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ANiC news
ANiC and ACNA events calendar
Sept 8, 11am – Elnora Houston & Phil Varcoe ordained deacons, Resurrection (Brandon, MB)
September 8, 4pm - Trevor
Potter will be ordained a deacon at Emmaus (Montreal,
QC)
September 14, 6:30pm – Terry Lamb & Jon Vickery ordained deacons, Resurrection (Kelowna, BC)
September 14, 1-6pm – CMJ Canada seminar on Yom Kippur, St Matthias & St Luke’s (Vancouver)
September 15, 4pm – Marion Karasiuk ordained deacon, Christ The King (Toronto)
September 16-21– Anglican 1000 church planting regional conference, Boston, MA
September 17, 1-6pm – CMJ Canada seminar, Church of Our Lord (Victoria)
September
22, 5:30-8pm – AMMiC information dinner and fundraiser, Good Shepherd (Vancouver)
October
6, 6pm – Alastair Sterne, Mike Chase & Geoff Chapman ordained deacons at St John’s Vancouver
October
6, 4pm – Aretta Hagle ordained deacon, Christ The King (Toronto)
October
17-19 – Anglican 4th Day Grand
Ultreya (Lewes, Delaware)
October
21-26 – GAFCon 2 international gathering in Nairobi, Kenya
October
26, 9am – “Sex and spirituality… talking about it” seminar, New Song, Port
Perry, ON
October
31 – November 3 – ANiC Clergy Retreat in New England
October
31- November 1 – ANiC Clergy Retreat, St Peter & St Paul’s (Ottawa, ON)
November
2, 9am – “Sex and spirituality… talking about it” seminar, St Peter & St
Paul’s, Ottawa
November
16 – ANiC’s electronic synod at 1pm eastern time (Please note revised date and
time)
March
2014 – ANiC vision/mission trip to partner with Anglican churches in Cuba
May
20-24 - Anglican 1000 church planting regional
conference, Toronto, ON
November
5-7, 2014 – Gathering of ANiC synod at a location to be determined
New
parish strategic planning process piloted
St Matthew’s (Abbotsford, BC) and St John’s Richmond (BC) are
the guinea pigs for ANiC’s new strategic ministry planning process. St Matthew’s
reports it is half way through the process and has crafted new mission and values statements as a result. The parish now begins work on identifying specific goals and objectives.
The
strategic planning process is being developed by a working group consisting of the
Revs Ken Bell, Sean Love and Mike Stewart, together with consultant Joan Deeks,
a parishioner at St Matthew’s. Once they complete the process, St Matthew’s and
St John’s Richmond will serve as resource parishes for other congregations
wishing to tackle strategic ministry planning.
Calling
all photographers
We are looking for good quality, higher resolution photos that could be
used in ANiC communication. Right now we particularly need good photos for the
banner on our Facebook page – specifically photos that lend themselves to a
horizontal crop. The photos should show ANiC in action – congregations,
ministries, or combined congregation events. We don’t promise to use everything
submitted, but will happily use all that fit the above criteria.
Parish
and regional news
Southern Ontario – Several ANiC congregations joined together in early August
for an outdoor Eucharist service followed by a barbeque at Island Lake
Conservation Area in Orangeville. You can see photos on the St Hilda’s
website and on the Christ the
Redeemer (Toronto) Facebook page.
Toronto-area women are invited to gather on October 5, 10am- 1pm, to hear Brenda Leroux of
Living Hope Christian Church in Scarborough, ON address the topic of
relationships. Cost
is only $25, including lunch; location is to be announced. You can view
the flyer here. For more information, please call Living Hope
Christian Church at 647
St Peter’s Fireside (Vancouver, BC) holds its third and final pre-launch
service in downtown Vancouver on September 15. The congregation plans to begin regular services Vovember 3.
