Category Archives: Events

“Jesus’ Legacy of Prayer”

October 22, 2014 By in Blog, Events Tags: Leave a comment

… in the words of the formidable Vesta Layne Mangun, claiming to be apostolic and having a weak or absent prayer life is like “Picnicking on the border of Hell”. I debated as to whether or not to make that the title of this post… but then thought again.

Let me give you the third run-down in the mini-series of posts dedicated to workshops we attended at General Conference.

Jesus’ Legacy of Prayer

This was the title of Sis. Mangun’s workshop on… you guessed it, prayer.  Let me just start out by saying this in my own defense. “Have you ever tried to take notes during a Vesta Mangun message?” …it’s not easy.

  1. VLM

    Photo from #BOTT14

    First and foremost, the tendency is to sit there, somewhat in awe of the conviction and passion with which she communicates her subject, her anecdotes and her extensive real-life experience.

  2. Secondly… her style is more a string of very relevant “zingers” (*think T.F. Tenney*) mixed in with relevant experience and references to scripture.
  3. Thirdly… it’s like trying to keep track of the bullets coming out of a rapid-fire weapon. It all comes “fast & furious”.

That being said… Let me give you some of the…

Highlights

We must follow Christ’s example of prayer:
“Be ye followers of me (Paul), even as I also am of Christ.” 1 Cor. 11.1

  1. Jesus prayed when he was alone in the garden, when on the mountain top and when in the wilderness. There is always room for prayer!
  2. We see Jesus praying 9 times in Matthew, 8 times in Mark, 13 times in Luke and 5 times in John.
  3. Jesus prayed about everything at all times.
  4. Jesus doesn’t start with the small things and “build up” to the big ones. Jesus starts with the impossible and revival followed… so Think big! Pray big!
  5. Any strength or ability that we have becomes nothing of eternal value without prayer. (#WowQuote)
  6. Jesus’ prayer life had priority over his social life.  Mt. 14.23
    (it also had priority over his physical rest, but I didn’t catch the reference in Luke)

Six Zingers

  1. “You’re a sitting duck without prayer.”
  2. “We can’t be apostolic with a weak or absent prayer life.”
  3. “We’re not praying about the things that we spend a lot of time talking about.”
  4. “Knock (in prayer) as you would knock to get into the ark if you were drowning outside.”
  5. “Prayer can be considered the school of hard knocks… sometimes you have to knock hard… but it’s school and we’re learning (about prayer).”
  6. “No other preparation can be effective if there’s been no preparation of prayer.”

Supplemental Reading on Prayer

If you want to read more about prayer… look through the following books of the Bible:

  • Esther
  • Nehemiah
  • Ezra
  • Daniel
  • Samuel

That’s all for today…

Thanks for following what we’re doing!  Over the next couple of posts, look for one on Saturday concerning our kids “Going Global” and then another that I’m working on which will deal with the benefits of deputation… (yep, you heard right… benefits).

Now I definitely feel like I should go pray!

 

The Dynamics of Soulwinning

October 15, 2014 By in Blog, Events Tags: , , Leave a comment

This is the second workshop from General Conference that I’m going to highlight. I’m not presenting them in the order that we attended them necessarily… pretty much just a random order. My eyes landed on the notes for this one… and it’s a good one!

Rev. Eli Lopez

UPCIGC14 welcome

The first thing you need to know about this particular session is that it was pretty much  standing room only!  We met someone we knew outside the room and when we asked them if they were just arriving or leaving, they answered that they were just arriving and wanted to enter, but that people were lining the walls. We walked in anyway and a family with a couple of small children got them to move so that Liz & I could have a seat. YES… First victory!  (although, you’ll note that I was unable to get a decent photo of the speaker… we were further back than my iPhone could handle)

The second thing that you need to know is who the facilitator was… Bro. Eli Lopez, Director of Ministries and Senior Associate Pastor at Stockton California’s Christian Life Center. He’s got an impressive C.V. and has a great deal of responsibility in this incredible church for such a young man. Definitely Kudos!

