-Nyack. Looked like I was going to Virginia (Averett College) and God provided me an offer that was almost a full ride, which was unheard of for a player like me. That lead to me growing in my relationship with Him, and brought me to Brie.
-York Region District School Board. I had no idea how to go about getting an LTO, let alone a contract, yet God had me in right place at right time (a teacher had to take a week off at Rogers and I was there for them to ask me if I would do that next week). Then Mr. Brooks class needed a teacher the week after that, which led to an LTO for the rest of the year. Then the Kindergarten LTO the next year. All the while I was learning so much, including how to go about getting LTO's and apply for contracts and what questions to answer in interviews. Then the contract at Rick Hansen opened up, I was able to get it, and then shortly after I got that job it was evident that I had got a contract just in the nick of time, because they went to a seniority hiring method shortly after that. It would have taken a long time for me to gain the seniority to be able to get hired for a contract if it wasn't for God getting me in when He did. When I look at the timeline of things, it is clear that He was simply blessing me, opening door after door for me, even though I wasn't even trying overly hard to get LTO's or contracts. I was too foolish to realize how important it was to do so. I wasn't in a rush, but God definitely had my back! Thank you Jesus!
-Marrying Brie. It was clear to us that God wanted us to get married when we did. Even though we were broke college students, He provided us with jobs that allowed us to pay off our student loans and even save money. It was absolutely incredible!
-Any time I have ever obeyed God and His Word, I have never been disappointed. It has always paid off to do so. I can't see this being a fluke.
-His Word says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart". I have always found this to be true. I feel His presence. I feel His guidance. He always leads me and guides me when I ask for it. He always leads me down the best paths and works things out when I seek Him and surrender to Him. This is always true. Always consistently true. And along these lines, Romans 8:28 is always proven true in my life. How can this be fluke? A fluke cannot happen 100% of the time. I can't think of any times in my life where this has not been true. Bad things happen, but God is always there leading, guiding and comforting.
-Josiah. The prayer I prayed for the hematoma to be gone right before Brie went in for her ultrasound. He did it! The hematoma was completely gone! A miracle.
-The stories from trustworthy people like Francis Chan about crazy answers to prayers. Prayers for people to be healed and they feel it immediately. Or the time where they needed meat to feed a large amount of people, and the fridges at a nearby grocery store went down and they called them randomly to see if they could take their meat. Amazing stuff!
-The historical evidence from archeological digs that are finding things which corroborate Biblical accounts of places that are referenced in the Bible.
-The scientific evidence of a Creator. The more science probes, the more they are finding proof of "Intelligent Design" aka God. Things such as the "fine tuning principles" which show that if certain aspects of our world and universe were even remotely different - such as force of gravity - it would be very difficult for life to exist. Research shows that the chances of life evolving are so astronomical, it takes more faith to believe in a God who created life, then to believe in this all happening by random chance.
-Many say that the Bible cannot be trusted because it was written by so many different authors and done so a long time after the events happened. It can be proven however that much of the gospels were written quite soon after Jesus died. And at the same time, people were reading these accounts that actually witnessed the events and life of Jesus. If the events were wrong, why did people not speak out about them.
-Over 500 people say Jesus after He rose from the dead. This could not possibly have been a conspiracy. And almost every disciple of Jesus died brutal deaths after being scared and going into hiding when He died.
-Many people think of Christianity as being "cultish". They see it as fantasy. I hate this, because the evidence points to it simply being matter of fact. I want to help people realize that it is not anything mystical or fantasy. It is simply facts, yes with degrees of faith that God requires, but what exciting facts they are. There is a God who loves us! People need to stop getting in their own way and making God's truths seem so hard to believe. The facts show that it really requires less faith than people realize.
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Empty my hands and let God fill them
Empty hands let him fill with what he wants
God gave clear answer and felt like would go against God to keep pursuing
Attempting to do things myself in life is stupid! I am incapable of providing for myself and accomplishing anything even close to what He can provide and accomplish for me. And He wants to bless me in these ways. I must surrender. I must seek His guidance in all things. I must work hard to do my best in everything - I must do my part. In all of it, however; I must seek Him and allow Him to accomplish through me what He wants to.
I must not trust in my own capacities, I must trust in God and the talents He has blessed me with. David's defeat of Goliath is a tremendous example of this. David is not the hero here - God is. David was trusting in God to help Him. God had given David physical and mental talents, and David had worked hard to develop them, but at the same time He realized that in developing and implementing those talents, he needed the Lord's help to do so.