Vancouver-area churches and parishioners are invited to join with Union Gospel Mission (UGM), Indian
Residential School Survivor's Society, and Reconciliation Canada in a walk to
demonstrate Christian love for and solidarity with survivors of Indian
residential schools. This walk for reconciliation is on Sunday, September 22 and is part of a series of events in Vancouver marking the close of the official
Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
In a
letter sent to ANiC, UGM leaders say “The Walk celebrates a positive new
movement to build better relationships among Aboriginal peoples and all
Canadians… We
want to testify to Christ's healing and compassionate power by walking with
them... Will you walk with us on the morning of Sunday, September 22? There
are other options… if Sunday morning can't work for your congregation. We
understand that it isn't an ideal time for most churches; however, it was
the only time available due to City of Vancouver restrictions. If you
would be willing, please print, post, share and disseminate this linked poster andinformation as broadly as possible. We thank you in advance for your overwhelming support.” For more information, please contact our colleague Jeffrey Baergen at jbaergen@ugm.ca
St Luke’s (Pembroke, ON) reports that it held its first Vacation Bible School this summer with 40 kids
attending. A new group is studying the topic "Defending Your Faith". Also,
for the first time, St Luke’s is holding a parish camp, September 13-14, with
guest speaker the Rev Paul Donison. It promises lots fun and fellowship and
will culminate in three baptisms in Round Lake.
This
fall E100 small groups, as well as men's, women's, youth and kid’s activities
all get back into full swing. October will see a simplified Alpha Program. And
on October 5, St Luke’s holds its big Fall Dinner.
St
Luke’s now has a cemetery which will open officially on October 6 at a service
with Bishop Don Harvey.
Holy Trinity Filipino
(Edmonton, AB) is
celebrating its 1st anniversary as an ANiC church plant on September
14 (Saturday) at 1:30pm. Bishop Stephen Leung will officiate and preach and all
members of the ANiC family – especially in Alberta – are invited to join the
celebration. For contact information, see the church webpage.
Grace Anglican (Calgary, AB) is celebrating the arrival and ministry of their new
rector, the Rev Rob Stringer, on Sunday, September 8 at 1pm. Bishop Trevor
Walters will also welcome Rob+ into ANiC. A party will follow the service.
Be sure to email your parish news to Marilyn
Jacobson.
Anglican Church in North America
(ACNA) news
Anglican 1000 church planting conference comes to Boston
Registration is now open for Boston Anglican 1000 regional conference,
September 16-21. For information and to register, see the Anglican 1000 website. Additional regional conferences are planned for locations in the
southern US, followed by one in Chicago next March, and then the final
conference in Toronto in May. These low-cost regional events are designed to
equip those in existing church ministries as well as church planters. The Anglican 1000 website states:
The Anglican
1000 Regional Events will be comprised of two sections of content:
“Foundations” and “Specific Tracks”.
Foundations
will comprise the first two days of the Event and will feature training on the
core elements of a healthy, multiplying Anglican church such as Vision Clarity,
Corporate Worship Gatherings, Spiritual Formation / Transformation, Leadership
Development, Missional Effectiveness and Contextualization, The Health of the
Leader, Relational Intentionality, Prayer, Stewardship and Episcopal Care. The
information presented in Foundations will form the basis of the specific tracks
that will be offered in the following days.
The
Specific Tracks are specialized equipping opportunities designed to meet the
needs of the leader in their particular season of ministry. Tracks will include
Church Planter Assessment and Training, Coaches Training, Pioneering Church
Planting Training, Church Renewal Training, College Ministry Training and Youth
Ministry Training.
