Jesus could have travelled the palaces of the world and ate the finest of foods! But, He came and lived as an average person and told His story to common people. How loving a Saviour! Precious Jesus! Holding us so dear in His heart! Remember the miracles in your life may not come with fireworks, but look for them, see them, they are new every day! Lord, help us to hear you and see the miracles big and small that you send us everyday.
Songs: Here I Am To Worship, Arms Of Love, The Steadfast Love Of The Lord.
Reading: John 2:1-11
Sharing:
Look at each day as a miracle! Be sure to see even the small miracles that are given to you and be encouraged by them. Let them build your faith until the day our Lord comes again!
Song: in The Bulb There Is A Flower
Sermon
Songs during meditation: Speak To Me, The Everlasting God, Wait For The Lord
Coming out of meditation: Nothing Can Trouble
Benediction
Song: Blest Are They
Prayer: 
This is your time, this is your place.(  as I put my hands on my chest gesturing that God's place is in me) We are your vessels. Lord, fill us till we are overflowing, so your love and peace flow through us to all of those around us this week!
Song: Carry Your Love  

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The story of the Baptism of Jesus. Look at it as a time marking new beginnings like we do at the beginning of  the New Year.

Sunday January 6, 2013

Christmas 2012

Nut Shell:
God's plan is amazing! 
Your plans and dreams may have been ruined, but God has a far greater plan for your life! There is the nitty gritty, hard work you may have to face for God's plan to be fulfilled in your life, but it's still better than anything you could have done! And we are being brought by God into that plan. Each and everyone of us is part of God's plan to bring salvation to the world.
God alone fills us and brings us into that plan.

The Service:
I chose songs to reflect on what it must have been like for Joseph and Mary that first Christmas. What was it like for them trying to hear from God and understand the plan God had for them. how difficult was it for them to actually carry out their part in God's plan? How does their experience relate to our own struggles to hear from God and do what God is guiding us to do?

During the times when Joseph and Mary lived, all of Israel was looking for their Saviour to come. They were oppressed by the Roman Empire. It was hard times for them. They were looking for their deliverer to come from God. They were looking for the Messiah. 
Song: O Come, O Come Emmanuel 

In relating to Joseph, I was thinking that he couldn't always hear God and struggled to understand God's will for him. So- God spoke to Him in a dream. I know that in my life, there have been times when really important things came quickly and clearly, but, most other times I have to seek God, really search for God to get the answers I need for my life. Joseph was facing a real crisis, feelings of betrayal and fear of rejection. It was an issue of honour and he was afraid for Mary's life. It looked like his hopes and dreams were ruined and his reputation.
But God was always there for him and had a wonderful plan for his life.
 Song: Speak To Me  

Hearing from God can be both exciting and frightening.Sometimes there is responsibility in what you hear and you may have to face resistance from others who aren't open to God's will. It must have been both exciting and frightening for Joseph.Think about it. Everyone was looking for the Messiah to come and free them from their suffering and here God was choosing Joseph to be a part of the plan to deliver Israel! Joseph would have known what resistance he would have to face from his family and friends and the village he lived in. But when you have that deep conviction in your heart, you know god will take care of everything, including you. like Mary, Joseph had to surrender and trust God. 
Think again of God's plan. How amazing! The Messiah was now coming, the one who would deliver them forever, and He was coming-  as a baby!! 
Song: Amazed 

You may think it was so spiritual, so glorious for Mary to be visited by an angel, like - WOW! But the bible says that Mary was confused at the angel's greeting and the angel told her to not be afraid. It must have been exciting for Mary to hear the plan of God and know that she was the one to give birth to our saviour, but what about the implications? She faced so much adversity in her village, rejection, people talking badly of her. If Joseph rejected her, she could face death! She kept trusting and we know that Joseph did take her as wife, being obedient to God. But it was a difficult journey for them both. And then when Mary was nine months pregnant, she had to endure a long ride on a donkey to Bethlehem! I can't imagine how hard that was for her! And then when they got to Bethlehem, there was no place to stay, so she gave birth in a cold, smelly stable! That was tough!
But think of how wonderful it must have been to finally hold that precious little baby in her arms, seeing the promise of God fulfilled right before her eyes! And knowing this baby would become the Saviour of the world!

How does that relate to us? What trials, what crisis must we face in our lives. But God is with us to help us get through them and the plan that God has is far greater than anything we could ever have come up with! 
How do the decisions we make affect the big picture? The people around us, or those in the future?   We must trust God for everything! God's plan is the only one that will really work. God is brilliant!
So we may be thinking, oh, what can God do?!  
Through Joseph and Mary, just an average couple of people in a tiny village in the desert, God brought us our Lord, the one who would save us forever! 
How brilliant is That?!
Song: What Child Is this?  

Giving into God's will, yielding your heart and soul, that's when real revelation comes, wisdom and understanding from God comes. That is very exciting even if you must face adversity from others because you realize that God's answer is the only way.
In the story of Joseph and Mary, God's plan was the only way for all of us to be saved. God's plan was brilliant beyond anything we could have imagined!

