Jesus is the Reason for the Season (a way to focus on Him this Christmas)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

— John 1:14

How's everyone doing? Are you loving the season? Will you be glad it's over?

I'm always working hard to fight the tendency to define Christmas by everything that has to get done. I know the season is about Jesus and I can easily find myself lamenting the pressures and costs that inevitably come in December. Certainly that's not the purpose or focus of Advent but alas, as I write this my inbox and social feeds are filling up with Black Friday deals.

In case you find your heart in this annual struggle as so many of us do, I simply want to offer one remedy that we've incorporated into our family this year. Nothing points us back to the 'reason for the season' like being in the scriptures, reading about the Word who became flesh and dwelled among us. If you haven't started already, here are a few reading plans from YouVersion for you to make a part of your days this month to keep your heart pointed toward the living Word. (see images below)

My prayer for my family and yours is that we will all draw closer to Jesus as we anticipate the celebration of His arrival.

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

God With Us
”In the Storm”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Christmas is a Time to... Invite! (and love, and give, and share, and...)

One of the best things about this season is how much time we spend thinking about others. We think about gifts that people would like and what their favourite foods are. We think about the less fortunate and marginalized and look for ways to be generous. We think about people's schedules and coordinate times with friends and family that work best for everyone. We send notes and thank people for being in our lives and for what they've meant to us through the year. Christmas is an amazing season.

So while you're thinking about others, why not think about the most important way that you can impact someone's life this year? Introduce them to Jesus. Or, for those who know about Him but are far from Him, reintroduce them to Jesus.

There are so many ways you can do that, of course, but we've tried to make one of those ways as easy for you as possible... just invite them to one of our Christmas services! We are intentionally building these "Christmas in Williamsburg" events to be engaging and relatable and most of all, ensuring that we share Jesus with everyone in the room.

That's just the beginning, of course. Any guest that you bring to church will be most impacted by how you share your life and story with them afterward. But it would be our pleasure to help to set the stage and introduce your friends and family to the Light of the World, Immanuel, this Christmas.

Our big and fun Christmas service will be on Sunday, December 22nd during our regular service time at 10:00. Why? We want you to be able to invite people who already have standing traditions in their families and wouldn't be able to attend on Christmas Eve.

Our Christmas Eve service will be candlelit and centred on worship, as we gather our hearts up and get them prepared for Christmas Day.

Both are open to everyone, both will share the beautiful story of Jesus coming for us and both are a great opportunity to invite someone to church as a starting point for their life transformation story to begin (or continue!).

Oooo... I can't wait for Christmas! We have invitation cards available at the church and you can also click the button below so you can simply download the invitation and share it with the person you're thinking about this season or on your social media accounts.

In the meantime, see you on Sunday for another beautiful Advent service with guest speaker, Joanne Goodwin.

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

God With Us
”In the Wilderness”

Join us this Sunday at 10am as our guest speaker, Joanne Goodwin, brings the next message in our series and specifically share about mental health.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Sacred Rhythms (using the calendar to help us worship)

“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.’”

— Deuteronomy 6:20-21

The Israelites were instructed to use the patterns, sacraments, and structure of the law to point their children to God, passing from one generation to the next who He is and what He had done. How very beautiful.

The historic Christian church has followed versions of its own calendar through the centuries with much of the same intent. There are seasons throughout the year that draw our hearts and minds to different aspects of our faith, specifically the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We don't always give it much thought in our tradition but as we come to the beginning of Advent, it's good to pause and remember that our celebration of Christmas begins with a season of longing and expectation.

“The Christian year represents the historical unfolding of the life of Christ and his sure return. One may observe that Advent deals with the coming of Christ; Christmas, his birth; Epiphany, his [being made known] to the Gentiles; Lent, his journey toward death; the Great Triduum, the last days of Jesus’ earthly life; Easter, the time to celebrate his resurrection; and Pentecost, the time to experience life in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

— Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Time

As we begin this with the Cycle of Light on Sunday, here is a sacred rhythm to consider all year long:

Cycle of Light

• Advent: 4 Sundays before Christmas Eve

• Christmas: 12 Days from December 25 to January 5

• Epiphany: January 6

Cycle of Life

• After Epiphany: January 7 until Lent (Christ’s ministry on earth)

• Lent: Ash Wednesday (40 days, not Sundays) to Thursday of Holy Week

• Great Triduum: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Vigil Saturday

• Easter: Sunday, 50 days, includes Ascension Day, ends on Pentecost

• After Pentecost: 6 months, also called Ordinary Time

There is a lot to learn and discover in this pattern of worship. I'm excited to being Advent with you on Sunday and remember again how much we needed Christ to come as our Saviour and are longing for Him to come again.

