So how was it??

So how was it? How was our first significant holiday, in almost two years, for you?

Thanksgiving for many of us is a time to gather with friends and family. To share a meal and to reflect on all that we are grateful for.

How was it for you, this year?

Frankly for us, it was good, but it was weird.  We were missing people around our table partially because of Covid sensitivities but mostly because Brian and I are in a position of sharing our children with their partner’s families. It is as it should be, but it is still “weird”.

I am so grateful that both my children have found loving partners and that their partners families have welcomed my babies with such love. It is truly a blessing. But for Brian and me it’s still a bit weird.  Things can be two things ;)

Whether your thanksgiving weekend was full of people, a small gathering, or you spent the day alone, I pray that you had time to reflect.

What are you most grateful for?

What is it that brings you joy?

With the constant barrage of negativity in the world it is easy to get caught up in the mire.  And I believe the old adage is true… What you see is what you get.

What do you see?

I like how Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, he said that "Today is a king in disguise.”

When you look at the things around you, your children, your home, your car, your job —when you look your life… what do you see? 

You can choose to just see normal, average, ordinary, you can see things you're not thankful for, things you would change if you could, OR, you can choose, in the midst of it, to say, this is just a king in disguise. I see God's hand in this. I see God has a plan. I see God is up to something. You and I can choose to see a king in disguise and be grateful!

My prayer for all of us is that wherever we find ourselves today that we might see God. That we might see that God is up to something. That we might see that God has not abandoned us but that God is just in disguise waiting for us to move in closer. 

For what we see is what you get.

Let’s see the tremendous blessings of God!

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As you may have heard we are back to in-person worship! We are following all Covid protocols strictly with your safety and comfort in mind. If you are interested in joining us, please go to the website to register. For the foreseeable we will continue with our hybrid worship. So if you prefer, sermons will be available on our Amberlea Youtube page. Check out amberleachurch.ca for all the details.

Give thanks!

This coming Sunday is Thanksgiving.  Every year at this time, as the landscape awakens to brilliant hues of yellow, orange and red, we set aside a day to give thanks for the blessings of the past year. It has been a weird year but still there is much to be grateful for.

When you look in the Bible, it says:  

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1 NIV)

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. (1 Chronicles 16:8 NIV)

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17 NIV)

One day hardly seems enough to thank an amazing God for His incredible goodness. And yet it’s so easy to get distracted with the stuff of life isn’t it?

How many times do we experience God’s blessings in our life, but then look at some other situation and start complaining instead of praising and thanking God? It happens all too often. 

Perhaps this weekend, as you safely gather with friends and family to enjoy a bountiful meal, take a moment to list all the blessings with an attitude of gratitude. 

This year let’s not let the attitude of thankfulness end at the dinner table. God is good every day, not just on the second Monday in October —all the time — even in the midst of a global pandemic. 

Let’s thank give thanks each day.

We are back!

In-Person Worship at Amberlea every Sunday at 11am.

To Join us register at amberleachurch.ca

What is holding you captive?

"Demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Taking your thoughts captive simply means gaining control over what you think about yourself and life. The truth is what we put in our mind has an effect on what we think! 

I remember after watching the movie Jaws, as a kid, I was terrified that a shark would swim up the toilet. It was around the same time that there were urban legends floating around about alligators (or some reptilian) making its way up some woman’s toilet in Florida. I had nightmares not to mention the physiological discomforts. Those were very difficult days! It didn't take long to realize that the way to avoid the nightmares was to stop watching that kind of movie. 

God has provided a way to overcome unhealthy thoughts and behaviours, and gain the self-control we seek. It's a matter of reclaiming our lives - God’s way. 

Here are 3 ways to take your thoughts captive:

1. Our outward behaviours stem from inward thoughts. Allow God to transform you by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2). We are called to change those behaviours that do not honour God.

2. Think through your problems rather than just react to them. When we experience difficult challenges, we can react to them and think ourselves into a state of despair every time. You don't have to get trapped by disabling thoughts. You are capable of getting out of your shame, despair, hopelessness, and anger - by taking control of your thoughts.

3. Choose to focus your thoughts on the right things. We are to think about those things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable" (Phil. 4:8). When we think about those things, God promises to give us His peace. What a contrast that is to the thoughts of millions of people today but contrary to popular opinion, we won’t find that peace in a movie, or tv show or how-to-formula. It takes personal discipline and commitment.

It is not easy, but it is possible, to retrain your thoughts or to respond in new Christ-like ways. 

It is possible to live a life aware of our thoughts and take them captive!

So take heart: as God empowers you to focus your mind on the right things, it will become easier. You can develop a new frame of reference, based on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

Join us this week as we continue our Sermon series entitled: 

Reclaiming our Lives!