August 28, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Hi there!

“… you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14

What a very emotional week it has been with the unexpected passing of the well-loved New Democratic Party leader, Jack Layton whose life was taken by cancer at age 61. We also lost the friendship of a pastor, Doug Porter from Napanee, ON - probably due to a heart attack. All the uncertainty of where Hurricane Irene would go and the destruction left in her path didn’t help. I agree with James that we do not know what will happen tomorrow but also very grateful that I am following God’s path. How about you?

William is doing fine these days. He sends his greetings from Myanmar. We sent him some money this week which may go to the purchase of some bikes for his pastoral co-workers. Richard and his wife Hannah are not doing very well as their baby boy, Gideon is in the hospital. He is jaundiced. Healthcare in Myanmar is not very good and very expensive. Please pray for resources to pay for his hospital bills and wisdom to the doctors for his healing. We still have not heard from the foundations we have applied to for these various ministries.

Maureen Brown says, “I would like to thank you all for your prayers and well wishes.” She is now back to work full time after being off from work for 15 months with problems with her eyesight.

Our son Rob is contemplating another mission trip to Turkey and possibly Kyrgyzstan starting September 15 for four weeks. Please pray for wisdom for this decision and healing of his middle finger he uses to play his guitar. There has been some leakage of fluid inside so that he cannot bend the finger. His wife Jessica will also return to part-time work after her maternity leave on Sept. 12. Rob is concerned that if he does not go there will be people who have not heard the Gospel before.  

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

Take care,

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.

The Mulitplier Factor by Gary Carter: Have you taken a course on economics? There are two contrary views held. Adam Smith, a conservative, maintained that governments should stay out of a country’s money affairs. The economy will be better with non-involvement. Albert Cains, whom Jack Layton followed, believed that for fairness and balance a government needs to be involved, to take care of its members. These ideas are both right and wrong; however, there is a multiplier factor in Cain’s thinking with the provision of a stimulus plan to create more money when people to take advantage of it. This past week Warren Buffet, a well-known American investment guru purchased $5 billion worth of stocks in the Bank of America and made $800 million. He put his money on the line which caused our world to gain back some confidence.

Gary learned that his nephew leads his church youth group of 12 -13 year olds who are not really children any longer and yet not adults. When one boy with difficulties was picked on he recommended that they welcome him back into the group which they did and the group has now grown. They are paying attention to each others’ needs. The potential of the multiplying affect has been realized in this group. Choices made whether big or small, negative or positive can produce a multiplying factor. Gary has purchased a small digital sign to attach to our mailbox so that passersby can learn about our church in Churchville. Will it be good/bad/different? We have to try to reach out to our community, to plant seeds that may grow into sturdy oak trees.

After Jail, Retirement? by Steve Macdonald: After spending 2 years under house arrest, Paul has his trial and is released. Who stood beside Paul before Nero? From 2 Timothy 4:16-17 we learn that apparently no one, other than the Lord, did. After his release from jail, he wrote Titus (64-65 AD), 1 Timothy (64-65 AD), 2 Timothy (66-67 AD), Philemon (63 AD? - before his release or after) and possibly Hebrews (64-65 AD). He visited Crete (Titus 1), Colossae (Philemon 1), Ephesus (1 Timothy 1), Philippi (Philippians 1), Nicopolis (Titus 3), Miletus (2 Timothy 4), Troas (2 Timothy 4), Corinth (2 Timothy 4) and returned to Rome.
Several journeyed with Paul. Artemas appears once in Titus 3:12. His name means gift of Artemis (Ancient Greek deity). Some churches believe he was the Bishop of Lystra as well as one of the 70. We have learned about Tychicus before in Titus 3:12. Zenas (Titus 3:13) was a lawyer whose name means living or was this a short form of Zenodorus, the gift of Zeus? Usually Jewish teachers who were specially learned in the Mosaic Law, who interpreted that Law, and taught it to the people were often hostile towards Jesus (John 10:25; Luke 7:30). Apollos (Titus 3:13) from Alexandria, knew about John’s baptism with water but not the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Along with Zenas it is believed he was one of the 70. He is reported to be the bishop of Corinth, Caesarea, and Crete and possible author of Hebrews. Erastus (2 Timothy 4:20) meaning beloved was also mentioned in Romans 16:23 and Acts 19:22. He was sent with Timothy from Ephesus into Macedonia while Paul remained in Asia. He was the treasurer of the city sent greetings to the Christians in Rome. Erastus along with Gaius represented the Corinthian church in dealings with the Roman community. Trophimus, meaning foster child (Acts 20:4; 21:29; 2 Timothy 4:20) was a witness to the Ephesus riot and travelled with Paul for most of his third mission right back to Jerusalem. Was the riot the reason or excuse for Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem? Trophimus again travelled with Paul after his release from jail. Eubulus (2 Timothy 4:21 - from Greek origin and means of good counsel) along with Pudens, Linus and Claudia, possibly a family, were all members of the Roman church who were faithful to Paul in Rome, but likely did not travel with Paul.