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

God With Us
”In The Valley?”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Praying for the Fellers (this month's missions focus)

If you were in the service on November 10th I know your heart was stirred by the report that Jeremy Feller brought to our church. (Jeremy and his wife Teresa are missionaries in Ethiopia.) What a beautiful opportunity to hear what God is doing in and around Ethiopia and to gather around him and pray as a church.

I simply wanted to take the opportunity to remind you of this family again and ask you to continue to pray for them on a regular basis. We won't share on this platform but if you were here on the 10th you know some of the more specific requests that Jeremy had so pray for intentionally for those.

We continue to be so grateful for all of our global workers who represent us and share Christ so powerfully all over the world. Thank you for your generosity in supporting each one of them through our 2019 Missions Giving Plan.

Grateful to you,
Pastor Tracy

PHOTO: Zoe, Teresa, Betty, Jeremy, Timothy

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This Sunday

FAQs of Jesus
”Does that offend you?”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Expectant and Alert (a focus on prayer)

"Often I find it works best if after I ask for God to speak to me, I devote the next hour or so to some kind of activity that neither engrosses my attention with other things nor allows me to be intensely focused on the matter in question. Housework, gardening, driving about on errands or paying bills will generally do. I do not worry about whether or not this works. I know that it does not have to work, but I am sure that it will work if God has something he really wants me to know or do. This is ultimately because I am sure of how great and good he is.

"Often by the end of an hour or so, there has stood forth within my consciousness an idea or thought with that peculiar quality, spirit and content that I have come to associate with God’s voice. If nothing emerges by the end of an hour or so, I am not alarmed. I make it a point to keep listening. Very often within a day something happens through which God’s voice, recognizably distinct, is heard.

"Reflect: What would be the most suitable “in the meantime” activities for you—ones that don’t require enormous attention or intense focus?"

(Willard, D., & Johnson, J. (2015). Hearing God Through the Year: a 365-Day Devotional.)

As I continue to read each day from this devotional, I continue to be amazed at all the way that I can train myself to hear God speaking. The above was one that I read a few weeks ago that reminded me of Brother Lawrence's famous little book, The Practice of the Presence of God, which teaches that the everyday and mundane is a beautiful place to hear from God when you're paying attention.

“The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.”

— Brother Lawrence

I want to encourage You to invite the Holy Spirit into everything, not just waiting for the 'perfect' moment or right atmosphere. I wonder what we might hear from God when we live each day expectant and alert to Him "in the meantime"?

Praying with you,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

FAQs of Jesus
”What is that to you?”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Shooting At Statues (a lesson in distraction)

I heard a sermon illustration recently that keeps coming back to me again and again. I couldn't find a great source for the story so it may be more of a legend than anything. Regardless, it makes its point.

"It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive, then support them when they attacked the city. Phipps’ navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral, so he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the 'saints.'" Our Daily Bread, October 6

The pastor called it "shooting statues" and the challenge was simple: be very careful not to get caught up in the small distractions that drain you and miss the real calling that God has on your life. With this floating around in my mind, the number of times I've found myself distracted by things that take my attention away from what's truly important has been pretty sobering. This can come in the form of something on your schedule, an interruption, a frustration, an annoyance, a difference of opinion or about a hundred other ways.

Distractions are everywhere and they happen daily. The question I've been asking myself is: how much spiritual and emotional output is this worth? Am I shooting statues or am I focusing my time and energy on the things that truly matter - the people and situations that God has called me to? I've been using this idea when I can tell I need to change my perspective or to put it less delicately, when I'm circling the drain on an issue.

