MY5

I have to apologize for having such little faith in the Parkside faithful!  I thought only 50 of us would brave the snow, but 170 of our family came out.  Everyone added to a great gathering where Karin lead us in a clear and intimate time of worship and I communicated a new challenge for 2012 called, "MY5".

In case you missed yesterday's gathering this page explains a bit more of our MY5 initiative: www.parksideonprentis.ca/index.php/Events/my5.html.  If you were there yesterday than I hope you have or plan to complete "Day 2".

On the home front, Angela is feeling a lot better today.  She has a few symptoms, but at least her energy is back much more than it has been.  We are snowed in and its blizzarding as I type.  We're supposed to get close to another foot this evening and through the night.  I'm really regretting not buying a snow blower :)

I hope you enjoy the snow and that you stay safe.
       
    

Distant Prayers

The first two years of our marriage, Angela and I lived on the third floor of a condo building that overlooked St. Joseph's Catholic Church.  Every once and I while I would pause and pray for their Church. My prayers were the type similar to when an ambulance rushes by... I stop to pray to pray for the paramedics, the patient, and the patient's family, but then never think that the patient would ever be connected to me personally.  That's kind of how I prayed for St. Joseph's.  They were meaningful, but distant.

Tonight, a man stopped by with an overflowing gift basket from St. Joseph's.  In it were beautiful gifts for Angela and our kids.  Our eyes then turned to a tin filled with little cards. We opened one after the other (about 200 in total).  Each card was filled with personal notes of encouragement and prayer from members of St. Joseph's.  People that we've never met and probably never will, yet moved with compassion towards our family.

Thank you to St. Joseph's Catholic Church.  You have touched our hearts in a very personal and unexpected way.  We will continue to pray for you and thank God for you, but now you will be much closer to our hearts!
  

How Good & Pleasant It Is

Our understanding and experience of how good and pleasant it is when the Church dwells together in unity was expanded yesterday.  Many of Mission's local Churches sent representatives to join the Parkside family for our Sunday gathering.  At the end of our service a number of local Pastors raced over (some reordered their service to be there) to pray for Angela.  [If anyone took a picture of this gathering, please send it to me at clint@parksideonprentis.ca.]

I can't even fully express what this meant to us personally.  Angela and I were both deeply touched and our hearts were (and are) overflowing with appreciation, inspiration, and faith as a result.

It was a great experience for our Parkside family too.  Our Church family was buzzing after and even today on facebook with a sense of gratitude, awe, and excitement at the power of Jesus to unite and love one another.

I also believe that this was a great step forward for all of the local Church bodies in Mission.  To my knowledge, the Mission Ministerial has never planned something like this before.  I believe this action will serve to move us (the Church of Mission) towards greater unity and partnership in extending the life and love Jesus in our City.

Thank you to all the Churches, representatives, and pastors for their support, sacrifice, and prayers.  May God bless you richly for this gift of love and faith.

Next Sunday is our annual "Vision Sunday" at Parkside and yesterday served, in a way that I didn't anticipate, as a perfect preface to this coming Sunday.

To update you on Angela, she goes in this afternoon for her second round of chemo.  Please pray, in addition to complete healing, that the side effects of chemo would be minimal-to-none.  Ang's mom is with us the first few days to help us care for Angela and our kids.

Following, Sunday's gathering we headed over to Hotel Hersey to get family portraits taken with all of Angela's family.  The fabulous Katy~* of picturemefoto.com captured our smiling faces.

This week the College is back in full swing, most things are back-up and running with our Church, and tonight is the BCS Championship... roll tide!

There Is No Other

"For this is what the LORD says-- he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited-- he says: "I am the LORD, and there is no other.  I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right." Isaiah 45:18-19 (NIV)

I am reminded again this morning through reading of Isaiah 45-46 that He is God and there is no other.  We may be tempted to make our own truth (because it's convenient or we don't fancy the alternative); to turn to science (because we can see it and touch it); to reason (because our minds can understand it); or to experience (because we can feel it), but there's no getting around the reality of the God of the Bible.  It doesn't fully come as a surprise to me that all He simply requires is faith to receive His redemption.  Faith is the only issue when it comes to the big questions of life.  How we respond to God alters everything else.

I'm glad that God does not hide Himself, use us as an experiment, or create us with a dead-end purpose.  'God has made it plain to [us].  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that [we] are without excuse.  For although [many of us] knew God, [we] neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but [our] thinking became futile and [our] foolish hearts were darkened." (1)

I am obligated ... to [tell you], both to the wise and the foolish. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes ... For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith. (2)

I hope that as you read this and that as I write this, we turn our hearts and minds more fully to God.  That we recognize His greatness as our Creator and His goodness as our Savior.  Life is not just best lived, but only lived in this reality.  Everything else is simply a counterfeit life hiding in the shadows of the deceitfulness of our sin, the foolishness of our limited wisdom, and the darkness of evil.

(1) Romans 1:19b-22 (NIV); (2) Romans 1:14, 16-17a (NIV) 

Parkside Prayer & Fasting

As mention at Sunday's gathering we are inviting our Church family to set aside time for prayer and fasting this week.  This Sunday, we'll then gather to worship, pray, and share what God has been speaking and teaching us.

Pray for Healing
•    Angela N. - Stage 4 GI cancer
•    Christy W. – Her mom has cancer
•    Diane K. – Her mom is recovering from a bad fall

Pray for a Spiritual Awakening
•    Seek God in your own life.
•    Pray for your loved ones.