Heartland News & Prayer

January 22, 2012 by Wendy Carter.

Hello!

“Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” I Peter 1:17-19

Whew! The Burton family is now in their new home. Since Chris and Sara did not get the key to their house until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, it was a real struggle to get their U-Haul truck unloaded and loaded 3 times that evening. Bedtime for most of us was 3:00 a.m. A big thank you to everyone that helped. So many details, so many decisions! Now onto renovations and painting. Maybe I’ll just let my children carry me out in a pine box from our Churchville village home. But I guess that’s not going to happen so my other solution is to keep getting rid of stuff. No more gifts, please; however gift certificates/cash always comes in handy!

Please continue to pray for William and Richard’s ministries in Myanmar. William is hoping to get a business license so that he can send nannies to Singapore for himself and for others who do not have this license. Richard is needing to sell the bricks that have been made so he can make more and pay his lender monthly for his property.

Also please continue to pray for Brandon Spears who is still looking for part-time work while going to school.

Home Group happens this Thursday at the Burtons’ new castle, 41 Castlehill Rd, Brampton, ON L6X 4C9 at 7:00 p.m.

2011 tax receipts were given out today. If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to check with me. Thank you so much for all your faithful giving throughout the year.

Sara Burton’s new book From the Couch to the Stage (52 Workable Strategies to Get Off your Duff and Go from Viewing to Doing) is now available for purchase at www.tothestage.info. It would make a great gift for someone.

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.

Moving Day (Part 2) by Gary Carter: Most of our church family members were involved in the Burton move this past Friday which was super. This huge challenge was the making of long-lasting memories as friends. Not too much barn-raising going on these days. Fortunately we did not have any major catastrophe as sometimes pictured on television/the internet with a moving van in an accident and one’s belongings thrown all over the highway. Most just came up with sore muscles and bruises and Debbie Macdonald did fall on a slippery floor. These mini disasters become funny later, but not so much in the moment. We often say in a move, “I don’t know why I’ve got this stuff!” It is always hard to choose A or B, particularly if you think something might be useful in the future. It was hard for Gary and Debbie to move the stuff in the last two feet of the truck for the third time.

In reality nothing is important and we need to trim down since according to I Peter 1:17-21 (see above) as God’s children we are “strangers” or foreigners who are redeemed beyond all the stuff. Too often we see a house for sale in a new subdivision after one year because of speculation but more probably because of breakdown of a marriage. The couple have put their hope in perishables and cannot live with a mortgage that is maxed out or other difficulties that don’t go away in the nice new home. Burtons have to contend with mold under the kitchen sink; whereas in Myanmar there is mold everywhere all the time and yet the Christians there seem very happy. We have to live in the world in which we find ourselves and not seek after earthly desires. Many don’t give or care but want to hoard. Let us pray for the Burtons to fulfill their objective of living good lives in their new community among their neighbours. And to bond even more they won’t be running out of castle projects any time soon.

Revelation (Part 13 – Revelation 7:1-3) by Steve Macdonald: Steve moved onto his revelations of Revelation 7. In the first verse John sees “four angels at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth…” Are these the four points of the compass? This is not isolated to a specific area; this is a global event. So why hold back the winds? What are the winds? Could they be four horsemen (Zechariah 1:8-10), four spirits of heaven (Zechariah 6:1-6), a scriptural symbol for the strife, warfare and chaos stirred up by Satan to find opportunity to attack God’s people (Daniel 7:1-3), the four judgments of God (Deuteronomy 32:24; Ezekial 14:21) or weather (John is actually talking about the climate.)? If it is weather, there would be smog, no seed distribution, no weather fronts or changes. There is no point talking further on this point as God is unveiling His plan to John and causing smog days over Toronto is not worthy of His wrath.

In the last chapter, John spoke of earthquakes, great disasters on earth and in the heavens, stars falling like figs off the trees due to strong winds. With the image of the angels holding back the winds, the magnitude of these disasters are given even greater impact.
Yet the angel from the east indicates that there will be damage to earth and sea and trees.
If a strong breeze is used together with falling stars, what type of disasters are coming? If earthquakes have kings and princes hiding to avoid facing His judgment, what fear will be on man’s heart when the winds begin to blow (Luke 21:25-26)? If you reject Jesus (Romans 2:5-8), there is a storm brewing – the wrath of God. The consequences are unimaginable when the rules change. Just ask the Carnival captain who ran his ship on the rocky shore of Italy. If you accept Jesus (John 11:40; 14:26), you have the peace and glory of God.

Me, Myself & I – What Should I do with Myself in 2012? by Gary Carter: What is my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Do I really understand the consequences of accepting Him in my life? Some don’t go to church because of the inconvenience and if that is the symbol of the relationship then they are in trouble.

Are these sorts of statements possible representations of truth?
“Christ has been my Savior since I was [in grade 6] and now I want to make Him Lord of my life.”
“I am willing to believe in Jesus but I am not going to surrender everything about my life to Him.”
“I know my son/daughter has chosen a sinful life style and has absolutely no regard for the things of Christ. But I know they were saved. I remember the time they made their decision.”

What are your life expectations or how you think it is supposed to turn out regarding marriage/family, health/longevity, occupation/income, personal uses of time/money/ freedom of expression? Where did you get those ideas? When you make a transaction with God things change. You are protected, covered and cared for by the Lord Jesus Christ. He will take the bad things and turn them into good. The blood of the martyrs becomes the seed of the church. But you cannot expect to be free to do what you want to do. Retirement is not a permanent vacation. At some point you will get blind-sided by something like the loss of a family member or a natural disaster. You might say, “I know I am supposed to … BUT … I don’t get it; I can’t do it; I won’t do it.” Where did you get the idea that you have to “get it” before you “live it”?

The Lord is “first” (Matthew 6:33-34; Colossians 1:15-23). Don’t worry about your life - what you will eat, drink, wear or how long you will live. Be a shining light in the middle of the darkness of trouble. Look at the birds that God cares for and the beautiful flowers He has made. Maybe you need to take a litmus test on your faith to see if it is too low. Invisible electricity which Jesus created and allowed to be discovered about 100 years ago really matters to us today. Imagine what we will be able to do in years to come. Jesus is the power that holds atoms together but more important He is the Head of the church. He is #1. Take the whole package; it is not a smorgasbord. Accept Him as Lord of all and firmly imbed your faith.

Here are some questions to ask yourself: How did what I do today demonstrate that He is first because my faith and hope are firmly placed in Him? How will I order my time tomorrow so that the responsibilities and appointments of my day live out my glad submission to Him? If someone were to examine the transactions in my bank account would they clearly see that Jesus comes first?

Gettable Puns by Steve Macdonald:
Dental Care by  Pearl E. White
You’re My Everything  by Trudy Light
Winter Hikes by I.C. Toes
Vegas Divorces by Marion Hayste
The Miracle Drug by Penny Cillin
The Big Wave by Sue Nami
The Fortune Teller by Reid Palms
Stop Arguing  by Xavier Breath
Shakespeare in the Desert by Cam L. Otte

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