No Such Thing As Too Early
Is anybody else out there already starting to Christmas-ify their home?? I’m really hoping it’s not just me… 😅 It feels like I am especially early this year. I don’t have a tree up yet but the decorations and festive soap fragrances are slowly beginning to sneak their way in. And I am here for it! In times of darkness, like the new 5:00 pm (thanks Daylight Savings) and in times of waiting… having something to look forward to, something…
Your Thoughts?
Dear LifeSpring Family, This past weekend Dorothy and I had the privilege of serving our Lord Jesus Christ at Blue Mountain, Collingwood with FamilyLife Canada. This is FamilyLife Canada’s first live in-person Weekend Getaway marriage conference since the pandemic start back in March of 2020. There was great excitement both on behalf of the participants and our FamilyLife Staff. Over 80 couples registered and almost 80 couples showed up for the Weekend Getaway. It would have been over 120 couples…
Grow in Humility
Over the past few months, one of the areas where God has been speaking to me is about humility. As important as humility is for our journey as Christians, it can be difficult to understand what genuine humility is and how it’s different from pride. I’d like to share a few things I’ve learned about humility–two of them are about what I call false humility, and two of them are about genuine humility. The part of scripture that illustrates this…
Putting God First
Being a newlywed and moving into a new home has brought many joys, many adjustments and many more responsibilities. The list of items gets longer but we still only have 24hrs in a day. It wasn’t long before I felt my cup was running dry and that there wasn’t enough time. Gabe always says that when life gets busy, one of the first things to go is your time with God. With that in mind, I have kept my morning…
Make a Difference
Over the past 3 months we have seen a dramatic increase in people who are in need! As we Make Every Effort to support those in need, sometimes I just wish we could simply do more. I wish that we could provide a special formula and all the suffering, challenges, and tears would simply be wiped away. In our family, our aunt has had health challenges. As Karyne and I wrestled with how we can help, how we can make…
Safe Spaces
“Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do…
Choosing Jesus, again and again
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew 9:9 This week during our pastoral meeting, we were talking about some of the plans and purposes God has been putting on our hearts for the future. In the midst of that, we also had a chance to look back on the journey God has taken us on as…
The Power of Scriptures
Dear LifeSpring FamilyAs we have been on this journey of maturing together, scripture memory is one key tool and exercise that helps me in my growth. Not too long ago, Andrew suggested and submitted 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to the pastoral team to memorize. Looking back, it might be Andrew was preparing for marriage when he submitted this verse to the team. While 1 Corinthians 13 is often associated with weddings and marriages, it is actually God’s directions on how to live…
Believe (Have Faith)
Romans 10:17Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ Hebrews 11:1Faith is the assurance (confidence) of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen Faith (belief) has the power to change your behaviour. If you invite me over for dinner – please do – and I agree to come to your house on Saturday at 5pm – based on your confidence in my word, in my character, in my trustworthiness – , you will either believe…
Growing in Humility
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 14:11 Last week in our pastoral meeting we had a good conversation about pride and humility. In some ways, humility can feel like a moving target. The moment we think we’ve mastered humility, is probably when we’re falling into pride! Growing in humility is a journey we’re all on, and one that never really ends. But it helps to have some pointers…
Biblical Thanksgiving
Dear LifeSpring Family, This past Sunday, I was given the privilege to preach at Mississauga LifeSpring Christian Fellowship. It is always an encouragement to Dorothy and me to attend and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ there. As I shared on the Three Biblical Thanksgiving Principles of : It is a choice It is unconditional It is good for you. We were encouraged by our brothers and sisters there. Encouraged because we get to witness over many years…
Meet the King
In life, there are many important moments where we Make Every Effort to prepare for. When we get married or go to a wedding we make sure we smell good, we do our hair, some of you paint your toenails – we prepare for moments that we value and that are important. Yet when we go to meet with God (in prayer) it is usually under 2 minutes and we simply give God a list of wishes we want. We…