BIG Prayer

Hey Bloggers...or readers.
Ok, so sorry for slacking off here.  Yikes!  Maybe if you compiled my tweets that would make up for it. 
Back to what's happening lately, and yesterday!  Wow! We've been going through a series on Sunday mornings with Gateway Church called, "BIG Church."  It's all about how the church is so influential and important because of Jesus' great commission for the church. 

Yesterday, we looked at "Big Prayers." 
Have you ever said a prayer?  For sure!  I haven't met anyone who hasn't said some type of cry out to God ("Oh God" or "Help me").  Unfortunately we often forget the power of prayer in the every day grind of life.  Unfortunately we can leave God off to the side, when life is going fine, but then call on him frantically only during emergencies.  He becomes more of a "911 God," rather than huge and influential all the time.  A challenging revelation for me was that the nature of God's greatness and power doesn't change, it's just my view of God that changes.   So if the same God who spoke creation into existence, is still willing to listen to me for any request, what an opportunity we have! 

Kind of like the kids song we used to sing growing up, "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do, for you!" 

So, the next time you are feeling like you are in control of life...pray to the God who is far greater and more magnificent than you, as he is waiting to hear from you and share with you. 
OR...if you are struggling, know that God also is willing and waiting to hear what is going on in our life.  He is able and willing to walk through you in your pain and help you find perspective. 

God is so BIG! 
Ephesians 3:20 always inspires me, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...."

Amazing Grace!

Been sitting in Vancouver today and chewing on some meaty topics of belonging, acceptance and where we find our identity.  Here is a great quote (open to your feedback about it)

"Christians who are no longer sure that God loves and accepts them in Jesus, apart from their present spiritual achievements, are subconsciously insecure persons–much less secure than non-Christians–because they have too much light to rest easily under the constant bulletins they receive from their Christian environment about the holiness of God and the righteousness they are supposed to have. Their insecurity shows itself in pride, a fierce defensive assertion of their own righteousness and defensive criticism of others. They come naturally to hate other cultural styles and other races in order to bolster their own security and discharge their suppressed anger. They cling desperately to legal, Pharisaical righteousness. But envy, jealousy and other branches on the tree of sin grow out of their fundamental insecurity.

It is often necessary to convince sinners of the grace and love of God toward them, before we can get them to look at their problems. Then the vision of grace and the sense of God’s forgiving acceptance may actually cure most of the problems."

-Richard Lovelace

You are invited to an Easter Sunday Service...moving, memorable and all about the importance of the resurrection of Jesus! Free Brunch @ 9:30am  Service @ 10:30am.   (Kids program for ages 1-Gr.5).
Corner of 8th & Roger St.

Christmas....all about Christ!

A Christmas Greeting!
....and a reminder of the upcoming Christmas "Pageant" for kids ages 1-12 during the Dec. 23 Sunday Service.  Kids please arrive at 10am to get dressed up in a shepherd, wise men or angel costume.  Then from 10:30-11am the kids will act out the Christmas story.....after that the kids will be dismissed for kidzlife and we'll continue on with another sermon in the series called "Rescue."
Also, YOU...are invited to Gateway's Candlelight Christmas Eve service from 7-8pm.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Marriage Matters....oh yes there are many

So what's with marriage?   You may be reading this and think one of 2 views....marriage is important and key OR marriage is irrelevant and a waste of time & money.

Now as I have been studying and sharing in a sermon series about why marriage matters....and the matters of marriage, I have really heard some fascinating and painful stories surrounding marriage.

When you think about marriage, the good or the bad, it's easy to take credit or to dish out dismay, but hold on!  As I heard the quote, "one unhappy single person who gets married doesn't make that person into a happily married person, but just an even more unhappy person who is now married."

The other reality of marriage is that it basically magnifies the brokeness and weakness in a person's life.  Say, if you had some insecurities about your looks or your were greedy before marriage, once married, these traits will now look HUGE!  It's kind of like the analogy of your heart being like a bridge (take the orange bridge in Port Alberni).  From a distance the bridge can look pretty solid, but under the weight and load of a loaded logging truck, things are a bit different.  The areas of weakness and cracks, weren't put their by the logging truck, but were made known by the logging truck. 

So....marriage is like a logging truck going through your heart. 

Well, before you say, "Forget this marriage stuff...." Hold on.

There is hope....because God created marriage between a man and a woman.   I repeat God created marriage as a gift and plan for humanity! 

He first said there would be this incredible union where 2 would become one.   The physical, emotional, spiritual, financial oneness that God has created us and allowed us to experience is a beautiful and amazing gift.   This gift of oneness is symbolic of  how God is in perfect community and unity between the other members of the Trinity (Son & Holy Spirit).  (Now to clarify, God doesn't want to have sex with us).  
Marriage for sure then, is a daily opportunity to share our weaknesses with another person....and then ask God and them to have the grace and mercy to bear with us as we love and serve them for God's glory!

You are invited to Gateway's Easter Service!

Come out to Gateway's Easter Service - Sunday
Free Brunch - 9:30am
Service @ 10:30am
at the John Paul Catholic School (8th & Maitland)

Coming out of the box!

Last week's sermon, we started the tough series called, "Good Grief." We dealt with looking at the value of sorrow. Have you ever thought sorrow was worthwhile to go through?

We had examined how our culture views sorrow (ie. hide it, get over it, replace the loss), and comparatively how God shares with us about how to deal with sorrow.

Jesus gave a powerful example of dealing with sorrow in his reactions to the death of Lazarus (John 11:1-37). Jesus heard the news of his friend dying and he was struck by literally "snorting like a horse" (Greek word explanation of "deeply moved in spirit"). Then Jesus also, "wept" - which meant to cry quietly. Jesus seems to give us some freeing examples of inviting us to take time to grieve the losses we face. To take time and process who we have lost and the pain that has come. (yes we may not know the reason for the death, but we know there is a sense of sorrow for us).

As I ended the sermon, I called everyone to share the comfort that we have received from God with others. I compared the usual reaction of sorrow, to be like hiding in a box.....so I climbed (squeezed) in a little box....to illustrate the way we may feel alone and isolated in our grieving, and then invited the people that come together each week in our home for prayer, support, Bible study & mission (aka a Life Group) to help me out of this situation. They came forward and ripped off the box....put their hand on me, and helped me out of this lonely state.

Do you need to take time to grieve over a loss?
Do you have someone around you to rip off the box or to be with you in your "box?"
Do you believe God can comfort you?