Now for some of the highlights:

3 Battles of a Soulwinner

  1. Complacency: It takes effort to overcome complacency, for it is much easier to do what we’ve always done rather than trying something new.  …to stay with those we know rather than get to know someone new.  Yet the gospel is not just for us:  “Jesus is the propitiation for our sins… and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”  1 John 2.2
  2. Selfishness: Things will really begin to change and growth will be visible when we get to the point of thinking about others more than we think about ourselves.  It’s not about our comfort, but about their eternal life…
  3. Weariness: Remember… “We will reap, if we faint not!”  Galatians 6.9

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3 Things to overcome those Battles

  1. The Power of Purpose: Truly understanding our purpose will help us overcome complacency, selfishness and weariness… “The motivation that took Jesus to the cross will take us to the lost.”  Jesus didn’t consider the harvest a future event, but rather a present and a pressing need!
  2. The Power of Prayer: Matthew 9.35 relates a prayer request that Jesus made to his disciples: “Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest sends our workers into the harvest.”  If Jesus’ identity, as the Lord of the Harvest, was wrapped up in the harvest, then shouldn’t we, as his followers be likewise?  As they began to pray about the harvest, they began to take on responsibility for it… after that, Jesus sent them out into the same harvest that they’d been praying for!  Who better to go but them that have taken on responsibility in prayer?
  3. The Power of the Personal: Statistics vary in different parts of the country, but there’s no disputing that a significant factor in people coming to church remains that of personal contact. We can be active (going toward them) or passive (waiting for them to come to us)… intuitively we all know which one is better.  We are commanded to “GO and make disciples…” Give them a compelling reason why they should want to come to church!

“Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you…
and ye shall be witnesses unto me…”
Acts 1.8

Thank you Bro. Lopez!  Really a great seminar!

Upcoming Posts…

  • Saturday – An info-graph showing the growth our relationship with, and the call to, western France.
  • Next Wednesday – Highlights from General Conference Workshop #3

Prayer

  1. Pray that God helps us, through his power, to grow as soulwinners while in France.
  2. We’ve begun the process of applying for our visa from France… (Passport renewal done this week) and we’ll have to visit the French Consulate in Montreal in the coming weeks. Pray that each step in the process goes smoothly and that we find favour among men & women.

 

Here’s to #Revival_inFrance

GC Workshop #1

October 8, 2014 By in Blog, Events Tags: , 1 Comment

In today’s post I’m going to start a series of posts that will give you highlights of some of the workshops that we attended while at General Conference and how we think that they will help us to see God’s work move forward during our time in France.  First of all though, let me tell you about the…

Warm Welcome in St. Louis

UPCIGC14 welcome

I was surprised to see the extent to which the city of St. Louis rolled out the red carpet (or at least, the red banners for us). These banners were all over the downtown core along with similar themed welcome signs in several of the hotels & welcome areas as well.

There were also some black ones around town for another convention that was being held in the same venue: Organo Gold; a network marketing company that sells pre-packaged coffee .  (Someone did try to recruit Liz as she sat drinking her Starbucks one day: “Does Starbucks ever send you a cheque for drinking their coffee?” the salesperson asked… oh dear!)

Simplify

You may have noticed a change to the top navigation menu since the last time you visited the site. If not… take a quick moment to scroll up and look at it now.

I’d been wanting to add a “Contact Us” page to make it easier for us to connect, but with 7 menu choices already there, that would’ve been a bit much. The compromise… I grouped The Destination, The Dream and The Team beneath a single heading “The Mission” , allowing me to add the new page and still reduce the options across the top, making navigation a bit more simple.

This is just one small tweak (for now) after being inspired by Rev. Lee Wells‘ #UPCIGC14 workshop…

Social Media & Church Planting

LeeWellsNot only is churchplanter Rev. Wells pastor of Landmark Fellowship Church, in Rockwall Texas, but he is also founded iChurch Marketing which aims to provide churches with new tools for a new generation. The workshop gave me ideas to help improve this blog, but it will undoubtedly lead to things that we’ll implement when in France as well.

Thanks Bro. Wells, you likely just became part of revival in France!

