We will Remember

A couple weeks ago I discovered an amazing song called “We Will Remember” by Tommy Walker. If you have never heard it before check it out on youtube. Here are the words to the song:

Chorus

We will remember, we will remember
We will remember the works of Your hands
We will stop and give you praise
For great is Thy faithfulness

You’re our creator, our life sustainer
Deliverer, our comfort, our joy
Throughout the ages You’ve been our shelter
Our peace in the midst of the storm

With signs and wonders You’ve shown Your power
With precious blood You showed us Your grace
You’ve been our helper, our liberator
The giver of life with no end

[Chorus]

When we walk through life’s darkest valleys
We will look back at all You have done
And we will shout, our God is good
And He is the faithful One

Bridge
Hallelujah, hallelujah
To the one from whom all blessings flow
Hallelujah, hallelujah
To the one whose glory has been shown

[Chorus]

I still remember the day You saved me
The day I heard You call out my name
You said You loved me and would never leave me
And I’ve never been the same

[Chorus]

(inspired by Neh. 9:16, Ps. 77:11, 12)
Tommy Walker WeMobile Music ©2005 CCLI #4556277

The words of the last verse really spoke to me:

I still remember the day You saved me
The day I heard You call out my name
You said You loved me and would never leave me
And I’ve never been the same

“I still remember the day You saved me” I can not tell you the exact day or date because I was only 7 years old. But I do remember being enrolled as a Junior Soldier and reciting my Junior Soldier Pledge which at the time said something like this (I may not have it exactly word for word).

“Having asked God for forgiveness I will trust Him to keep me good because Jesus is my Saviour from sin I will be His loving and obedient child and will try to help others to follow Him. I promise to pray, read my bible and by His help to lead a life that is clean thought, word and deed. I also promise not to take intoxicating drinks, harmful drugs, and tobacco.”

I didn’t fully understand the importance of those words at the time, but what I did know was that Jesus was now my friend and Saviour and that He loved me and He lived in my heart.

As I grew older and graduated from Junior Soldiers to Corps cadets and then in May 1994 was enrolled as a Senior Soldier and the years since then through many changes, challenges and struggles the one thing that has been real and constant in my life has been and continues to be my faith in God. I can not imagine my life without the Lord and His daily presence!

Today I am so very thankful that as a child someone took the time to teach me about God and now I have the same opportunity to share with children that God loves them! What a wonderful privilege!

Do you remember that day Jesus saved you? If so why not share it with me or maybe with someone you know who needs to know about the saving power of Jesus and the difference He can make in their life.

And if you have never asked Jesus to be your Saviour and forgive your sins, or if you remember serving Him as a child but you since walked away, you can still come back to Him. He will forgive your sins all you have to do is ask Him!

Ok now its your turn to share… Do you remember the day Jesus saved you?

Unexpected Blessings

Some of the greatest blessings I have received as a Youth Worker at church have often come at the most unexpected times. In teaching a Sunday school class of often hyper3 to 8 year olds one never really knows what to expect from one week to the next. Some classes go by pretty smoothly and other time I am left wondering if I have any hair left in my head!!

A good example of the 'unexpected' blessings occurred today. On Wednesday afternoon I had a short after school practice with the children to go over their Parts and hand bells songs for this morning. The children were hyper and it left me to wonder how things would turn out on Sunday morning when they stood before the congregation. Well of course as I am sure you can guess, the children all did wonderful during the service - said their Parts and played the Bells without any mishap. That in itself was a blessing but not the 'unexpected' blessing of the morning....

After the children did their Parts we sang the song 'Jesus loves me' 3 of the children decided they wanted to sing the chorus at the mic up by the pulpit. To hear those little voices singing "Yes Jesus loves me the bible tells me so" made up for all the headaches and frustrations. What a wonderful reminder of why I do what I do!! I don't teach Sunday school because I have to... as in I feel obligated or because I am bored on Sunday afternoon and have nothing else to do. I do it because I HAVE to, because children need to know that Jesus does love them and that the Bible tells them about His love! I do it because I am called by God to teach them. Its not always easy and there are lots of challenges along the way but I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

So that was my 'unexpected' blessing today. Did you have an 'unexpected' blessing today? Why not share it with me either in a comment or send it to my inbox.

God bless!!