I believe a prayer that David may have prayed may very well have been, "Lord God, thank you for the talents you have blessed me with. I am going to work my hardest to get as good as possible at these talents, but I need your help to do so. I cannot be successful at getting good at, or accomplish, anything without Your help and blessing. So please Lord help me as I try to get as good as possible and please help me to do it all as worship to you. Please help me to worship you as I work to develop the talents you have blessed me with, and please help me to worship You as I use them. I cannot do ANY of these things without you."
As Christians, we must rely completely on the Lord. I know that non-Christians do accomplish success in this world by relying on their own abilities alone, but I believe that many times God prevents Christians from accomplishing things in these ways. I believe this is the case because He knows that what is best for us is to learn to rely on Him completely in everything, not just some things. Therefore, while some people who don't know Him may accomplish great things on their own strength, we can thank God that He often does not allow us to happen in the lives of us Christians because He loves us and knows that what is best is for us is for us to rely on Him completely for, and in, all things.
God gave clear answer and felt like would go against God to keep pursuing
Attempting to do things myself in life is stupid! I am incapable of providing for myself and accomplishing anything even close to what He can provide and accomplish for me. And He wants to bless me in these ways. I must surrender. I must seek His guidance in all things. I must work hard to do my best in everything - I must do my part. In all of it, however; I must seek Him and allow Him to accomplish through me what He wants to.
I must not trust in my own capacities, I must trust in God and the talents He has blessed me with. David's defeat of Goliath is a tremendous example of this. David is not the hero here - God is. David was trusting in God to help Him. God had given David physical and mental talents, and David had worked hard to develop them, but at the same time He realized that in developing and implementing those talents, he needed the Lord's help to do so.
I believe a prayer that David may have prayed may very well have been, "Lord God, thank you for the talents you have blessed me with. I am going to work my hardest to get as good as possible at these talents, but I need your help to do so. I cannot be successful at getting good at, or accomplish, anything without Your help and blessing. So please Lord help me as I try to get as good as possible and please help me to do it all as worship to you. Please help me to worship you as I work to develop the talents you have blessed me with, and please help me to worship You as I use them. I cannot do ANY of these things without you."
As Christians, we must rely completely on the Lord. I know that non-Christians do accomplish success in this world by relying on their own abilities alone, but I believe that many times God prevents Christians from accomplishing things in these ways. I believe this is the case because He knows that what is best for us is to learn to rely on Him completely in everything, not just some things. Therefore, while some people who don't know Him may accomplish great things on their own strength, we can thank God that He often does not allow us to happen in the lives of us Christians because He loves us and knows that what is best is for us is for us to rely on Him completely for, and in, all things.
Authentic Manhood series notes
33 Men's Bible Study Notes
Tell your kids the following 4 things...
I love you
I will never lie to you
I will stick with you until you are grown
There are boundaries, don't cross them
Important to give kids the above because then you are providing emotional support, truth, security and discipline
I am a man. I am called to take care of myself and my family. I have to stop allowing Brie to take care of me. That is being a lazy little boy.
Is being married to me a blessing? How can I make myself better. I need to identify these things and put them into action.
Men go through seasons of life. We need to plan for those seasons by seeing how others planned for them before us and then following those plans which have been proven to lead to success. When I make a plan I need to do so with the end in mind. I need to seek God for where He would have me go and then make a plan for his to get there. Now He may not always tell me exactly where He would have me go or how He would have me get there, but I must still seek and then trust Him to lead me and accomplish the purposes that He has for me. As long as I am remaining obedient to God and His Word then I am in his will.
Seek out mentors who are in the next stage if life so that I can learn from them.
What we sow in one season we will reap in another season
In order to budget my time appropriately between work, family and God, I must create margins. It is good to work hard, but I must have margins so that I can go between these responsibilities smoothly and with appropriate ease
Seasons of life:
Spring - 18-20 - becoming a man
Summer- 20-30 - growth
Fall - 40-60 - influence
Winter -60 plus - sage/champion/coach
As a man I must always:
Reject passivity
Accept responsibility
Lead courageously
Invest eternally
In order to do these things, as well as to serve God in general, it is not so much about working harder and straining harder to serve God. This is important, however, this all is most effectively done when we are in such great communion with God that we serve and live effectively for Him naturally, out of the strength and ability that comes from being in constant communication with Him. Being in constant communication with Him also seeks to effectively motivate me to joyfully live for and serve Him.
The goal of life should be to try and make God look as great as He is by living for Him and loving Him and in doing so serving others.
Tell your kids the following 4 things...
I love you
I will never lie to you
I will stick with you until you are grown
There are boundaries, don't cross them
Important to give kids the above because then you are providing emotional support, truth, security and discipline
I am a man. I am called to take care of myself and my family. I have to stop allowing Brie to take care of me. That is being a lazy little boy.