It's no surprise that this is a helpful line of questioning. Ephesians 6:10-18 reminds us that the physical world is not the issue at hand; it's the spiritual battle that's going on behind the scenes that should have our attention and cause us to put on the full armour of God every day. This is the perspective that will keep us from wasting the 'ammo' of our lives all of the distractions that come our way. Instead, we'll be able to engage with what God is working on all around us.

Praying for you (Ephesians 6:18),
Pastor Tracy

“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

— Ephesians 6:10-18

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This Sunday

FAQs of Jesus
”Why Do You Break the Command of God?”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Thoughts On Halloween (more than candy, more than costumes)

Halloween is an interesting study and has been a topic of much debate for Christians through the years. As opposed to many of the other events on our annual calendar that celebrate virtues that we love (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Mother's & Father's Day, et al.), Halloween is quite the opposite. So what do we do with Halloween?

We do a couple of intentional things at Freedom that have helped us leverage this cultural phenomenon and not let it become a point of dissension.

First, we honour and respect each other's varying responses to Halloween. If it is your conviction to not participate in any way with it, I certainly understand and value that.

Second, we try to find ways to use what the culture is already involved in as an opportunity to do something we're not great at: get to know our neighbours. Learning the stories of the people that live around us is becoming less and less common. We tend to have a laser focus on our own lives and schedules and errands and carpools that we struggle to even know the names of the people who share a fence with us.

Of course, some people are the exception to this rule and we have a lot that we could learn from them. But for the rest of us, we can be encouraged to be much more strategic about how we care for the people who God has planted us with.

And so, with that in mind we try and lean in and go the extra mile on October 31st when the parents and kids of our neighbourhoods all walk the streets at the same time. Because, when else does that happen? We invite our church families to open their doors and to go the extra mile with a cup of hot chocolate to give us a chance to pause, shake a hand, learn a name and maybe start a relationship.

No, it's not evangelism. But I'm sure you'll agree that it's easier to share Christ with someone you know. So hey, here's a chance to share light and kindness during an event that celebrates what's dark and fearful.

I'm praying that in everything we do, before, during and after Thursday, we will always be the ones who shine a light in dark places.

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

FAQs of Jesus
”Do You Love Me?”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Missions Focus: An Indigenous Perspective

At the beginning of October it was our pleasure to have Anthony & Barbara Pennings here to share about their ministry in Manitoulin Island. They were sent out from Freedom seven years ago and it's been great to be able to keep up with their mission and calling to the First Nations communities they've been serving.

I wanted to briefly recap the teaching that they shared that Sunday morning as a reminder of the great work they are doing and of how to pray for them. I heard a lot of great feedback from our church about what Anthony shared and I know that it was incredibly eye-opening for me as well.

Here are the big ideas that were shared...

• Like the three poles of a tee-pee that are all needed for structure and stability, the three foundational principles that hold the native community and person together are Non-Interference, Heritage, and Ceremony.

• Heritage and Ceremony were essentially taken away with residential schools, the 60s Scoop, and other such programs, leaving only Non-Interference without a sense of cultural heritage to look back on and inform the future or Ceremony to build up the boundaries on the path of life.

• Further, Jesus has been seen as someone who comes to kick out the pillar of Heritage since some of these programs were done in the name of the church.

• These three principles are needs that have to be embraced if discipleship is going to happen inside of the culture. So, new patterns are needed to be able to present and then share the gospel.

• It starts to become clear why the indigenous people can't 'just get over it'. There are some deep wounds that need time and care to be healed.

• There is a strong belief that everyone walks their own path in life (blazing their own trail). Evangelism can be like inviting people onto a path that you’ve tried and have found to work better. You can respect Non-Interference by asking someone to walk with you and telling them you’ll walk it with them. We don’t tell people what to do, we invite them to a journey with us.

• Building a foundation of respect is key. "I will listen to your story. Will you listen to my story?"

Our privilege and responsibility is to pray for the First Nations people and for those like Anthony and Barbara who are working to bring hope and healing to the individual and the culture through Christ

We continue to support the Pennings through our 2019 Missions Giving Plan. Thank you for your generous financial gifts that have gotten us to 93% (!!!) of the way to our goal. Let's continue to care for our missions partners well by meeting and exceeding this goal by the end of the year!

