Canada’s yearly day of Thanksgiving is again upon us. Historically the holiday was only formalized in 1957, declared to be celebrated on the second Monday of October. In the 1920’s it was temporarily celebrated in connection with Remembrance Day in November, expressing thankfulness for peace. Its origins go back as far as early European explorers who probed the northern part of our continent, thankful for safety during the risks they took. Later during the American revolution, United Empire Loyalists brought us the customs of pumpkins, squash, and turkey. Continue reading
Take Courage
We welcome our speaker today, Kevin Cleary from Meaford. He’s chosen to teach us about faithful living when we face the world’s pressures – and Christians do grapple with some peculiar kinds.
Jesus was no stranger to “tribulation,” which is another word for the pressures that come at us from the world. He spoke of it in John 16:33 shortly before he was arrested and killed. These events weighed heavily on him, yet he did not shrink back in fear. He faced them with confidence. He expected pressure from the world, and he taught his disciples to expect the same. But he gave them a reason to have courage: “I have overcome the world.” Soon he would rise again from the dead and be victorious over all that the world did to him. Continue reading
Maranatha
People look to the future with longing. Our hopes aim for better times, nicer homes, easier finances, better health – all in the future. Sometimes we feel disappointed when we realize what we have now is probably as good as it’s going to get. Nevertheless, we still hope the future will be better. Continue reading
October 4 – 5, 2014 – The Pressures of Living
Please join us for our annual gospel meeting on October 4th and 5th with guest speaker Kevin Cleary from the Meaford Church of Christ. The topic this year is “The Pressures of Living” and we encourage you to join us for a weekend of encouragement and fellowship.
When Prayer Knocks at Your Door
Things didn’t 
look too good for Peter. Herod arrested him and put him in a Jerusalem prison. There he was secured with two chains and surrounded by 16 soldiers (Acts 12:4-6). Everyone expected him to be executed. How hopeless can things get?! But there was a power at work that would surprise everybody.
The church called an emergency meeting and they prayed well into the night. God promptly dispatched an angel to guide him safely out into the streets, and freedom. He immediately went to see the brethren – still praying – to present himself alive and well. Their concentration, sorrow and anxiety prevented them from believing it was really Peter knocking on their door! How many times have answered prayers come knocking at your door and you didn’t recognize it?
The results of prayer can often be startling. Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened” (Mt.7:8). Prayer opens the door to God, but do we spot his answers when they come knocking on ours? Even Peter himself didn’t understand God’s rescue at first; but soon he woke up and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent for His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod” (v11). Later on in life Peter would say, “Watch and pray” (1 Peter 4:7).
Prayer is an amazing thing. God works in our lives when we ask Him to. Watch His answer. Then pray again with humble thanks.
– Tim Johnson