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Partners in Mission: Ray of Hope

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Allow me to introduce you to or reacquaint you with one of our missions partners. Ray of Hope works right here in Kitchener and provides life-changing services to people in need. They demonstrate the love of Christ to those who are disadvantaged, marginalized, or troubled. Their vision is: "People investing in people. Inspiring Hope. Transforming Life." Wow - it's no wonder that we count it a privilege to partner with Ray of Hope. Their vision and ours share so much in common.

Ray of Hope works in so many different areas of our community. Specifically, they focus on:

  • Community Support

  • Refugee Support

  • Youth Justice

  • Youth Employment

  • Youth Addiction

For the past several years we have been sending a team every other month to make and serve a meal at the Ray of Hope Community Centre. This year, even as we continue to do that, we have a plan to raise funds over and above the cost of the food to be able to bless their ministry in some way at the end of the year.

We appreciate everyone who has served with our Freedom team at Ray of Hope and invite you to get involved if you want to participate with us. (Just email Katie and let her know you're interested.)

Thank you for partnering with us as we support this great work in our community and our missions families!

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
"A White Stone With A New Name”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy continues our summer series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

My Favourite Things: Worship Edition VOLUME II

This Sunday, Rob is bringing a message about one of his favourite things from scripture - the story of Abraham. With that in mind, I thought it would be very appropriate to have Rob curate his personal Top 10 list of influential Christian music through his life. He is, after all, our Creative Ministries Director so what could be more appropriate?

This is a great list... other than maybe Stryper. LOL! I'll admit they were influential but that's as far as I'll go with that. Enjoy this list - be inspired - revisit some great music that has shaped our faith. What are you listening to that builds you up and points you to Christ? We'd love to hear about it!

Rob's Top 10 Most Influential Albums:

  1. Michale W. Smith - "Big Picture"

  2. Carman - "Radically Saved"

  3. Stryper - "In God We Trust"

  4. Steven Curtis Chapman - "The Great Adventure"

  5. DC Talk - "Jesus Freak"

  6. Delirious - "Glo"

  7. David Crowder Band - "Illuminate"

  8. Lincoln Brewster - "Amazed"

  9. Robbie Seay Band - "Give Yourself Away"

  10. NEEDTOBREATHE - "The Outsiders"

You're welcome for the new playlists. :)

See you Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
"Father Abraham Had Many Sons”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Rob continues our summer series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

My Favourite Things: Worship Edition (you're welcome)

As you likely know, music is a pretty important part of my life. Growing up my family was always listening to and singing along to something. And as much as I loved the stuff on the radio (New Kids on the Block, MC Hammer, C&C Music Factory), I always connected so deeply with music that talked about Jesus. It wasn't as cool as the stuff on the radio ('Everybody dance now!") but even as a small kid I could tell that songs about God were something entirely different and they got into my soul.

These days there is so much great Jesus-focused music out there so no matter whether you're a little bit country or a little bit rock and roll you can find something you'll like. But, since this summer is all about sharing some of our favourite things, here are some of the albums that have had a huge impact on my spiritual life through the years.

By the way, this list was painful to curate. I feel guilty about all that I've left out. If you're reading this on our blog or FB page, leave a comment with your favourites and maybe more of the worthy songs will have a chance to get an honourable mention.

  1. Fred Hammond - "Pages of Life - Chapter II (Live)"

  2. DC Talk - "Free At Last"

  3. Gaither Vocal Band - "A Few Good Men"

  4. Lakewood Live - "We Speak to Nations"

  5. Hillsong Music - "Shout to the Lord"

  6. Elevation Worship - "Here as in Heaven"

  7. Bryan & Katie Torwalt - "Champion"

  8. Charity Gayle - "Lord You Are My Song"

  9. Ron Kenoly - "Lift Him Up (Live)"

  10. Chris McClarney - "Everything and Nothing Less"

I encourage you to find music that encourages your soul and speaks the Word. I can't tell you how many times God has spoken to my heart as I've listened to music that honours Him. Try out something new this summer!

Pastor Tracy

PS - Rob and I were a part of making an album 12 years ago. We had a hand in writing a bunch of these tracks. Check it out if you're interested.

This Sunday

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
"We Do Not Know What To Do”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy continues our summer series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Praying Scripture (another way to read your bible, pray every day, grow, grow, grow)

Here's a devotional idea that you can incorporate into your personal discipleship this summer: praying scripture. This is especially practical if you want to increase your knowledge of the Word and your prayer life at the same time (who doesn't?).

