Show Me Your Way
This past Sunday I spoke at church. We’ve been introducing our focus for this year based out of Isaiah 2:2-3. The focus of my message was centred around this passage from Exodus:
12Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
–Exodus 33:12-13 (NIV)
I talked about what it means to learn God’s “ways” and how that relates to the direction we take for our individual lives.
You can listen to the 36-minute message by clicking the link below.
Get Your Fan On
This Sunday I spoke at church. We’ve been continuing our ReGeneration series and I did a comparison between living the ReGenerated life and being a sports fanatic. The message, Get Your Fan On, is available by clicking the link.
Advent Conspiracy
Here are a couple of great YouTube videos that a friend sent my way. These really help put the meaning of Christmas into perspective.
Click the link to watch another one.
Life by the Spirit
My church is continuing its theme of Generations, which we started in the fall. For the past few weeks my pastor has been focusing on the element that followers of Christ are a new creation and, as a result, have the choice as to how they are going to live their lives.
When I shared this last Sunday morning I looked at the passage in Galatians 5 and talked about the necessity for Christians to make a continual choice to live their lives by the Spirit of God.
Click the link below for the message.
Generations: Looking Beyond
This fall my church is focusing on Generations. I shared a message this week that looked at the value of appreciating other generations and the importance of each generation’s unique contribution.
Click the link below to listen.
BC: Check!
This week we travelled to Vancouver, BC for the CFCM national conference. It’s been a great week so far for a few reasons.
First, the conference has been fantastic. There has been a good mix of speakers, all of which shared great messages.
Second, we’ve always wanted to travel further west and have now had the opportunity. Until this point we had travelled only as far as Alberta.
Between conference meetings we toured the area and snapped a few pictures off the coastline.
Click the link below to see our photos.
Two Are Better Than One
This Sunday at church I shared a message entitled Two Are Better Than One. The message focuses on the value of working together as a team to accomplish a common goal.
Click the following link to listen.
Life-giving
Having just wrapped up a series on fruitfulness, this Sunday I spoke about what it means to be life-giving as a follower of Christ.
My goal was to communicate that being a life-giver doesn’t have to be difficult and I presented some simple points that can help make it a natural and effective part of one’s life.
Click the link below to listen.
Hearing God’s voice, part 4
In our series on Hearing God’s Voice we’ve looked at different elements to help us recognize when God is speaking. This time we’re going to take a slightly different look at the same topic by starting with a passage from 1 Kings; where Solomon is preparing to build the temple.
13King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel–thirty thousand men. 14He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. 15Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, 16as well as thirty-three hundred foremen who supervised the project and directed the workmen. 17At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of quality stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. 18The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and the men of Gebal cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.
–1 Kings 5:13-18 (NIV)
The Hebrew word translated “prepared” in verse 18 of this passage is a word that means, “to be firm, be stable, be established.” It’s a word that can be used communicate “stand up straight,” or “perpendicular to the ground.” Based on the verses we just read, it’s clear that a lot of work went into building the temple. “Preparing” the wood and stone for the temple would have been an arduous task–especially without the use of modern-day machinery! It would have required skilled trades people and a lot of planning.
23If the LORD delights in a man’s way,
he makes his steps firm;24though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.–Psalm 37:23-24 (NIV)
23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.–Psalm 37:23-24 (NKJV)
The NKJV says our steps are “ordered” and the NIV translates them as being made “firm.” The interesting part of this passage from Psalm 37 is that those two translated words are the same Hebrew word we read in 1 Kings 5:18; the word translated “prepared.” What this illustrates is that God is arduous about directing our steps. He works strenuously to shape us so that we stand straight (perpendicular to the ground) as we journey through our lives, to fulfill His plans and purposes.
The key element in all of this is that whether or not in any given moment we recognize the voice of God, God’s Word promises that He is directing and leading us. The only condition to this promise is that we set our hearts to seek Him. As the NIV says, “If the LORD delights in a man’s way,” and the NKJV, “The steps of a good man.”
An excellent example of this in practice is in Acts 16:6-10, where we find the apostle Paul roaming across the countryside to share Christ with people. At nearly each step the Bible says the Spirit of Jesus stopped him. Paul never got stressed out about being told repeatedly that he was going the wrong way. It’s almost humourous that while Paul clearly felt the Spirit’s leading to not go to certain cities, he still couldn’t recognize God’s voice as to where he should be heading. In fact, in this instance the only time God was able to get through to him was while he was sleeping.
Even if we don’t hear from God about what we’re supposed to be doing; if we set our hearts to seek Him, when we’re about to really miss the mark, He’s faithful to let us know. If we don’t hear from him–period–we can trust that our path is directed while we’re pursuing Him.
Fruitfulness Requires Toil
This Sunday I spoke at church. We’ve been talking about fruitfulness: what it means, what God expects, how be to fruitful, etc.
My message is entitled Fruitfulness Requires Toil. It’s a message that delves into what the Bible says about fruitfulness and how it’s applied in our daily lives.
Click the link below to listen.