ACNA
bishop writes President Obama to urge care for Christian minorities in Syria
Bishop
Julian Dobbs has written an open letter to the President of the United States urging him “…to consider the
consequences for the Christian minorities across [Syria] of any military action
initiated by the United States and her allies...” Citing the devastating
results of western military intervention for the Christian communities in Iraq
and Libya, Bishop Dobbs warns that world leaders must not “…ignore the
unintended consequences of their actions on the Christian minority… [who] will
also be at greater risk than other minorities in the aftermath of a US strike
on their country; this is because Christian minorities are perceived as allies
of the West due to their Christian faith and are therefore the traditional
scapegoats on which Muslim extremists vent their wrath against the West. “
The
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby spoke in the English House of Lords urging western powers to not intervene in
Syria for many reasons, but not least because of the consequences to the Syrian
Christian minority. He said that any intervention must prevent further use of
chemical weapons and increase the likelihood of peace to the region. The British
Parliament later defeated the government’s motion to intervene militarily in Syria.
Earlier, speaking to the Telegraph, Archbishop Justin Welby, who has experience in conflict mediation in
Africa and the Middle East, warned of “unforeseeable ramifications across the
whole Arab and Muslim world”. He added “I am deeply, deeply aware of the
enormous complexity and inter-linkedness of everything that happens there.” Christians
he has spoken with across the region, he said, have “…a sense that this a
terribly, terribly dangerous time".
Lord
Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, also clearly warned of the potential consequences of military intervention in Syria,
suggesting it could ignite a war engulfing the entire Middle East.
ARDF-US
helps devastated New Mexico community
The
Anglican Relief and Development Fund is partnering with the Diocese of the
Southwest and a local ACNA parish to offer emergency relief to low income families in Columbus New Mexico whose houses were
destroyed by a severe storm on July 23. Funds raised through ARDF will be used
to rebuild these homes and offer hope where there is now despair.
The
Falls Church (ACNA) announces appeal to Supreme Court
The Christian Post reports, “The Falls Church Anglican stated earlier this week
their intention to file an appeal over whether they or the Episcopal Diocese of
Virginia controls the historic Falls Church property…” They said, "We are
advised that the facts of our case are strong and that we are uniquely placed
at this time – and perhaps for many years to come – to raise these
issues to the U.S. Supreme Court."
Report
from Caminemos Juntos! (Let’s walk together)
Canon
Jack Lumanog offers an account of the recent gathering of ACNA’s Spanish members. Currently there are
60 Hispanic congregations within ACNA – including the 18 in Cuba with which
ANiC congregations have the opportunity partner.
Conference
focused on Thomas Cranmer planned
The Anglican
Diocese of the Carolinas will host a two-day conference, October 15-16, on
Thomas Cranmer, led by the Rev Dr Ashley Null. Registration information is here. You can gain insight into Dr Null and his scholarly study of Cranmer on the Anglican Church League website.
ACNA
diocese partners in ministry with African American Pentecostal churches
A
ministry partnership has formed between a network of 12 Los Angeles area
African American Pentecostal churches. More details are on the ACNA website.
ACNA
Diocese of Fort Worth gets good news from the courts
Bishop
Jack Iker and his ACNA diocese won two court decisions which overturned lower
court rulings, sending the cases back to the trial court with instructions to
use “neutral principles of law” in retrying the cases – rather than merely
deferring to an ecclesiastical hierarchy (ie the Episcopal Church). Alan Haley
offers a full analysis of both decisions. See also Bishop Iker’s pastoral letter response.
Anglican Communion
Archbishop
asks for prayer for GAFCon 2 in Kenya, October 21-26
In a letter, Chairman of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans and host of
the upcoming Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCon)Archbishop Eliud
Wabukala requests our prayer support. He says:
“To conclude, let me ask
you to do two things as members of our global fellowship. Firstly, please be in
earnest prayer for GAFCON 2013 and use the prayer bulletins which are posted
weekly on the GAFCON website. Many are working
very hard, but we need the Lord’s overruling hand of blessing and protection,
knowing that without his presence and mercy we can achieve nothing of lasting
value. Secondly, please prayerfully consider your financial support. We have a
number of brothers and sisters who would love to be with us from parts of the
world where there is persecution and hardship and we do not want them to be
excluded for lack of funding.”