There are so many beautiful prayers in scripture that can help to guide our own prayers. Sometimes we can't find the words to pray what's on our hearts, sometimes we're nervous about what we think we are allowed to say to God, sometimes we just don't know where to begin. Scripture can be a great guide for us

Here are a few great examples to get you started...

And, as you read the bible as part of your personal devotions, watch for prayers. I think you'll find it encouraging and like me, often find prayers that you can send to others to encourage them in the season they are in.

Be blessed as you pray the Word!
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
"Do Not Be Afraid, Little Flock”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy continues our summer series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Set Your Intention (Canadian summer is here!)

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I keep hearing the phrase "set your intention." It's not usually used in a spiritual way or with discipleship in mind. I most often hear it with self-help in mind. But even so, our minds are incredibly powerful and what we think day to day and moment to moment changes the decisions we make and ultimately the path of our lives. (Hence my message on June 2 about allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our minds.) So while most people who "set their intentions" are looking to improve some part of their lives with the powerful tool of changing their thoughts and attitudes, I'd like to offer it as a suggestion to launch into your summer.

If you're like me, you have all kinds of goals for these next few months when the weather is warm. Beaches, markets, water parks, hikes...so many things to do! And if you're like me more often than not you end up at August 27th and wonder where all the weeks went and all you felt you did was eat a lot of hot dogs.

And what about your spiritual life? Without the routine of the school year, does time spent with God get lost on your daily agenda? Yeah, been there, done that.

So I'd like to invite you to join me in "setting your intention" this summer. Sure, put those fun summer activities with family and friends on the calendar so you actually make them happen... but don't start there. What kind of spiritual value could you gain in your life while the weather is warm and vacation days come your way?

Personally, I have set my intention to working through the stack of amazing books that are sitting on my desk this summer because I know I'll be inspired, encouraged and challenged by them. I intend to not miss one day on my YouVersion Bible app reading plan no matter how unstructured the summer days can be. And also, I'd like to write a new song over the next few months (which requires a lot of quiet piano and Jesus time for me).

How about you? I'd love to hear what you have decided to set you intention on this summer that will fill you up instead of leaving you feeling like you lost nine weeks. Reply on our blog or in the comments of the Facebook post with this devotional.

Looking forward to a beautiful summer!
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
"True Religion”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Erin kicks off our summer series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Generosity Revisited: A Follow-Up to Sunday's Message

SUNDAY’S MESSAGE PODCAST

As a follow-up to Sunday's message, here is some practical advice to help you to become financially free and walk in the generosity the way that you want to and are called to. (2 Corinthians 9) 

Big thanks to Jackie Morris for the advice, the resources and for helping me fact-check my message. 👏

Pastor Tracy

Simple Steps to Financial Freedom: A Starting Point

  1. Pray and ask God for wisdom and direction.

  2. Get help. Financial counselling available all over.

  3. Trust the process. You didn't get into debt overnight and you won't get out of it overnight.

If you think you can tackle it on your own:

  • Do a detailed list of all your credit cards - how much your limit is, how much you owe, and the minimum monthly payment.

  • Make a payment plan based on above and set them up as automatic payments from your bank account.

  • Get rid of all your credit cards.

  • Don't add any new debt no matter how small.

  • Pay more than the minimum on the lowest balance card with any extra cash.

  • Pay off the lowest balance first then go to the next, etc.

  • Call creditors and see if they can lower your interest rates.

  • Set a budget and stick to it. 

Here are some sites to help you get started:

http://practicalmoneyskills.ca/

https://www.mymoneycoach.ca/

https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency.html

https://www.daveramsey.com/

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Outside of Our Walls (and say hey to the Pennings)

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This Sunday we're going to be outside of our four walls... literally. (Okay, weather permitting.) It will be great to be under the shade of our beautiful trees but more importantly we'll be able to see our neighbourhood. Come ready to talk about the incredible place that God has planted us and to pray for our community. It's going to be amazing! (Bring your lawn chairs and a picnic lunch.)

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One family that is making an impact in their community is the Pennings. Barbara and Anthony and their kids live and serve on Manitoulin Island, deeply passionate about sharing Christ with their indigenous neighbours. The Pennings were sent out from our Freedom family seven years ago and continue to make inroads on their mission field. They are a vital part of our mission giving plan this year and it is our privilege to support them financially and in prayer. Join me today, as you receive this email, to pray for this great family.

