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All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

11/26/2014

Shoebox Blues? :)
The grand total for shoeboxes is 2941. Awesome! Our goal was 3000, so I say, "close enough, victory is ours" :)

We had a huge crew come to help us ship out the shoeboxes and the many Christian Salvage Mission boxes (as you can see in the attached photo).
Thanks to everyone who came to help. The church feels empty now with all the shoeboxes gone. I've got the shoebox blues...we'll just have to fill it with people.

80 Years Young! Happy Anniversary Laurentian!
I put on the church sign this morning, "80 Years Young! Help Us Celebrate. Sunday 10:30am".

Have you ever met anyone who doesn't seem to age? Or perhaps the reverse. Has always seemed old. It's funny how we label people. There are teens that we say "they act just like an old man", and there are seniors who we describe as acting "just like teenager". In our mortal world, it's hard to fathom, but even though our church is 80 years old...a significant accomplishment...the CHURCH is eternal. It will be around forever. Perhaps that's why old and new songwriters get caught up in this idea of the church still being around thousands of years from now. The hymn "Amazing Grace" says, "When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun".
The newer song "10 000 Reasons" says, "Still my soul will sing Your praise unending. Ten thousand years and then forevermore."
Dictators, philosophers, tyrants and radicals have tried to extinguish the church ever since its birth. Yet still we are here.
People have said the church is "irrelevant and old-fashioned". Yet still we are here.
The media loves to talk about the demise of the church (conveniently ignoring many stories of growth and impact), yet still we journey on.
Scandal, heresy, legalism and hypocrisy have shaken it at times, but it's foundation is strong. We're still here.
Matthew 16:18b (NLT) says, "...I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it."
80 years is only the beginning.

Sermon Recap
"All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"
Simple Faith Leads to the Kingdom.

Scripture:
Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:13-14, NIV

1. Bring Your Children to Jesus ("Then people brought little children to Jesus...").
How?
i. Pray for Them.
ii. Bring Them to Church.
iii. Keep Your Faith Visible.
2. Take Down the Obstacles ("...do not hinder them...").
3. The Church of Tomorrow & Today ("...the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these").
4. Bless Them ("...for him to place his hands on them and pray for them").

Question for Reflection
When you see children and teens, do you have Jesus' attitude or the disciples?

I welcome your comments. Contact me and I've love to talk to you!
-Jason

Loving the Good News

11/18/2014

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Unshakeable Faith

Yesterday, I happened to watch an interview on 100 Huntley Street with David & Nancy Writebol, missionaries to West Africa. You may have heard of Nancy...she had contracted Ebola, but has now fully recovered.
Here's a link to their powerful interview: http://100huntley.com/video?id=EodoyTXWYXc

Nancy said this in the interview:
"There was this great sense of peace that God gave me. That if I lived or if I died, God was there.

And that he would walk with us through the difficult days…If it honours and it can glorify the Lord in life, wonderful. If it honours and glorifies and He can use it in death, great. Let him work. And I think one of the things that I really try to impress on people that 'God is good. All the time' … and that is true. 'God is good' if He saves me and 'God is good' if He had taken me home to be with Him. God's goodness never changes no matter what the circumstances are." -Nancy Writebol
As I re-watched some of that interview today, I've been reminded of a significant event in my life that happened 18 years ago this November 27th. The passing of my mom. As she battled through Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), she too had the faith of Nancy Writebol. A trust and peace in her Saviour. My brother Bert wrote this about my mom shortly after her death; "She displayed in death what she believed in life. We are not slaves to circumstance, we rise above them through Christ."

"Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power." (Jeremiah 10:6, NLT)

I pray you are encouraged and your faith is strengthened today.

--

Sermon Recap
Message: Loving the Good News

Key Verse: For God so loved the world that he gave is one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16, NIV

Three cores of what we believe it means to be an evangelical church.
1. Humanity Has Lost Its Way (Matthew 7:13).
2. Jesus Has Reached Out to Us (Isaiah 61:1).
3. The Motivation Is Love (John 3:16).

A healthy church shares the good news about Jesus with a heart of love and compassion.

Question for Reflection: What can happen when we don't share the gospel with a heart of love?

Be encouraged,
Jason

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Passionate People Will Change the World

11/4/2014

Thought for the Day
Do you have your poppy? It's that time of year again. Remembrance Day has always been special for me as I've often played "The Last Post" on my trumpet as part of the day. We'll be taking a moment this Sunday to pause and remember. One thing I like about Remembrance Day is that, at its best and purest, we put aside our politics, debates and opinions and just pause, reflect and remember with gratitude. I like what my mother-in-law recently wrote, "You may not agree with what they do or how they do it, to keep you safe, but that does not change the fact that they still do it for you." Of course, for the Christian, the talk of sacrifice and freedom points us to Jesus. My prayer is like the Psalmist, "May He rule from sea to sea" (Psalm 72:8a).

Sunday Sermon Recap from Sunday, November 2, 2014
Key Verse from Sunday:
"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. -Romans 12:11, NIV

Series: ROOTS: Grow Deep. Live Tall.
Message: Passionate People Will Change the World

"Set yourself on fire with passion and people will come for miles to watch you burn."
(This quote is often attributed to John Wesley. It is not definitive if he said this or not, but it's a good quote and Wesley certainly was on fire for God.)

Zeal: passionate, commitment, enthusiasm, earnestness, diligent in your pursuits.
We have zeal when we encounter Jesus and His love for us.

Lacking: don't be lazy, don't let it slide, don't be idle.
Keeping our passion for God is something we work at.

Fervour: to boil, to be hot, intensity, activity.
Fervour speaks more of our focus, whereas zeal is the passion and fuel of that focus.
Keep: You can't keep something you don't have. Like a pot of boiling water, we "get" fervour by putting ourselves over the "fire" of the Holy Spirit.
(Matthew 3:11-12)

"The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God's help, I aim to be that man!" -Dwight L. Moody

If the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, keep one short verse in mind.
"Do not quench the Spirit." -1 Thessalonians 5:19, NIV

Closing Song from Sunday:
More and More of You by the group Selah. Click to listen/watch.

Question for Reflection
If you have a passion for God what is your plan to keep this spiritual zeal and fervour?

Thanks for reading,
Jason

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Loving the Good News

Passionate People Will Change the World

Jason McCutcheon

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