Conversations with Jesus - Bay of Pigs (Luke 8: 26-39) by Chris Burton: This two-minute conversation with a demon-possessed man took place in the region of the Gerasenes, a Gentile area. Jews wouldn’t go to this land – they wouldn’t eat pigs. This man didn’t just have one demon; he had many. “My name is legion for we are many.”A legion referred to the largest unit in the Roman army with between three thousand and six thousand soldiers. The man had sometimes been chained hand and foot but the demons caused him to break the chains and run away. His life had been completely wrecked. He would not wear clothes and had been living among the tombs. Demons know who Jesus is, even if they don’t worship Him and they know His power over them. These demons begged Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs that was grazing nearby. The herd of about 2000 went crazy and ran down the bank into the lake and drowned. Those caring for the pigs reported this to the residents of the area. When they came to see for themselves, the formerly demon-possessed man was sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind. They were not happy for the man – now healed. Perhaps they focused on the drowned pigs and the loss of income instead of the restored life. Then the crowd asked Jesus to leave the area. The man, however, begged to go with Him; but Jesus told him to return home and tell others what God had done for him. Jesus has demonstrated his dominion over nature and now over the spirits in the last two conversations in Luke. The people have to recognize this is no ordinary person. Their reactions were anger, awe, fear and adoration! But they were never skeptical; they believe what they see, but not necessarily trust what it means. They are not sure they want to be impacted which is the same in our day and age.

Ready … Reset (Esther) by Gary Carter: “Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.” (G. M. Trevelyan) “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.” (Gilbert K. Chesterton) “The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.” (Henry David Thoreau)
Today is the last Sunday for Gary’s sermon series spread over 26 weeks. Are we ready to reset the button for change? Are we up for this? Sometimes taking people along does make it more difficult. During this time period there have been opportunities to have many amazing 2-minute conversations – maybe 1000? Even though life is crazy busy we have “come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Legion led a terrible life but when the “sliver” was relieved from his life the day he found Jesus, he began to think clearly and become a productive participant in society. It is time to tell our story.

There have been common threads in all the Old Testament stories we have studied over these weeks. Somebody spoke up; somebody else noticed; some others changed their lives; and God blessed. It is time to hit the reset button by giving more in time and money to church, touching others’ lives, reordering life to make a difference etc. What are the plans for our church this fall? Let’s make choices to make changes over the next 26 weeks.

Pun with Authors by Steve Macdonald:
Take a Day Off! By Colin Sick
Handsome, Charming, and … by Cary Smatic
The World’s Last Days by D. N. Izneer
Boiled Dry by Eve Aporate
Look Younger by Fay Slift
Genie in a Bottle by Grant Wishes
Lazy Employees by Hans Doolittle
Greek Unbeliever by Hera Tick
The Sheet She Wore to the Party by Connie Stoga

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August 21, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Hi there!

“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. John 2:1-2

Weddings are exciting times and usually not without some hitches to enliven the event. Yesterday afternoon a wedding occurred in our village of Churchville in the large empty lot by the Credit River diagonally across from our home. In order to identify the location some how our address of 7777 Churchville Rd. was given out. There for a few days Gary and I thought the wedding was going to land up in our backyard since many were asking us where it was being held. Saturday came and the bride arrived in a 1920s model car owned by a neighbour. By the sound of the music that wafted across the road from a huge white tent invited guests seemed to have a good time even with the drizzly rain in the evening. It is significant that Jesus performed his first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Marriage is to be honored.

Heather Macdonald said she had an incredible time in Nova Scotia over the past week. Thank you for your prayers for her. Please remember her father, Steve, who is suffering with a sinus infection. Too much stress these days from his work at the TTC.

