[image: Youth March 31st, 2023.png]

So this Sunday I will begin a 4 part sermon series which will be my last 4
sermons preached in Grenfell (the end of April is going to come really
fast).

The series is simply called “The Gospel” and will be structured as follows:

April 2nd – “He Loves Me.”
April 9th – “I Have Sinned.”
April 16th – “He Died for Me”
April 23rd – “I Must Decide”

This would be a great series to invite a friend to and if you catch all
four I believe you will be better equipped to share the gospel with others.
And, it’s never a bad idea to hear the incredible message of the gospel and
let it reinvigorate your faith.

Also, April 7th is our good Friday service which will be very similar to
previous years. The church will be open from 9am to noon and you are
encouraged to come when it best suits you to work through our
“contemplative service” aimed to help us remember and celebrate our Lord’s
death for us.

April 9th is Easter and we’ll be celebrating in our typical fashion so
please make that a priority.

Finally, April 16th is another potluck Sunday… and which will likely be
my last, so lets make it a potluck to remember.

Have a great afternoon, hopefully spring will actually come at some
point….

Blessings,

Dave

[image: Youth March 24th, 2023.png]

Recently I have been reading through the book of Job as I work my way
through the bible this year. I’ve chosen to read a chronological reading
plan this year which has made my reading of the bible a “fresh” experience.
If anyone is looking at a way to reinvigorate their bible reading, I’d give
it a try.

Job can be a tough book to read. It’s hard to know who is speaking the
truth, who is just spouting platitudes and where the book is trying to
educate us on suffering or even give us examples of how NOT to deal with
someone who is suffering. However,as I have been reading it this time I’ve
noticed a couple of interesting points where Job is pouring out his heart.
In Job 10:29-33, he says in reference to God:

“29 Since I am already found guilty,
why should I struggle in vain?
30 Even if I washed myself with soap
and my hands with cleansing powder,
31 you would plunge me into a slime pit
so that even my clothes would detest me.
32 He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him,
that we might confront each other in court.
33 If only there were someone to mediate between us,
someone to bring us together,”

What struck me is that there is a mediator between us and God! His name is
Jesus Christ and that without him we would literally as Job described –
unable to be cleansed no matter what. We would be guilty as charged.
Without Christ as our mediator we would literally be thrown into a slime
pit, fit to be discarded. Do we really appreciate what Christ has done and
who he is?

Another passage that struck me is Job 19:25-27

“25 I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!”

This is an amazing piece of Old Testament writing. I believe that Job was
speaking prophetically here, because indeed there is a redeemer and he will
stand on the earth again at some point and we WILL see him, even after our
body has wasted away and been destroyed. Does my heart yearn within me to
see Christ? Is there a deep longing within us to be with him? Do we know
that he lives? That he wants to know us and that he can be known?

I wanted to share these because I think it’s a good reminder that the Old
Testament can teach us so much about Christ and helps us understand how
incredible he is They also start to get us ready for the Easter Season…
which is rapidly approaching!

Pastor Mike will be preaching this weekend and Rachel Kardash will be
leading worship so please pray for both of them. Also, April 7th is good
Friday and we’ll be having a contemplative service again from 9 am to noon.
As always there will be several stations to work through that lead us to
the cross of Christ. Come anytime between 9 and noon and work your way
through the stations at your own pace.

Blessings,

Pastor Dave

This is the letter I read in church this morning…

Dear Church,

Grenfell has been home for us for about 8.5 years. It has been an
incredible experience and we are grateful for everything that God has done
and for the way that this church has supported us and cared for us as our
family grew and our kids grew up. We feel very blessed. While there have
been challenging moments, by and large this has been an overwhelmingly
positive experience. It’s hard to believe that when we first came we were
thinking we’d stay between 1-2 years. Thank you for all of the incredible
memories and for trusting us and walking with us.

For the past year or so I have felt somewhat unsettled in my job here. I’ve
heard other pastors say things like their “grace had lifted.” Well, that’s
perhaps the best way to describe how I feel. Ever since covid ended, it’s
honestly felt like the grace and favor that I once had as pastor has lifted
– a sign for me that God is calling us to move on and we feel very strongly
that we need to obey. On top of that we have felt for some time that we
wanted to live closer to Liz’s family in Pennsylvania. We have accepted a
call to Pastor a church in southern Ontario that would put us about 8 hours
drive from Liz’s family.

