Tithes & Offerings
Growing up in this church, I always saw people put money into a little plate – my parents would give me loonies to put in the offering plate – sometimes I did, sometimes it ended up in my pocket. It became routine as a child. In fact, the entire reason we do what we do for the children today is for that very reason – to model and teach our children the very basics of tithing – give to God.…
Seeking and Granting Forgiveness
Dear LifeSpring Family This past weekend Dorothy and I had the privilege of serving God and 106 couples at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville. We were a part of the team of FamilyLife Canada at our Weekend Getaway event. The Lord reminded me of my need of seeking and granting forgiveness in my marriage relationship. The verse from Colossians 3:13 (TLB) reminds me of this. “Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you…
Footprints
One night a man had a dream… He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD.Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one…
You Just Never Know
We had an amazing privilege to hear from Missionaries that Lifespring has partnered with for many years. Not everyone would know them, but everyone in this church family has sowed into them. Thailand Missionaries: Suwit, Dong & ZippyThey serve in a nation that consists of 93% Buddhist and >1% Christian As they shared, I felt the Lord wanted to highlight a testimony:10 years ago there was a flood that devastated the region. It was a crisis and they had faced…
Our Weakness, God’s Strength
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 Years ago, I started a simple document on my phone that lists all of the important Bible verses that I’ve tried to commit to memory. These days, that list is filled with church memory verses that we do…
Transferable Faith
As I was spending time journaling, one of the things that God brought to my attention was the idea of transferable skills. Transferable skills are skills that you possess that can be transferred from one job to the next and even to different areas of life. Many of us possess skills in areas of our lives that have the ability to transfer from one area to another. For example, some of the skills I learned in working out over the…
2 Corinthians 5:21
Dear LifeSpring Family, I am sure that many of you were thinking the same thought yesterday as we listened to Alex Soon’s testimony. “I thought I knew Alex Soon but apparently not”. His testimony reminded me of the truth in God’s word in 2 Corinthians 5:21. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. The righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ was and is…
Follow the Cloud
When Pharaoh let the people go, God didn’t lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, even though that was the shorter route. God thought, ‘If the people have to fight and face war, they will run back to Egypt’. So God led the people by the roundabout way of the Reed Sea desert…. The Lord went in front of them during the day in a column of cloud to guide them and at night in a…
Let My Words Be Few
For some reason, writing this devo has felt a little more difficult than usual… there hasn’t been a specific passage coming to mind, no major thoughts or recent epiphanies (not even from my garden or the changing autumn colours)… my thoughts simply feel quiet. And then all of a sudden it was like I could slowly hear Rebecca St. James singing back to me from a far-off, long forgotten corner of my memory… You are God in HeavenAnd here am…
A Broken & Contrite Heart
It is amazing to have a husband and wife combination on the same day. Sharing a testimony and giving us the Word – Rodney & Ada have been such a blessing to this church family and continue to do so. As Rodney & Ada shared their lives with amazing transparency – we could see the challenges that they have faced in the past and continue to face today. Challenges that we all face (work, upbringing) and challenges that are extraordinary…
Weakness
Pain is part of success. It’s part of the process. God is in the pain just as much as he is in the pleasure. We often associate God with pleasure – How good we feel – But he’s also in our pain.Think about a breakthrough. Breakthroughs are mostly during times of great pain, pressure and stretching (literally at the breaking point). This is not when you’re at your greatest but weakest. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) says: 9 But he said to…
“Get Away With Me”
I dunno about you, but I have been feeling very tired lately. Although I suppose I’m technically functional most of the time, I’m facing a depth of exhaustion that I wish I could say I’ve never known before… but is one that has actually become quite familiar. I learned the phrase “compassion fatigue” the other day. As my mind was blown by how perfect those words were, it was almost as if my spirit sighed a big, “Finally.“ Compassion Fatigue…