William is still researching the saleability of a portable solar system in his country. He reports, “Normally, in a village, a family will pay 150 kyats per night for a light bulb given by a generator. Generally, they can only get a light bulb from the owner of a generator. If they want to use two light bulb they need to pay 300 kyats per night. The cost for a light bulb will 4500 kyats per month and 54000 kyats in a year, multiply it by 3 for 3 years will be 162000 kyats.” Our system will cost considerably less than that. I will be sending more money for his ministry and Richard’s this week. Please remember to pray for our foundation search. We have now made proposals for Myanmar funding to three foundations and one corporate business. We will take a positive answer from any one of these organizations who give international aid.

Happy birthday to Debbie Macdonald who is celebrating tomorrow, August 22nd. Thanks for all the breakfasts you and Steve have provided for Heartland over the summer. Also birthday greetings to Cassidy Burton who is turning 12 August 27 plus congratulations on her silver medal from the national finals softball today. Kaiya Burton also received silver last weekend for her provincial softball tournament.

Please remember to pray for Danny McDowell, a former Heartland church attender whose wife Theresa died this past week. She had been confined to their home for the past couple of years due to bad health.

Pray for Gary’s ongoing development of a book and website called See You Next Week! which is a system of helps for churches to keep visitors coming back for more. Check out www.seeyounextweek.info to listen to a great interview from one of our friends who describes her visit to a church for the first time.

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

Take care,

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.

How Many Have Sat Around your Dining-Room Table? by Gary Carter: When Gary and Wendy were first married they lived in Windsor, ON in a three-bedroom apartment above a pool hall used only for the occasional soccer party. The apartment cost $90 per month. They purchased a dining-room table with buffet as they were bent on being hospitable even though Wendy had not cooked much before in her life. During that year many were served around that table. It was sold when they moved back to Toronto to finish their schooling.

A few years later the dining-room suite that is now in their home was purchased. It is hard to determine how many have eaten around the table through the years (maybe 1000? with Danny & Theresa McDowell being one couple) but there have been the best conversations, often with lives being changed. It is important to practice hospitality, keeping it simple. Their family has grown to 18 now and it is still very special to have everyone sit down at one table to eat together. Patterns were set early on and have been passed on to the extended family – table grace was said at every meal and at the end of the meal, children always asked to be excused. Since Wendy was a stay-at-home mom clipping coupons was an important activity and leftovers were always kept for the next day or frozen for later use.

In today’s society there has been a demise of this family structure with working moms and busy dads; however the Bible strongly exhorts us to open up our homes. Romans 12:13 says, “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” I Timothy 5:10 affirms a widow who shows hospitality. Hebrews 13:2 is an interesting verse, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” I Peter 4:9 tells us to “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 3 John 8 exhorts Gaius, “We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.” Young people need to learn to cook while they are young so that they can show hospitality to their friends at their table. We must all recapture this act of kindness and build it into our lives.

While in Rome (Part 2) by Steve Macdonald: Paul arrived in Rome in 60AD. He was placed under house arrest (Acts 28:30-31) which allowed him the freedom to continue spreading the Gospel to anyone who came to him. He also was able to write four letters: Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians and Philippians. His companions already known to be in Rome were Timothy (Philippians 1:1, 2:19; Colossians 1:1; Philemon 1:1), Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7) and Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-4:18).
A companion that came along later was Onesimus (meaning profitable; useful - Colossians 4:9; Philemon 1:8, 1:10) who was a slave of Philemon that ran away. How he got to Rome or met up with Paul again is unknown. While he was in Rome did he remember listening to Paul explain the Gospel to his master in Colossae (seeds planted!)? Does he remember Philemon accepting Jesus and this prompts him to look for Paul? This runaway slave came looking for a Roman prisoner (crop harvested!). Paul’s response is in Philemon 1:17-19.
Another companion, Aristarchus (meaning the “best prince/best ruler” - Acts 19:29, 20:4, 27:2; Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24), first appears during the riots in Ephesus where he was seized along with Gaius by the mob, likely to be questioned about their companion Paul. After this riot, Aristarchus is always with Paul, even on the trip to Rome and during his house arrest. Aristarchus is identified as one of the Seventy. Why put up with riots mobs, hurricanes shipwrecks, prison? James could have been talking about Aristarchus when he wrote James 1:12. When did John Mark (Colossians 4:10;  Philemon 24) arrive on the scene and why was he there? Many traditions, although unreliable and unsubstantiated, hold that Barnabas was martyred in 61 AD. Was he martyred or did he die of natural causes, resulting in Mark seeking out Paul?
Luke, Epaphras and Demas were also with Paul (Philemon 23-24). Epaphras (Colossians 1:7, 4:12) is derived from the Greek meaning “foamy.“ He was a “dear fellow-servant” and “a faithful minister of Christ“ who came from Colossae (Colossians 4:12 - “one of you”) and a teacher of the Word (Colossians 1:5-7). He was a co-worker helping to do a job that was never intended to be done by any one person (like our William on the other side of the world in Myanmar). He is a faithful servant of Christ, just like every believer is to be (Matthew 12:30). Demas was likely from Thessalonica or that area (Berea/Philippi/Neapolis). His name means popular which maybe gives a hint as to why he fell away from the Gospel. Was he so popular in the world that he could not ultimately give it all up for Jesus like the rich young man in Matthew 19:16 and Mark 10:17?

