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Colossians 1:9–14

January 30, 2012 in Spirituality, VCC 0

Last week we began our new series on the book of Colossians. The first message focused on the first eight verses of the book.

This week, we looked at verses 9–14 of Colossians 1. The passage contains a prayer that Paul prayed over the church in Colossae. There is so much that we could learn from his prayer, both in how to pray for others and in what he saw as important for those who followed Christ.

We focused in on three main parts of Paul’s prayer:

  • That we would have knowledge, wisdom, & understanding
  • That we would be strengthened by God’s glorious power
  • And, that we would be full of joy and thankfulness.

Each aspect of the prayer came with a reason. Ultimately, Paul is reminding the Colossians that everything they need or desire can be found in Christ. That if they pursue a deep understanding of the truth of God’s amazing grace, everything else will flow out of that. It’s a powerful truth that we need to be continually reminded of.

You can watch the video below:

Colossians 1:1–8

January 26, 2012 in Spirituality, VCC 0

Last week we launched a series on the book of Colossians. It’s going to take us a few months to get through this amazing book found in the middle of the New Testament.

I thought I’d offer a brief summary of each message here on my blog along with the video of each week’s message.

Colossians 1:1–8

We began by looking at an overview of the book along with Paul’s opening comments to the people of Colossae. Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter at the request of Epaphras, who started the Colossian church. The church had begun to take various teachings from other religious groups and spiritual cults and added them to the gospel message. As a result, they began placing significant burdens on those who simply wanted to be a follower of Christ.

Paul writes this letter to remind the Colossians of the incredible amazing truth of the good news: Jesus did it all. There is nothing we bring to the equation. In fact, as soon as we try to bring something to the gospel message, we weaken its power. As Tullian Tchividjian puts it in his book Jesus + Nothing = Everything, when we recognize that we offer nothing, then we finally experience the everything that Jesus offers.

I was amazed at how freeing this message was for so many. The comments I received from people after both services was very encouraging. It seemed people are getting just how awesome the good news truly is.

Anyway, I encourage you to take time to watch the following video. Keep in mind that the audio is a little screwy at the beginning of the message, but it does get better.

Ready To Grow Deeper?

January 24, 2012 in Spirituality, VCC 0

A few weeks ago I shared my vision message for 2012. In that talk, I suggested that 2012 would be the year that we would be challenged to grow in spiritual maturity. I quoted Colossians 2:7 which says,

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (nlt)

I suggested in that message that there are a number of ways that we can become rooted in God. One of the key ways is through small groups.

Tonight, we launch the next phase of our Submerge classes. We have two topics we’re coving this session. The first is a woman’s only group focusing on a book by Beth Moore. The second is open to both men and women and goes through Philip Yancey’s book, “The Jesus I Never Knew”. Both promise to be excellent studies.

Let me encourage you to join us tonight for the Submerge gathering. As the passage quoted above suggests, nothing will cause us to experience thankfulness more than to be rooted in God.

Ready to grow deeper?

For those who missed the vision message, here it is:

Shayna Conway

December 22, 2011 in Family, Spirituality 2

Most of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook already know that it’s been an incredibly difficult week for many of the people connected to Bikers Church.

It was a week ago this morning that news began to filter out about a tragic shooting on a quiet road near Claresholm, Alberta. An ex-boyfriend rammed a vehicle off the road, killing three people and seriously wounding one other. The wounded victim turned out to be Shayna Conway, a beautiful young lady who I love like a daughter. Her dad, Scott, has been an active member of the church almost since it’s beginnings, and currently lives with my family.

The news rocked us. Obviously. At first, we had no idea what condition Shayna was in. When Scott finally made his way to the Calgary hospital where Shayna was taken, he began to update us on her condition. She would live, but the road to recovery would take time.

In the past week, I’ve taken on the role of spokesperson for the family. I was grateful that the family asked me to do that, because it allows me to do something tangible. As many of you can imagine, those who love Shayna and her family just want to step up and help in whatever way they can.

Today, one week after the shooting, Shayna continues to recover in ICU. We are praying that later today, doctors will be able to remove the breathing tube so that she can begin to speak. Until that time, Shayna communicates mainly by writing out letters on the palm of her parent’s hands. She was using paper, but holding their hands allows things to be more intimate.

While Shayna continues her recovery, the other families mourn their losses. Tabitha’s funeral was yesterday. As I type these words, Mitch’s funeral is taking place in PEI. Tomorrow, Tanner will be remembered. The shooter’s family, also grieving this week, will hold a private funeral. Our prayers go out to all four families during this incredibly difficult time.

