www.roncesvalleshealthfair.com
Join in this healthy community building event on Nov 27, at 1:30pm at our church building.
Two key organizers, Linda and Donna, have just completed another visit and trip through the building. We are all super excited for this amazing community event to happen in our space for the benefit, blessing and building of whole health in our neighbours.
I will be there! 
Have you seen the Matrix? Well, in the same way that Neo was awoken by Morpheus from the life sucking pod of the Matirx Machines, so humans need to be born again or regenerated by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
One of my great terrors is that people I care about can be nice and successful citizens (irreligious or religious), yet never ever become truly, spiritually alive to God. The consequence of that status is that they stand to forfeit all the joy and experience of what actually matters eternally.
We are all born once as humans, but God can make us reborn and alive to Him. He causes us to become fully and finally alive. Are you saved?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ turns lost and spiritually dead human into born again, ransomed, justified Christian. Have you had that experience?
Click here for the audio and see if you have: Nov 14 Sacred Seed 7 Salvation
Here are some additional resources for experiences after hearing the sermon…
Listen to Third Day’s song “Born Again“
Read Finally Alive by John Piper
Our Sacred Seed Series grows this Sunday as we plant Sacred Seed #7 with a sermon on Salvation. How is that for alliteration.
As I wrap up my day of message “prayparation” (I made that word up), I thought a fun way to get your mental and spiritual soil soft and stirred for Sunday’s sermon is through a brief diagnostic survey. It is not exhaustive or perfect, but it originated from my initial study sessions and prayer times for yall. I am sending you this so that you can begin thinking about this sacred seed and considering which friends, neighbours and colleagues to invite to this seed planting event on Sunday at 10:30am. Okay, here is your survey:
Sacred Seed 7: Your Specific Salvation Survey
Can you spot the oddity? What is funny, wrong with this picture that I took at Hart House Circle on the walk back from the Graham Library at Trinity College, U of Toronto. Tim Roddick already found it when I sent it out on facebook!
Image via Wikipedia
I love listening to stuff that makes me think accurately, exercise easily, feel deeply, laugh heartily and dance crazily. I especially love music that inspires me to live for Christ more!
This morning is a glorious fall morning to stroll the grounds UofT-St.George campus then access their theological library as I prep for Sunday’s sermon on “Salvation”. As I now walk out of the church study, out the church door and hop on the College street car; I will be listening to this song on repeat! I hope it inspires your day today too!
Here is a quote from a song that is inspiring my ministry.
Casting Crowns, Until the Whole World Hears
“I want to be your hands and feet. I want to live a life that leads. To see you set the captive free, until the whole world hears. And I pray that they will see, more of you and less of me. Lord I want my life to be the song you sing!” – Casting Crowns in their song ‘until the whole world hears’”
That is MY heart’s prayer! Thanks Casting Crowns.
Here is a video telling the story behind the church band that made this song!
Good Monday morning Yall,
I wanted to tell you how delightful it was to be a part of the beautiful soul care and powerful spiritual ministry among High Park Baptist Church yesterday! Music, sermon, missionary updates, personal stories, communion, financial offering and prayers. Wonderful and worshipful stuff!
I spoke about the 6th of 12 Sacred Seeds: fulfilling the dignified purpose of being human. The purpose of being human is to be reflective icons of God’s character exercising responsible dominion over the rest of creation. Our Creator King has given all humans, not just Christians, a dignified purpose to fulfill!
Genesis 1:27 (English Standard Version)
26Then God said, ”Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Colossians 1:15 He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Jesus Christ fulfills that mandate from Gen 1:26-27 as the Perfect Representitive, and as the crucified Redeemer and our image Restorer. He came in full humanity to be the light of the world, then was crucified and resurrected to restore the broken image of God in us, then delegated that light of the world function to the church, the new iconic representative sample of the new and fullest humanity God will consummate at the end of time.
One of my favorite humans is the historical figure named John the Baptist. His life a human was dignified and fulfilled by bringing maximum attention to the real Jesus in his own unique way.