Ready … Reset (Esther) by Gary Carter: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” (Andy Warhol) “The essential ingredient of politics is timing.” (Pierre Trudeau) “Early on, they were timing my contract with an egg timer.” (Conan O’Brien)
We cannot control timing but we can agree with the Psalmist, “…I trust in you, LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.” (Psalm 31:14-15 ).

Due to their lack of faithfulness Israel, the northern kingdom, was taken over by Assyria who pillaged the Jewish people’s brains and money. About one hundred years later Judah, the southern kingdom was captured by Babylon. Then about one hundred years after that both kingdoms were seized by Persia. During this phase Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther lived; each one found some unusual favour with the king at the time. Greece through Alexander the Great then took over about a hundred years after that and the Greek language became the trade language of the day. About two hundred years fter that Rome dominated the scene politically but controlled this huge expanse with military peace.

As you look back in history you can better understand your story and recognize certain turning points. History is “His” story. Greek was the most precise language ever set up and became the common language throughout the New Testament. Rome built roads so Paul and others could get there. Canada today has universal healthcare due to Tommy Douglas and that has become part of our Canadian identity.

Even though God is not mentioned directly in the book of Esther you can see His hand on the Jewish people through Esther’s winning the “Persia’s Got Talent” contest.
Mordecai had adopted his niece after her parents had died. He was a faithful Jew who sat at the king’s gate or courthouse. He took Esther (Hadassah) to the king’s palace when the king was looking for a new queen. She was chosen above all other girls. When Mordecai learned about a conspiracy to assassinate the king he told Esther and she reported this coupe to the king.

Some time after, Haman was honoured above all the other nobles; however when Mordecai refused to pay Haman homage, Haman became very angry and wanted to get rid of him along with the rest of the Jewish people. These were Mordecai’s words to Esther when he learned about Haman’s evil plan. “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Esther took his words seriously and said she would speak to the king without the king asking her - that just wasn’t done. But she said, “If I perish, I perish.” She risked a meeting with the king and invited both the king and Haman to a banquet. Because the Holy Spirit became active energizing the king’s conscience the night before King Xerxes learned that Mordecai had never been honored for finding out about the coupe. Even though Esther was scared through this major conversation the Jews were not wiped out. Little moments from faithful people (15 minutes of fame) at the right time can produce big results e.g. a teenage girl in Bethlehem years later became the mother of Jesus.

Communion: The Christian message is distinct – Christ living in us, the hope of glory – and so we remember His death and resurrection each month. Many have died for their faith or religion but only One has died for our sins.

Punny Authors by Steve Macdonald:
Early Transportation by Orson Cart
Religion by Abel Lever
Fast and Easy Breakfasts by Hammond Eggs
Clementine by Omar Darling
How to Apologize by Thayer Thorry
The Bouncing Bullet by Rick O’Shay
Going to the Dentist by Phil MaCavity
Continental Breakfasts by Rolland Coffey
Tightrope Walking for Amateurs by Betty Falls

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August 14, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Summer Greetings!

“The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…” Romans 8:6

What a week it has been with the terrible vandalism and looting in London, England by young people and the roller coaster ride of the stock markets worldwide. Not much control there by either the London “bobbys” or the business analysts or investors. Over 2000 arrests have been made, some as young as 11 years. Oh that parents and children alike would take the above verse to heart which would give them the kind of life and peace they are desperately seeking. Please pray that our church may become a Biblical information place for our city of Brampton.

Heather Macdonald left for Nova Scotia this past Thursday with her Guiding group for 10 days. Please pray for her safety, for positive life development and above all may she be a Christian testimony to her friends.

