For Those With Ears - Entries written by Jeannie Coros

I adore my grandmother.  While I sat by her hospital bedside this week, as she was recovering from a mini stroke, my heart was so filled with gratitude for her. 

We were feeling guilty that she had made the trek to Barrie at 92 to spend Easter with our family…..always a lively gathering….maybe it was too much for her. 

But in the midst of all the probing and testing, all Nana could say was “God knew”.  She was thankful that as her body lapsed, she was surrounded by family and not alone in her little room in the retirement home an hour away. 

She was thankful that she was brought to RVH, an incredible, well-equipped hospital, and received such amazing, thorough care from the staff.  “God knew where I needed to be”, she said in such a peaceful, confident manner. 

I love to listen to Nana’s stories, especially of life growing up in rural Saskatchewan, born to two deaf parents.  She told us again of the missionaries that travelled to her small town and shared the gospel with her and at the age of eight she gave her life to Jesus.

How comforting it was to hear this life changing story; to know that when our Lord calls her home, she’ll be with him forever.

My heart swelled with gratitude.  I am so grateful for my Nana’s faith; that she took her children to church and exposed them to the gospel. I am so grateful that my parents felt it was important for us to go to church as a family.  Seeds of faith were planted.  And although I didn’t fully understand the type of relationship that my heavenly Father wanted with me, I did believe that he loved me. 

Although I wasn’t walking with him, I know now that he was relentless in his pursuit of me.  When the time was right, when I came to end of myself – those seeds of faith took root.  How grateful I am that my children know and understand that Christ died to save them and are being discipled and mentored to live out their faith.

I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 4:18 “as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

I am grateful for the seeds that were planted over the Easter weekend  - we may not see the fruit right away, but God is at work.

God’s ways are not our ways – I’m overwhelmed by that every day.  A missionary led to a tiny town in the prairies had enough faith share Christ’s love with my grandmother and look what God did and continues to do. 

Mature disciples worship Christ, walk with Christ, and work for Christ. A person committed to a relationship with Christ focuses on personally walking with him, worshiping him, and working for him. That person will experience significant growth in personal sanctification and therefore will experience a closer personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and will become "mature in Christ."—Colossians 1:28

The process of sanctification and maturity -  wow!   All I know is that it’s a long road and an uphill battle that I fight daily.  But I so want to get it done each day – to be a 24-7 worshiper; to put God first in all things and to serve him with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength.  All of this – to bring my God the glory and honour he truly deserves. 

As adult Christ-followers – this is what we strive for; this is what we work toward…but is it just for adults?  Just think…if kids learn from a young age what it means to worship, walk with and work for Christ – it will become a way of life for them and allow them a solid foundation to build on. 

We teach these distinctives in Harvest kids.

I have been blessed by watching our kids grow as worshipers on Sunday morning.  I see them raise their hands as they lift high the name of Jesus in song.  I’ve seen young worshipers grow over the years to become strong worship leaders in children’s ministry who are passionate about seeking God this way.

They are taught weekly about the creator of the universe, who loves them unconditionally.  They learn what it means to have a relationship with Jesus and what it looks like to walk with him.  They start learning about the concept of small groups at age six and spending time praying with and for one another.  We raise the bar each week and they always meet and often exceed our expectations.  We urge them to spend time in God’s Word each day and share with them what a gift it truly is to us.

Last week, a sweet five year old told me she needed a Bible (I keep a stash in my cupboard, for just such occasions).  After receiving it – she hugged it tightly and started skipping up and down the hall singing, “I have a Bible, I have a Bible”.  LOVED THAT!! It’s a treasure to her already!  

Working for Christ seems to come naturally to our Harvest Kids.  Some have already spent time working alongside their parents as they serve in classrooms and we have watched older children step into juniorlLeader roles.  They have been taught and mentored by our senior high youth who continue to set an excellent example for them.  I love it when they graduate to grade four and they come running up to me with excitement and ask, "Can I be a junior leader now?" We make them sign a contract, attend a monthly meeting…it’s a commitment that they don’t take lightly.  They work hard, submit to authority, use their gifts, and glorify God! 