Thankful to partner with you,

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

FAQs of Jesus
”Do You Want to Get Well?”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

FAQs of Jesus (the asker become the askee)

We are starting a new series that is going to carry us through the next six weeks until Advent begins. (True! Christmas is coming!) I wanted to share with you the idea behind this series and invite you along for the journey.

The premise is simple: What are some of the questions Jesus asked?

When you take even the quickest glance at the gospels, you can see that Jesus asked powerful, challenging, probing, merciful and, well, great questions.

So often our spiritual journey is filled with questions for God and about God. Why would He do this? Why does He allow that? What does He want from my life? And I could continue to fill this space with a million more. There is no doubt that we know the relationship between faith and questions.

But I started to wonder what Jesus was asking me. If our relationship is filled with questions I'm asking Him, perhaps I should be wondering what He might be asking me. And what kind of insight and wisdom and conviction might I find in His questions?

The heart of this series is to discover the questions that Jesus asked and let them be asked of us. We won't have time to talk about all of them but we will let Him ask:

Who touched me?
Do you want to get well?
What is it that you want?
Do you love me?
Why do you break the command of God?
What is that to you?
Does this offend you?

There is so much truth and beauty to uncover in these questions and I'm excited for dig into them with you over the next few weeks. I'm coming ready to hear from Him - join me!

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

FAQs of Jesus
”Who Touched Me?”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Posture of Gratitude (the ACTS prayer)

There are a lot of different ways to pray. There are a lot of books written on the subject and, of course, how Jesus taught the disciples to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. But today, with Thanksgiving coming up this weekend, I wanted to share the simple way that I very often structure my prayers and how they end up with a posture of gratitude.

My Connecting Point group was talking about how we can strike a balance between being open and real in our communication with God while still maintaining a sense of reverence and awe while we approach a holy God. I shared with them that I follow the ACTS model when I pray for just that reason. It starts with Adoration (taking time to simply offer words of worship and praise), goes into Confession (a time to confess sin and receive forgiveness), and moves to Thanksgiving (tell God how grateful I am for anything and everything as it comes to mind). These three things always come before Supplication (bringing my requests) and I'm glad for this pattern because it repositions the posture of my heart. Walking through these steps builds a solid foundation of gratitude and changes my attitude to align with kingdom values before I ever start into telling God what I need.

Not only that, but intentionally walking a path like this when I pray helps me to wrestle down the distraction and busyness in mind.

On this weekend that's devoted to pausing and counting our blessings, I encourage you to follow this path when you pray as well. In fact, being a joyful, prayerful, thankful person is God's will for you - how great is that!? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Grateful for you and with you,
P. Tracy

“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

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This Sunday

Grateful
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Del shares the Word.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Psalm 32:8 (how to know what's next)

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

— Psalm 32:8

Many, many times I've talked and prayed with people who were struggling to figure out what they should do in some situation. What decision should they make? What direction should they go? What was God calling them to? Why doesn't He seem to answer?

These are legitimate questions that we all wrestle with in different seasons of our lives.

There is a beautiful verse in the Psalms that I simply wanted to share with each of you today. Here is a promise from God: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."

He sees you. He loves you. And with His loving gaze on you, He will direct your steps.

Psalm 32:8
Proverbs 3:5-6
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I invite you to meditate on these promises and instructions and trust Him completely as you pray for what's next.

In Christ,
P. Tracy

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This Sunday

Sacred Rhythms
Mark 6:30-34

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Pastor Tracy shares the Word.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

It's Miss Margaret! (from Honduras with the help of some technology 🇭🇳)

Margaret Pfeiffer (aka Miss Margaret, our Children's Program Director) left us back in June to serve for six months in Honduras, a part of the world that has been close to her heart for many years. We were thrilled to be able to make her a part of our 2019 Missions Giving Plan (see button below for details) and to track with the impact she is having every day as she serves with our PAOC missionaries.

I thought that the best way to give a report on what she's been up to is to just hear it from her. Click the video and hear my conversation with Margaret!