A new book recently put into our library is called 400 Years of Canadian History by Donald Gingras, a French Canadian hockey coach who became converted to Christianity as an adult. This book is a “must” read for everyone who wants to understand why Quebecers have wanted to separate from the rest of Canada all these years.

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

Enjoy your week,

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.

Medals, Trophies or Crowns by Gary Carter: Cassidy and Kaiya Burton have been collecting a lot of medals and trophies from all their baseball tournaments over the past few years. The word “trophy” is not mentioned in the Bible but the word “crown” is used several times. An Olympian champion would receive a woven crown of leaves to adorn their head. This award that did not last really had no value; it was just a symbol of success with good memories attached (II Timothy 2:5). Jesus’ crown of thorns placed on his head was therefore a mockery. Crowns are people (Philipppians 4:1; I Thessalonians 2:19) that have become joy to us. Crowns of righteousness will be awarded to us when Jesus comes again (2 Timothy 4:8). We will also receive a crown of life i.e. eternal life (James 1:12) that God has promised. These crowns of glory will never fade away (I Peter 5:4) but we must hold onto them (Revelations 3:11) so that they won’t be taken away. Many crowns are made of gold which is a beautiful precious metal. Revelations 4:10 says that crowns will be laid before the throne of the Lord.

On the Road to Rome by Steve Macdonald: In the fall of 59 A.D. Paul started on his road to Rome and finally arrived there in the spring of 60 A.D (Acts 27:1-28:16). He travelled on a prison ship from Caesarea to Sidon, Myra, Cnidus, Fair Havens, Malta, Syracuse, Rhegium, Puteoli and eventually to Rome. His travelling companions were Luke (Acts 27:2 - “We boarded a ship.”; Aristarchus (Acts 27:2); and Julius the centurion. Is this the same centurion as in Acts 22:25 or 23:23? Plus there were 273 others according to Luke in Acts 27:37. Paul’s ship also carried a cargo of wheat. Lucian describes an Alexandrian wheat ship as 180 feet long (including end projections) by 45 feet broad - about 1,300 tons. Paul’s ship would likely have been about 600 tons.
Due to a hurricane they were blown off course along the way. In Acts 27:21-25 Paul predicted that even though their ship would be destroyed they would all be saved. They landed on the island of Malta where they were welcomed by the the islanders (28:1-6). They built a fire on the beach. A viper driven out from the heat of the brushwood fastened itself onto Paul’s hand but he suffered no ill effects. His reaction to the snake bite just re-enforced his faith in God to all the people traveling with him and to the islanders. In modern Malta there are almost no trees and the island does not have poisonous snakes. However, in Paul’s time, much of the Mediterranean basin was still wooded; so there may also have been poisonous snakes on Malta. Publius (from the Latin Populus meaning popular) held office under the governor of Sicily. As the leading official in Malta he was responsible for any Roman soldiers and their prisoners who might land there (28:7-10). Obviously he displayed more than ordinary attention for Paul and his shipwrecked company (28:7) for he hosted them for three days. Publius, according to some eastern churches, was converted to Christianity. Paul healed Publius’ father and many others. He stayed on the island for three months. Saint Publius is also one of the patron saints of Malta. He was never canonized like all the Biblical saints; so he is not recognized as Malta’s first saint. For that reason he was martyred (c.125) during the persecution of Emperor Hadrian.
Once the weather was favorable for ship travel, they set out again and arrived in Rome where Paul stayed under house arrest for 2 years. Paul had several companions in Rome. He trusted Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21) with letters to deliver to Colossae, Ephesus, Philemon and possibly Philippi (and maybe the missing letter to Laodicea). He is of Greek origin – his name meaning casual, by chance. He came from Asia, possibly Ephesus. Epaphroditus (the name corresponds to the Latin Venustus or handsome, charming) was a “brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier” (Phillipians 2:25) - a well balanced combination in a Christian life. More next week.

