Hi folks… a happy Saturday to you!  Whether you’re curled up with your hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee or reading this on the go via mobile, thanks for stopping by again today!

Final move… (for now)

This week we moved from our temporary accommodations into Bro. & Sis. Brochu’s house, where we will be for a good while as they travel on deputation in North America.

The “house” feels a bit more like a “home” particularly because it’s more furnished, but also because we are once again connected to the WWW (disconnection has been a mixed blessing – but the kids have been doing the “happy dance” since our arrival).

You can see from the bottom pic that it’s already nice enough to put out flower boxes (the gardener in me has been doing the “happy dance” over THIS… gardening weather!) and in fact the ceremonial first time ’round with the lawn mower will likely be this week.

On moving day, Liz was obliged to take to the driver’s seat so that I could drive the moving van. She’s been hesitant to do that up to this point (the first time is always the hardest). Although she grew up in Europe and drove a standard here this summer, she’s been a bit hesitant. Drivers here are pretty aggressive!

Sale of our House

Thank you for your prayers everyone… as of yesterday afternoon, our house was no longer our house. The sale closed and we no longer have to worry about ensuring that what seem like weekly monster-blizzards are cleaned out… Those mountains of snow are now someone else’s responsibility.

It does feel a little strange though… that’s the neighbourhood we’ve lived in for the past 17 years and when we return from AIM, we’ll not be returning “home” per sé. It’ll be strange.

National Sunday School Seminar

For those of you reading this on Saturday, you will no doubt be reading this as Sophie and I attend the National Sunday School Seminar, held at Bro. Nowacki’s church in Melun, along with one of our Bible School Students, Pierre. The guest speaker is Sis. Vickie Oliver, a veteran children’s evangelist from Columbus, OH. She has written a book, available from Pentecostal Publishing House entitled: Birthing your Burden in Children’s Ministry.

Liz could not come because there wasn’t room for all of us + Bro. Pierre in the car so she is home with the boys and Soph & I are on a mission with our good brother.  We drove 3.5 hours up last night and will head back as soon as the seminar is over so that we’re home and in good shape for church tomorrow.

Ever-seeing…

I’ll leave you with this today…  Liz & I found the following while on a recent visit to a 15th church in Châtellerault… it is on the sacrament of Baptism: I’ll translate for non French-speakers…

“In this world of ours, so beautiful yet so disquieted by evil, there is, for the believer another world besides ours.

At the heart of our search, we discover that the Kingdom is within us. We cannot, by ourselves, enter this world of diving love unless we receive from the Lord the possibility to do so.

We accomplish this step by joining ourselves to Christ by the sacrament of baptism. Before preaching the gospel, Jesus was plunged into the Jordan River – symbolizing our purification and our death to sin and pride which turn us away from the Light.

Having chased away this darkness, our spirit is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, in other words, by God Himself.“

…and hearing not

Reading that poster above made us think of the what Jesus said in Matthew 13… Himself reaching back to what Isaiah said in chapter 6 of his book: “Seeing, they see not and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand… for their hearing has grown dull and their heart over-full.” 

It’s surprising, really… with the exception of a few words here and there… this could be something that you’d see or hear taught in Oneness Pentecostal churches… “Our spirit is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, in other words, by God Himself.”

Someone sees folks… at least someone saw enough to write what they wrote, using the words that they did. But somehow, at the same time… they didn’t see completely.

We are indeed buried with Christ in baptism… it’s more than just the public expression of a private decision; yet… just as Jesus was plunged into the Jordan River, we must be BURIED… plunged beneath the water as well.  God Himself will inhabit us… but it is not automatic at baptism. I’m so glad for the infilling of the Holy Ghost!  God still does it just the way he did in the book of Acts… it never gets old!

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses (Acts 1.8) ….and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2.4)”

God is leading people – right in Châtellerault – and we are glad to be part of it… we’re glad YOU’RE part of it – Thank you!

In a couple of weeks I’ll share with you the incredible story of Sébastien…
Have an awesome day! The Lord is with you!