Clean up, Throw out, February 2013 note

 What to do for Lent...
This year for Lent why don't you clean out your room.
Throw away some of your decorations or souvenirs like Buddha's or Dream-Catchers. Maybe you have a decoration "to keep out the evil eye", get rid of it.
Look through your book case throw anything out that isn't pleasing to the Lord.
Go through your Music, Movies even Jewelry.
Do you have any lucky charms? like a red string or chestnut, throw them all out.
I try to do it every year and am every time surprised by how much there is for the garbage.

1 John 5:21  Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Did you find something to throw out? where you surprised how many things over time slithered into your room?

January 2013 note; The Den

Lately we’ve been watching some old episodes of the Dragon’s den. It’s a TV show where an entrepreneur tries to pitch his product to some human dragons in the hope that they will support the product with $$$.  Usually the dragons want a bigger share of the company for less money. They are not easily convinced to part with their money. This show is a picture of the world we live in. The key word is” more”

·         More Money

·         More eating, fast foods preferably

·         More texting, & tweeting,

·         More working, multi tasking

·         More consuming, big box stores

Are  we as Christians different or are we part of this rat-race? Listening to Walter Brueggeman giving 6 lectures about “the other way”

 Dr. Brueggeman calls it our Baptismal Identity. He looks at Daniel (from the Lion’s den) and how he decided to be different, Daniel1:8.  But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.  From the book of Daniel we can learn some strategies for living the other way.

How do we live the other way?

·         Try fasting (from electronics) 1 day a week

·         No production  (work) or consumption (buying) one day a week

·         No sports one day a week

·         Eat healthy

Choose some or all, try it out and see if you have more energy.  It is biblical to keep the Sabbath, we need more energy to be able to give; Mercy, Justice, Generosity ...Forgiveness. Living the other way is not easy, but worth it.

Have a break from the rat-race and instead practice your “baptismal identity”.

Honestly, this is hard, I try not to start up the computer on Sundays, but I do own a smart phone, so it is so easy to cheat.
Suppose we would be more generous and forgiving. I wonder... would it make a difference for our neighbours?

click for the next SHIP meeting

Jesus was born in the time when Herod was King

Jesus was born in the time when Herod was king

When you go to Israel and want to “walk as Jesus walked” one of the first things you find out is that there is very little left of anything connected directly to Jesus. There is a lot left connected to Herod.

 Herodian stones on the temple mount in Jerusalem

 Massada beside the dead sea, hanging pallaces on the left

 The Herodian near Bethlehem

 In Caesarea we picked up some pieces of marble, even after so many years there are still pieces of marble everywhere . Herod wanted the world to know that there was a Herod, and usually the only thing people know about Herod is that he killed the babies in Bethlehem

On the other hand  a living saviour; Jesus the Messiah. His kingdom is present everywhere on earth where people live in obedience to His word. Near Jerusalem we  went to a cave, used for herds of sheep & goats to be overnight. 

There are many pictures in the Christmas story. Mangers were used for water, Jesus is living water. Bethlehem = bakery, Jesus is the bread of life. 

We may miss many of the pictures and sometimes have a problem with the many pagan symbols used today at Christmas time. But the heart of the story is still true. Jesus came to earth for all of us. Emanuel=God with us.

Merry Christmas

Noveber note "What good is God?

It was a beautiful day when a rabbi and
a soap maker decided to go out for a stroll.
They were both enjoying the warm weather
when the soap maker abruptly turned to
the rabbi and asked, “What good is God & religion?The bible teaches all these highfalutin’
morals and all these lofty values and ethics, yet look at this
world!” Without giving the rabbi a chance to respond, the soap
maker continued his rant: “The world is corrupt. It’s filled with
pain and evil and wickedness. So I ask you, Rabbi, what good
is God?”
Before the rabbi could answer, out of nowhere a huge
rubber ball came flying through the air, headed right toward
him. Fortunately the rabbi had quick reflexes. He caught the
ball before it smacked him in the face! The rabbi returned the
ball to the apologetic young boy who had come after it. As the
boy ran off to join his friends, the rabbi said, “Just look at that
young child. He’s absolutely filthy! And you’re a soap maker,
so I ask you, what good is soap? There’s all this soap in the
world, and that young boy is still dirty!”
The soap maker protested. “How can you say that about
soap? You’re a learned man, Rabbi, so surely you understand
that soap is good only if it’s used.”
“Aha,” said the rabbi, with a slight grin. “And so it is with God's word. We can teach it, and people can say they’ve learned it,
but until they’ve used it and truly understand the meaning of
its lessons, the power of its teachings, and the weightiness of
its laws, then—and only then—can God make a positive
difference in the world.”

October note "SHIP"

The preview of the SHIP was on October 14
We first started praying and dreaming about what community for Young Adults would look like last winter.
Now the SHIP is starting on October 28 at the Drayton Festival Theater at 7.30 coffee & refreshments start at 8pm.

Already there are 10 churches involved.
I must say most of the young adults who came to the preview were boys but we sure hope that the girls will follow.
Seeking His Incredible Purpose

Worship, fellowship & discipleship

September note 2012: Standing Stones

 

 At Gezer in Israel there are large stones standing in a row

They are Standing Stones

The stones were put down 1500BC and the purpose was to tell a story. People would see these stones and ask what has happened here? why are these stones here?

In the bible the Israelites put up standing stones:

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,  “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,  and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,  and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,  to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’  tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

 

We are like standing Stones. Others will look at us and see how our lives are. That is a scary thought and an awesome responsibility. We like Standing Stones have a story to tell.

What is your story? Is your life showing the story you like to tell?

 

August Note; Church Family

 Church picnic

 Sunday school games

Youth Baseball

You get this email because you are part of the Drayton Reformed Church Family. Most of you we see very regularly. You are an active member of our church family.

But we don't see all of you frequently. Sometimes because you don't live near Drayton anymore. Sometimes because you are drifting away from going to church or because something happened that made you not want to go anymore. Still others are there over the summer but move away for school.

I just want to encourage you, please go to church and be an active member of a church family. It does not have to be us (although we will miss you!) but find a church where the bible is preached and where they believe that Jesus is the son of God. We need a community of faith to grow in our own faith.

For myself I am going to study 1 Samuel with Coffee-Break on Wednesday mornings.  I will also go to a Tuesday class in Kitchener where we will study Ezekiel.

encouragement from God's word:

Hebrews 10: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another