Another
African Primate, Archbishop Stanley Ntagali of Uganda, explains in a statement why he believes GAFCon 2 is necessary and his hope that this conference
will result in revival throughout the Anglican Communion. Against a backdrop of
growing heresy in the Communion, he says:
“… ten
years later, the crisis has deepened. It is worse, and shows no signs of
improving...
“The
first GAFCON was very significant because
it created a global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans led by a Primates
Council and it also called for the creation of a new Bible-believing Anglican
Province in North America. That new Anglican Province has now been created and is
thriving. It is called the Anglican Church in North America.
“This
second GAFCON conference is also very important at this time in the life of our
church. We are holding it in Nairobi this time because it is closer to the
majority of the Christians who make up GAFCON…
“GAFCON
is to the Anglican Communion as the East African Revival was to the church in
Uganda. At first it was small revival fellowships meeting outside the church
structures and church services. But, as the revival spread, it became mainstream
in the Church. Now, most of the Church of Uganda is led by clergy and Bishops
shaped by the East African Revival.
“In the
same way, we are going to GAFCON 2 in Nairobi to see that the Biblical faith of
GAFCON spreads like revival throughout the whole Anglican Communion, so that
global Anglicanism is brought back to its Biblical and evangelistic faith.
“So, I
am calling on all Christians to get involved in three ways:
• First,
we need you to pray! …
• Secondly,
we need your financial support …
• Finally,
we need you to ask your Bishop and GAFCON delegates to report back to you after
the conference. Ask them to tell you what they are doing to keep the Anglican
Church on track.
Commenting
on Archbishop Ntagali’s statement, Canon Phil Ashey, in his short weekly Anglican Perspectives video, says GAFCon is not a passing fad; it has “come of age”. A new
generation of Anglican leaders has taken up the torch and is determined to “reinvigorate
the Anglican Communion with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
A Washington Post article indicates that the Archbishop of Canterbury is fully aware of and does
not oppose the GAFCon 2 meeting.
Specific
prayer requests be found on the GAFCon website.
Archbishop
of Canterbury analyzes the problems in the Communion – badly
Canon
Phil Ashey examines a recent sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in which
the Archbishop attempted an analysis of the division in the Communion. Canon
Ashey finds the Archbishop’s analysis deeply flawed and poorly informed –
merely a lack of tolerance rather than a dispute over core belief
Canon
Ashey says, “How sad that the Archbishop has chosen to caricature such faithful
Anglicans in this way. He came to office with the expectation that his deep
experience in reconciliation would bring people together… The Archbishop's
failure to fairly represent either side of the "precipice" makes one
wonder the extent to which he has carefully listened to all sides… What the
Communion needs on all sides is forgiveness and cleansing that go to the root
of our sins. And this will require public confession and public repentance. So
far, the Archbishop of Canterbury has reserved the call to confession and
repentance for pernicious payday lenders and homophobics. Based on his analysis
of the problems within the Anglican Communion, how far will confession and
repentance go in the Archbishop of Canterbury's agenda?”
Rewriting
liturgy to introduce pantheism
Writing
on the Institute of Religion and Democracy’s blog, Brian Miller notes that a new order of service prepared by the Anglican Environmental
Network, an official branch of the Anglican Communion, rewrites the Lord’s
Prayer and an ancient Christian hymn. He critiques the pantheistic tendency of many
in the environmentalist movement, saying that care of the environment is
inherent in the Christian call for stewardship.
International news in brief
Canada
The Government of Canada announced it will fund efforts to promote religious freedom, human
rights and conflict mediation in Nigeria, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South
Caucasus and Indonesia. The $1.2 million in funding is an initiative of the
office of Andrew Bennett,
Canada's ambassador for religious freedom.
The
provincial government of Quebec plans to ban the wearing of all religion
symbols by public servants in the workplace. The proposed “Charter of Quebec
Values” legislation elevates secularism to a core Quebec value. LifeSiteNews states, “The Charter is
the latest move against the public expression of religious belief by a province
that has become increasingly hostile to religious believers… While parts of the
proposed charter are reported to apply to the private sector, it is not yet
clear what parts do apply and to what extent.”