By the way... we're 80% of the way to our Missions Giving goal for this year!! I'm thanking God for how each of you are walking in obedience to the call to be generous.

Looking forward to celebrating church life during our 5th Sunday service this weekend!
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

Devoted
5th Sunday: Who’s Next?

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Devoted: Making An Impact

As Pastor Tracy mentoned on Sunday, here are some great ideas from Timothy Keller’s book Center Church of how you can make an impact for Christ in ways that are organic, relational, Word deploying (bringing the Bible and gospel into connection with people’s lives) and active (each person assumes personal responsibility to share Christ).

• Jerry is asked by his work colleague Bill how his weekend went. Jerry relates that he went on a men’s retreat that provided spiritual resources for forgiving people who have wronged us over the years. When Bill raises his eyebrows and says, “That’s interesting,” Jerry takes a small plunge and mentions that the thing that helped him most was the idea that even though he has not given God his due, God offers him forgiveness through Jesus.

• Dan and Jill help their two sons, ages five and seven, with Scripture memorization and teach them a simple catechism. They field the boys’ questions and help them understand the meaning of the texts they are studying.

• Sally gets to knows a young woman named Clara at church. Clara confides that she and her husband are having marriage problems and he isn’t willing to go to a counsellor. Sally and her husband Jeff, invite Clara and Same over for a meal. Sam hits it off with Jeff. Afterward, Clara convinces Sam to meet with Jeff and Sally to talk about their marriage issues. They meet together once a month for four months, studying Ephesians 5 and several other biblical texts on marriage.

• John comes to church with his wife, but he isn’t sure what he believes or where he stands on faith. The pastor introduces him to an elder named Tom, who begins meeting with John on occasion to read and discuss a book about basic Christianity. After two meetings, John agrees to study the gospel of Mark with Tom every two or three weeks.

• Jenny begins coming to a small group in the church. She was raised in the church but has so many doubts and questions that her group leader, Beth, begins meeting with her one-on-one. They study Bible passages and read books that address each of her questions, one after the other.

• Ted is a young single lawyer. He knows several other lawyers who go to church with him, though they don’t work for his firm. He decides to have a Super Bowl party for several of his non-Christian colleagues and invites two Christian lawyers from church and a couple of other believers as well. The men and women from his workplace hit it off with the lawyers from church. About three months later, one of them shows up in church with one of Ted’s friends.

• Jessica meets Teresa, a new believer, at church and invites her to work through a series of six Bible studies for new Christians (on issues such as prayer, Bible reading, the role of the church, understanding the gospel better, etc.)

• Fred has been attending a small group for months. At one point he realizes that he assesses the value of the group strictly on what he gets out of it. He then decides to being preparing well (studying the passage) and praying for the group. When he comes, he looks for every opportunity to help the Bible study leader by making good contributions and for ways to speak the truth in love so others are encouraged and helped to grow.

• Catherine prays for her friend Megan for months. Megan responds well to two short books on Christian subjects that Catherine has given her. She then invites Megan to an evangelistic event in which Christian truth is presented. On the way home, she fields Megan’s questions.

• Joe has a longtime friend from college days named Pete, who is a musician. Pete’s performance anxiety is harming his career. Joe has been a sympathetic listener for some time, but finally he bluntly asks Pete to explore the Christian faith with him. “I think maybe it’s the only thing that will help you overcome your problem.” Pete is taken aback, but after a while, he expresses interest, mainly out of desperation. Joe warns him, “If Christianity is going to be any help, it will only be if you come to the belief that it is not just helpful but true.” Pete doesn’t want to go to any Christian gatherings, so they start studying the Bible together and listening to sermons and lectures and discussing them.

• Kerrie and two other Christian friends are moms who have young kids. They decide to start a daytime moms’ group and invite non-Christian friends. For about a year, the group grows to include a similar number of Christians and nonbelievers. The conversations are general and freewheeling - covering spiritual, social, marriage, parenting, and personal issues. As time goes on, several of the nonbelievers begin to go to church with the believers and cross over the line of faith. After three years, the group is a Christian Bible study but still open and inclusive toward a few non-believers who come regularly.