With the board’s approval given this week this is our plan. April 30th will
be my last day as lead pastor. I have several holidays to use up and so I
will use those up for May and then sometime in June we will plan on moving.

We know that this is going to be a difficult goodbye for us. You are like
family. We love you all dearly. There will be moments of sadness. However,
this is also an opportunity for bigger and better things. God has something
really good in store for us and God has something really good in store for
Grenfell. God is in control and he can be trusted.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. Please
pray for the board and the elders. Please get involved and volunteer to
help. Please follow Jesus and get to know him. Be a disciple of Jesus. He
is worthy of your obedience, your worship and your life.

Blessings,

Pastor Dave

In 2010, Liz and I were living in the Philippines. We’d been married less
than 2 years and Judah was only a few months old. We were busy doing lots
of things, enjoying a very fulfilling life as missionaries. Life was good.
But it would turn ugly for a few weeks in mid-January. I remember very
clearly a day driving my motorbike to an orphanage that we partnered with
called Living Stones. I had some business to do with their director who was
also the board chair of the organization we worked with. I remembered
feeling “off” as I drove my bike home in the heat, but chalked it up to the
heat.

Later that night Liz and I would both awaken to extreme cold sweats, our
bed literally drenched. We started to get severe fevers and both felt like
we had been hit with a mack truck. A day or so later we were both diagnosed
with dengue fever. A virus that you can catch from a mosquito bite. It
turned into almost 2 weeks of being extremely ill. Like a flu on steroids.
We went days on end with a high fever, no appetite, aches and pains and an
itchy rash that was almost unbearable. By the end of two weeks, I’d hardly
slept and poor little Judah was left in the crib by himself other than to
nurse… I honestly don’t know how Liz did it. I was worried about Liz, I
was worried about Judah and the lack of sleep and fever made it feel like I
was starting to lose my mind – literally, I was starting to see and think
things that didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I remember kneeling by my bed
one night crying out to God for help and for strength to get through this.
I really felt like I couldn’t go on – which was probably not the case, but
that’s how I felt.

The next morning I texted my friend Lou and asked if he could come and just
sit with me. Shortly after he came bearing Pop Royal (the Filipino version
of Orange Crush) and spent some time just sitting, talking and praying with
me. It was exactly what I needed. I needed to be grounded. I needed to hear
someone else’s voice. I needed to know that things were not as dark as I
thought. I needed to know that we were not alone. I needed to be prayed
for. I needed a hug. I needed to get outside of my head and see the world a
bit differently. I needed community,

His visit was a turning point for me. It was what I prayed for. I had
prayed for strength and it came through Lou. God didn’t show up with a
legion of angels. My friend Lou showed up. God works in our lives, often
through the people he has put in our lives. Now hopefully our lives don’t
have too many moments like dengue fever might give us, but there will be
moments for many of us when we need help and support and likely God will
use people to provide those things. The question is, are we connected to
people? Do we have Christian brothers and sisters in our lives? As
imperfect a thing it may be, Sunday gatherings and things like pot-lucks
are the primary way we at least enter into community with other believers.
And when the time comes, when that phone call or helping hand is needed,
we’ll have the community we need. I believe that if we shut ourselves off
from community we shut ourselves off from one of the main ways God wants to
work in our lives and bless us.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says “And let us consider how we may spur one another on
toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in
the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see
the Day approaching.”

Our church attendance has declined since covid began. Lots of reasons why.
Some are just the natural flow of life. Some because of covid. Some of us
have gotten busy. Some of us have gotten distracted and pulled away ever
since covid started. Some of us are disgruntled and stuck looking for
negatives. Some of us wish things could be like they used to be. Some of us
have given up because we are hurt or offended. Some of us are just lazy or
priorities have changed. Whatever the case, if the enemy has pulled you
away from the community, then he is winning. He is literally disconnecting
you from a conduit of God’s blessing. Don’t let him win. If you need to
change something, do it! If you see a need a hole in what we do here – fill
it! If you don’t like something, “consider how we may spur one another on
toward love and good deeds.” You may need someone or someone may need you.
Whatever the case, DON’T GIVE UP MEETING TOGETHER, God wants to work in you
and through you.