Ready … Reset (Nehemiah 6) by Gary Carter: Have you heard of Google Plus yet? It is a networking system with overlapping circles to help gather and organize your information – a new Facebook or Linked In – that you have to be invited to. Nobody really understands the power of this tool but it is turning our world more and more into a village. Is this something we should learn about early on so that it can become a potential tool in the hand of God? You can never know how far your influence will travel. Ron Howard’s daughter who is starring in the new movie, The Help, has never had a drop of alcohol. It would be interesting to know about her background and why she has come to that decision. Is it time to reset our buttons and not get distracted from our real direction in life?
“It is better to make a piece of music than to perform one, better to perform one than to listen to one, better to listen to one than to misuse it as a means of distraction or entertainment.” (John Cage) “You can always find a distraction if you’re looking for one.” (Tom Kite) “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” (CT Studd)
There are always jealous people around who will criticize you and oppose you by saying you have a hidden agenda or distract you from what you ought to be doing. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem invited Nehemiah to meet them on the plain of Ono in a village 12 miles away. Nehemiah refused to go. He prayed to God for strength. Another trap was set for him to go to the temple. Shemaiah hired by Tobiah and Sanballat said he should come to the temple as men were coming to kill him. Nehemiah said he would not go and went back to praying. In 52 days the walls were completed which was an amazing architectural feat. Ideas and events come and go but relationships last forever. Gary has been recently helping Can & Mylene replace the flooring in their upstairs bedrooms of their new home. What a great time for permanent memories to be made and Can has now learned a new skill.
Are your conversations with people going nowhere or somewhere? Here are a few questions to ask yourself.
1. Do they (family/friends) understand the implications? Are they taking you somewhere you ought not to go? Gary prefers walking over golfing because of the time investment. He won’t be wrapping clubs around trees any time soon.
2. Are they interested in their own comfort? People don’t want to see you struggle as it will make them feel bad. Gary is helping a good friend write a little each day. It is good for him but others see it as too much because of injuries from a car accident years ago. Is the task too hard or are you too old?
3. Is the discussion worth the time?
4. Is the discussion a distraction?

These are So Punny by Steve Macdonald:
I Disagree With That! by N. A. Sayer
Ready for Knighthood by Neil Downe
Self Money Management by Owen Cash
Girl On a Budget by Penny Pincher
Stop Harassing Me! By Percy Kuershun
How I Won The Marathon by Randy Wholeway
Songs from “South Pacific” by Sam and Janet Evening
April Fools! By Sue Prize
It’s Just not Fair! by Y. Me

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August 7, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Hi there!

“From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth – he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” Psalms 33:13-15

Have you ever received good and bad news in the same week? When our daughter Rebekah and her family returned to Kelowna Thursday she opened an e-mail from Chicken Soup for the Soul. Their Canadian version due out this fall will include her “hockey mom” article (see below). She can now call herself a published author. Our Carter clan has become a writing family. Our daughter, Sara, has written a book called From the Couch to the Stage which should be available this fall as well. Our daughter-in-law Jessica writes a cooking blog. Gary’s latest book, See You Next Week! (on welcoming visitors to church), will soon be ready to purchase. My sad news this week was the passing of my cousin from cancer who was a little older than myself. Probably due to an early death of his father and a broken marriage that resulted in the estrangement of his son for several years he took his bitterness to find solace in alcohol. Too many trod this same path. God does consider everything we do; therefore I must do better – we all must do better – in spreading the Good News so others can live a better life.

The gang from Kingdom Bound returned home Thursday safe and sound after a few days with lots of rain stories along with lots of good memories from this annual Christian conference at Darien Lake, NY. The Burtons met an acquaintance of old who remembered when we had just adopted Lee from S. Korea. I guess that made an impact on his life. You never know!

This just in! William reports that all is well with him in Myanmar. They have started another new church since his return home. He is still working on sourcing lower priced parts for the lighting system before production begins.

Congratulations to Chris and Sara Burton on their 18th Wedding Anniversary today! Gary and I are getting old.

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.

Great rain this morning during church. The farmers will love that.

Take care,

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.

The Fleeting of Time by Gary Carter: The baseball season has now ended for our granddaughter, Cassidy. The stores are reminding us once again that school is just around the corner. An old friend has decided to move across our continent to live in BC. Our lives are full of various changing seasons. Years ago a young man in our church wanted to go back to school and graduate. He didn’t because of the pressures on his family at the time. Now he is old with health not so great. Is he disappointed with his life choices? You are never too young to make a positive decision. You do have time or time’s got you and you will have arrived at your best before date.

The Apostle Paul exhorts Corinthians in I Corinthians 7:29-31, “ … the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.” There are advantages in not being married e.g. you can serve the Lord more. The proper use of time is a big concern.  Will the church in the days ahead have people to lead it because they know time is short and encourage the next generation to serve? Are parents inhibiting young people from going to Bible school and encouraging them to go to university for a better paying job? Why are we so concerned about planning for our future e.g. having enough money in our pension plan? We must please the Lord and do what He wants us to do for time is passing away. Did someone in Wendy’s cousin’s neighbourhood take the time and show interest in inviting him to church? Do you know of someone who has dropped out of church? 50% who move into a new city who used to go to church quit going to church in their new location.