• Jim and Cynthia are both artists who are involved in a citywide Christian artists’ fellowship based in their local church. The fellowship typically includes a discussion of the relationship of faith to art that assumes a Christian belief, but the artists have four events a year that will be either a gallery showing or a book event in which a credible working artist talks to a general audience about how their faith relates to their art. Jim and Cynthia are diligent in bringing non-Christian artists or art appreciators to these events.

• Greg comes to faith in Christ through a skeptics/seeker group hosted by a church. When the date for his baptism is set, he invites a number of non-Christian friends to the service and then takes them out for lunch and discusses the whole event. One friend is very moved by the experience, and Greg invites him to come back. Eventually, the friend begins coming to his small group with him.

Center Church
Copyright (C) 2012 by Redeemer City to City and Timothy J. Keller
(excerpt taken from pages 279-280)

Scheduling for Impact (getting trained-up)

On one hand, you do you. What works for me in some areas of life might not work for you.

On the other hand, I see so many people struggling in the area of scheduling, organization and productivity. They live in a constant state of worry, stress, lack of peace, fear of disappointing others and a general state of unchecked busyness. It matters a lot. Like, a lot. Why? Because this constant state of distraction will keep you day after day, season after season, locked in a place of unproductive days that don't seem to get you anywhere except even more panicked that time is flying by so quickly.

This Sunday we're going to focus in on our third core value: impacting. I probably don't have to work too hard to convince you of the value of spending your time, energy, finances and other resources on impacting the world with the message of Jesus. The hard work comes when we try and figure out how to be connected to God and others, be trained-up and make an impact when barely have the margin our lives to get a good night's sleep.

Is anyone out there tired of living in this space? I was. The noise in my head that was yelling at me about everything I needed to do or had forgotten about was getting to a critical level. It's nearly impossible to concentrate on what really matters when the busyness in my mind keeps you running, never really giving you the rest you need because you're never sure if anything is actually being accomplished.

It was in that season when I started to recognize that all that noise was drowning out the voice of the Shepherd (whose voice I was supposed to be able to recognize and follow) that I started to ask God for help.

And He did. I "stumbled" across articles and podcasts that weren't about my calendar at all but had principle that I could apply to it. I "just happened" to be in conversations where people shared how they were keeping margin in their lives and the difference that it made. I became a student of my own heart - was I able to say yes or no to the right things? Was I able to ask people to wait and trust that the time God has given me today and this week is enough?

I don't remember who said this but during this time of reshuffling my schedule in super practical ways someone said/wrote this: "God didn't given you too many things to do today." This begs two questions:

1. What do the items on my calendar represent?

2. Is my schedule an act of worship to God? (Or something/someone else - work, family, self, hangups?)

As we continue into this new season and keep exploring our core values as a church, these bigger questions about what busies your mind and planner can't be ignored. This is an ongoing journey for me to make my time a space of worship and not a commodity that slips through my fingers.

I'm asking myself today, how can I honour God and impact my world for Christ while accounting for the pressures of life and realities of every day living?

I'm coming back to this place day after day after day:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”

— Matthew 6:33

Oh yeah, and I've got SO many ideas and suggestions for how to make this work practically in your life. Too many! Let's have coffee and talk about them someday. But for now...

Seeking his kingdom and his righteousness with you,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

Devoted
"Making An Impact”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Dashboard Lights (getting trained-up)

This month we are looking at Acts 2:42-47 to see what some of the distinctives of the early church were and what we can learn from them. It's also where our core values come from. This church was very clearly connecting, being trained, and impacting the world around them for Christ.

With that in mind, we're going to look at the central importance of training this Sunday. Luke, the writer of Acts, says that they were devoted to it. It was that important.

So how do we do that in 2019? Among other things, we can never underestimate the power of reading, studying and applying the Word of God. We need scripture in our lives every day. No other resource is more powerful.

With that in mind, I tried something new on the YouVersion app last month. It was a devotional plan called "Beyond Blessed" and it reminded me that there are always beautiful things to learn and unlimited ways to grow in Christ. (The devotional I've linked to is called "Dashboard Lights" and I found it so insightful!) So if getting trained-up in the Word seems like a daunting task, here is a gentle reminder that wonderful resources are all around you.

