Devotions (Page 57)

A few months ago I was feeling especially sad… tragedy had hit the home of a very dear friend and the weight of pandemic realities seemed unbearably heavy at times. I found myself crying way more than usual and for a little while I wondered if something was wrong with me. After all, depression and anxiety had been very real struggles for me in the past… but this sadness was different. The best way I could describe how I felt…

York Region is now in lockdown. It seems that we are trending the wrong way in our fight with Covid-19. As I wake up this Monday morning to the positive news of the arrival of the vaccine. Our country leaders remind us that it is only the beginning of a long journey in what has been already too long of a “journey”. In fact, our leaders are saying that it will be around the fall of 2021 before we can…

Over the past 2 years, God has been taking us on the following journey: 2019: Intimacy (3 Ps – Prayer (Persona), Prayer (Corporate), Prayer (Earnest)) 2020: Maturity (3 Gs – Give, Go, Grow) As we look to 2021, this is what we felt the Lord put on our hearts. 2021: Make Every Effort God continues to call the Lifespring family to be the Huios (mature sons). We have seen tremendous victories in hearing God and growth in the spirit. But…

Over the past 2 years, God has been taking us on the following journey: 2019: Intimacy (3 Ps – Prayer (Persona), Prayer (Corporate), Prayer (Earnest)) 2020: Maturity (3 Gs – Give, Go, Grow) As we look to 2021, this is what we felt the Lord put on our hearts. 2021: Make Every Effort God continues to call the Lifespring family to be the Huios (mature sons). We have seen tremendous victories in hearing God and growth in the spirit. But…

As the Pastoral Team finishes reading Pastor Perry Soh’s Book Season’s of Change, I can’t help but reflect on the season of change that is happening around us. This book is not only topical for the season we are in but I believe it will help prepare us for what God has in store for us in 2021. As a Christmas gift from the Church we have blessed its members with a copy of the book, which I encourage everyone…

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18–“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Near the end of one of Paul’s letters to the church in Thessalonica, he gives some good advice that is very relevant to what we’re going through today. First, Paul encourages the church to “pray without ceasing.” We really are in a season today where the need for prayer is so great. Last Wednesday, during our…

Day after day you can read about people in the world who fall to the temptations of Money, Sex, & Power. But before we cast judgment on others, we need to be humble enough to recognize that we (the church) are also susceptible and at times look no different than the world outside. Here at Lifespring we are called to be the Huios (mature sons) and as we mature we need to vigorously contend to be part of the solution…

Take heart, Beloved. Take heart in the midst of your struggles and striving.Take on, instead, my burden which is light.Take upon your back My yoke… Which is easy.Take my strength and my support. I am longing for nothing more than to be your everything.Your everything!So take all of me!Take everything that is mine and make it your own!It is all your very own!!For we are one… What is mine is yours and I long for you to extend all that…

Dear Life-Spring Family, I am still trying to process the very sad news about Jade’s passing away from this earth. As a father and grandfather, I find this recent event extremely heartbreaking. I am not in Pastor Blake’s shoes and it already hurts too much. Please cover Pastor Blake and his family with your prayers. It must be excruciating for them. This reminds me of Pastor Ryan’s sermon on suffering: Job never knew the reason or reasons for his immense…

Sometimes God asks us to go to the ends of the earth, sometimes He asks us to serve, sometimes He wants us to lay our lives down. Sometimes God wants us to be still… and to pray. Last week I was reminded of how the Israelites were protected in a time of plagues. Though there was hail, locusts, blood, and even first born deaths – Israel was protected. It was not because Israel planned or prepared correctly – it was…

As I was reflecting on the past weekend, God showed me a bigger picture of what was going on in the World and in Lifespring. You see Lifespring has adopted a pattern of behaviour, when the world is in crisis, WE go to God in prayer and ASK HIM how to respond. A prime example of this was when we sowed into Compassion Canada Uganda ($6,000) & Operation Mobilization Greece ($10,000). The world was in crisis and the team responded…

Isaiah 9:6 (CEB) A child is born to us, a son is given to us,and authority will be on his shoulders.He will be namedWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Around this time of year, one of the things we like to do in our house is put up our Christmas tree. For me, putting up the tree has always been an important way for me to get into the Christmas spirit and Christmas season. In the past, even…