Is being married to me a blessing? How can I make myself better. I need to identify these things and put them into action.
Men go through seasons of life. We need to plan for those seasons by seeing how others planned for them before us and then following those plans which have been proven to lead to success. When I make a plan I need to do so with the end in mind. I need to seek God for where He would have me go and then make a plan for his to get there. Now He may not always tell me exactly where He would have me go or how He would have me get there, but I must still seek and then trust Him to lead me and accomplish the purposes that He has for me. As long as I am remaining obedient to God and His Word then I am in his will.
Seek out mentors who are in the next stage if life so that I can learn from them.
What we sow in one season we will reap in another season
In order to budget my time appropriately between work, family and God, I must create margins. It is good to work hard, but I must have margins so that I can go between these responsibilities smoothly and with appropriate ease
Seasons of life:
Spring - 18-20 - becoming a man
Summer- 20-30 - growth
Fall - 40-60 - influence
Winter -60 plus - sage/champion/coach
As a man I must always:
Reject passivity
Accept responsibility
Lead courageously
Invest eternally
In order to do these things, as well as to serve God in general, it is not so much about working harder and straining harder to serve God. This is important, however, this all is most effectively done when we are in such great communion with God that we serve and live effectively for Him naturally, out of the strength and ability that comes from being in constant communication with Him. Being in constant communication with Him also seeks to effectively motivate me to joyfully live for and serve Him.
The goal of life should be to try and make God look as great as He is by living for Him and loving Him and in doing so serving others.
Wednesday, 25 June 2014
Don't be a fearful parent
Just like an athlete should never fear an opponent, we parents should not "fear" the influence the world will have on our children. When you fear your opponent in sports, you increase the likelihood that they will win. When you fear Satan and our sinful world, you are playing into their hands. Yes they should be respected, but not feared, because we have a God who is infinitely more mighty than they could ever hope to be. As parents, we must have confidence that He will guide and direct our children. Therefore, we must teach our kids to live in the world, but not be of it, and trust God all the while to guide and direct them and keep them safe and becoming more Christ-like each moment of their lives.
Praise you LORD for who You are!!
Praise you LORD for who You are!!
Sunday, 8 June 2014
Stop trying to figure it out....just trust His promises!
I know that all of God's promises are true, but I have a problem with trying to figure out why they are true. The answer to that question will always be "because He is God". I need to accept this and put my trust in Him and His promises, rather than an understanding of "why" it is true. God has never failed me or let me down. His promises have always been fulfilled in my life, and they will always continue to be. Therefore, I must stop trying to figure things out and simply trust Him. What a privilege to do so. And what a stress-reliever this is too. Trying to understand all the ways of the Creator is futile. Simply trusting Him brings incredible joy and peace. Thank you LORD!
Monday, 2 June 2014
Total Surrender....I Haven't Been Even Close
A life that is truly surrendered will be one which reflects that of Jesus. He was the perfect example of surrender and humility. He was equal to God, yet He did not live His life to gain the recognition that should come with that. Rather, He lived as a servant. He humbly lived His life in total surrender to God and His purposes, and this meant living as a servant, not for His glory, but for the glory of God.
When you think about all the accolades that Jesus gave up it is incredible. He deserved to be absolutely worshiped 24/7 here on earth. And He did not simply give up these accolades. It is not like He simply hid in the background and went about life in that kind of humble way. Instead He displayed TRUE humility. Instead of seeking "Equality with God", He made Himself a servant. It is so important to get a clear picture of this. He was God, and was absolutely worthy of all praise and glory that comes with that, yet instead He chose to make Himself a servant of those who should have been worshiping Him. I MUST GET THIS!! If anyone who has ever existed deserved to take a break, take it easy and pursue their own glory, it would have been Jesus. A big reason why He did not seek any glory, but instead made Himself a servant was because He was providing the perfect model for us of how a Christian is EXPECTED to live their life.
I am humbled and embarrassed when I reflect on these truths. Jesus was 24/7 dedicated to His Father's will. He was 24/7 dedicated to serving others because this is what God called Him to. He did not even for a second live for Himself. Every single moment was for Jesus. If I compare this to my life, I am ashamed. I am a selfish, selfish person. I live for myself. I live looking for ways to please myself and serve myself. God has called me to follow the example of Jesus, and yet I fall so very short. I am not even close. I realize that I will never be close, but I am not even close, to what I could be.