And we are being brought into that plan. Each and everyone of us is part of God's plan to bring salvation to the world. God alone fills us and brings us into that plan. God brings us into the rhythm of that plan. 

Songs: I Adore You, Nothing Can Trouble  

Thought from Katherine Brittain's message:
How appropriate that God came as a baby, to remind us that we should never take our eyes off of Him! If you take your eyes off a baby for even a second, they can get into all kinds of things and create quite a mess! If we take our eyes off of God for just a second, we could find ourselves in a mess and have to quickly turn our attention back to find the way out!

Songs: O Little Town Of Bethlehem, Hope Of The Nations. 

God's Provision

Nut shell:
It's the message I've been hearing over and over. The things we think we need to ask God for are already done. But we need to make ourselves available to receive them. God won't ask us to do anything that He hasn't already made provision for.

Live Transformed Series: Health, by Dr. Jim Richards
In the gospels, john says that he wishes we would prosper even as our souls prosper. What is happening in our souls is going to keep us healthy. 
( or make us ill ) What is happening in our soul comes out of the beliefs of the heart. The core of health of the New Testament believer is about managing your beliefs and your emotions. If you, by the grace of God manage your beliefs and emotions, you will turn your health around.
Jim was asked, what would be a great testimony of his ministry. Now, Jim does think healing is a great testimony and has had many at his meetings, but this is what he said. "A great testimony for me is not : You came to my church, I went to an altar call, you laid hands on me and I got healed right on the spot. a great testimony for me is: You came to my church, I went to one of your meetings,  I went home and I started dealing with my issues and suddenly I realized, I don't have this problem any more."
I think Jim meant by issues: our heart beliefs. In other broadcasts he has said that it's not so much asking God to give us what we need as it is letting go of wrong concepts, ideas and beliefs about ourselves and God, and then we receive those things which God has already done for us.  I think he is saying, when we don't believe we have those things, then of course we cannot receive them, even when God has already given them. The problem is not on God's end, but our end.


Lectionary, November 4/12
Psalm 51
v. 6: But you desire honesty from the heart so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.
v.17: The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken spirit and a repentant heart, O God. you will not despise.
v.10- 12: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Don not banish me from your presence and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.

Psalm 119:  Happy are people of integrity who follow the Lord; God never gives up on them!

Psalm 146:  The writer asks God to give Him the right attitude so he can teach sinners and do the will of God with joy. That acknowledges our need as humans for God's help to obey Him.

Songs: Only You, Create In Me A Clean Heart, Come And Fill Our Hearts, Be Thou My Vision, My All In All.

November11/12

My new Day Nov. 8/12
Dr. Jim Richards , Life Transformed Series.

If we don't have the beliefs of the heart to support where we are going, we will always quit. 
We cannot comfortably exceed the beliefs of our heart. 
We cannot comfortably exceed our self perception.
What is shaping our beliefs? Media? Advertizing?

The human body is hugely adaptable. What we do over and over trains our body to do it that way, positive or negative.

We don't want the goal to be: I want to get healed, because once you are healed, then you go back to the unhealthy things that caused the problem in the first place.
We want the goal to be: I want to be healthy. That is a never ending goal and if your heart is in that, it will keep you motivated your whole life.

For those who have constantly started and stopped, there is something within reach that you can actually do and if you do it properly, then you will get great benefits from it. 

See and embrace yourself living healthy.

(Bob) Then you can see and know where you are going.  

Prescription:
Create a character sketch: What would it look like of you were healthy. What would I be doing?This is designed so that you will set goals that engage the heart and then the goals you set will last a life time.  

Fall back in love with yourself!

My New Day,November15/12
Dr. Jim Richards Life transformed Series

Your health, emotions and spiritual life all mirror each other. As time goes on it gets easier. You must do what fits naturally in your life, or you won't continue, you'll quit. your beliefs about anything must be consistent with you're having a sense of dignity and worth based on who you are in Christ.

You don't want something that is not consistent with how God wants you to live.

What you believe about yourself is what your life is going to become, even your physiological part of your life. For example; if you focus on health, your body will automatically adjust to the weight that is right for you. If you can't accept yourself where you are, you cannot get out of where you are. It's not accepting where you are, but accepting yourself even if you are not where you want to be. You can't do it mentally, you can only do it through the beliefs of the heart, the perspective of the heart, connecting with who you are in Christ.
When you are stuck in guilt and shame, not accepting yourself, what a better way to punish yourself than to keep your self in those things you hate.

Perscription:
Love and accept yourself, and accept the fact that God loves you, and Jesus died for you. that's how much worth you have.
With your hands held in front of you, palms upward, and fingers curled inward, tap your palms together gently, bringing them together at the base of the baby fingers, where the skin creases. Do it for 10 to 20 seconds. While you do it say to your self: I love and accept myself even though I am or do or have ( the thing that I hate.) You can do it when you find yourself thinking about that thing you hate about yourself.
In time you will start thinking differently about yourself.