The
Anglican Communion Alliance (formerly known as the Anglican Essentials
Federation) has issued a letter to the Anglican Journal (published on page 5) protesting proposed changes to the Anglican Church of Canada’s
marriage canon to accommodate same-sex marriages. The letter draws “…attention
to the shift in emphasis from “blessings” to “marriage” that occurred
incrementally without discussion and is now before us.” It adds that the ACA
endorses an amendment put forward by Bishop Stephen Andrews (Algoma) to the
resolution to change the marriage canon and “…we look forward to participating
in the “broad consultation” process that determines if a theological rationale
exists for gay and lesbian marriage.”
A
Niagara Falls Anglican Church of Canada church has attracted controversy with
its billboard announcing “Jesus had two Dads and he turned out just fine.” See the Christian Post article.
Retired
Anglican Church of Canada bishop Michael Ingham was interviewed on CBC radio’s The
Current. You can listen on the CBC website to the 27-minute interview in which Bishop Ingham provides his
perspective on the tumultuous years of his tenure.
United
States
The Christian Post reports the US Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop the Most Rev Katharine
Jefferts Schori, in remarks delivered at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America's (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh, said "Some have
judged our smaller numbers as faithlessness but it may actually be the Spirit's
way of pruning for greater fruitfulness.”
Six bishops
from the US Episcopal Church met with the Archbishop of Canterbury recently to
discuss “a range of issues concerning the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal
Church.” In their news release, these
“Communion Partner bishops”, who see themselves as theologically conservative,
state that their role is to “…navigate this narrow path between two dangerous
extremes as we pursue the mission of the Church ‘to restore all people to unity
with God and each other in Christ’”.
Alan
Haley reports that a
US Federal Court, in an unprecedented decision, is allowing a legal suit to
proceed against a US pastor for allegedly influencing sentiment in Uganda
against homosexuality. He writes, “This decision, of course, is not the final
word in Pastor Lively's case; it finds only that the plaintiff has stated a
claim under international and Massachusetts law, so that its case may proceed
to the discovery stage. But it serves as a harbinger of the activist agenda
that gradually is using our judicial system (which is all too eager, in many cases, to be so used) to achieve the laws and rights it is unable to enact through the
ballot box.”
Egypt
Multiple reports from Egypt detail attacks by Muslim Brotherhood supporters on
Christians and church buildings throughout Egypt. The Christian Post reports “As Egypt's Islamists blame Christians for the ouster of Mohammed
Morsi, anti-Christian violence has reached epidemic levels, with an estimated
82 churches across Egypt attacked and heavily damaged by pro-Morsi supporters
in a mere 48 hours.”
Anglican
Ink provides a full report on the chaos and violence directed at the Christians. Dr Mouneer Anis,
the Anglican Primate in Egypt reports that “… the overwhelming majority of
Egyptians support the army against the Muslim Brotherhood…” He went on to say
the western media accounts were one-sided and failed to give the full story. Dr
Anis asks us to pray “…that the situation will
calm down, for wisdom and tact for the police and the army, for the safety of
all churches and congregations, and that all in Egypt would be safe.”
A number of Anglican
buildings have been destroyed. In one attack, Anglican News reports,
“An Anglican priest and his family narrowly escaped harm this morning after a
mob armed with rocks and petrol bombs were kept out of his church building by
steel window bars. The Revd Ehab Ayoub, his family, a lay minister and a guard
were trapped in St Saviour's Church, Suez, for hours while pro-Mursi supporters
were attacking the building.”
Asia News provides a long list of “at least 58” churches
and other Christian institutions attached, looted and torched in the initial
wave of violence perpetrated by the Muslim Brotherhood. In addition, many
Christians lost their houses, shops and vehicles to the vandalism. Seven are
reported to have been murdered, 17 kidnapped and hundreds injured.