It blesses me greatly to see the 3 W’s in action – especially in children.  It’s like seeing God’s plan for knowing, loving and serving him unfold right in front of me.  How awesome is our God.

What a blast we had last Wednesday night with Pastors Roger and Mike, our worship director Jordan Donald and our elder chair, Terry Codling.  We were so blessed to have Jordan lead worship for us - such fun songs!  Our youngest Awana kids loved playing Puggle and Cubbies games with them. Our Sparkies were so thankful for their help in handbook time. Our pastors were blown away with how well our clubbers memorized God’s Word! 

We REALLY enjoyed our question and answer period in T&T large group time.  We discovered that Terry’s dream car is a Lamborghini, and that if pastor Mike was a superhero, he’d be Pastor Roger!  We found out that Jordan’s favourite country is Romania and why Pastor Roger has grey hair.  We also learned how much these four men love Jesus and God’s Word and how excited they are to share it with others. 

Awana is so grateful for our pastors and elders and can’t wait to party with them again next year!

   

Awana Loves!

We are blessed and love to bless others.  Our clubbers and leaders are working hard right now to raise enough funds to buy firewood to heat Harvest Bible Chapel, Metanoia, Ghioroc in Romania this winter.  We are gathering all our pennies, selling candy grams and gift tags and are having a "Winter Warmer" on November 21.  Families and friends are welcome to join us that night as we play our penny game and see who the winning team is, listen to Pastor Todd as he shares with us about his recent trip to Romania and enjoy hot chocolate in the lobby while purchasing grams and tags.  All are welcome to join in the fun.  We are excited to see God working in and through our Awana kids as they seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul,  and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,  and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity,  who heals all your diseases ,who redeems your life from the pit,     

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good     

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 

The Lord works righteousness  and justice for all who are oppressed. 

He made known his ways to Moses,  his acts to the people of Israel.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

He will not always chide,  nor will he keep his anger forever.

He does not deal with us according to our sins,  nor repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth,  so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,  so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

I love that so much of God’s character is wrapped up in these verses and the solid reminder of his steadfast love for us.  I love that these girls have hidden these powerful words in their hearts and will be able to call on them at a moment’s notice in their time of need.  I love that they will undoubtedly encourage many, who are thirsty for a word from Lord. 

This is one of the reasons I’m a big fan of Awana and am thrilled that our church offers this program.  After completing five books, kids will have memorized over 500 Scripture verses – unbelievable!  If our kids are doing this – what is stopping us?  I have certainly used age as an excuse claiming that it’s so much easier for kids to learn anything!  Time is another big excuse – lame!  I certainly have time when I’m waiting in line at the grocery store, or driving in my car or drying my hair – I just need to make it a priority.

I am excited about my current memory verse project and that a fellow staff member is holding me accountable to locking this Scripture down.  The verses are pertinent to a current struggle in my life and I know the power that God’s Word has to transform me – so grateful that we have it at our fingertips.

So as we cruise into these delightful summer months – what’s your plan?  Were you challenged by our Harvest kids as well?  Are you ready to make God’s Word a priority in your life?  I’d love to hear what you will do or are doing to hide God’s Word in your heart.  Be blessed!

Hey – anyone else overwhelmed and completely exhausted after the incredibly God-glorifying celebration weekend we just experienced at Harvest???  We just finished our weekly "huddle" as a staff – where we share our highlights from the weekend, chat about what’s coming up and pray.  We all agreed that there was really nothing about this fifth celebration of our 10th anniversary that wasn’t a highlight…. 

**What an incredible blessing it was to sit under the teaching of Pastor James and work through John 2:1-12.   If you saw our storylines video, you'll realize that the fact that I was sitting beside my wonderful husband, holding his hand, loving him more than I thought possible IS one of God’s miracles.  Was it instant and easy– no!  Did it take faith and perseverance – yes!  But, God’s promises are true and he really doesn’t EVER leave you or forsake you.  Find encouragement in that as you pray and wait for your own miracles to happen. 