Here are the top 3 tidbits that I took away from that seminar:

  1.  The church’s website and social media presence have become the church’s new front door.
    (90% of potential guests will check the web first – looking for your church’s website or Facebook page – before they ever approach your real front door. If they don’t find us, they will find someone else.)
  2. 75% of Google search users never go beyond the first page search results.
    (Make sure you do everything possible to ensure that keywords and other SEO measures are optimized for your site so that you’ll be on that first page)
  3. This year, web searches from mobile devices are expected to overtake searches from a desktop or laptop.
    (Websites therefore must be mobile compatible)

When in France…

The church in Châtellerault currently has neither a website, a Facebook page or any other online presence. This is not entirely uncommon in France. There has traditionally not been as much emphasis on web presence there as there is in North America. I believe this will actually work to our advantage, because as we develop an attractive site and web presence for the church there, it will certainly stand out there in the region. I will, of course, let you know when that comes online.

Upcoming post…

Finally for today… do you remember the post where I talked about the “Big & Little Crowns” that surround Paris and how God used that image to speak to and through me on the day that he called us to France? I’m going to come back to that image in Saturday’s post, I hope you’ll come back to pick up on it.

If you don’t remember that original post, why not go here and read it to refresh your memory.
See you Saturday!

Headed Home – #UPCIGC14

October 4, 2014 By in Blog, Events, People Leave a comment

Making another attempt at composing on the iPad since we’ll be on our way back home as of Saturday morning, by the time many of you will be reading this. Incredible to have gotten to Conference this year… So thankful to My Pastor for inviting Liz & I to come.

New Partners

I won’t take too much time today as it’s been a very short night and we’ll soon be heading to the airport. However, it was good to run into two of our newest PIMs: Rev. Scott Sistrunk of greater Detroit, Michigan and Rev. Kevin Wallace, originally an Atlantic District fellow, but who currently pastors in Jacksonville, NC.

Thank you Bros Sistrunk & Wallace: thank you for your support and thank you for being part of revival in France!!

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Special Ladies

we also got to meet two very special ladies (among many)… We ran into bro & Sis Nowacki here at conference. They, of course, are central to the work in France and it was a nice surprise to see them (pictured here is Sis Nowacki with Liz)!

Last but not least, we met Sis Cylinda Nickel, who works with MK Ministries (MK = missionary kids). She will be a key part of coming alongside our kids during the time in France, to encourage them and help us help them.

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That’s all for now…

as I said, just a short one for today… Will go into more depth on next weeks posts, but wanted to share a couple of highlights!

Thanks for being with us today!

From St. Louis – #UPCIGC14

October 1, 2014 By in Events, Places 3 Comments

Today represents a couple of “firsts”… First time attending the United Pentecostal Church’s Annual General Conference, and first time composing a blog post on an iPad! Let’s see how this goes!

Along the Miramichi

Before we get to St. Louis, let me tell you briefly about last weekend. We got to spend some time, for the second time, along the Miramichi River Valley. The first time we were in Gray Rapids with Bro. Graham Russell, and the Pentecostals of Miramichi, in Miramichi City with Bro. Peter Long. This time though, we were with Bro. & Sis Carroll in Doaktown for their morning service followed by evening service in McNamee, NB, just a bit down the road, with Bro. & Sis Cromwell.

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Pictured above are; (a) from McNamee, Pastor & Mrs Allison Cromwell along with Liz & I and (b) a look at the missions wall at the church in Doaktown, already proudly displaying some 37 UPCI missionary families (silly us, we were enjoying our time & conversation so much that we neglected to get a photo together with the Carrolls). We are so thankful to both of these churches for partnering with us for the duration of our time in France. They are part of the revival that God will bring to France.

UPCI General Conference

First of all, I want to express how grateful I am to our pastor for bringing us with he and Sis. Carter. As I mentioned, this is our first time at General Conference and we are so glad for the chance to be here before heading away in January.

We are looking forward to hearing some great preaching, powerfully feeling the moving of God’s Spirit, attending a number of informative workshops and connecting with some great people!! In fact, it has already happened…. We stopped by the AIM booth and found fellow New Brunswickers Jayne Taylor, Danielle Martin and James Poitras. In addition to them we also ran into Abigail Thompson (another AIMer to France who we met this summer while in Bordeaux).

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Global Missions Service

Tonight, we are especially looking forward to the Global Missions service. Not only will we get to hear Bro. Anthony Mangun (I just love Bro. Mangun), but we will also have the distinct pleasure of walking in with all our our global missionaries. What an honour… These people are heroes!!