In mid-August,
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and
Andrew Bennett, Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom, issued a statement saying,“We are concerned by recent attacks on religious institutions in Egypt, in particular the unconscionable attacks on Coptic Orthodox and Anglican churches and on Baptist and Franciscan institutions. Attacks on places of worship are unacceptable. Canada calls on Egyptian authorities to protect worshippers and religious sites from violence and intimidation... “
The August 24th Anglican
Unscripted video newsmagazine provides a good analysis of the situation in Egypt, cautioning us not to
impose our western thoughts about democracy on the Egyptian situation.
VirtueOnline
also has insightful reports here and here.
Syria
Reports from the refugee camps estimate that 10 per cent of the Syrian
population has fled and are refugees – some even fleeing to Iraq.
Middle
East
The Telegraph reports that “Lord Sacks, the outgoing Chief Rabbi in Britain, warns that the plight of Christians
in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Egypt is a tragedy "going almost
unremarked". In an interview with The
Telegraph Lord Sacks described continuous attacks on Christian believers
and churches as "the religious equivalent of ethnic cleansing”.”
A Huffington Post article notes, “For decades now, Christians have been the
"invisible or ignored victims" of conflicts in the Middle East. At
best, the US has paid scant attention as once thriving communities of
indigenous Christians in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt have been attacked,
threatened or forced to endure indignity and hardship.
There are many reasons for
this lack of attention to the situation of Arab Christians, with one principal
factor being ignorance...the impact of sectarian
conflict on the two thousand-year old Christian communities of Syria and Egypt
is rarely factored into policy discussions and press commentary about these
countries… Meanwhile, on the ground, in both Syria and Egypt, ancient Christian
churches are destroyed and communities live in fear of violence incited by
extremists...
The societies of the Arab
East are undergoing profound change… The future of the religiously complex
societies of the Middle East must recognize their diversity and respect the
equal rights of all their citizens.”
In calling Christians around the world to pray, give and act to help Christians in Egypt and Syria, Barnabas
Aid tells how Christians in these two countries are targeted for attack. In
Egypt, Christian’s homes, churches and businesses, have been marked with a painted
black X to mark them for destruction.
Congo
St Paul’s Anglican Church and an adjacent school were badly damaged by missiles
raining down on a residential area of Goma recently. At least four were killed
and 15 wounded. This mineral-rich area of eastern Congo has seen fighting
between rebel forces and government troops for more than 15 years, according to the Anglican News. This renewed fighting has displaced a further 100,000 people adding to
the 2.6 million internal refugees – with more than 6 million in need of food
and emergency aid. Please pray for the suffering Church in the Congo!
In an
effort to raise awareness of the atrocities perpetrated by rebel terrorists,
Archbishop Henri Isingoma Kahwa has appointed a communications officer to keep the Communion informed and ensure that
churches in the Congo mobilize to support and pray for their brothers and
sisters.
Nigeria
The Anglican Church in Nigeria will soon launch its own television channel. According to the Anglican Communion News
Service (ACNS), “The new vision of the Church of Nigeria, revised in 2010,
stated that to expand mission work, media facilities - such as cable
television, radio and print media - should be established and existing
ones fully utilised… The Province's Communications Director the Ven. Foluso
Taiwo told ACNS that the channel would be a tool for evangelism. "The
vision is to reach the unreached. The main focus is salvation," he said
adding that the Church of Nigeria wanted to deliver the "undiluted
Word of God". A test transmission for ACNN TV, channel 91 on MyTV, was
done in May and now staff members are being hired.
Resources
Day of
prayer to end human trafficking
Many
ANiC members are deeply concerned about ending human trafficking. Around the
world, millions are enslaved – many even in our own country. All positive
social change begins with prayer. Let's join the Salvation Army in their annual
day of prayer for victims of human trafficking - Sunday, September 29. Resources
and information is available on the Salvation Army website. A great personal prayer guide can be found here.
