Hi again!

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.

Pray for Teenagers by Gary Carter:  Last week Gary referred to a study (www.fullerinstitute.org) Dr. Kara Powell (Executive Director of Fuller Youth Institute and teacher at Fuller Theological Seminary in the US) did in 2010 regarding what happened to 400 church teenagers after graduating high school. Dr. Powell says that kids don’t really know and embrace the Gospel so it is very important to pray for them. We need to help them deal with their doubts as they arise so they will have answers later in life. Parents can’t just continue to say, “Because I said so” as their children move into adulthood. This no longer works for teens who are starting to understand that parents don’t always do what they say.  If you want your child to be honest and industrious you have to be that yourself.  Parents must not get in the way of the faith of a child or a teenager.  Life is always about the next generation.  Their energy and desire for a better world is essential even though some times they don’t roll their ideas out very well.  Paul in I Timothy 4:12 writes, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Rufus – Romans 16:13 - by Steve Macdonald: Steve researched another name mentioned in this passage for us.  “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.”  Rufus from a Latin nickname meaning “red” was a common slave name. Mark 15:21 records, “A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. Mark mentions Rufus along with his brother Alexander as if they are well known to his Roman readers.  It is likely this is the same person in both verses.  According to Paul, Rufus was a disciple of note at Rome; it makes sense to associate Simon who was unknown to the Romans, through his fatherhood to one whom they knew well. By doing this, Mark gives the Romans a reference for the truth regarding Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection to one who was accessible to them all, and who could attest to the facts on the authority of his own father, the reluctant bearer of the Lord’s cross (Luke 23:26).  Simon picked up and carried the cross. He also became a believer in Jesus and this was obviously passed on to his entire family, wife and sons. Why was Simon in Jerusalem with his sons – for business or the passover? It doesn’t really matter but we do learn they traveled from Cyrene to Jerusalem; so moving into Rome and other cities is not unreasonable. Travelling with Paul is likely too.  It also appears that Simon’s household was among the intimate friends of Paul to the point that the mother of the family is affectionately addressed by him as “Rufus’ mother and mine.”

The Importance of Love by William:  Check out William’s latest song on his blog – www.william.heartlandfellowship.ca – based on I Corinthians 13:1-7 which talks about the importance of love.  If you do not have love, you just become noisy.  Faith without love is nothing.  The greatest thing is true love as God is love and that will never end.  If we have love we will have true peace in ourselves, our church, our community and our world.  God commends us to love one another.

I Need Thee Every Hour by Chris Burton: Annie Hawks, author of this famous hymn, was born in 1836 at Hoosick, New York. Her earliest poems were published in the 1850s at the early age of 14.  In 1859, she married Charles Hawks and spent much of her life in Brooklyn.  This couple became members of Hansen Place Baptist Church whose pastor was Robert Lowry, writer and composer of such hymns as Shall We Gather at the River, Nothing but the Blood, Christ Arose, Marching to Zion and the song that his new parishioner would give him. After writing the lyrics, Annie gave them to Robert Lowry, who added the tune and refrain. The hymn was first published at the National Baptist Sunday School Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1872. Some years later, after the death of her husband, Hawks wrote, “I did not understand at first why this hymn had touched the great throbbing heart of humanity. It was not until long after, when the shadow fell over my way, the shadow of a great loss, that I understood something of the comforting power in the words which I had been permitted to give out to others in my hour of sweet serenity and peace.”  She wrote 400 hymn in her life, mostly for Sunday School.  Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w3y3iT3NlU to hear this hymn sung by Jars of Clay.

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.
I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.
I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.
I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

We Are Blessed!  (Matthew 13:16) by Gary Carter: Matthew records in Jesus’ parable of the sower, “…blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”  The eyes and ears mentioned are our our receptive organs which serve as symbols or ability to percieve in our inner personality.  Too often we see and hear what we want.  Our reticular activating system is the gatekeeper to the brain which filters out what to send to our frontal lobes.  Years ago when out for a drive, Gary’s mom would point out flowers along the way; whereas his dad always saw the make of a car.  We are tuned to be aware of certain things.  Having ears ready to hear is a gift from God.  God matches our readiness to respond to Him.  We recognize that we don’t know it all and that we “need Him every hour.”  The 66 writings in the Bible combined were a direct revelation from God and unanimously accepted at the time to be God’s book by Paul and Rufus and down through the years by Richard, William and us.  Pray for our teens that they will also have ears to hear and eyes to see so they can be used for God’s glory.

More Business Partnerships by Steve Macdonald:
Dolittle and Dalley - Efficiency Consultants
White, Sands & Son - Travel Agents
Argue & Phibbs – Solicitors
Lewis N. Clark - Outdoor Adventures
Hyde & Haire - Tannery
Reid & Wright - Learning Centre
Mary Annette’s  -  Puppet Shop