Heartland News & Prayer

December 26, 2010 by Wendy Carter.

Happy New Year!

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.  It can always be found at www.blog.heartlandfellowship.ca.

New Experiences for William by Gary Carter: Since the Burton family were away to Tobermory this weekend, William provided special music.  With Sara’s encouragement he has written a couple of new songs which he performed for us in English with his guitar.  Music is a universal language that captures many a heart.

This week William, with Kaiya Burton and the Carters, also experienced the power and beauty that God has created in our own Niagara Falls – a huge river falling over a cliff.  Gary and Wendy have viewed many falls in the last couple of years in their travels but there is nothing to compare to this wonder of the world particularly at Christmas with the added lighting displays throughout the park.  We often take it for granted until we see it for the first time through someone else’s eyes.  We also viewed the Welland Canal in St. Catharines, another incredible man-made creation that allows huge ships to travel between the Great Lakes.  By God putting an idea within a human’s personality so much more can be accomplished far beyond what one can imagine even with all the limitations.  Because of Jesus’ birth in the obscure village of Bethlehem in the shadow of a castle and His death for our sins we can become the best that each one of us can be as sons and daughters of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Family, although very important (William got to call his family in Myanmar yesterday via Skype), is not the real meaning of Christmas.

Apelles/Aristobulus – Romans 16:10 - by Steve Macdonald: With all of Steve’s research into the names of the people Paul is greeting in this passage, he and Gary will have lots of good material to write a book.

Apelles, one of the 70 Apostles according to Orthodox tradition but not the Catholic church, worked with Andrew and became the Bishop of Heraclea in Trachis. He was “tested and approved in Christ” as described in James1:12 and 2 Timothy 2:15.  He was a faithful, unwavering man of God.

Aristobulus, also one of the 70 Apostles according to Catholic and Orthodox history, was a Jewish native of Cyprus, who quite possibly was Barnabas’ brother and therefore a cousin of Mark (Colossians 4:10). Aristobulus is said to have preached to the Celtic tribes of Northern Spain while on his way to preach the Gospel in Britain and was the first bishop.  Brythonic Celts named a region after him  (Arwystli) which later became a small medieval British kingdom and continues to this day as a district, or “cantref” within the county of Powys, Wales. (Gary’s mom was born in Wales.)

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1; Luke 1) by William: The people of Myanmar find it hard to understand that Joseph was not Jesus’ physical father, but only his legal father. When Joseph learned about the baby’s birth he “took Mary home as his wife.  But he had no union with her until she gave birth …” (Matthew 1:24-25).  Mary had visited her cousin Elizabeth for 3 months so that when she returned to Joseph he would have seen how much the baby had grown.  Matthew 1 is a “Christmas tree” for Jesus.  William learned how to decorate a Christmas tree at the Macdonalds’  home.  The Jews needed to know about the list of names recorded for they are very proud of their ancestry going back to Abraham.  The “tree” contains many kinds of people including women.  No one is higher or lower in God’s eyes e.g. Ruth was a Moabite, a Gentile not an Israelite; David, father of Solomon, killed Uriah.  Mary was only a poor, humble person; her womb was borrowed for Jesus.  God will put His love in our hearts, even though sinners, so that we can be a blessing to others.

Blessings! The Blessing of Servanthood by Gary Carter:  Blessings come, according to Jesus, when you give rather than receive.  He was not really referring to material things or even a family becoming united but to something deeper than anything bound by time or superficiality.  Often we hear about stories of great people and their self-sacrifice e.g. soldiers protecting people who don’t necessarily want to be protected.  John 13:1-17 describes Jesus as a servant; servanthood is the greatest blessing.

The Passover Feast was a social event like our Christmas dinners.  Jesus knew what Judas was going to do but He still washed His feet.  Sometimes people get knocked down due to one event that will colour everything else in that person’s life e.g. humiliation, loss, discouragement.  As a high school teenager Gary vowed he would never speak in public again when he humiliated himself during a speech competition; he stood up and his brain sat down even though he was well prepared.

It was awkward or humbling for Gary to have a lady help him put on his sandals at someone’s home in Myanmar.  Washing someone else’s dirty, stinky feet is like cleaning the outhouse but Jesus was the only person who did something about it.  Peter initially refused but when he realized the significance he wanted a “bath.”  When you have the cleanliness of a renewed heart you don’t need a bath especially when the day-to-day sin has been taken care of.  Do you understand what Jesus did?  Do you have this same attitude?  We need to do whatever needs to be done.  In the Bible being comes before doing but little is said on feeling.  It’s not what you know that will get you the blessing.  What are you going to do in 2011?  Who are you going to do it for?  Set an example!  Don’t manipulate!  In the next few days why not figure out how you can do what God has called you to do in 2011.

Technical Support for Etch-a-Sketch (shaken not stirred) by Steve Macdonald:
My Etch-a-Sketch has a distorted display.  What should I do?  Pick it up & shake it.
My Etch-a-Sketch has funny little lines all over the screen. Pick it up & shake it.
How do I delete a document from my Etch-a-Sketch? Pick it up & shake it.
What’s the shortcut for undo? Pick it up and shake it.
How do I create a new document window?  Pick it up and shake it.
What is the proper procedure for rebooting my Etch-a Sketch?  Pick it up and shake it.
How can I turn my Etch-a-Sketch off?  Pick it up and shake it.
How can I keep from losing my Etch-a Sketch document?  Stop shaking it.
(Someone please show William what an Etch-a-Sketch is!)

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