“If your gospel isn’t touching others, it hasn’t touched you.” (Curry R. Blake)
What is my gospel (message of good news to the world)?
If God’s forgiveness does not make me forgiving, have I really accepted God’s forgiveness?
If God’s mercy does not make me merciful, have I really appreciated God’s mercy?
If God’s generosity does not make me generous, have I really understood God’s generosity?
If God’s patience does not make me patient, have I really sensed God’s patience?
This seems to be the point of Jesus’ story in Matthew 18:21-35, the unmerciful servant.

As we prepare to relocate our services to downtown Ajax (Falby Court), it is good to get to know the churches in the neighbourhood, and to begin praying for a spirit of unity and cooperation in Jesus’ Name.

1. Hope Community Church (Salvation Army)

2. St. Paul’s United Church

3. St. Bernadette’s Roman Catholic Church

4. Crossroads Church (meeting at Bolton C. Faulby P.S.)

5. St. Timothy’s Presbyterian Church

6. Southside Worship Center

Our church is in the process of relocating.
Not just the location of our Sunday morning services, but our whole ministry focus.
We are looking at this as an opportunity to build a bridge into South Ajax, and in particular the downtown (South Harwood) corridor.
We presented this idea to our community, and they responded with the following feedback.
It was very positive, and an encouragement to the leaders that the Lord is leading us in this direction. Continue reading ‘feedback from Falby’ »

Here is an interesting article, good for me to think about…

Think Christian by Steven Koster

Until Lisa Miller asked the question, I hadn’t really thought about the relative merits of “Follower of Jesus” vs. “Christian” as a self-description. I appreciate the whole idea of fresh new ways to tell the old, old story. But as I’ve mulled it over, I’ve surprised myself how I like Follower of Jesus less and less in the face of alternative names. So here’s reasons why “Follower of Jesus” is weak:

1) It says so little about who Jesus was.

Jesus of Nazareth was God’s Anointed One (Christos in Greek, Messiah in Hebrew). He was not just some rabbi who taught people to be nice to each other. He came announcing that God was doing something big in history, and then he accomplished it. Jesus was his name, but Christ was his title, designating more clearly what he was all about. So at the very least “Follower of Christ” is a more significant description than “Follower of Jesus.” Continue reading why ‘Follower of Jesus’ is weak

I put this together several years ago, and still find it a helpful expression of what I believe:

I believe in God
Do you believe that there is a God? I do! This is a core conviction, one that shapes my whole way of living and thinking. I am not alone. Most people believe in ‘God’ in some way. I believe that God is personal and powerful, and certainly beyond my ability to understand or explain Him. I believe that He created the world for us to enjoy with Him, and that He created it good, perfect! I encourage you to think long and hard about this, because if there is a God, it will have huge implications for you – and for everyone!
Continue reading ‘what I believe’ »

“Some may for a time dream of the essential goodness of man and speak indulgently of those separate words and actions that do not measure up to the ethical standards of good society as mere foibles and weaknesses, for which man is not responsible, and which readily yield to corrective measures; but as time goes on, and all measures of external reform fail, and the suppression of one evil merely serves to release another, such persons are inevitably disillusioned.

They become conscious of the fact that they have merely been fighting the symptoms of some deep-seated malady, and that they are confronted, not merely with the problem of sins, that is, of separate sinful deeds, but with the much greater and deeper problem of sin, of an evil that is inherent in human nature.” (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p.227)

Recently someone asked this question, and I am open to hearing from others about how they might discern God’s will for this struggling Jesus-follower.

I committed a serious crime over 30 years ago and was aressted for it. I lied and got out of it. After i became a Christian I asked god to forgive me but I never told anyone else the truth about what i had done because it would destroy amny people in my family. Am I truly forgiven or must I also confess to my family .

As you reflect on this, please be prayerful and sensitive in your response.
What are the bible passages that speak to this?
What are the limits to confession, if any?
One thing that came to mind were the words of Steps 8 and 9 of the Twelve Steps:

8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Any wisdom for this person?

Church Cancelled!

Tomorrow our ‘service’ is being canceled, so that service can happen.
Crossroads people are spreading out in Durham region tomorrow morning to perform a variety of community service assignments.
These are not projects planned by the church, just individual and family initiated efforts.
Handing out flowers at the hospital, picking up garbage, planting trees collecting donations for the Oshawa animal shelter, car wash for Ajax-Pickering food bank, bike repair clinic at Falby Court… and more…
So cool, the creativity and enthusiasm are inspiring me!!!
Please pray for God encounters.
Please pray that we are impacted, as well as our community.
Please pray that this is just the beginning of an ongoing relationship with the community.
We are meeting tomorrow afternoon at Falby Court (Bolton C. Falby) for a BBQ, and to look at the facilities for a possible new location for our ministry efforts.
Check out www.crossroadsinajax.org for more information!

My wife’s cousin Ruth and her husband Nitin, who is from India, sent out this request for prayer in the volatile religious, political and cultural tensions in their area. Please pray for the whole community, as well as for our brothers and sisters in the Lord who face unbelievable conflict and threats for the name of Jesus. — Norm

Dear faithful friends and prayer partners,

Greetings to you in the name of the most High God.

On Sunday, 19th of April there was an attack on a church about 40kms away from Nagpur. The name of the village is Saoner. The church is in the center of the village. A fanatic Hindu organization first made a police complaint saying that forcible conversion is taking place. Ten minutes later they attack the church wielding swords and guns as well as knives, sticks and stones. They verbally and physically abused the women and children. They vandalized the churches instruments and a school bus. They pointed the gun towards the pastor and threatened that he would be killed if they continued having church. The attackers brought a TV camera and showed it on the news just to please their leaders and bring terror to the minorities. As elections are going on they want to use this to consolidate Hinduhood. They also aim to get political party ticket to contest election. This 150 year old church has only 60 members. There was no conversion going on at all. To get famous, to get Political ticket and to prove their patriotism and to satisfy their nationalistic pride they do these evil things. Continue reading ‘pray for the church in India’ »