Shayna’s mom and dad will be by her side as long as she is in Calgary. As you can imagine, that is challenging financially. Even after Shayna is released from hospital, she will have a long journey ahead of her. To help support the family, a trust fund has been set up. If you’d like to help out, here’s the info:

TD Canada Trust
Branch # 80679
Account # 6480005

If you have a blog, it would be great if you would take a minute and pass on that information.

This will likely be my final post before Christmas, and so let me take a minute to wish all my friends a very Merry Christmas. It is in the midst of tragedy that I am reminded again of the incredible message that God came near. He is there in the hospital with Shayna. He is there, surrounding the families of those who are grieving during this season. And, he is there with you.

Merry Christmas.

Fear Not

December 20, 2011 in Spirituality 0

Yes, I’m still around. Hopefully, I’ll get back to blogging more in the new year.

In the meantime, take a few minutes and check out this great post by Fred Sanders.

Merry Christmas!

Hey Haters

December 8, 2011 in Spirituality 0

Steven Futrick reposted this video and I was reminded of how much I love it. Had to share it with you.

7 Billion

October 31, 2011 in Spirituality 0

Well, we’ve gone and done it. We’ve hit 7 Billion people. According to the World Population Data Sheet, it only took 12 years to get from 6 to 7 Billion people. To put that into perspective, we didn’t hit 1 Billion people until 1800. It then took us 130 years to double in size to 2 Billion. Since then, the amount of time it’s taken to add another Billion people continues to shrink. At our current rate, we’ll hit 10 Billion people by 2100. That’s a lot of people!

The question is: what are we going to do with them all?

Some believe we are going to experience a crisis of overcrowding. They’re probably right. Although, living in a country with the amount of space that we have here in Canada, it would seem we could handle a few more people. Still, a crisis is looming.

But it’s not all bad news. I believe population growth also provides incredible opportunities. Jesus said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.” (Matthew 9:37). There is a great harvest opportunity. It’s incredible to realize that God loves each of the 7 Billion people alive today. And, he knows each one by name. Wow.

It’s Beginning To Look Like Christmas

October 25, 2011 in Spirituality 7

Wow, I can’t believe how little I’ve posted in the past few weeks. Sorry about that. One of the things I’m finding is that so much of what I say can be done via Twitter or Facebook. So, if you have not yet done so, please follow me on Twitter or add me as a friend on Facebook.

Now, I realize that some of you cursed me a little when you read the title of this post. You don’t want to think about the fact that as of today, there is exactly two months until Christmas. Yes, that might seem like a long time from now, however we are about to see a deluge of Christmas advertising. Most stores will wait until next week — after Halloween — to set up their displays. But, a few have already begun doing so. As a result, I want to make these comments now.

What if we did Christmas differently? What if we made the decision to not allow ourselves to get caught up in the commercialization of the season? I’m not suggesting that we don’t buy our loved ones a few gifts, but what if we didn’t rack up credit cards, purchase totally unnecessary items, and made Christmas to be all about what we give to and get from others. What if everyone reading this made the decision that for every dollar they spend on gifts, they will donate a dollar to a charity in the name of their family? Radical, I know. But, worth considering, isn’t it?

We all know the true meaning of the Christmas season. It’s about God incarnate — being born a baby — so that we might come back into relationship with him. It’s about sacrifice, love that encompasses all, and giving everything. Shouldn’t the way we celebrate the season resemble that in some way?

Take some time now, before you’re smack in the middle of the craziness of the season, to decide how you’ll celebrate Christmas this year. I know I am.

How do you keep Christmas in perspective? Are there things you do in order to make sure you don’t lose sight of the true meaning of the season? Share your thoughts in the comments section so that others can read them.

Quoting Hebrews

October 16, 2011 in Spirituality 1

When I was in Bible College, I had a course where I had to memorize 30 scripture passages. It was tough to do.

I can’t imagine doing what this preacher did … he memorized the entire book of Hebrews. I encourage you to sit and listen to him recite the book … sometimes the most powerful messages are the ones where the preacher just lets the words of Scripture speak for themselves. Seriously … wow.

Defining Pentecostals

September 28, 2011 in Spirituality 1

My last post generated quite a few comments (and a couple of private emails). Many of you are curious to know more about what Pentecostals believe.

This past summer, The Meeting House, a church with a number of locations (mostly in Southern Ontario), did a series called “One Church.” They had leaders from various denominations come and share what they believed.

Dr. Van Johnson, the Dean of Master’s Seminary, spoke on behalf of the Pentecostal movement. He does an absolutely amazing job at sharing the story of the Pentecostal Church. It is worth watching.

Unfortunately, I can’t embed their videos. So, you’ll have to go to their site to watch it.

Here’s how to find the video:

Go here: www.themeetinghouse.ca

Click on “Teachings”

On the left side, find “One Church (Jun 11)”

On the right side, scroll down to “#7: Pentecostal (with Van Johnson)”

I would suggest watching the video.

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