Heartland News & Prayer

September 20, 2010 by Wendy Carter.

Greetings!

 

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.”

Psalm 111:3

The autumn is fast approaching this coming Wednesday - not too many gardening days left. Here’s one last tip for the year. Do you want to get rid of dandelions? Just pour boiling water on them and you will see them die quickly. Now that’s cheap enough and very green. My problem is Creeping Charlie which is creeping all over my backyard. Any suggestions? I am always amazed at how people figure out all these solutions and amazed all the more that our Creator has given us so much to discover and enjoy in nature around us.

 

Gary and I will be leaving for Williamsburg, VA next Saturday for a week of writing and relaxation plus another week in Pennsylvania. His latest book will be called Life on the Zipline – From Fear to Awe. This is a compilation of the writing from his colleagues for Compass Coaching International (www.compasscoachinginternational.com) – a program that trains life coaches. We will return Oct. 9 just in time for Thanksgiving Sunday. If you need to contact us please touch base with Sara Burton @ 905-230-1693.

 

Can & Mylene Nghiem are graciously willing to open their home to William from Myanmar for an approximate six-month period. Please pray for the logistics of this endeavour to come together. William needs to renew his passport and get to Bangkok to obtain his visa in the next few weeks. I will be making flight arrangements for him from Yangon to Canada. His apprenticeship will include working and speaking in our church, developing his English language skills, figuring out our Canadian culture and learning to put a business together to make money for his ministry back in Myanmar. Please let us know if your family can provide one meal/week during his stay so you can get to know him better and vice verse plus it will allow him to practice his English.

 

Our son Rob and his wife, Jessica, didn’t make it home to Moosonee this week as Jess began labour last Monday and was ambulanced from Huntsville to the Orillia Hospital. Unfortunately the labour did not continue and now they are hunkered down in Port Parry with her sister and husband for the next couple of weeks so that the baby can grow closer to full term. Her Moose Factory hospital cannot handle a premi delivery. Their 3 girls are back in Moosonee with their grandparents. Please pray for this unsettling time in their lives and that their baby will be strong and healthy when finally delivered.

 

Home Group will happen this coming Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the Burton home. We have been looking at all the sermons in the Book of Acts. Come and join us in our thought-provoking study.

 

Enjoy those beautiful leaves that are just beginning to turn,

 

Wendy

wendy.carter@kainos.org

This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116.

 

 

Handling Fear by Gary Carter: Have you ever tried ziplining or riding the Hampster Ball or Giant Swing at an entertainment park? These activities can be very fearful at the beginning but as the ride continues you may begin to enjoy it. Often people do not move forward as they are frozen in time and afraid to look for a new job or take a new course to improve themselves. They may also have a fear of the future that is totally unknown. Plans made in the past might not have worked out or a project started might not have been finished. Many don’t want to pursue the Christian life as they fear they can’t. No one can unless their eyes are fixed on the truths of the Bible. When a problem arises others will say that they are questioning God right now. If you can’t face your fear than you can’t understand the subsequent awe. Gary is enjoying the sunflowers planted in his backyard. If you are locked in fear you won’t notice the sunflowers of the Creator.

 

Paul in Athens by Chris Burton: This past Thursday at our Home Group we were learning about Paul’s short visit to Athens (Acts 17:16-34). When he arrived there he probably disembarked at the Port of Piraeus, six miles from Athens. The roadway from this port to Athens was lined by two walls 600 feet apart, six miles long. Athens at this point was an intellectual centre of Greece, no longer the political centre as Corinth had become. Some famous intellectuals from Athens were Pericles, Demosthenes, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. Paul usually made a point of traveling to the political and commercial regions when he travelled but here he was in Athens with time to kill. He decided to go sightseeing and what grabbed his attention were the many idols of gods (some 30,000) found in every corner of the city.

 

Paul acted upon what he saw and went to the synagogue but didn’t have much success with his message there. These Jews were used to many new ideas that came and went. In the market place he spoke to the common citizen, trades person or vendor. These people likely worshipped the “gods” out of fear or superstition believing they would either prosper or fend off misfortune. The last group to listen to Paul were the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. The Epicureans denied God’s existence, were materialists and believed you should get the most out of life here and now (“Eat, drink & be merry for tomorrow we die”.). The Stoics believed everything is God; He is in the rocks, the trees, anything material. They prided themselves in taking whatever came (“Grin and bear it.”) Apathy was regarded as their highest virtue of life. They were proud fatalists. These groups took Paul to the Areopagus (Mars Hill) where he spoke.

For Paul…What started as a short stop off became the start of a new church community.

For the Epicureans & Stoics…What started as a novelty would be the first seeds of the faith that would soon traverse the trade routes from East to West.

For the others… What started as a new idea would become the foundation of their salvation. Not bad for a short lay-over on his journey!

 

 

 

Two Tales/One Name by Steve Macdonald: Acts 19:13-19 is an interesting passage about some Jews driving out evil spirits. An example of this was the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest. So who was Sceva? He may have been the head of one of the 24 courses of Levi (possibly Caiaphas) or Luke, the writer, might have just been contrasting the priesthood of Christ with the Jewish high priesthood. Whatever the background the sons of the “chief priest” had no authority over devils and were beaten up for their action. Without the real authority of Jesus in our lives, without the full acceptance that He is the Lord and God of everything, we are living lies and will one day receive our punishment as did the seven sons. The end result was that many of the Jews and Greeks in Ephesus believed and “openly confessed their evil deeds.”

 

 

One Another – Colossians 3:16 - by Gary Carter: Gary is continuing on his theme of admonishing one another and his “mug” and “jug” concept - some helping others to mature in Christ and others respecting those in leadership. Sometimes there are those “jugs” that do not communicate well and sometimes there are those “mugs” who fall asleep or don’t pay attention. We must all stir our own souls and be held accountable to assimilate truth given so that this pattern can move forward. Paul is our great example in Athens even though he only ended up with a few who became followers of Jesus. Gary will provide some video tapes on this topic for the next couple of Sundays.

 

Communion: This being the 3^rd Sunday of the month we followed the Lord’s commandment to remember Him. In many churches a communion table inscribed “In Remembrance of Me” is placed at the centre of the church to help the church family to focus on Jesus and His death, burial and resurrection.

 

 

Hmmmm! By Steve Macdonald:

Why do they call them mobile homes when 99% of the time they are not.

What happens if you add water to a condensed book?

Is it really “all-purpose” flour? Can I use it to bathe in or use it as a driveway sealer?

What slang word does a frog use to describe another frog’s death?

Why do ads for pet products promise that “your pet will thank you for it” when it never does?

Why is an outdoor theater called a “drive-in?”

Why do they call it life insurance?

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