Heartland News & Prayer

July 14, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Another very warm Hello!

“…If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:37-38

Wow! Everywhere you travel in the GTA these days lawns are becoming browner and dryer. We had such a wet spring and now I can’t remember when it rained last during this very long heat wave. Our backyard is extremely bad as I decided to kill Creeping Charlie. This pesky weed is invasive and very hard to get rid of. I sprayed a mixture of one cup of Borax to 2 gallons of hot water on it which has done the trick. No watering or rain for 48 hours - no difficulty there this month. Now I need to reseed so let the rains begin. Water is very important to us for our daily living but unfortunately we do take it for granted so easily. God certainly figured out what we needed physically and spiritually when He created us.

William’s e-mail this week says, “… It is raining the whole day since last night. I broke my umbrella. I have to fix it by myself at home …We will be gathering about 27 unbelievers at a house of our member on the coming Saturday. Please remember them into your prayer that the gospel will be made clear to them and except able for them.”
He is continuing to look for a source for the control panel for his solar system.

Home Group happens this Thursday at the Burton “manor” at 7:00 p.m. We are continuing to view Don Carson’s series on the Bible and praying together.

A moving van will arrive at the Nghiem home this coming Tuesday. Please remember them in your prayers as they move from Brampton to Vaughan to start a house church. Their new address is 153 Sail Cres., Maple, ON L6A 2Z2.

Warmly in Him,

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.

Childhood Dreams by Gary Carter: Adults often ask children typical questions. How old are you? Do you like going to school? What do you want to be when you grow up? Gary could never really figure out an answer for the last question. We live in a world that wants us to define our own future. Often these expectations are not met unless there is a teacher, mentor or key encourager that comes along the way. One can get very discouraged. Gary has made contact with a country boy from Tennessee who is working on a gas-savings device. He was quite overwhelmed with Gary’s offer to help with some of his sales aids as this fellow has helped many others but few have helped him in return. Did he grow up believing he would be an inventor? He wants to do the right thing. Life usually turns out to be only a rough approximation of childhood ideals at best. “It really isn’t me but the fallen world around me that I fail.” A little bit of success is all you can expect as measured by the world’s standards. Jesus gives wise advice in His sermon on the mount (Matthew 6:19-21) when He says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Eventually the iconic object will get moth balls or rust away and life will turn up empty in the end unlike your treasure in heaven that is unseen and can’t be measured. Jesus’ test is to figure out what your heart is and notice that is where your treasure is found. Find your heart. What do you love the most? That is where your treasure is. It is important to think constantly about what will make a difference, what you can do to supply something permanent. Can & Mylene Nghiem are doing something outrageous by moving to Vaughan to start a new church without others to work with them as yet. They are willing to put Him first and their lives and their children’s lives will be blessed.

Paul Continues to Greece by Steve Macdonald: After the riot in Ephesus calms down, Paul gets the disciples together, encourages them and leaves for Macedonia (Acts 20:1.). No doubt some of his companions would have been Aristarchus and Gaius who were from Macedonia. Little is written about where or who Paul met after he left Ephesus on the first part of his mission (acts 20:1-4). Notice the difference of wording in Romans 15:19 and Romans 15:23-24. Paul either means by this that he traveled to the border or came up to the frontier of Illyricum or he actually travelled into this region. If so it is likely that it was during this mission that he did so (2 Timothy 4:9-10). Paul usually re-visited places and people strengthening and giving encouragement. If unable to do it himself he sent someone else in his place. Why send Titus to Dalmatia if he hasn’t already been there?

Acts 20:4 records Paul’s companions - Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, Tychicus, Trophimus from the province of Asia and Luke is certainly back (verse 5 uses the word “we”). Who else is on this trip? Lucius (is this Lucius of Cyrene in Acts 13?), Jason, Sosipater (Romans 16:21), Tertius (Romans 16:22), Erastus and Quartus (Romans 16:23), Titus (2 Corinthians 7:6), the brother(s)? (2 Corinthians 8:18 & 22). Some think this is Luke; others say Barnabas. What about Silas or Judas Barsabbas? My vote is not for Luke (Acts 20-21). The use of “we and us” in these passages indicate that Luke remained with Paul. There is little known of Quartus. His name is a Latin personal name meaning “fourth”. Tertius mentioned in the previous verse means “third”. Are they the third and fourth sons in the same slave family? Often slave families did not name their children. These men were newbies.

Ready … Reset (Nehemiah 2:11-20) by Gary Carter: “Real courage is moving forward when the outcome is uncertain (Michael Angier).” “Many of life’s failures are people who had not realized how close they were to success when they gave up (Thomas Edison).” “Courage is not limited to the battlefield or the Indianapolis 500 or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody’s looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you’re misunderstood (Charles Swindoll).
Nehemiah did move forward with uncertainty but in a quiet manner to become a public hero; he did not give up. He talked with a few key people and then the ball started rolling. These people at not been willing to point to the gates and declare that they needed to be fixed.
1. He took measurement of his heart (2:11). He took some time by himself, but not too much time, to check out Jerusalem and think through his vision. We don’t learn about his family. Sometimes it is easier to make a decision by yourself but then it is hard to stay with your decision on your own without family support. He took measurement by going on a field trip (2:12-16). Often mission agents will ask their candidates to visit a field for a couple of weeks to see how things operate and project oneself into that situation.
2. He took measurement of his team (2:17-18). He raised the subject even though everyone knew the walls were broken down and made a proposal. It is important to express your story. It is also often hard to share because most people fear that others may not align with their vision or ideas. It is important to elicit a response from others. Look at all the in’s and out’s. Often the problems first come to mind e.g. what about materials, skill? However the primary concern should be the benefit. It is impossible to accomplish much without a team rallying around you.
3. He took measurement of your opposition (2:19). People will misrepresent you and challenge your motives.
4. He took measurement of his vision (2:20). He relied on God and declared, “The God of heaven will give us success.” Make a start even with all the problems and you are well on your way to get finished. A pastor in Victoria, BC recently began a new church start; however his original core group of 25 all quit. He kept going and now West Village church is in its pre-launch stage with many others joining in.
Nehemiah and the Jewish people rallied around the project. They had 10 different gates to repair along with the walls. And whether it was the Dung Gate (garbage?) or the Inspection Gate all had to be rebuilt.

Punny Very Punny by Steve Macdonald:
How to Draw by Ellis Strait
Why Tires Stay Inflated by Erin Side
Where’s the Water? By Dwayne Dwight Out
Mensa Society Members by Gene Yuss
The Midnight Patrol by Hugo Sair
I Hit the Wall Without Warning by Isadore There
The Hitchhikers Guide by Oliver Sudden (Juan Nalift)
Early History of the Beatles by P.S. Iluvyu

Posted in Weekly News | Print | No Comments »