The Real Meaning of Easter

At Christmas time we often hear of people talking about the ‘real’ meaning of Christmas. We see slogans like “Keep Christ in Christmas” & “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”. This is done so that children and adults will remember that Christmas is not just about Santa, gifts and decorations but we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour - Jesus.

Have you noticed though we do not have the same slogans for Easter. There is no - Jesus is the Reason for the Easter Season, or Keep the Empty Tomb in Easter. Why is that? Is it because we figure that everyone knows the ‘real’ meaning of Easter? Is it because the Easter Bunny doesn’t get as much focus as Santa so we figure the children know that there is more to Easter than the bunny? Or have we taken it for granted that people know the real meaning behind Good Friday and Easter Sunday because of all the Holy week services?

A couple Sundays ago I had the opportunity to talk with my Sunday school class about Easter. Several of the children are 4 years old, one was 6 and the other 7 I was curious to know their thoughts and ideas about Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Why do we as a church celebrate Easter? What happened on Good Friday? Aside from the Easter bunny what happens on Easter Sunday morning? I was a little shocked and saddened to discover that the children who were there that day did not know what happened on Good Friday and did not know much about Easter Sunday. It was an eye opening time for me.

We take it for granted I think that because we know about the Cross and the empty tomb that the children know it as well. But many of them don’t. And for many they will grow up never really knowing the ‘real’ meaning of Easter. Sadly our faith in God is not something that we can just pass on to our families. They have to learn about Him themselves. But if we don’t teach them how will they know? If they never attend Sunday school or a church service how will they learn about God and His love for them? As adults who attended church as children we can make the educated choice on whether or not we want to now attend church, believe in God, etc. But what about the children who never attend a Sunday school or a church service? How will they choose when they have never been taught? I think those are important questions that we all need to think about and answer for ourselves in these days.

Whether you are single like me or have children or even grandchildren we all need to know and share the real meaning of Easter. Jesus loved each of us so much that He was willing to die on a cross, was buried, and rose again 3 days later. And that by believing that He died for our sins and asking His forgiveness we all may have eternal life.

May we share with our family and friends this Easter the ‘Real’ meaning of Easter! God bless!!

Thought to Ponder

I remember when I was in University and whenever I would come home for summer vacation I always looked forward to seeing some of the Officers who would be home on vacation as well. One officer in particular at some point during the summer would ask me, "So Jennifer, how's your soul?" It was usually asked on a Sunday nite as we were waiting in the lobby to sake the officer's hand as we were heading out the door. My response was usually something like 'good' or 'great' or 'something along those lines... It wasn't a question that stirred a theological debate it was simple and straight to the point.

As I was thinking about this tonite I thought about how that simple question stayed with me through the years. This person didn't know the challenges I faced, the burdens I carried, how my week went, if I was close to God or walking far off... He just cared enough to ask 'How's your soul?' A simple but powerful witness!

Sometimes we feel we can't witness because we don't know what to say or how we would answer questions if asked. Why not try the question "How's your soul?" For someone who is struggling in their walk with God it may be the means of starting a conversation that could help bring them back on the right path. For someone who isn't a born again Christian it could be the means of explaining the gospel story and to a born again believer it could be a means of encouraging them in their journey of faith as they share what God is doing in their lives. The possibilities are endless!

So tonite I ask you, my friends who read my blog from time to time, how is your soul?

How would we rate?

I don’t know how many who read my blogs have read the book of Revelation. It is the last book in the Bible. I am attending a Bible Study each week that is focusing on the book of Revelation. On Friday we looked at chapters 2 and 3. These chapters contain letters to seven churches. Some of the churches were described as ‘lukewarm’ others were suffering but encouraged to hold fast to what they believed, and others were told they needed to ‘shape up’ - repent and return to the Lord.

I can’t help but wonder, if someone were to write a letter today about my church and the churches in the area where I live what would the letters contain? Would we be seen as lukewarm? Or people who have forsaken the Lord and need to return to Him? Or would we be seen as persevering, holding steadfast to the gospel in spite of hardships and difficulties.

I am sure we would all like to think that we would fall into the third category - standing firm to the gospel. But I wonder, is that what Jesus sees when He looks at us? When we gather on a Sunday to worship Him and then how we live throughout the week are we ‘lights in the midst of darkness’? Or is our lights hidden and dimmed by the world in which we live?