**Loved, loved, loved Meredith, Jacob, Joshua and the team that led us in worship.  Does that girl have energy or what?  Her passion is beyond evident – the love of Christ just shines through her.  So blessed by their gifts and to hear the name of Jesus being lifted high through worship.

**So amazing to see God at work throughout the weekend.  The response to the messages was so moving; to see so many stand but just as many be there to support their brothers and sisters was overwhelming.

**People were saved!  I embraced one of them with tears in my eyes after he told me….we have been praying earnestly for this young man – that God would stir in his heart.  Another miracle – praise God!

**One resounding highlight to all of us as staff was the way – you – our church family stepped up.  We were blown away by your service this weekend, your support and your love.  You were tireless in your efforts and you served with true joy and excellence.  You moved furniture, set up extra chairs, cooked, cleaned, folded bulletins, played with LOTS of busy children, shook hands, hugged, smiled and prayed.  You came early and stayed late.  You just ROCK!  We are SO grateful to God for each one of you and the part you had in making this 10^th anniversary celebration weekend to remember.

 

I know it doesn’t stop here…can’t wait for our next huddle, so we can share the highlights from this coming Sunday :-)

Not only did we spend a lot of time working through our handbooks, but our clubbers also became "Kids of Integrity".  Each week they learned what God says about things like: generosity, righteousness, gentleness, self control, patience, joy, humility, forgiveness, attentiveness, faithfulness, perseverance, respect, honesty and contentedness.  We’re thankful to our teachers for their incredible lessons.

Under the expert guidance of our outreach director, our club collected enough in dues each week to support our sponsor child, Michael from Ghana, West Africa.  Our kids love sending letters and gifts to Michael.  Through our Baskets of Joy campaign at Christmas and the support of our families and Harvest small groups, we raised over $800 for orphanages in Haiti and Nigeria.  We also partnered with the Glasgow mission team and raised over $700 for them through our Grand Prix concession and bake sale.  What a blessing!

The most important aspect of our program is pointing kids to Christ and we were thrilled when four of our kids chose Christ as their Lord and Saviour this year. What a privilege to be a part of this life changing decision.

We have an incredible sense of community in Awana. We have friends join us each week from at least nine other churches in the area.  How great that this program brings us all together under one roof for a whole lot of fun and fellowship. 

We have over 65 amazing volunteers that love on these kids each week.  They are dedicated, tireless and faithful – huge thanks to each one of you!  There is such joy in serving the Lord and it was evident every Wednesday at Awana.  Our theme verse is

2 Timothy 2:15 -  “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth”.

Our team exemplifies this and how amazing it is that we have the opportunity to train up these kids to love God’s word, live for him and proclaim his truth without apology.

We praise God for what he accomplished in and through this club this year.  To him by glory!

“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.  Matthew 16:18b

That is exactly what God is doing in Harvest world – building his church.  What an incredible blessing it is be a part of it!

Harvest Bible Fellowship is the church-planting ministry of Harvest Bible Chapel that

(1) assesses, trains and equips select men to serve as Harvest senior pastors;

(2) confirms their planting locations;

(3) assists with the development and launch of new Harvest Bible Chapels;

(4) replants existing churches to become Harvest Bible Chapels; and

(5) supports every senior pastor and local church through ongoing equipping throughout the life of their churches.

82 churches have started or transitioned since Harvest Bible Chapel was first established in 1988.  It’s so exciting to hear about eleven more of them launching in 2012:

Los Angeles, California

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Clear Lake, Iowa

Northern Kentucky

Cambridge, Ohio

Greenville South, South Carolina

Fairfax, Virginia

Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

Chisinau, Moldova

Douala, Africa

...and on Easter Sunday – Harvest Traverse City, Michigan is all set to open its doors.  Pastor Doug Long, his wife Christy and their three children are excited to see what God has in store for them.  Remember this faithful servant and his family in your prayers this weekend.