The moon has no light of it’s own. It simply REFLECTS the light of the sun into the darkness.
Jesus is the light of the word. He says that his disciples are the light of the world.
The moral of the story, is gaining God glory
The name of Our game, is the fame of his name
There is a commonly known poem that you may have seen around homes and kitchens:
This life is short and soon shall pass,
Only what is done for christ will last!
This post has two purposes:
1. remind you to set your clocks so that you will arrive at your favorite local church on time.
2. Test posting from my IPhone app is successful and frequently repeatable.
Happy Tuesday from the desk of my study at 9 Hewitt Avenue.
Please remember to change you clocks on Saturday night before bed so that you are all on time for church! It is a communion and offering Sunday.
I have just completed a morning of sermon prayer and study for this week’s message, ”Sacred Seed 6: Humanity”. Here is a heads up on the sermon and some question to get you thinking.
The sermon will be focussed on the living out the full dignity of being human.
As humans, we all have a high calling with great dignity from Our Creator King.
That truth, or sacred seed, makes me ask a few questions?
Are the purposes that we spend our dollars and days on worthy reflections of our high calling?
What purpose do our neighbours, colleagues, associates and family members live for? Is it a high enough calling?
Maybe God will use you this week to remind someone of the dignity they have and help them focus thier life on a worthy purpose. I pray the sermon will have such an effect on your hearts. Lives will be impacted by the sacred seed on humanity’s high calling.
What is your life’s purpose?
When I ask you that question, do I sound like Pastor Rick Warren who wrote “Purpose Driven Life“?
To press even deeper with the probing question about purpose: Can you write your purpose in the 140 characters of a tweet? Is it observable by those around you? Is it adequately dignified to be called human?
The purpose of High Park Baptist Church is to make disciple who are “followers of Christ impacting lives in High Park neighbourhoods”.
See you on Sunday for songs, prayers, sermon, communion, offering and socializing.
Reforming an institution rooted in tradition is nearly impossible for one person in one generation! Obama, Burke, Pope John Paul II, Martin Luther, Ghandi, Jesus Christ, Malcolm X, Hillier, You? We need examples and help!
If you are a visionary seeking to lead reformation inside a structured institution, then this is a great book for you. Do you work in a hospital, sports team, school board, religious order or political party? I recommend “A Soldier First” to sports coaches, church pastors, all politicians, health care, financial services and school board leaders. In fact, I think anyone in institutional leadership should read this to understand how to pay the price for leading cultural transformation from inside ‘the room’. Anyone set on improving an institution will value the lessons of this book rooted in high stakes experiences.
Hillier inspired my church leadership by writing memorable events that show lessons about communication, morale, roles, responsibilities, having sense of humour, team building, fielding criticism, influencing public opinion, changing staff, mentorship, family life, etc.
Hillier’s book is useful because leading successful change from inside the system is hard to illustrate. Ask Obama, was elected to make instant, sweeping CHANGE and found there are cement blockades to best intentions for transformation! That is the pain of visionaries inside a bureaucracy set on defending a risk-adverse stability, not structuring and strategizing risking for a worthy mission.
Yesterday was an important day in church history. It was Reformation Day. A pivotal event in global culture occurred when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses – his prescriptions for reforming the Catholic church – to the door of the Wittenburg cathedral door. Well, read about the Martin Luther of the Canadian Military Reformation.
Grab a poppy and read something about our Forces as we approach Remembrance Day. Geo-politically, it is important to be conversant in military issues like arctic sovereignty strategy! There have been a number of recent articles in the media that are worth reading, including the “Time to Lead: The Military” series in the Globe and Mail. Reading this book helped me, as a Canadian citizen, to comprehend the place the Canadian Armed Forces plays in our national identity. too. This book can get you up to speed in the conversation.
There is a border between church and state that must be respected. Religion, war and politics are too often tragically blurred resulting in a case of mistaken identity and personal pain! However, reading this may make me a better leader without militarizing the mission of Jesus Christ. Good luck to you all as you prescribe and model reformation in your institutions and appreciate our military on Remembrance Day!