That’s all for now…

…except, I might just say that, as far as blogging on the iPad goes… Gimme a full-fledged keyboard any day. Definitely a bit more laborious BUT… I’m also thankful to be able to update without having to carry the laptop… It did make for a lighter carry-on!

Thanks for being with us today!

Got a call? Feed it!

September 17, 2014 By in Blog, Events, People Tags: , , 3 Comments

We have just come through the annual World Missions Conference at our home church, Mission Point, in Saint John, NB (Canada). From the time I was a young person growing up in the Baptist church, missions conferences have had a special place in my heart and this year was no different. Being involved in the planning, in my role as full-time Assistant to the Pastor, is a real treat for me, as it gives the opportunity to get “up close & personal” with some incredible people!!

Sis. Else Lund… “Mother Ghana”

photoSis. Else Lund was appointed as a missionary to Liberia, Africa in 1962 and spent three weeks sailing to the land of her calling on a ship named the African Glen. She fulfilled a number of roles in multiple west-African nations until retiring from Global Missions in 2004… some 42 years after her initial appointment. A great deal of those 42 years was spent in Ghana and at one point, every ordained minister in the UPC of Ghana, had been taught by Sis. Lund… hence the nickname “Mother Ghana.” What a heritage.

Let’s Talk Missions!

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Saturday morning, as we did during last year’s conference, we organized a brunch for anyone who either (a) felt a call towards or (b) was curious about, short term missions. It was a chance to glean from the experience of our guest missionaries who discussed a particular part of their journey toward missions followed by discussion afterwards.

Our panel: (beginning top left & clockwise):

  1. Rev. Jim Poitras,
    (Director of Education & AIM, UPCI)
  2. Sis. Colleen Carter, (Missionary to Ghana, West Africa)
  3. Sis. Else Lund
  4. Lauren Summers, (Her parents, Rev. Stephan & Debra Summers are UPCI Missionaries to Cyprus)

Here are a few highlights from that panel discussion:

Colleen Carter: (Colleen spent eight years in Ghana, West Africa, under AIM appointment before receiving missionary appointment in 2007.)

“My call to missions goes all the way back to and began in childhood. As a girl in Sunday school we all had to pick a missionary to whom we’d write to and for whom we’d pray. I chose the Everett & Lois Corcoran family, at the time missionaries to Pakistan. Sis. Corcoran always wrote back and God used that connection to draw me, over time, into missions.”

Lauren Summers: Lauren was the youngest voice on the panel but a valuable one. As an MK (missionary kid) she was in Cyprus because of her parents’ call, not her own. Quiet by nature, Lauren said a LOT in a few short words: She reminded us of the need to uphold missionary kids in prayer and to encourage them whenever possible.

“Initially, I wondered how I’d fit in, what I’d do, but I loved kids and loved doing puppets and the like so I sort of found my place. Sometimes, though, it got lonely and the only thing that kept me was the fact that I’d get messages on my (Facebook) wall from friends back home.”

Else Lund: Sis. Lund spoke longer than the first two ladies, but her tale was riveting! Just two short quotes from her… one, a testimony from her past, the second… a call to those present.

“It was polio that brought our family into truth, so I’ve never regretted having polio.”

“If you have the smallest feeling or hint of a call on your life… FEED IT… PRAY!”

Rev. James Poitras: Bro. Poitras was the last member of the panel to speak, but did a superb job of tying together all that the others had shared. He began by stating that “Whom God calls, he equips.” From there I’ll pull out what is, in my estimation the…

TOP 5 List

…of things to know about the equipping process, as shared by Bro. Poitras in that brunch meeting:

  1. It involves work… preparation.
  2. It involves partnering with, or at the very least paying heed to, the apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists & teachers that God has placed in your life. He put them there for the purpose of equipping you.
  3. It (the equipping & preparing process) never stops!
  4. It involves academic preparation, spiritual preparation and ministerial preparation* (meaning: the basic needs of humanity are the same everywhere. If you learn how to minister right where you are, you’ll learn how to do it in the land of your calling).
  5. It is like finding the will of God for your life: …you must find the next right step and just do it. All those steps together, lead you into the will of God or, in this case, into that state of prepared-ness.

