God's Map

This is a little activity we have been doing with the youth. It is God's map. Basically the idea goes like this. We tend to think that God is only with us, in the good time, or when we are doing the right things. The truth is God is with us all the time. He even leads us to tough times, hard times, desert times.....they are all part of his map. This means if I am experiencing difficulty it isn't that God has left, or the devil is after me.

If this is true, then we can then at any time ask God by looking at the map.....'God show me where I am on YOUR map.' AND when he leads us somewhere tough we can say 'Even though I go to the valley of the shadow of death.....I will not fear."

God is relevant EVERYWHERE.

Practice, by finding yourself on the map, or by putting your own place on the map.

Shelley's doing well

Many know that Shelley Maw has donated a kidney to her brother Daryl. Both are doing well after the surgery. Thanks everyone for your prayers.

Spiritual Disciplines...??

Children, Can You Hear Me?

This Sunday is our first second large group of the month, month. Confused. Well every other month we have two Large Group Sundays, March will be our first time. Tab and Jeff Fellman have been teaching the kids about prayer in the regular large group and we are going to continue this in the second large group. It's going to be all about prayer and we will have a Pray Kids! club using some fantastic stuff from The Navigators. But this Sunday we will be reading to the kids, 'Children, Can You Hear Me?' a wonderful book for kids on listening prayer. We will do a prayer activity, a craft and practice listening prayer. Check back here next week for update on what happens this Sunday.

Faith at Home - Take it Home Event.
On March 29, at the 11:00 am service we will be having a Take it Home Event for the Grade 2 kids and their parents. The topic is Family Prayer and parents will receive 'Creative Family Prayer Times' (another wonderful resource from The Navigators). The kids will receive 'Children Can You Hear me?" Although this book is written for kids it has incredible stuff in the back for parents to help them teach their kids and engage them in conversations with Jesus.
It's written by a Canadian, Brad Jersak from Fresh Wind in Abbotsford, B.C.
Wanna read this book? Come, take five, sit on the couch in my office and read it. It will pierce your soul as you hear Jesus speaking to your very heart. I'll probably be weeping as I read some of it to the kids on Sunday. I'm planning on giving my spiritual companion a copy. It's spiritual exercises for kids.
I'm pondering changing the name of Take it Home Events to Equipping the Home.
Reason: Parents haven't connected with Take it Home - they don't 'get it'.
Any thots.

Well there it is. The first blog of my life. It wasn't actually that hard. Hope I did it write!

Elders - What DO they do?

Just exactly what do elders do anyway?

are they responsible for your spiritual life and care?

what does 'setting vision for the church' look like?

what decisions do or should elders make?

what should they be involved in in the church?

they pray - what should they be praying for exactly?

We elders are talking about all these things...over the next couple of months. Jump in and comment here. What do you think?