This Sunday

Speaking The Truth
"Our Mission Field is Right Here (Sharing My Faith is Too Hard)”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy concludes our series… outdoors!

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

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Shout Out To The Men! (and a little on water baptism)

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I love Father's Day... except figuring out how to help my kids get a gift for Rob... but otherwise, it's a great day. I have a lot of great men in my life: my husband, my dad, my father-in-law, my brother, and on it goes. The men who call Freedom their church home stand out as examples of honesty, humility and service. So many of you are like the men from Issachar who understood the times and knew what to do. (1 Chronicles 12:32) Really, I am so blessed. I know that my son can look at his family at church or home and see example after example of men who are following Christ. So, l'm glad that we got to celebrate you guys on Sunday. I pray for all of you that:

“...out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
— Ephesians 3:16-19

And while we're talking about great things in church life... if you have made a decision to follow Jesus but haven't been baptized in water, it would be our honour to help you take that step of obedience. All the information you need about why we believe in water baptism and what steps you need to take to get baptized can be found by clicking the link below. Maybe this is what's next for you!

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

Speaking The Truth
"Generosity Leads to Blessing (I Can’t Afford to Be Generous)”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy continues in our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

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More on Spirit Baptism (lots of resources for you)

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On Sunday we celebrated Pentecost and I shared about how vital it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I know that a lot of us don't come from a pentecostal background and this might be something new that you'd like to study more. Here are some resources to get you started and as always, don't hesitate to reach out to me with more questions or insights. I'd love to hear your story and share in your journey.

Be filled!
Pastor Tracy

SCRIPTURE: The Book of Acts

BLOG: Why do Pentecostals care so much about SPIRIT BAPTISM? (Andrew Gabriel)

COURSE: Life in the Spirit (Del Wells)

EBOOK: Sprit Baptism in the Old and New Testament (Andrew Gabriel)

BOOK: The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke (Roger Stronstad)

BOOKLET: A Scriptural Outline of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (George Gilles)

POSITION PAPER: Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Assemblies of God)

NEXT STEP: Deep Roots (next one is July 3rd @ 6:30pm)

This Sunday

Speaking The Truth
"WikiHow to Dad”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Del shares a Father’s Day message.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

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Pour Out (how else can you get filled up?)

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I got a great piece of advice from Encounters (our women's group) that had me thinking about how I approach my prayer time. Beth Moore encouraged us to "pour out" when we come to God so that we can be "filled up." The idea is to lay down everything that is filling us up with anxious thoughts, burdens, trouble (the list can go on) and then we are ready to hear and respond to the voice of the Spirit and be filled with His presence, His character, His wisdom, etc.

This is something that typically happens for me at some point when I am in a focused prayer time but not always the way that I would start. I had an opportunity to intentionally give it a shot during Fast & Pray Wednesday a couple of days later. We spend the thirty minutes praying on our own and so I sat down with the intention to "pour out". Do you know what I discovered? There was a lot to pour. When I took that pause in the middle of my day and tried to focus on prayer, I discovered that my mind and heart were full and distracted by a lot of things!

While this isn't really much of a shock since we all have a lot of things going on each day, it really reminded me how necessary silence and solitude is. If I had not been quiet, I would not have noticed the noise.

I'm grateful for the reminder and want to offer it to you as an encouragement to find the time to intentionally "pour out" and see what God might want to fill you with. He is so good that I can hardly begin to imagine what He can and will do with a heart that is poised to receive.

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

Speaking The Truth
"The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is Vital (Going Deeper Makes Me Nervous)”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy continues in our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

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Sending (ciao, Miss Margaret!)

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“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
— Acts 13:2-3

With the same heart that the early church had for sending out people who had a calling to ministry outside of the local church, we are getting ready to send Margaret to Honduras next week. We are going to take time in our service on Sunday to commission her to her ministry calling and pray for her together. While I know it will be hard to say goodbye for seven months, I have so much joy in being a part of the church family who is releasing her to her new adventure. What a beautiful thing.

Here's what you can add to your prayer list for the rest of the year for Margaret:

  • God's continued guidance and direction in this new adventure.

  • Safety while traveling and serving.

  • The children and families that she is ministering to would come to know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him.

You can follow Margaret's adventures on her Facebook group and we will share updates on our social accounts as well. (Links below.)