I've included a few ideas for how you can get started or try something new in your journey to be trained to think and act like Jesus. The first one is the devotional that I just finished in case you'd like to give it try.

Honoured to help you train,
Pastor Tracy

YouVersion Reading Plan: Beyond Blessed

NEXT Discipleship Resources

Connecting Point

Encounters: Women of Freedom

Frontline: Men of Freedom

Redefine Youth Ministries

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This Sunday

Devoted
"Trained-Up”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Connecting For Real (like 'authentically' if that word wasn't a bit overworked)

These days you read a lot about things that are connected. We're reminded over and over again how we are the most connected people to ever walk the face of the earth. We practically hold everything there is to know about everything in the literal palm of our hand.

But you, like me, are probably also hearing how false all this connectivity really is when it comes to the things in life that matter. Depression and other mental illness is more and more common and people report never having felt more lonely even if their latest snap/tweet/post/pic had a record number of likes.

Here's the deal: You know as well as I do that we need people in our lives. Real people, not their digital avatar. We were meant to connect because when we do, well, a lot of great things are possible.

That's the opportunity we're offering up at Connecting Point. My relationship with Christ gets deeper and more sincere when I do it with others. My ability to grow is massively stunted when I try and do it on my own. So I don't. Connecting with others is on my calendar. It happens when it's cold and rainy, it happens when I've had an exhausting day, it happens when I'm celebrating a victory, it happens because I know I can't develop in my discipleship without it.

One of our core values at Freedom is Connecting: Building authentic relationships with God and others. Or, since 'authentic' might seem like a tired word, building real relationships. It's doesn't have to be at Connecting Point, of course. That's just a great option that we offer as a church to help you in becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ in this area.

So how are you connecting for real? Here's what's happening at Connecting Point that might get you started, or be the 'what's next' for you this fall. I'll be there - join me!

FINANCIAL PEACE
This group will focus on having peace and freedom in your finances by finding out what biblical principles we can learn and apply when it comes to money.

JOHN: LIFE-CHANGE SERIES
This study is a deep-dive into the gospel of John with relevant application from the life and teaching of Jesus.

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is a vital part of our life in Christ. This course walks you step by step through the basics of what the Bible teaches us about the Holy Spirit and how He makes life transformation possible. (Will include a podcast/video component that includes group members.)

PARENTING SUPPORT WORKSHOP
Provides parents with the tools they need to help their children develop self-discipline, cooperation and problem-solving skills. (Registration is required.)

PLUS... we are offering everyone the chance to come for dinner before CP so that you can take the stress out of getting here on time and have a chance to get to know your church family better. #winwin

Of course, all of this information is on our website so that you can figure out if this would be a good way for you to make time to connect, for real. And even if it's not this, connecting is a core value for a reason. We believe that life in Christ gets deeper and richer when we pursue real relationships with God and one another.

Together in Christ,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

Devoted
"Connected”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Surprised By Beauty (adventures in my new garden)

I was delighted when we moved into our new house last fall that there were simple perennial gardens around the fence. I love how gardens warm-up and finish outdoor spaces. They're so welcoming and beautiful. But then early spring came and I was meeting a neighbour outside of my house. She glanced at my yard and said, "So, do you like gardening?" Uh...

She knew something I didn't. These simple gardens require a lot of maintenance. I got to skip the construction and planting stages, I hardly have to do anything to make the plants grow, but that is far from the whole picture. My neighbour had seen the old owners working away in those gardens on a consistent basis and was wondering if I was going to do the same or bring the neighbourhood property values down.

I've spent more time gardening this year than ever. While it has been backbreaking at times, I've actually been surprised by the joy I've found watching those plants develop over the past weeks and months. I really didn't know what most of them were since the season was over when we moved in last year. But one day I looked out at my garden and realized that two of the plants were lilac bushes. I love lilacs! A few weeks later my street smelled like lilacs again... turns out that the trees in my boulevard are white lilac trees. Sweet.