It will be completely incredible to be among staff and volunteers from our family of Harvest churches in April at Harvest University (details here).  To think that we will all be there, with the same vision, the same passion, to worship and glorify our one true King.  I’m excited to see Pastor Jeremy from Harvest Jupiter Beach, who we surfed with in Florida and to re-connect with friends of ours from Harvest Phoenix who will be attending as well.  What an amazing opportunity to gather together as one body, to learn and grow; to sharpen and encourage one another; to re-charge!  I can’t wait to head to Chicago April 22-25 to spend this precious time with our extended Harvest family.   Are you coming?

We were beyond blessed to travel south in February.  My favourite part of every vacation is the time we get to spend together as a family.  No work, no school, no errands to run, no cooking, no cleaning and very little schedule.  Add to that, the incredible opportunity to have a temporary reprieve from the winter weather to completely enjoy the Caribbean sun.  On top of that we get to add amazing family memories….flying, snorkeling, cruising, surfing – oh man – doesn’t all of that just make it harder to re-enter the real world? 

Does anyone else have a hard time enjoying the moment without longing to remain in it?  On some level you wish that this WAS your reality.  You allow your mind to wander and start dreaming of a life without snow, without busyness, without responsibility, without heartache and without trials.  By the time this thought process is finished – in your mind…your house is already on the market, you’ve checked out the want ads and real estate for anywhere in the sunny south.  Does this ring true to any one else besides the Coros family?  Admittedly – our thoughts were cruising down that road as we neared the end of our vacation.

Well – God is merciful, gracious and in complete control.  Our last few days in the south were spent in Florida as we had planned to visit Harvest in beautiful Jupiter Beach.  You will NEVER guess what message the Lord had cued up for us to hear.

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” 1 Corinthians 7:17.   For real??! 

Pastor Jeremy preached a strong word entitled "Living a Life of Impact", including these key points:

1.  You are called to live in the place God has assigned you.

2.  The pursuit of change distracts us from a life of impact.

3.  God’s presence transcends your circumstances.

As we listened intently to God’s Word, boy were we challenged with the question, “Are we at rest with where God has put us?" We could easily justify why we would be perfect candidates to move anywhere south of where we are now….I’m sure we could do lots of great things for the Lord in the Bahamas– but that’s not where God has us at the moment. Pastor Jeremy reminded us that a life of true impact is "not us working through God, but God working through us – right where we are."  Regardless of what that looks like, or how hard it is, or how cold it is or how long it takes.  Others will see Christ in us as we walk in obedience and faith right here in Barrie, Ontario…up hills and down hills. 

So, are we content? Yes!

Even when it’s hard? – Of course!

Why? Because we trust that God has great plans for us and we are overwhelmed by his continued grace and mercy as we strive to live a life of impact.

Are you?

If you weren’t able to attend the night of prayer on January 29 – you missed out!  Seriously!

As Pastor Todd followed author Daniel Henderson’s lead (Transforming Prayer); we enjoyed sweet times of worship, singing praises to our heavenly Father and also heard a strong word from John 4.  Our focus was on the lost and our fourth pillar – sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with boldness.  We spent time in groups of four or five praying specifically for those in need of Christ’s forgiveness and the strength to share with them.

Not only was I encouraged by standing corporately with brothers and sisters in Christ, but I was beyond blessed to pray with some of our high school students and hear them pour out their hearts to Jesus.  These teenagers, who are regularly persecuted for their faith, were praying for the souls of those who torment them and for the strength to stand for Christ. Wow!

I know that God has used Transforming Prayer to change my prayer life and allow me to truly seek his face; and it was amazing for me to see this play out practically, in our church family.  What a gift it is to be able to spend time adoring our awesome God and pray back to him, the words he gave us.

Being a visual learner – I love the picture that God paints in Ephesians 6:13-18…”Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

Prayer night allowed me to polish up my armor, tighten my belt and raise my sword even higher– ready for battle; after all, “the fields are white for harvest” (John 4:35b).