Also, everyone is invited to stay for lunch after the service if you'd like to spend a few moments sending her off and saying goodbye. We're going to keep it simple - $5/person for pizza, salad, dessert and beverages. Just be sure to RSVP for you and/or your family by tomorrow. (Yep, gluten-free options will be available.)

What a privilege we have this Sunday. I'm looking forward to sharing it with all of you.

See you then,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

Speaking The Truth
"The Holy Spirit Transforms Minds (I’m Fighting a Battle That You Can’t See)”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy continues in our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

What is Recurring? (the best kind of nagging)

I came across this devotional in Hearing God Through The Year: A 365-Day Devotional by Dallas Willard a few weeks ago and wanted to share it with you. What a simple and potentially profound way to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us daily.

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Recurring Thoughts

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”
— Jeremiah 17:10

Recurring thoughts are important in God’s communication with us, as Russ Johnston points out in How to Know the Will of God:

“We would see wonderful results if we would deal with the thoughts that continue in our minds in a godly manner. But most people don’t. . . . As thoughts come into your mind and continue, ask God, “Do you really want me (or us) to do this?” Most of us just let those thoughts collapse—and God looks for someone else to stand in the gap.

“These recurring thoughts touch on every part of the self: family, possessions, profession and health; one’s fear of death; attitudes toward God; sexuality; preoccupation with reputation; concern with appearance and countless other areas of one’s life. Although recurring thoughts are not always an indication that God is speaking, they are not to be lightly disregarded.”

Pray: Sit quietly before God and ponder what recurring thoughts have come to you lately regarding the areas listed above. No matter how mundane these thoughts seem, bring them before God and ask him to help you see a next step, however small, you could take to act on them. This might be asking someone a question or writing a note.

(Willard, D., & Johnson, J. (2015). Hearing god through the year: a 365-day devotional. Westmont, IL: IVP Books.)

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So, what is on your mind? Let me encourage you to find time for silence (turn off the music, podcast or Netflix) in your day and pay attention to what you're thinking. I work at being intentional about this when I fold laundry and other such mundane tasks and that's a good start if sitting still seems impossible to you. Truly, these recurring thoughts might be the most important "nagging" you'll ever experience - they might be leading you to transformation!

Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

Speaking The Truth
"Marriage is a Gift (My Marriage is a Disaster)”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy continues in our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Is it Today? (hint: yes, always)

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"See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'Today,' so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:12-13

These verses came up as part of my YouVersion bible reading plan a few weeks ago and caught my attention... and then my highlighter. We would probably agree that encouraging others is a great thing to do. It's good to notice the strengths and efforts of others and tell them that they are doing a great job. It's important to notice when someone is having a difficult time and offer support and understanding to them.

But this passage in Hebrews tells us that encouragement should be a daily exercise and it will help to keep our hearts from being hard toward sin. I don't think we consider this too often. I certainly didn't... and encouragement is supposed to be one of my spiritual gifts!

Think about a piece of pottery. When it has hardened it can't be shaped or changed. When water is being added, the potter can make it into anything. It is ready to be transformed.

Encouraging others in their faith - reminding them to keep pursuing Christ, being excited for the growth you see in their life and telling them about it - does more than just make their day. It keeps them on the path toward Christ. It keeps throwing water on the clay of their hearts and helps to facilitate the work the Potter wants to do.

So, ask yourself: Is today, Today? Yes? Then consider who you can encourage. Be that water on the clay.

Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

Speaking The Truth
"Jesus Can Always Be Trusted (I Don’t Trust God, He Disappointed Me)”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Erin continues in our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Prayer Cont'd... (an important repeat)

I shared this information with you about a month ago but it's so important that it deserves a re-share. I don't want anyone to miss out on what we're doing in prayer as a church family!

What we want to encourage you to do this year is simply be intentional about praying. We want to link arms with you to pray for your needs, our church and for God to do amazing things in our community. We want to set time aside and use as many communication tools as possible to connect us together in prayer.

Sound interesting? We've created a new page on our website that highlights some new ways that we are putting prayer on our calendars, getting our hearts gathered in faith around needs and growing in our dependancy on God.

Click the button below and you'll see:

  • Deep Roots

  • Fast & Pray Wednesday

  • A place for your prayer requests

  • Prayer Network: receive prayer requests and reminders

Also, you're going to start to see and read more about the prayer needs of Freedom on all of our platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the email devotional. We want you to know what needs you can bring to God, that your needs are being prayed over, that we are bringing our church and community ministries to Him and we are seeking His purposes in everything we do at Freedom.