In short…

What a great time of inspiration and formation all rolled up into one!  If you’ve got a call… Feed it!  That’s what we’ve been doing and what we continue to do as we prepare ourselves for our departure in January.

Come back Saturday morning when I’ll have an update on our financial preparations… Exciting news that you won’t want to miss. We’re praising God for great things!  We capped off the weekend by having the Poitras’ in our home for supper the night before their departure back to St. Louis. We’re thankful for their enthusiastic encouragement and their friendship and for believing in us!

See you Saturday!

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Supper & visit with the Poitrases in our home. What a treat! Treasured moments.

 

 

Labor Day Convention in Perth

August 30, 2014 By in Churches, Events Tags: , , Leave a comment

photoIt’s time for the annual Labor Day Convention in the Village of Perth-Andover, which means that people from the Atlantic, Maine and Nova Scotia Districts are coming together at Calvary Tabernacle for a weekend of fellowship, music and preaching.  I am privileged to be here and to have had the opportunity, last night, to share the story of our call to France and how it came about.

40 years of Convention…

Thursday night, Bro. H.M. Lewis (former pastor and forever beloved elder in our district) shared the history of how the Labor Day Convention came about some 40 years ago – as this is the 40th anniversary of this great gathering.photo  I love the fact that, when he felt the need & desire to begin this convention, his goal was that it would:

  • Not risk winter weather complications
  • Fall on a holiday weekend, allowing folks to relax  and
  • Not compete with what anyone else was doing in the district.

I love the spirit of that.

Last night, Rev. Joel Urshan, of Cincinatti Ohio, preached an incredible message on the Joy of the Lord as our Strength. But before he did,  James & Jonathan Cole (Amherst, NS) and their wives provided special music, and OH! did they bring the house down. What a great spirit they have.

Rev. Jonathan Cole is a walking Miracle. He shared how, 2 years ago, he was preparing to sing at the Labor Day Convention and felt very dizzy. Little did he know then that a tumor the size of a man’s fist was growing in the back of his brain. Two years later though, he has miraculously recovered and gives God all the praise.

Rev. & Mrs David Ferrell…

photo…are the hosts of this convention, as pastor of Calvary Tabernacle. More than that, though, Bro. Ferrell has been a great support to me from very early on in this process and the Lord has allowed our paths to cross at several key junctures in our journey toward France.

In 2009 (the first year I went to teach in the Bible School), Bro. Ferrell was there as well, teaching the Guest Lecturer Seminar. Although I knew who he was, this was really the first chance to connect (This was also the man who was able to get an armed police escort through one Paris metro station – they were pleased to lend a hand to a lone, non-French-speaking traveller – never ceases to amaze me).

Then, in 2013, he was one of the men that conducted my ordination interview on behalf of the district. Toward the end of what was usually a 10-min interview, he asked if I ever saw myself somewhere other than in Saint John. A barely perceptible smile came onto my face which he caught and I explained that I had already been in discussion with Bro. Nowacki, Bro. Brochu and my pastor about the possibility of AIM. That didn’t surprise him in the least and he expressed at that time that he could see us fitting in there seamlessly… and now, the gracious invitation to come and present our opportunity to this convention.

What an encourager!

RCMP

On a side note… the photo above shows a Mountie in red surge saluting on the platform. What a treat to see Bro. Troy Smith, a local mountie who had spent some time in the Saint John church some years ago. Would love to have gotten a picture with him. *Proud of our mounties*

Moving Forward

So far, as a result of the opportunity last night, we have been invited to two more churches in the district this fall. We are looking forward to that.

We have had some results from the postcards that I told you about last time, we thank the Lord for that and I’ll give you more details in another post.

May the Lord bless your Saturday!

 

 

 

Have you…?

May 17, 2014 By in Events, People Tags: , , Leave a comment

 Those two words, which begin a question, can be followed by any number of words… making for a variety of questions: “Have you…

  • …made your bed?”
  • …taken out the trash?”
  • …finished your homework?”
  • …packed your suitcase?”
  • etc.

…all of which can produce a variety of emotional reactions from anxiety to anticipation to annoyance… depending on the circumstance and the tone of voice.

Today, however, I heard it completed in the following manner…

…read your Bible yet today?