Gary is working on his new book, See You Next Week! He believes there are six loves in the church that cause newcomers to stay. All six are needed – the pastor loves the people; the people love their pastor (no tension); the people love their faith and their church; the people love each other; the people are open to loving newcomers; and the church is a place where that newcomer believes they will learn about the love of God. The challenge is to come up with ten top simple activities we can do to demonstrate each love before the newcomer slips away. For example, a friend said that she joined a church because the pastor knew her name the second time she visited. That is a simple act demonstrating love.

Conversations with Jesus – Jesus Calms the Storm (Luke 8:22-25) by Chris Burton: What did the disciples expect Jesus to do when they woke him? Their response seems like they weren’t expecting him to just stop the storm. Maybe they wanted some calming words or perhaps they were looking for a plan. Maybe they just wanted to wake him to say good-bye since they were all going to drown. It doesn’t really say what happened next but whatever the reason they were significantly panicked so that they forgot who was in the boat with them. This won’t be the last time the disciples falter in the face of adversity, but each time they learn a little more about the Man that “…commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Jesus’ question, “Where is your faith?” is a good one to recall when we face our own storms in life.

FYI: The size of the fishing boat was not overly large. It was really like a big canoe, 7-8 feet wide which must have created a harried and rocky experience in a big storm with 12 disciples crammed in.

FYI: Storms result from differences in temperatures between the seacoast and the mountains beyond. The Sea of Galilee lies 680 feet below sea level. It is bounded by hills, especially on the east side where they reach 2000 feet high. These heights are a source of cool, dry air. In contrast, directly around the sea, the climate is semi-tropical with warm, moist air. The large difference in height between surrounding land and the sea causes large temperature and pressure changes. This results in strong winds dropping to the sea, funneling through the hills. The Sea of Galilee is small, and these winds may descend directly to the center of the lake with violent results. When the contrasting air masses meet, a storm can arise quickly without warning. Small boats caught out on the sea are in immediate danger. The Sea of Galilee is relatively shallow, just 200 feet at its greatest depth. A shallow lake is “whipped up” by wind more rapidly than deep water where energy is more readily absorbed.

Return Trip from Greece (Paul’s 3rd Missionary Journey) by Steve Macdonald: In Acts 29:5-6 we learn that Paul joined others in Troas. Whose house is Paul staying in while he is giving the sermon in verses 7-12? Does it belong to Carpus (2 Timothy 4:13)? The Latin word for Carpus means fruit, fruitful or profits (Check out John 15:16.) The house must have been large since Eutychus fell 3 stories (maybe he should have been taking notes!). Did he actually fall asleep due to the length of the Paul’s sermon or did the stage lighting provide a source which overcame the lad? Does Paul feel guilty or responsible about the boy’s death? Whatever the cause, Paul took a step of faith and acted like Elijah and Elisha (I Kings 17:20-21; II Kings 4:34-35). He embraced the dead boy and asked God to raise him. Eutychus (Greek meaning fortunate) did not stay up late watching TV or hanging around down on the main strip with his friends watching the camel races. He wasn’t locked away talking to his friends on his laptop or watching videos on his Roman tablet (Ipod first edition). He tried to stay awake to listen to Paul speak. He sat in a room with many other people listening to the Gospel. Paul also teaches us a few things here. He spoke from supper time until midnight. He stopped to resurrect a boy and then spoke again until morning as time was short and he was leaving the next day. Obviously he knew the Gospel very well. Fatigue did not stop him.

Paul leaves Troas and walks to Assos, while his friends sail around the peninsula to meet him. Why? To speak with someone, to evangelize, to rethink what happened by himself, to restore his soul? The reason is not known, but there was a reason. From Assos his travels took him to Mitylene to Kios to Samos and then to Miletus. In Miletus, Paul sends for and speaks to the elders of Ephesus. Then he went to Cos, Rhodes, Patara, Phoenicia, Tyre, Ptolemais and Caesarea (Acts 21:7-9) where he stayed at the house of Philip, the evangelist (Acts 6:3-5). Philip performed many miracles (Acts 8:4-8); he converted Simon the magician (Acts 8:9-13); he baptized the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39); he was swept away to Azotus and on to Ceasarea where he preached the truth for years along with his four unmarried daughters who prophesied (I Corinthians 14:1-4). Eutychus plus these 4 girls, who must have received positive parenting, made for five good young people. Agabus arrived who is mentioned only twice - when he came down to Antioch at the start of Paul’s first mission where he predicted the famine and now again at the end of this third mission (Acts 11:28; Acts 21:10). His earlier correct prediction obviously caused concerns among Paul’s companions. Next stop was Jerusalem where they stayed at the house of Mnason (a Greek name meaning reminding), a native of Cyprus like Barnabas. This man must have had some means to be able to house Paul and his entourage.