I must begin following the example of Jesus. I must humble myself before Him and be surrendered to Him. I must stop being motivated by things that bring me alone happiness, and begin surrendering to Him completely so that I begin to be motivated by the desire to serve Him wholeheartedly. If I truly am imitating the life of Christ, I will be motivated to serve others. I will be motivated to look for ways that I can deny myself, and put my family well before myself. I will even be motivated by putting others well before myself because this is what Jesus did. If I am not imitating Christ, then I am wasting my life, because He provided the perfect model of what a perfect life looks like. I will never be even close, but I need to get a whole lot closer.
In my life I have been motivated by the things that I enjoy, by things that can bring me glory. I know that God has blessed me with things that I enjoy so that I can enjoy them, but I need to start enjoying them in the ways that He means for them to be enjoyed. My purpose for doing these things must be to glorify and honor Him. They must be to worship Him, and to bring Him alone glory, not myself. These are how God wants me to enjoy them. These are the best ways, the most pure ways, to enjoy anything. My glory is far to small a thing to live for. God and His glory is the only thing worth living for.
When you think about all the accolades that Jesus gave up it is incredible. He deserved to be absolutely worshiped 24/7 here on earth. And He did not simply give up these accolades. It is not like He simply hid in the background and went about life in that kind of humble way. Instead He displayed TRUE humility. Instead of seeking "Equality with God", He made Himself a servant. It is so important to get a clear picture of this. He was God, and was absolutely worthy of all praise and glory that comes with that, yet instead He chose to make Himself a servant of those who should have been worshiping Him. I MUST GET THIS!! If anyone who has ever existed deserved to take a break, take it easy and pursue their own glory, it would have been Jesus. A big reason why He did not seek any glory, but instead made Himself a servant was because He was providing the perfect model for us of how a Christian is EXPECTED to live their life.
I am humbled and embarrassed when I reflect on these truths. Jesus was 24/7 dedicated to His Father's will. He was 24/7 dedicated to serving others because this is what God called Him to. He did not even for a second live for Himself. Every single moment was for Jesus. If I compare this to my life, I am ashamed. I am a selfish, selfish person. I live for myself. I live looking for ways to please myself and serve myself. God has called me to follow the example of Jesus, and yet I fall so very short. I am not even close. I realize that I will never be close, but I am not even close, to what I could be.
I must begin following the example of Jesus. I must humble myself before Him and be surrendered to Him. I must stop being motivated by things that bring me alone happiness, and begin surrendering to Him completely so that I begin to be motivated by the desire to serve Him wholeheartedly. If I truly am imitating the life of Christ, I will be motivated to serve others. I will be motivated to look for ways that I can deny myself, and put my family well before myself. I will even be motivated by putting others well before myself because this is what Jesus did. If I am not imitating Christ, then I am wasting my life, because He provided the perfect model of what a perfect life looks like. I will never be even close, but I need to get a whole lot closer.
In my life I have been motivated by the things that I enjoy, by things that can bring me glory. I know that God has blessed me with things that I enjoy so that I can enjoy them, but I need to start enjoying them in the ways that He means for them to be enjoyed. My purpose for doing these things must be to glorify and honor Him. They must be to worship Him, and to bring Him alone glory, not myself. These are how God wants me to enjoy them. These are the best ways, the most pure ways, to enjoy anything. My glory is far to small a thing to live for. God and His glory is the only thing worth living for.
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
What to tell Aivs about making choices for God.
Aivry was talking about what she wants to be when she grows up and saying hiw she hopes "God chooses it". We are so proud if her for this. I have been trying to seek God for how to help her understand the ways that God gives us choice....
God often allows us to choose. He wants us to ask Him if it is what He wants us to do though. As long as you are doing it in a way that pleases Him He is happy. Sometimes He will say He wants you to do something and that is also exciting because He knows what is best. But He will always lead you through every circumstance.
Just like when your Mom offers you 2 choices of cookies, she wants you to choose the one that you like the best. Unless God calls us to something, it is the same with our life choices. God wants us to choose the new we like the best. He is just wants us to them live out that choice in a way that honors Him.
Therefore, in seeking God it is about seeking Him to make sure that He is okay with you pursuing those things, and then pursue those things in a way that pleases, worships and glorifies Him.
God often allows us to choose. He wants us to ask Him if it is what He wants us to do though. As long as you are doing it in a way that pleases Him He is happy. Sometimes He will say He wants you to do something and that is also exciting because He knows what is best. But He will always lead you through every circumstance.
Just like when your Mom offers you 2 choices of cookies, she wants you to choose the one that you like the best. Unless God calls us to something, it is the same with our life choices. God wants us to choose the new we like the best. He is just wants us to them live out that choice in a way that honors Him.
Therefore, in seeking God it is about seeking Him to make sure that He is okay with you pursuing those things, and then pursue those things in a way that pleases, worships and glorifies Him.
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