Non-Anglican
pastors reflects on traditional Anglican liturgy
You can
read a great article by Carl Trueman reflecting on his experience of an evensong service at
King’s Chapel Cambridge sitting next to a young woman wearing a hijab. He says
(in part), “…as I reflected on the service and what the girl in the hijab had
witnessed, I could not help but ask myself if she could have experienced
anything better had she walked into a church in the Protestant evangelical
tradition… [H]ere is the irony: in this liberal Anglican chapel, the hijabi
experienced an hour long service in which most of the time was spent occupied
with words drawn directly from scripture… Cranmer's liturgy meant that this
girl was exposed to biblical Christianity in a remarkably beautiful, scriptural
and reverent fashion. I was utterly convicted as a Protestant minister that
evangelical Protestantism must do better on this score: for all of my
instinctive sneering at Anglicanism and formalism, I had just been shown in a
powerful way how far short of taking God's word seriously in worship I fall.”
Ministry
resources
Anglican liturgical traditions explained – A video with excellent insight into Anglican worship! Although the
video isn't short, it is highly informative - and worth your time. Thanks for
bringing it to our attention Father David McElrea!
The Pastor’s Family, a recently published book, offers
practical advice to clergy and their families. One quote: “The problem rests not in the demands and pressures we face but in how
we create idols out of those demands, idols that lead us to neglect our family
and dishonor God.” You can read a review of the book.
Youth
ministry – A Christianity Today article notes the growing importance of apologetics in youth ministry.
Resources
for Christian living
Praying
with your children – Pastor Tim Challies challenges parents to teach their children to pray by praying with them –
modelling prayer that is bold, confident , trusting and enthusiastic, not a
mere duty or a superstitious practice.
Families
and faith – A new book, How the West Really Lost God, argues that the decline
in traditional families was the precursor to the loss of faith in God. Read a review on LifeSiteNews.
Befriending
Muslim women – A great interview by Karen Stiller (of ANiC’s New Song Church, Port Perry, ON) discusses
the need to befriend Muslim women living in North America.
Handling
conflict – In an article on the five ways people manage conflict, a Gospel
Coalition writer suggests that “Relationships
are more likely preserved when people on both sides recognize the different
ways that people go about managing and resolving conflict.”
Pornography
– Calling Finally Free the strongest “weapon” yet in fighting what has been
described as “probably the number one pastoral problem in the world today”, Tim
Challies writes, “This is a book that approaches an ugly topic with dignity… It is not
really a book about pornography at all. Rather, its emphasis is “the amazing
power of Jesus Christ to free you from pornography.””
Suffering – In a moving 20-minute video interview, R C Sproul Jr comments on his own grief in the
deaths of both his wife and daughter to teach on suffering and the sovereignty
of God.
Euthanasia is now promoted in Belgium for purposes of organ harvesting.
Aging
and death – Countering the growing societal sentiment for euthanasia, Anglicans
for Life has produced an “…8-week Adult-Education Curriculum Embrace the Journey [which] is designed to help churches educate and equip parishioners to care for
elderly family and church members.” More information is available on the website.
Abortion
devastates women – A LifeSiteNews article relates the effect of abortion on women.
Soul food
Just for laughs
Need a
good laugh? See a short video of a Christian comedian’s take on various worship styles.
Thoughts
The storms of life no more
indicate the absence of God than clouds indicate the absence of the sun. ~ John Blanchard
The Word of God never yet
prospered in the world without opposition. ~ Iain Murray
And now
a Word from our Sponsor
Do you
not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have
you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is
he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like
grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them
like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of
the earth as emptiness.
Scarcely
are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the
earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off
like stubble.
To whom
then will you compare me, that I
should be like him? says the Holy One.
Lift up
your eyes on high and see: who created these?
He who
brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of
his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.
Why do
you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my
right is disregarded by my God”?
Have
you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator
of the ends of the earth.
He does
not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
He
gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even
youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
but
they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah
40:21-31 ESV
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