Liz was asking the last of the kids to rise from their car-weary slumber… “Have you read your Bible yet?”

We have just come through Mothers’ Day and in a way, this post is really a tribute to the mother in our family… my wife.

Preparing your kids for life, in general, is difficult enough, let alone preparing them to grow up with a strong sense of who they are … as individuals and as Christians. Then factor into that, as well, a trans-Atlantic move. It takes discipline and dedication.

The Context

Years ago, before our oldest was even six, we made the decision to enter the world of home-schooling, and we continued with each of the other children as they came along. As time went on and the level of involvement increased, Liz decided that it was of greater value for her to leave her full-time job of sixteen years rather than continue working and discontinue homeschooling the kids. I honor her for making this difficult choice.

Through our time as a homeschooling family, one of the things that was always included in the day’s work was devotions… (time spent in God’s word and in prayer). It has taken on various forms over the years… from picture books of Bible stories to going through the Exploring God’s Word home Bible study, to reading and discussing passages together.

The Team

Liz’s dedication at home, combined with great Sunday School teachers at MissionPoint who encourage and reward Bible reading & memory work, have built into our kids the habit of Bible reading.

A Healthy Habit

IMG_7137It never ceases to amaze me when I walk by a bedroom and look in to see one or another of my kids lying in bed reading the Bible, either before going to bed or before starting the day. Many times, with the two older kids, this happens without prompting from Liz or I (of course, for the youngest, a little more prodding is required, but even when prodded, it typically happens without protest or procrastination).

Without anchoring our faith in the words of scripture we can easily fall into simply living in a more or less Christian culture as opposed to living by Christian conviction. Christian culture is, of course, not a bad thing… but it is not always enough to keep you rooted in tough times of conflict, controversy or confusion.

Our Family’s Example

have-you1As a “post-mothers’-day-tribute”… my hat is off to my wife, Liz. Not only does she model this herself, but she consistently fosters and encourages this habit in our kids.

“Have you read your Bible yet today?”

…one of the most incredible things a Christian man can hear his wife say to their kids.

Happy (belated) Mother’s Day…
You’re the BEST!

 

 

 

 

Atlantic District Conference 2014

May 7, 2014 By in Events Tags: , , 1 Comment

AIM ADC14#ADC14

When attending district meetings during 2013, I wore a single hat… that of Editor for the monthly district publication “The Pentecostal Messenger”.  January 2014 changed that however; I began raising funds for our 2015 AIM appointment to France. Since that time I’ve generally worn two hats to district events – the proof can been in the setup to the right: Banners for the Pentecostal Messenger Editor and for our AIM project.

We have just ended the 2014 Atlantic District Conference, held at Truth Tabernacle in Moncton, NB and hosted by Rev. & Mrs John Woodcock.  It was a short & sweet time together where we enjoyed the music ministry of Rev. Sonny Schambeau and the preaching ministry of Bro. Brent Coltharp of Illinois (Dist. Superintendent and Area Presbyter).

5 Quotable Coltharp Quotes:

  • “A King builds his kingdom, a prophet speaks on behalf of the King.We’re not here to build our own kingdom, but to build HIS kingdom.”
  • “It’s not my kingdom. He’s the King and I serve the King.”
  • “Samuel, don’t take it personally… they’re rejecting me, not you.”
  • “Rather than Jehovah, who had brought them out of Egypt and made them victorious, they wanted a king like all the nations around them.
  • “Satellites can’t set people free, you’ve got to get boots on the ground.”

Boots on the Ground:

ADC14_smI really appreciate Bro. Coltharp’s message from last night… he talked about how warfare has progressed from being a “hand-to-hand combat” situation – a “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” kind of proximity – to a point where, thanks to technology, one can wipe out tens of thousands of people, unseen, using missiles, satellites, etc. from great distances.

The danger, for the church, is that sometimes we want to wage warfare similarly to how it’s done in the modern world… from a distance. We want to fast. We want to pray. We want to enjoy church IN-side our buildings.

There is a place and a value to each of these things… but if they constitute the whole of our Christian experience then we are off balance. Jesus got boots on the ground… he went out to where the people were. He didn’t maintain his distance, but got in close proximity. Hence the quote:

“Satellites can’t set people free,
you’ve got to get boots on the ground.”

