Heartland News & Prayer

April 17, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Greetings on Palm Sunday!

“The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!’” John 12: 12-13

“He is a half bubble off level!” is a remark made about someone who is not striving for perfection, has not quite got his facts straight or is just a little strange. This is another English idiom we needed to explain to William. He has never even seen a level. Wonder what they use in his country for good measurement in construction? Or more likely that information is only available to those rich enough to own their own construction business. You have to have $10,000 in the bank to start any kind of business – another government ploy to keep the poor people poor. Thank goodness the Bible is our exact measuring tool whereby we can know how to live daily and can strive for a life of perfection.

Gary and I took William to visit Chin Baptist Church in Kitchener, ON. This was another positive experience meeting with Christian Burmese in Canada. Pray that these new relationships will continue to develop when he returns home in June. He flies to Ottawa once again early Good Friday morning to minister to the Burmese congregations over the Easter weekend. He needs to acquire a visa for entering Bangkok on his trip home. A farewell supper is scheduled for Sunday May 29 @ 5:30 at our home. Please let me know what you can bring. Thanks. More details to follow. (www.william.heartlandfellowship.ca)

Please pray for the acceptance of our proposal for funds from a local foundation so that Richard can begin his brick-making business to support his orphanage. Pray also for Richard’s wife, Hannah, who is expecting a baby in a couple of weeks.

Don’t forget to listen to Gary’s and Kaiya Burton’s weekly program – www.thelittlebigshow.ca. Gary also continues to record another radio program every Thursday afternoon with Dan Shurr from our Fellowship denomination. Check out www.listento.fellowshipradio.ca.

Birthday greetings go to Carleigh Burton this coming Wednesday, April 20 as she turns 3. Fred Brown celebrates his birthday tomorrow. Hayley Macdonald will celebrate her 15th b-day next Saturday. God’s best to each one of you! There seem to be a lot of birthdays in April.

Home Group happens this Thursday at the Burtons’ home at 7:00 p.m. as we continue to view Don Carson’s video series and pray.

Resurrection blessings,

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.

Taking Things for Granted by Gary Carter: In the 1890s, allegedly someone in the US patent office said that everything that could be invented had already been invented. That person could not foresee the powerful invention of electricity and how it would change one’s life and that of the world. Many use to think that graphics on a computer would never work as the edges would come out too jagged. Today’s technology is beginning to be used in many places never thought possible. We take electricity for granted but in William’s home state of Chin in northern Myanmar they don’t have any – a compelling human need. We are looking at sending a solar generating kit home with William which can run a computer for 4 hours being charged 8 or 9 hours in the sun. This new advancement means work in the evenings on scarves could be done and then sold for ministry needs or meetings attended where the Word of God could be read. Please pray for the logistics for this to happen. Jesus knew the importance of light as He said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) Physical light gives more capacity for spreading spiritual light.

Leila N. Morris by Chris Burton: Some may know the old hymn, Sweeter as the Days Go By, written by Leila Norris who wrote over 1000 Gospel songs during her lifetime. As a child, Leila lived in Malta and McConnelsville, Ohio. In 1881, she married Charles H. Morris. She was also active in the Methodist church and camp meetings. When her eyes began to fail in 1913, her son built a 28 foot blackboard with oversized staff lines so she could continue composing. Many well-known hymns, including “Sweeter As the Years Go By,” “Nearer, Still Nearer,” and “Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart,” were composed in her church, Trinity Methodist Episcopal, by Leila as organist (1862-1929). Her songs have been translated into many languages and published in the hymnals of Protestant denominations around the world.

Of Jesus’ love that sought me, when I was lost in sin;
Of wondrous grace that brought me back to His fold again;
Of heights and depths of mercy, far deeper than the sea,
And higher than the heavens, my theme shall ever be.
Chorus: Sweeter as the years go by, sweeter as the years go by, Richer, fuller, deeper, Jesus’ love is sweeter, Sweeter as the years go by.
‘Twas wondrous love which led Him for us to suffer loss,
To bear without a murmur the anguish of the cross;
With saints redeemed in glory, let us our voices raise,
Till Heav’n and earth re-echo with our Redeemer’s praise.

Tychicus - by Steve Macdonald: This associate of Paul’s with the hard-to-say Greek name meaning casual or by chance is mentioned five times in the New Testament (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; 2 Timothy 4:12; Titus 3:12). He came from Asia, possibly Ephesus and appears as a companion of Paul on the return portion of his third journey from Corinth, through Macedonia, and Asia Minor to Jerusalem. Was he a convert of Paul’s or did he come to believe some other way (e.g. through Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, Erastus)? Once he believed, however, he became “the dear brother, fellow servant faithful minister in the Lord.”

Tychicus was in Rome with Paul during his first imprisonment. Paul trusted him so much that he gave him letters to deliver to Colossae, Ephesus, Philemon, possibly Philippi and maybe one was the missing letter to Laodicea (Colossians 4:16). His associates were Paul, Silas, Luke, Onesimus, Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Timothy, Titus, Artemas, Sopater of Beroea, Secundus, Gaius of Derbe, Trophimus son of Pyrrhus, and possibly Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, and Erastus. Tychicus was faithful, dependable, an encourager, trustworthy, a close friend/associate who knew personal information about Paul, a beloved brother, a faithful minister and highly regarded by Paul. He definitely was a “reliable” man as mentioned in 2 Timothy 2:2. According to Eastern traditions he was one of the 70 Apostles.

Ready … Reset by Gary Carter: It is amazing how God has preserved for us the specific letters we now have in the New Testament. It took weeks of travel for Tychicus to get one document from here to there but he, along with others, was driven by the power of the resurrection. These people were willing to reset the pattern for their future; they wanted to change, grow and be different.

The life of King Jehoshaphat is described in 2 Chronicles 17-21. He was King Asa’s son whom we studied recently. He did more than his father in cleaning up the land of Judah by getting rid of mixed religion. He removed the high places and the Asherah poles and taught the people about the law of the Lord. The Word of God, the message of the Bible is precious and timeless. Unfortunately he aligned himself with King Ahab of Israel who wanted to attack Ramoth Gilead. They took the advice of 400 prophets over the prophet Micaiah’s decree from the Lord that if they went to war it would be disastrous. King Ahab died as a result of that battle. King Jehoshaphat, in turn, had solved his pagan worship problem but he compromised and created a coalition problem with King Ahab. He felt a need that wasn’t real; he responded to a request that wasn’t wise and got involved when he should have stayed out of the problem. We need to pick our battles according to what God wants. We need to reset our buttons of life by recapturing our first love and speak out to share God’s message even if it is awkward.

Communion: Paul persecuted the church until his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). The purpose of Christ’s sacrifice is redemption - bringing people to Himself. The Lord’s Supper is an opportunity to remember Him and this sacrifice which message we must pass along.

Anagrams by Steve Macdonald:
Dormitory …  Dirty room
Astronomer … Moon starer
Remember the Alamo? … A memorable term, eh?
Debit card … Bad debt
Clint Eastwood … Old west action
Election results … Lies! Let’s recount!
David Letterman …  I demand TV later
Hot water … Worth tea
Titanic disaster ….  Death, it starts in ice
Country side …  No city dust here
A stitch in times saves nine … Is this meant as incentive?

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