I’m sure you’ve heard these words or uttered this phrase a time or two.  What does it mean?  Google explains that this saying is "used to express anger when you can't tolerate something". I’d agree with that – it usually comes out of my mouth when I’ve “had it up to here with your nonsense”.  I can become highly irritated when my children fight with one another.  I tell them how it grieves my heart when people I love so much hurt one another.  Wow – their demeanor changes when they realize that their actions are affecting someone else. 

Yet, how often do I stop and think about how my heavenly Father grieves over my sin and my actions. 

I’ve been journeying once again through the Old Testament and find myself sitting proudly on my high horse as I shake my head at the Israelites.  Sheesh, do they do anything but grumble and complain about what they don’t have and whine and cry about what they want???  It’s right at that moment when I’m looking down my nose at others that I hear it  - enough is enough!

Am I not just like them? Do I not find countless opportunities to grumble and complain?  It’s too cold; this doesn’t fit; why can’t we do this; what on earth are they thinking; I just don’t feel like having manna anymore…it’s endless and ridiculous.

It’s so easy to get sucked into the vortex of this world; to jump on the band wagon with everyone else. It feels good to get things off your chest, especially if others feel the same way and you all venture down that road together – your complaints are now justified! 

BUT, we are called to be set apart!  What a statement it makes to others when you walk away from gossip; when you choose to see the best in others instead of focusing on their weaknesses; when you don’t give in to grumbling – but wake each morning saying “I’M ALIVE – Praise God for granting me another day”.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing,  that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world”.

I want to shine as a light in this dark world, so I need to be ever mindful of the thoughts and intentions of my heart and ensure that I’m Christ focused at all times.  I’m not a New Year’s resolution kind of person, but this year I resolve to say "enough is enough". I need to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Oh the B-I-B-L-E,

Yes, that’s the book for me,

I stand alone on the Word of God,

The B-I-B-L-E

BIBLE!

Remember it?  We loved it when Pastor Mike led our Awana kids in this timeless classic during Party with the Pastors.  What a great reminder for our children that the Bible is the most important book ever written.

As Pastor Todd swung his sword last Sunday, and taught us from Hebrews 4, that “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword”, I was reminded that I should never treat his Word lightly, but with reverence and awe.

I was blessed to be in with the older Awana clubbers during their teaching time last week, when their director Mrs. Hicks shouted out, "Swords up" and one excited child exclaimed, "I love sword drills", as she thrust her Bible up in the air, awaiting the Scripture verse to search for.                                

Is that how we feel every time we open the Word of God? “I can’t WAIT to hear from the Lord." "I just can’t get enough of it!"

When did that start for you?  Were you taught as a child to love opening your Bible, that it was truly the living Word, that the words were actually God-breathed?

I was teaching in Higher Ground one morning, had just opened in prayer and was ready to get into the Word.  I asked the kids to get their Bibles out so we could search for the passage together. There was one child with their Bible out of about 30 kids. 

We all know that children are sponges; they are just waiting to soak up information daily. In children’s ministry at Harvest, we can’t wait to open our Bibles and hear from our great God.  We spend time memorizing Scripture.  We talk A LOT about "storing God’s Word in our heart" (Psalm 119:11) and how we can use Scripture to protect us, to help us when we’re struggling.  We’ve demonstrated that learning the Word of God is truly like putting on armor, complete with a sword and shield!  They get it!  Doesn’t it amaze you how quickly kids memorize?  Let’s not hold back.  Let’s make sure our kids truly understand the gift we’ve been given - the Bible.

I am thankful to be surrounded by strong families, who love God, love their kids and love others.  It’s so evident that you are hungry to hear a word from God after you drop your kids off and head to service, with your Bible tucked under your arm. 

Let’s make sure we’re equipping our kids to do the same – if they don’t have a Bible, visit our bookstore, they can hook you up.  Christmas is coming……what a perfect gift! 

(Check out this link to an amazing ESV Children’s Bible – great for kids grades 1-5)

• We proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with clarity and urgency.
• We commit to God’s Word as our guide and standard.
• We treat all people as created and loved by God.
• We maintain a servant heart in all we do.
• We manage God’s resources with faithfulness and integrity.
• We pursue excellence as unto the Lord