WE WALK TOUR!!

What:                   The We Walk Tour
When:                 Saturday, February 8, 2014, 9:00am – 12:15pm
Where:                 Gateway Community Church, Abbotsford, BC

If you’re anywhere near Abbotsford, BC on Saturday, February 8, 2014, you won’t want to miss this event!

GEMS Girls’ is sponsoring an afternoon specifically designed for moms and their daughters.

Author and speaker Sara Lynne Hilton will challenge and encourage girls to recognize that God has created them with a voice and a purpose—not just when they are grown, but right now. We Walk helps girls understand that their lives matter and they are capable of so much more than what they often think. Praise and worship leaders, True Emotion will also be participating in the event. The morning will feature gifts, giveaways, and snacks for moms/mentors and the girls to enjoy!

One of the main goals of this event is to open dialogue between moms and their daughters about how each one of us can be an activist in the world. Girls will see that even small acts can lead to lasting change when they rely on God. Women will be equipped to continue these important conversations with their girls. 

The event is appropriate for girls in grades 2-8. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $15.00 through www.itickets.com , Tourism Abbotsford, House of James,  Blessings Christian Marketplace, or purchased at the door for $20.00. However you are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to ensure you get your tickets before the event is sold out! Check out the We Walk Tour website for more information!

The We Walk Tour is based on principles from Micah 6:8 and is sponsored by GEMS Girls’ Clubs.  

Making God Visible

Then the LORD said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you.”

Exodus 34:10

One of the ways God reveals His greatness is through His people. Here are a few from many examples in Scripture.

Shiphrah and Puah. These Hebrew midwives ignored the king of Egypt’s command to murder the newborn Hebrew boys. God used them to make His faithfulness visible among the people (Exodus 1).

The Israelites. On the shore of the Red Sea God told the Israelites not to fear the Egyptians. He would fight for them. Their job was to be still. Not an easy task when you see a vast Egyptian army marching toward you! God used them to make Himself visible as Savior and Deliverer (Exodus 14).

Nehemiah. By talking and walking with God, Nehemiah accomplished the impossible. Under his leadership the wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt in 52 days. God used Nehemiah to make Himself visible as the Great God. Jesus said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27).

Daniel. He had every reason to despair. He was deported to an idolatrous foreign land with thousands of his countrymen and was hated to the point of a murder plot by fellow administrators. God used Daniel to make His sovereignty and absolute reign visible. Kevin DeYoung writes, “Providence is for our comfort. We can be patient when things go against us. We can be thankful when things go well. We can have confidence for the future.”

John the Baptist. He clearly knew his position. While his disciples panicked that people were starting to follow Jesus rather than John, John was filled with joy. God used John the Baptist as a visible voice of one calling in the desert and preparing the way for the promised King. John beautifully lived what he taught when he said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).

You and me. For God to become greater and for us to become less means making Him visible by the way we love God and others (Matthew 22:36-40). Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

HE>i: How are we making God visible to those around us today?

The church is the witness and theater of God’s glory.

Christopher W. Morgan

grace and peace,

Lenae

Upcoming events

February 8: We Walk Tour for Moms/girls in Abbotsford. Information coming SOON!!

February 24: All-Whatcom County GEMS Skating Party at Lynden Skateway from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. $5/skater or $7/inline skates.

He is Greater!

[Jethro said], “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”

Exodus 18:11

Imagine the family reunion. After a time of separation, Moses’ father-in-law Jethro traveled through the desert and brought Moses his wife Zipporah and his sons Gershom and Eliezer. What joy to be together again! Surely the neighbors heard the laughter and chatter through the tent walls!

Moses filled them in on all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. He spoke of God’s active, vigilant care in the Passover celebration and the crossing of the Red Sea. He may have even taught them the song of victory and celebration that they sang after everyone was safely on the other side. He marveled at the invisible God making Himself visible with the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. He told of deliverance in the midst of difficulties, and how God fought for them. Even the names of his children articulated God’s greatness. Eliezer’s name means, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh” (Exodus 18:4).

Moses recounted what God was doing in his life and it had a profound impact on those who listened. Jethro, who was family and the priest of Midian, responded with great delight and faith. He said, “Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly” (Exodus 18:10-11).

Think about your most recent conversations with family, friends, co-workers, or neighbors. How did our words influence others? Did they display or diminish God’s greatness? 

Worry and anxiety tells others that God is not big enough to handle today’s troubles. Control issues demonstrate that surrendering to God is too risky. Living overwhelmed by life tells others that our great God really isn’t that big.

To influence others with the truth of God’s greatness, we must speak and live it! Walking humbly with God reveals our dependence on Him in all things. Speaking of His sovereign care and sufficiency confirms our absolute trust in His ways and plans, and radical obedience shows others that He is our first and greatest love.

HE>i: Over the last 24 hours how have our conversations influenced others to think about God?

And it is like that, the way the sand moves, every word moving either one way or the other-words raising Christ or building self higher. Words praising Him or wrangling to be praised ourselves.

Ann Voskamp

grace and peace,

Lenae

God>People

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10 

When King Saul spared King Agag and the best of the livestock instead of following God’s command to destroy everything, he demonstrated that public opinion and popularity were greater in his life than God. He told Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them” (1 Samuel 15:24). He feared people more then God.

When Samson loved Delilah more than God and feared losing her sexual attention more then he feared sinning against the LORD, he gave into her nagging and revealed the secret of his strength (Judges 16). He was bound with more than bronze shackles. He was snared by the fear of man (Proverbs 29:25).

When David feared the scandal that would surely take place if his secret affair with Bathsheba became public knowledge, he went to murderous lengths to cover it up (2 Samuel 11). He despised God’s Word instead of honoring it.

Abraham feared Abimelech and lied about his wife. Elijah feared Jezebel and ran for his life. Peter feared those who persecuted Jesus.  Three times he denied his Lord.

In the Gospels we learn of those who believed in Christ. There was the Samaritan woman and many from her village, the man born blind, Zacchaeus, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and religious leaders. Yes, religious leaders. But fear kept them from saying so. Many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God (John 12:42-43). They feared being thrown out of the synagogue more than entering the Kingdom. It was of higher importance to receive praise from people than approval from God.

When we fear people more than their Maker, we make much of man and less of God. Paul makes it clear that we can’t be people-pleasers and servants of Christ. We’re either slaves to people–fearing disapproval or craving approval, or we’re slaves to our Master. There’s no possibility of God and others sharing center stage in our heart or lives. Who’s the greatest in your life?

HE>i: When are you most tempted to be a people-pleaser? Think about what changes need to be made in this relationship(s) to win the approval of God.

To trust God rather than to fear man is to obey God’s clear directives, regardless of popular opinion, apparent wisdom or the prospects for success.

John A. Kitchen

grace and peace,

Lenae