Whose boat are you in?

I heard a wonderful devotional yesterday that spoke straight to my heart.  It was taken from Luke 8:22-25 where Jesus calms the storm.

 Jesus and the disciples were in the boat and set out to the other side of the lake.  As they sailed, Jesus fell asleep.  A squall came down on the lake and the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

I’ve been there. I’ve been sailing through life and suddenly out of nowhere a storm comes up and I am caught off guard. Or even if it’s something I know about but afraid to dive into, the waves of uncertainty or insecurity can overwhelm me and I feel like I am drowning. 

“Master, Master we’re going to drown!” the disciples called out.

Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters and the storm subsided and all was calm.  Just like that.

In this tiny passage we see both Jesus’ humanity (His need for rest and time away from the crowds) and Jesus’s deity, because only God can make the “wind and water obey” (Luke 8:25).  With one quick word from Jesus, the sea became calm. 

Storms in life come and they are real and they are frightening but we need to remember who this is, asleep in the boat. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus.

 The storm is not where you face the enemy. The storm is where you meet your God.  

God never promised we will never see a storm in life (in fact, we are told to expect trouble, John 16:33). Rather, God promised that we will never be alone in the storm. God’s children will never be left alone in the midst of trouble; with perseverance they will overcome (Deuteronomy 31:8; James 1:12).

The moral of the story? I want to be in the boat that Jesus is in!

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So with that said, in a boat with Jesus, I am sailing over to the Today’s Teens Conferencethis Saturday. I am honoured to be giving the Keynote address to the Pastors, Youth Pastors, and Youth Leaders from all over Canada.

On Sunday morning join me in welcoming back Mike Gordon. Mike will be mc’ing the Today’s Teen Conference and since he is in town he decided to hang out with us! 

Plan to stay with us for a short, fun and very entertaining Annual General Meeting, immediately following the service. A light lunch will be served.

Looking forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!

What about the bears?

 I remember a couple of years ago when Emily, my eldest, was offered a contract position in Yukon.  My first thoughts of Whitehorse were: 

·       cold, 

·       dark, and 

·       bears.  

As it turns out Emily spent two years working with wonderful people and gaining tremendous experience. And I was right – at certain times of the year it was very cold, very dark and there were bears!

I remember the first time Emily called me to tell me that she was going hiking that afternoon. My heart literally stopped.

When I could breath again, I asked, “What about the bears?”  

“Bear attacks usually happen when people go alone," she responded. "That's what happened to someone last week. They were out running alone and got caught between a cub and a momma bear.”

“Oh, great,” I said, trying to sound calm but clearly the pitch in my voice gave it away.

“Don’t worry, mom, I’m not going alone, there’s a bunch of us going. It’s safer when we go together.  And we have bear spray!” (As if hearing that she carried bear spray was going to make me feel better).

She continued, “My friends are seasoned hikers. I promise to text when I get back.”  

That was one of many looong days waiting for my phone to ‘ping’.

But there was something about her statement, “I am not going alone. It’s safer when we go together.”  Being in community is part of God’s design.  

In fact, God is a perfect triune community, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God desires that we participate in that community and know the perfect joy and love shared by our triune God.

But God didn’t stop there. In Genesis 2:18 we read that after God created Adam, God said,

"It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him". God created community.

Throughout scripture we see the importance of community.

Today, in a world that wants us to believe that we can (or should) do it on our own, the truth is that we are not only created for community, we are created to need community.  Bottom line: We need one another (1 Corinthians 12). We simply can’t function without one another. 

Over the past couple of weeks, I have seen this in action as Amberlea Church has responded to the needs of the community by offering Strike Day Camps.  “Thank you” to so many of you who have volunteered your time to help parents in our community find safe, fun childcare for their children.  It doesn’t matter what side of the issue you fall on - the need is present and as a community of believers we are responding. 

We are responding as the hands and feet of Jesus to serve those in the wider community.  

We anticipate the numbers to swell as rotating strikes continue and the word gets out. Please prayerfully consider how you might come alongside. Please contact familyministries@amberleachurch.ca.

We need one another, we need community and like hiking in the Yukon (to ward off the bears), we are better together!

One step at a time

The Chinese philosopher Lao-Tse once said, "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." 

I find that inspiring. If you keep on stepping you'll eventually get to a thousand miles. 

In Genesis 21, Hagar was sent into the desert with her son. They wandered the desert of Beersheban and when the water skin was empty she was overwhelmed and terrified. She couldn’t bear to watch her son die. She gave up all hope for her life and the life of her son.

But God had a plan for their lives. God said to Hagar: 

“Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

“Lift the boy up and take him by the hand.” What mother hasn’t done that hundreds of times for her son? It didn’t sound particularly difficult, but that is where God asked her to begin. The first step was just getting up and doing a little thing, something familiar. 

“Lift the boy up and take him by the hand…”

Many people accomplish great things in our world, but they all start small. 

God wants to do something great in our lives but we have to start by taking a small step in the right direction.

You may have a goal in mind but it might look overwhelming. You may not see how you could possibly reach your goal because the way seems too long or the process too difficult. 

The answer is to take the first step. Even though the path may not seem clear at the moment, you can be sure that if you don't begin, you'll never finish.

Trust God to provide whatever you need along the way. As you step out in faith, expect God to step in with power. 

The first step is always the hardest, but take it and see where God will take you!