[image: Youth March 3rd, 2023.png]

Good morning everyone. This Sunday is another Potluck! Please be ready to
join us and bring your favourite dish as well as some extra for any
visitors. As always our potluck Sundays are “Family Sundays” and our kids
will be staying upstairs for the service. We have a very special guest
coming Sunday morning! Definitely worth coming to see.

I will be making an important announcement this Sunday and for those who
can’t attend I’ll post something on our facebook page sometime Sunday
afternoon as well as send out another email, however, I believe that this
is something worth being here for.

I’ll send out a longer Pastor’s Garage email sometime tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Dave

Good morning. I am emailing you from the ACOP head office this morning in
Calgary. I’ve once again had the privilege of sitting on the Global Harvest
leadership team for another year. It’s been awesome to serve and to see and
hear what God is doing around the globe. I’ll be flying home later this
afternoon. Please pray for uneventful travels. This Sunday Liz and I will
be out at Jacob Bear church so please pray for that service. Pastor Mike
will be speaking in Grenfell so please pray for him…. and here is Pastor
Mike’s message:

—————————

*Pastor Mike’s Garage-Mar 9/2023*

“The enemy comes but to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you
might have life, and life more abundantly!” John 10:10

How’s the battle going? We have an enemy that is actively trying to steal,
kill and destroy! He try’s to do that on a variety of fronts. There are
attacks on our health, our relationships, our finances, and a variety of
other external areas in our lives. And then there are the internal attacks.
The ones that affect our potential, our calling, our gifts, our self
awareness and our self confidence! I’ve heard it said the strongest
battlefield is the one for the mind!

I won’t lie to you, I have been in a season of struggle as of late. I’ve
been doing a lot of self evaluation, trying to become more self aware, and
have struggled with some self loathing! I tend to read into situations and
comments, or lack thereof, way too much while trying to gauge others
thoughts or opinions about me. I overthink things on a regular basis. After
the fact I obsess with things I have said or done, evaluating my motives or
presentation. While I think with some small measure it is healthy to spend
time taking a honest look in the mirror, it can quickly become unhealthy,
especially considering we have a adversary whispering lies in our ears, and
heart about who we are! I’ve heard it said, if you want to become more
selfless, you need to start thinking about self less!

If there are thoughts of doubt about how God could use you in any given
situation, you have to realize that as much as you could possibly care, or
want to make a difference, He cares more! He can open the door, set the
stage, make a way, soften a heart far better than we could ever hope too!
Don’t worry, He’s got this, its not up to you and your abilities or lack
thereof! He promises to equip us, give us wisdom, give us the strength,
give us the words, give us the insight, give us the power as we rely on
Him! He who called you IS faithful! He who has begun a good work in you
WILL complete it! It’s NOT about you or how much knowledge, strength,
ability or charisma you have! He’s also not limited by your weaknesses, or
past failures for that matter either! We need to take our eyes off this
momentary affliction and fix them on Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith! You want to talk about being weak, take a good look at every single
one of the great men and women God chose to use in the bible! All had
character flaws! All had past failures! All had doubts and fears! All had
dessert, wilderness experiences! Yet God chose to use them to write history
for His glory! Be encouraged today, He has come to give you life, and life
more abundantly! Take your eyes off self, take them off situations, take
them off what this world has to offer, and fix them on Jesus!

“Now may the God of peace Himself, sanctify you completely, and may your
whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, He will surely do it!” 1
Thessalonians 2:23-24

Pastor Mike

Good afternoon.

This Sunday I am going to be sharing about seeking God. In preparation I’d
like you to read Jeremiah 29:1-14.

We are planning on having a time of quiet and prayer at the end of the
service, so please come prepared to spend time in God’s presence.

Please pray for me as I share God’s word and please pray for Rachel Kardash
as she leads us in worship.

Blessings on your weekend!

Pastor Dave

<www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail>
Virus-free.www.avast.com
<www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail>
<#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>