So, check out the new page and join us. We are intentionally putting prayer on our calendars and linking arms to see what God might do in and through us. If you're a new to prayer - this is a great way to get started! If you're an experienced intercessor - thank you for joining with us! If you're ready to build new spiritual disciplines in your life - welcome to the challenge!

Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

Speaking The Truth
"WikiHow to Mom”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy leads a discussion with a panel of moms.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Conviction vs. Condemnation (who are you listening to?)

I've been thinking a lot lately about my thoughts. Deep, right? My suspicion is that most of us are constantly bombarded by negative thoughts about ourselves (and others and circumstances but we're going to narrow our focus here). How often do we feel discouraged? How often do we fail and become focused on our failure? How often do we shy away from people and experiences in order to protect ourselves from our vulnerabilities being exposed?

What do we do with all of these thoughts? I would say that it's vitally important to understand the difference between condemnation and conviction.

Condemnation is strong disapproval or criticism that carries the weight of punishment. There is no love and no grace in condemnation. There is no way to make up for your mistake or to be changed by receiving mercy. Condemnation in your thoughts, the way you think about an action, thought or motive, makes you feel worthless, hopeless, useless and unworthy of love.

Conviction is happening when our actions, thoughts or motives are checked by the Holy Spirit. He will point to certain things that are not in line with Christ's character, the fruit of the Spirit or the commands of Christ and show us where we've gone wrong. And while no one likes being told that they've made a mistake, conviction is done with grace, mercy, peace and way to be forgiven and transformed; relying on and trusting in Jesus

The question is this: what voice are you listening to? Do you allow the enemy to tell you that you are a failure and unloveable? Do you tell yourself that you will never be able to change or will always be afraid? Or, do you listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd through the Holy Spirit that leads you to life through your mistakes, mis-steps, sins and selfishness?

"We 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

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Sprit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2

The truth is, we did used to be under condemnation but now, because of Jesus, we are more than conquerors. We have the privilege of being challenged and changed by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Pay attention to your thoughts. Be sure that the voice you are listening to sounds like Jesus. Be sure that it leads you to mercy and forgiveness. Be sure that it challenges you to deeper discipleship. That's conviction and like any discipline it can be painful, but it leads to life and freedom.

Who are you listening to?

Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

Speaking The Truth
"Discipleship is Non-Negotiable (Devotions Are Boring)”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy starts our new series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

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Thursday Faith-Builder (be inspired by Hector & Ruth!)

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Part of our mission as this local church is to support global workers (missionaries) in prayer and with finances as they reach around the world with the message of Jesus. And wow, do we ever have some amazing people strategically placed for incredible kingdom impact.

Hector and Ruth Aragon are in Guatemala as an extension of the church in Canada and doing incredible things. I wanted you to get to know them a bit better in this week's email so that you can pray for their ministry, their safety, their needs and their family. I also want you to know just how excellent these folks are and why we are so happy to be able to make them part of our 2019 Missions Giving Plan. Join us as we continue to support the Aragons in Guatemala.

Check out this video... you'll get a sense for their passion for Christ, their faith, their personalities and their long obedience to their ministry calling.

Partnering in mission with you,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

He is I AM
"Who Do You Say That I Am?”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy finishes our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

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Jesus is All (how very extraordinary)

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This is no ordinary weekend. In fact, there is nothing ordinary about believing in Jesus. My CP1 group has been reading a very challenging book about discipleship. (The Great Omission by Dallas Willard) Every chapter reminds me of something that perhaps I take for granted in the day-to-day living of life: this life in Christ is actually extraordinary.

When you consider who He is, what He's done, what He's calling us to and what He's promised, well, it's truly extraordinary. That's what we're going to focus on this weekend. He is not just the one who can help us with our problems or give us peace in our circumstances (though He graciously does so), He is the Resurrection and the Life. The. He made a way for us that blows apart our bondages and brings dead things back to life. Real life. Abundant life. Eternal life.

So, as nice as it is to have a four-day weekend and new shoes for the season, here's a thought to fill your heart with gratitude and wonder over the next few days: Jesus is all and He invites us to live an extraordinary life through Him.

Let's celebrate His victory!

Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

He is I AM
"The Resurrection and The Life”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Let Us Pray (making time for what's important)

Regardless of your spiritual upbringing, your denominational background, or the current status of your faith, chances are good that you think that prayer is important. It's likely that you understand how vital it is to spiritual growth and to your overall walk with Christ. It's also likely that talking about prayer makes you feel: guilty (I know I should pray more!), bored (think: Saturday night prayer meetings as a child), confused (I never quite know what to say or do) or frustrated (I talk to God but never seem to hear from Him.)

While there are volumes and volumes of excellent teaching on prayer and countless seminars and sermons about practicing prayer, when it comes right down to it... do we pray?

What we want to encourage you to do this year is simply be intentional about praying. We want to link arms with you to pray for your needs, our church and for God to do amazing things in our community. We want to set time aside and use as many communication tools as possible to connect us together in prayer.

Sound interesting? We've created a new page on our website that highlights some new ways that we are putting prayer on our calendars, getting our hearts gathered in faith around needs and growing in our dependancy on God. Click the button below and you'll see:

  • Deep Roots

  • Fast & Pray Wednesday

  • A place for your prayer requests

  • Prayer Network: receive prayer requests and reminders

Also, you're going to start to see and read more about the prayer needs of Freedom on all of our platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the email devotional. We want you to know what needs you can bring to God, that your needs are being prayed over, that we are bringing our church and community ministries to Him and we are seeking His purposes in everything we do at Freedom.

So, check out the new page and join us. We are intentionally putting prayer on our calendars and linking arms to see what God might do in and through us. If you're a new to prayer - this is a great way to get started! If you're an experienced intercessor - thank you for joining with us! If you're ready to build new spiritual disciplines in your life - welcome to the challenge!

Joining my heart with yours,
Pastor Tracy

PS - Can't get this old Steven Curtis Chapman song out of my head... might as well share it!

This Sunday

He is I AM
"The True Vine”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our guest speaker, Rev. Frank Patrick, continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Asking For Time (slowing down to hear God)

In my devotional reading a verse caught my attention in a passage I've read many times before. It's found in the story of Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2. Daniel was under extreme pressure. Not only did the king want his dream interpreted, he wanted someone to tell him what his dream was to prove they weren't making something up. In fact, the king was so angry with and suspicious of his astrologers that he was planning to end all of their lives unless they could do what he asked. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were on the hit list (v.13).

It's under this kind of stress (threat of death!) that Daniel goes to see the king. And here is how scripture records this interaction:

“At this, Daniel went into the king and asked for time so that he might interpret the dream for him.”
— Daniel 2:16, emphasis mine

I know that my first instinct wouldn't be to calmly ask the homicidal king for some time. I would try to find a solution and bring it to him or hide and beg God for an answer that would save my life. Both of those might be valid action plans but Daniel asks for time.

My heart was challenged by this. How often to I rush to a solution without taking the time to really ask the Lord what His heart is? How often do I make plans and then ask God to bless them instead of spending time in prayer, waiting in His presence until I know the direction that He wants me to take?

Andrew Murray says it like this: "Learn to say about every want, failure, or lack of grace you need, 'I have not waited enough on God. He would have given me all I needed in due season.'" (from Power in Prayer & Waiting on God)

So let me encourage you to ask for time. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you take the time you need to pray for your needs and wait for His answer. Ask for time from those around you who are pressing you for answers that you don't have. And then take the time to slow down in a "tyranny of the urgent", stressed-out world to hear the voice of God speaking. And then, step out in obedience to what He says.

Asking for time along with you,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

He is I AM
"The Way, The Truth, The Life”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as Erin continues our series.

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No Substitute (the necessity of sharing hope in Christ)

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This Sunday is the fifth Sunday in March... so, we're ready to celebrate something great about the life of the church with you. This week's theme is: the church's mission. We're going to explore the major ways that we reach beyond our own family and church community and impact the world for Christ. I know it's going to be encouraging and challenging. And, of course, there will be food! How can we celebrate being a part of the body of Christ without a meal? This potluck is all about bringing your favourite international dish. We will feast!

As plans were coming together for this service, I read this article by Tim Keller: How to Be More Public with Your Faith. It briefly outlines some of the reasons that it is difficult to share our faith while reminding us that there has perhaps never been more of a need to. Challenging to say the least. I wanted to leave this with you as food for thought as we prepare to meet together on Sunday and be reminded about the mission that we've been given as believers.

So go ahead and prepare your heart, your mind and your meal for Sunday morning!

See you then,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

5th SUNDAY
The Church’s Mission

Join us on Sunday at 10am as we celebrate church life together!

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