Up close & personal

I enjoyed this message so much because this very thing has been a concern for me as I prepare to go to France. I am, by nature and by experience a “Second-man / Admin-support” type. That is the capacity in which I’ve functioned up to this point. However… while that experience will no doubt be valuable to me when in France, I realize that I’ll need to – with the Lord’s help – push the limits and become boots on the ground to a greater measure than my role has allowed / demanded to this point.

It’s my desire to see personal growth in this area, indeed it will be vital to cultivate this, if we are to achieve the things that the Lord has put on our heart to do.  I’m not satisfied to remain as I am… I long to grow.

Lord, let it be so.

Progress

I am also thankful for the support of the ministers and congregations of the Atlantic District. During this conference, the Lord has allowed us to:

  1. Schedule 5 more services around the district in the coming year.
    – Moncton, NB   (Rev. John Woodcock)
    – Gray Rapids, NB  (Rev. Graham Russell)
    – Juniper, NB   (Rev. Everett Munn)
    – Noonan, NB  (Rev. Bruce Arsenault)
    – Sackville, NB  (Rev. Tom Barkley)
  2. Receive several new one-time pledges toward our overall support.

Thank you, Atlantic District, for your support.
It’s an honour to be part of you.

 

20 Quotable Quotes

April 30, 2014 By in Events, People Tags: Leave a comment

Greetings all!!  Welcome to the end of what has been an incredibly chilly month of April here in Atlantic Canada…

It’s been said that…

As I prepare my next post – a summary of the month of April (check back on Saturday) –  I thought I’d share with you some of the quotable quotes that have motivated and inspired me over the past couple of months as I prepare a number of things and contact pastors about supporting us.

All twenty quotes below come from the notes I took at Because of the Times 2014.

Vesta Mangun:

VLM“The two greatest days of your life: the day you were born and the day you found out WHY you were born.”

“I have his promise, if I follow his purpose, that he will be with me always, unto the end of the earth.”

“The REAL purpose driven life is following HIS purpose: souls.”

“You want the mind of Christ?  He couldn’t get this lost world off his mind so you’ll need to get it on yours.”

“The treasure is out in the field, so sell all you have to possess the field, then go out into it… that’s where the souls are: The field is white unto harvest but the labourers are few.”

Stan Gleason:

“The fruit of repentance… is consecration.
The fruit of consecration… is revival.
The fruit of revival… is holiness.
The fruit of holiness… is reaching the world.”

“The greatest gift I can give back to God is my personal holiness, my personal consecration and my right spirit. It’s also the greatest gift I can give to my wife and my family.”

“It’s a holiness issue when the car I drive costs more that what my church gave to missions last year.”

“Every failure is first and foremost a failure to pray.”  (quoting Rev. Lee Stoneking)

“I want the people closest to me to respect me the most.”

Terry Shock:

BOTT14sq“Revelation is not a free pass on the need for self-denial.”

“We must be careful how we treat ‘thorned people’ for they could very well be carrying deep revelation… look at Paul.”

“It’s one thing to stand over a casket and weep over emotional memory… it’s another thing to adopt the lifestyle they adopted.”

“Remembering is great, embracing is empowering.”

” ‘I die daily‘ is the source of true life.”

Mike Williams:

“God will overrule it, he’ll undo it or he’ll redeem it.”
(speaking of a negative situation or circumstance)

“Trees only get a strong trunk by facing the regular and steady push of the wind .”

“When, in my mind, I journey into tomorrow… I go alone, without strength, because I was never meant to go there.”

“If you feel wounded or lame, it’s OK, Isaiah’s prophecy says that ‘the lame will take the prey!’ ”
(Isa. 33.23)

” Strength is provided, each day, for today only. Tomorrow’s strength will be provided tomorrow.”

 Summing it up…

Of course, each of the quotes mentioned above, came from a particular context and a particular message… so keep that in mind as I’ve generally avoided the temptation to “explain” the quotes. For the most part though… I think they’re pretty straight-forward.

Thanks for checking in again today. Check back Saturday when I’ll be posting a summary of what’s been going on in April concerning our project.

How ’bout you?
What’s your most memorable #wowQuote (be it from BOTT14 or anywhere else)?