What about your church? What do you think ‘John’ would say about the congregation at (fill in the name)? While we can not control what others say and do, we need to be sure that we are among those who are found faithful - standing firm, persevering, not swayed by the world but determined to live out our faith each and every day, not ‘lukewarm, sitting on the fence people.

I like how Paul describes it in his letter to the Church at Ephesus. Ephesians 6:10-21 (The Message Translation) says:
10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

13-18Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Wonderful words of encouragement from Paul! Words that applied to the church in Ephesus in his day and apply to my church and your church today.

Mission Statement for 2010

Last night I listened to a message by Pastor Jonathan Falwell online (I usually watch the services live online on Sundays but when I don't see them live I watch them later in the week as they are posted on the TRBC website at www.trbc.org.) At the beginning of his message Pastor Jonathan gave us a mission statement - not some big fancy church mission statement - but rather a personal mission statement, one that each of us can take and apply to our lives. The mission statement said,

In 2010 and beyond, I will be ACTING RIGHT, STANDING STRONG, STANDING TOGETHER, FEARING NOTHING and ENDURING ANYTHING WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL IN MIND of bringing glory to God!

Based on the following passage:

Philippians 1:27-30 (New International Version)

^"27Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel ²⁸without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ²⁹For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have."

Pastor Jonathan went on to explain how we each of those things can be possible in our lives. Now I was doing pretty good until he got to 'FEARING NOTHING'. My first thought was how is it possible? How can a person who has undergone panic attacks for several years fear nothing? Of course we all have fears and worries and concerns in our lives BUT I am learning every single day that God is GREATER than all those fears.

A couple verses came to my mind after I listened to Pastor Jonathan's sermon and they are verses that I have written down and am not just memorizing for the sake of memorizing scripture but I am memorizing them so that when I am afraid, when the old fears come and threaten to steal my peace and joy I will be able to stand firm on God's Word and in His strength.

The first verse is 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
- New Living Translation

The second one is Isaiah 41:10 and while many may know this verse from the NIV translation I decided to check out The Message translation and it says the following:

'Don't panic. I'm with you. There is no need to fear for I am your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.'

What wonderful words!! Amazing!! Those two verses are ones that I am claiming for my life because I know that 2010 will hold MANY challenging days! And I am so thankful that God has a firm grip on me and that when the fears come and threaten to steal my peace of mind I can think of these verses and remind myself that greater is HE that is in me than he that is in the world!

Do you have a personal mission statement for 2010 and beyond? If not maybe you need to consider the mission statement that I quoted earlier. We will all face many challenges and struggles in 2010 and beyond but It is so much better to face those things with God... than without God.

God bless!

Jan 2009 / Jan 2010

I was looking at my blog today and my first post in January of last year which was the following....

January 2009 - A New Year...
Welcome to my first blog entry!

I decided to call this blog "Thoughts and Reflections" as the entries will contain my ramblings, rants and ponderings throughout the coming months.

As I reflect on 2008, my thoughts are clouded with many difficult and trying days. Challenging days at work, panic attacks that worsened with each passing day, and many tough decisions including quitting one of my part-time jobs because of the harsh working conditions I faced. 2008 held many diffcult days... but I thank the Lord that He gave me the strength and courage I needed to get through each one.

As I begin 2009, I am looking ahead to this new year with a sense of hope and anticipation. I believe that God has new and greater things in store for me. Yes, the panic attacks are still there, yes there are MANY challenges that lie ahead but I know that God is Faithful. I know that He is with me and that no matter the struggle I can "Do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
..........................................................................................................

When I think back to how frustrated and discouraged I was feeling last Jan compared to the peace and contentment i am feeling this Jan its amazing!!

Today I listened to the Dec 27th service from Thomas Road Baptist and the speaker Jonathan Falwell talked much about remaining faithful to God in spite of what we face, in spite of the challenges and struggles he reminded all of us that God will not let us down if we remain faithful to Him He will see us through.

I can truly testify to that! Over the past year and the years before that there were many days when the only thing I was sure of and the only thing that I could cling to was that I was certain that God would somehow bring me through....

And so I start Jan 2010 with hope and determination. I am confident that He who began a good work in me will see it to completion... And as I said in Jan 2009 I know that no matter the struggle I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'

I know that my work with the youth at Jubilee is only the beginning of what God has in mind for me. I praise Him for His faithfulness and for leading me not in the way that I thought was best but in the way that HE KNEW was best for me.