I've been watching one plant grow that I thought might be rhubarb... then it wasn't. It was very, very slow to come to life and after several months of waiting it suddenly took off and is now blooming purple flowers. Nice. And if that weren't enough, just when I thought I had seen it all, two unknown bushes started to flower with pink hydrangeas (I think… see photo above). What?! Gor-geous.

I know that some of you reading this are wondering how I didn't know what a hydrangea plant or lilac bush looked like before they flowered. If you want to come by and identify all the plants in this garden for me, I welcome you. We'll have tea. My only gardening strategy is to keep things tidy, pull the weeds and prune anything that gets out of control.

But back to the point. How much is this like our lives in Christ? God has created us in fearful and wonderful ways. He has done the work of planting His calling and gifting into our lives. He keeps speaking and moving, giving us every opportunity to grow and mature into all that He designed us to be. When we join in with what He has already done, the beauty that is produced in our lives is sometimes surprising and always amazing.

So how are you cooperating with what God has planted in your life? Do you see the miracle of His grace in your life? Are you noticing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control growing, flowering and being produced?

Let's not ever take for granted the power of staying in step with the Spirit every day and what is produced in our lives through that diligence. And let's not ever take for granted the incredible things that that God makes beautiful in His time.

To quote Psalty the Singing Songbook:

Beautiful, beautiful, Jesus is beautiful
And Jesus makes beautiful things of my life

Thankful to be in Christ,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
"Good Good Potter”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as our Bjorn concludes our summer series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Connecting With The Aragons (God is doing great things in 🇬🇹)

Hector and Ruth Aragon do such great work in Guatemala and I wanted to send you a quick update on what they were thanking God for in the first half of 2019. We are so very grateful for folks like the Aragons who are doing amazing work for the Kingdom and for our ability to support them financially. We love the Church!

Enjoy,
Pastor Tracy

PRAISE REPORTS

Dear supporting church and individual friends, so much done on YOUR behalf as you allow us to be here… As we write this lines I, Hector, am teaching at the School of Evangelists of the Assemblies of God here in Guatemala for two weeks. Most of the 15 students in first grade and the10 students in third grade are already full-time out “On the Field” PTL! Good reports of salvations across the country.

At the end of January, 33 small roofs were installed (12X30) with ERDO for volcano eruption victims.

In February, a church roof was put on at the same time as a community roof by a work team from Ontario. And later, a medical/dental team from Edmonton worked in three communities where ChildCare Plus is present.

In March, pap tests and pampering happened for 200 pastors wives with a team from Manitoulin and four parsonage kitchens were redone.

For the past five years since we have been given the joy of administrating the ChildCare Plus program the ERDO we have grown from 180 children to now 530 strong, graduating a good number of technicians every year.

THANK YOU for your faithful support!!!

Hector & Ruth Aragon

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This Sunday

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
"Keep Your Head”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Pray Until You Pray (another great YouVersion plan)

“We should seek to pray long enough and authentically enough that we move past formalism and unreality and begin to delight in God’s presence and esteem His will.”

I've been switching up my devotional time over the summer and discovering some great reading plans in YouVersion. I loved this one because of how it combined prayer and scripture, helping me gain insight into both while I worked through it. Spoiler: On Day 1 the above quote appears, without much ado, but it stuck with me. You never know what the Holy Spirit might have in store for you when you step into His Word and presence day by day. So go ahead and subscribe to this plan (or any other one!) and use these beautiful summer days to build a new rhythm into your life. And for all of you who are already into plans like these, consider this a recommendation for what's next. 🙌

In Christ,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
"Are You Persuaded”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Outside the Church, Too (an article to consider)

“How will we know when the next great move of God happens? Because it will be felt outside the church, too.”

This article by Karl Vaters is a couple of years old but still speeds up my heart rate every time I read it. The picture of where Christ is leading His Church is so compelling and so beautiful that it reminds me what I've given my life for.

I'd love to hear what you think. Does it give you hope for the future? Can you see this happening in the Church now? Is the author just pipe dreaming?

Leave a comment on Facebook or here on our blog.

See you on Sunday, Church. So glad we get to do this Christ-centred life together.
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
"Kindness Leads To Repentance”

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

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.