Ready … Reset (Nehemiah 5) by Gary Carter: Did you know the second best thing to taking notes during a sermon is something like colouring? It keeps your mind active. Did you also know that you get better sleep in a hammock? Paul spoke all night because his time was short but that is not the reason for our current world’s lack of sleep. It’s time to reset.

“A fool and his money are soon parted.” (Thomas Tusser) “A fool and his money are lucky enough to get together in the first place.” (Stanley Weiser) “A fool and his money get a lot of publicity.” (Al Bernstein) “A fool is one who thinks that solely because he has money he is not a fool.” (Gary V Carter)

It was very costly to finance the reconstruction of the Jerusalem walls. Americans are finding this so in their country with the down grading of their credit this week. It is now costing them 40 cents of borrowed money for every dollar the government spends. They have been living beyond their means. But it is never about how much money you have but what you do with your money.

When this project began the King of Persia had contributed a substantial but undetermined amount of money for the military and timber (Nehemiah 2:8-9). The governor had given gold, bowls and garments valued at about $500,000 (Nehemiah 7:70). The heads of families gave gold and silver valued at about $11,500,000 (7:71). The rest of the people gave gold, silver and garments (not a pile of used clothing!) valued at about $11,400,000 (7:72). There was, however, a problem with personal finance; the people complained about their mortgages on their fields, the high taxes exacted by the king (about $600/head) and there was no money left for grain. Labour value was substantial because of 52 days of lost income. Nehemiah got angry and after a meeting with the nobles and officials they agreed to take an oath to give back “… their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them…” (5:11). After the completion of the wall, Nehemiah and the people promised to bring a tithe (= 10%) of their crops to the Levites (10:37). Today it costs $6.29 to produce a bushel of wheat and sale price is about $10.00/bushel. The tithe then was $1.00 (not $10.00 - $6.29 = $3.71 X .1) = $.37 - the way we might calculate it in todays terms by deducting the cost of doing business from the income.

General lessons learned from this story are: walls are expensive; social justice is important; believers must give proportionately to have a wall (the temple mattered but the wall protected it); rich believers must give about half; and government subsidy is an option (used in this case). I Corinthians 16:1-2 teaches everyone, every week, from every pay cheque to give in proportion. Unfortunately many of our churches have money sitting in bank accounts that is not being used. They have become too security conscious and people from Somalia in Kenyan refugee camps are starving. The wall can be rebuilt and the message moved forward. We are here today to do that!

More Punny Book Titles by Steve Macdonald:
Eating a Good Breakfast by Hammond Eggs
Fire Me Up! By Matt Chez
The Truancy Problem by Marcus Absent
I was a Cloakroom Attendant by Mahatma Coate
Oh the Pain, the Pain! by Moe N. Groan
No More Rifles by Morgan Control
Handel’s Messiah by Ollie Luyah
All about Orchestras by Phil Harmonic
Punny Book Title Collection 8 by R. D. Harhar

GROWING WITH A CANADIAN OBSESSION ~ Rebekah Wilkinson (Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul)

Hockey in Canada is more than a favorite past time; it is an obsession. There is something stemming from the genes that pulls parents out of bed at 4:30 on dark weekday mornings to go sit in a cold arena, hunkering around travel mugs of coffee, to watch their children pass puck after puck around the slippery surface. Even the Canadian five-dollar bill pays tribute to the game with pictures of pond hockey and a quote from Roch Carrier’s short story “The Hockey Sweater”. “The winters of my childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three places – the school, the church and the skating rink – but our real life was on the skating rink.”

I wouldn’t say that I have caught the ruling, consuming passion of hockey as of yet. But I do appreciate the appeal of the concoction of the suspenseful adrenaline rush laced with camaraderie that binds Canadians to this game. I am not at a place yet where I will sit glossy-eyed and glued to the television to watch Hockey Night In Canada. We’ll see when my son makes the NHL. But I will say this, “I get it.” Shh… don’t tell my husband.

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