I was reminded of these words today and they are my prayer as well:

I want dear Lord, a soul on fire for thee,
A soul baptized with heavenly energy;
A willing mind, a ready hand
To do whate'er I know.
To spread thy light wherever I may go.

Passion for Him in 2010

I listened to a service online tonite and the Pastor was talking about having a Passion for God, one of the catch phrases he used was: Passion for HIM in 2010. As this is the beginning of a new year and a new decade everyone seems to be hyped about the coming year and what it has in store. We look back over the past decade and recall the many happy and sad moments of our lives. We rejoiced as we welcomed the birth of a baby for a family member or friend, we cried as during times of sickness and loss.

What about spiritual issues? I don’t know about you but over the past few years I have seen a steady decline in church attendances in my community province and country. It seems that even 10 years ago attending church was more of a priority than it is now. Making sure that children attended Sunday school was on the top of the list. Attending Bible Study or Prayer meetings was of utmost importance and if someone wasn’t there you called wondering why not. What has happened?? Sadly it seems that many feel that church isn’t relevant to their lives today, they were ‘forced’ to go when they were children and now they refuse to attend or ‘make’ their children go.

While I can understand the reasoning, it means that there is a whole generation coming up who know less and less about Jesus! What so many are failing to realize is that at least they were able to make an educated choice - they went to church and decided of their own free will this was not something they wanted to do now. But for the children and young people who are never brought to church or Sunday school how will they be able to make an educated choice when they get older? Let me give you an example.

When I was in University I became friends with a girl named Michele. Michele was a praciticing Pagan - she was involved in Wicca. Michele over time explained to me how she became a Pagan. She grew up in a home where every so many months her mom would take her and her brothers to church, they would go a couple Sundays and then that would be all again for several months. She did have some friends who attended church and so she did go to Sunday school a few times but never learned much about the bible or God growing up. When she went to University she got interested in the New Age movement and became a practicing pagan. Yes, Michele believed that God existed and that Jesus was God’s Son but she did not believe that He was raised from the dead. Since finishing MUN in 1998 Michele and I have remained good friends and one day a couple years ago I had a letter from her telling me that she had converted to Christianity. She went on in the letter to explain about how she grew up not knowing much at all about God and Paganism seemed like a good choice but thankfully she came to realize that God did love her and through bible reading for a course she was doing she one night gave her heart to God. She went on to tell me how my quiet faith had impressed her. I didn’t try and hit her with the bible or tell her she was wrong I just led by example. It was my witness and the prayers of her grandmother that helped lead her to the Lord.

I tell this story because Michele is like so many that are growing up today. They are lost. They have no spiritual foundation and without a relationship with Jesus they are sinking fast into this world and all that is claims to offer.

When you think about 2010 and the decade that lies ahead what are you passionate about? Do you have a passion for God? A passion to win the lost for Him? For me my passion is for the youth of my area. When I think of the few who come to Sunday school and the many others who go no where my heart aches. At the beginning of 2010 I am not content to know that there are so many children who will never go inside a church door this year but rather will spend each and every weekend at sporting events or at the cabin. I am not content that this generation that is coming up is a generation that knows so little about God. And while I can not change everything and everyone I can reach ONE. The good news is if I reach one and you reach one and so on imagine what a difference we could make!?

Just like I reached my friend Michele there are people that you can reach. Maybe you can offer to give a child a ride to Sunday school or bring a neighbour to church with you, maybe you can offer to babysit so that a mom can attend a women’s group at church , etc. Or maybe your church needs helpers with Sunday school, greeters, ushers etc. Whatever it is let’s have a PASSION FOR HIM IN 2010!

My prayer is that this year and decade we will see a revival sweep our land. That the churches will be bursting at the doors with men and women, boys and girls once again. Is it just a dream? It is possible?? Of course it is possible! NOTHING is impossible with God! But this will only happen if you and I get Passionate about HIM. Revival must first of all take place in our own hearts and lives.

So again I ask, what are you passionate about in 2010? Are you passionate for God? Begin today by developing a love for Him and His Word and you will develop a passion for Him that will change your spiritual life and will change the lives of those around you.

Let’s be have a Passion for Him in 2010!

God Bless!!