For Those With Ears - Entries from July 2011

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FriFridayJulJuly29th2011 As the gospel changes me
Posted Friday, July 29 2011 @ 9 AM byMike Armstrong Tagged From the Cave 0 comments Add comment
You've probably heard it said that Christians grow - sin gets put to death and the fruit of the Spirit manifests itself in us.  We change. We transform.  A common misunderstanding is that we grow as we simply try harder to be like Jesus - but the reality is that we grow as the truth of the gospel permeates our sin hardened hearts more. 

The challenge for us then is to be learning and relearning the gospel so that we can live this life for Christ out of proper motives and real love.

Come out this Sunday to see what this change in us looks like as it relates to the gospel.  Read Galatians 1:10-24 over the weekend and check out the songs we'll be singing on Sunday including this new one.



See you then. 

Mike
WedWednesdayJulJuly27th2011 Affirmed!
Posted Wednesday, July 27 2011 @ 6 AM byTodd Dugard Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
You may have been in the worship service a few weeks ago when the elders surprised me with the gift of an iPad 2 from the church family. I was honoured by the Harvest Bible Fellowship at the recent Harvest University conference in Chicago with an award and the elders followed that up with recognition here at home. It was a blessing to have video from Pastor James MacDonald making the announcement.  After the gift presentation, Terry Codling pulled a set of keys out of his pocket...a car was given to us by several families on behalf of our church family.  Cheryl and I were (and still are) overwhelmed.

The car given to us that morning was just one for that Sunday...a placeholder while the right vehicle was found. As things turned out we were blessed with a 2009 Nissan Murano. It is a very nice vehicle. It will take us on our first road trip on August 9 when we head south to Virginia to vacation with our family and take Joel back to Liberty.

There are many ways to affirm your pastor. These gifts are one rather obvious way. We want to say thank you to all who had a part in it and who have communicated to us loud and clear that they love our family and affirm me in my role as senior pastor.

There are plenty of other ways as well which are no less affirming.  A handshake, hug or pat on the back. Words of encouragement and blessing. Some have offered us their time and abilities and served us in incredible ways. And many have simply given us themselves...special time just hanging out together.  We are incredibly grateful for it all.

But that isn't even the whole thing.  One of the most powerful ways I am affirmed is when I see the members of this church body growing and serving and loving one another. I am so encouraged when I see you giving yourselves to the ministry, when you have your Bibles open, eager to hear the Word. When you lift your voices and hands in worship leaning in to the Lord. When I hear your voices united in prayer. When I see you inviting friends and family to hear about the Lord. I'm excited and affirmed and built up when you are simply being the church.

I'll end with 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 and say it this way, Todd and Cheryl, Joel, Emilie and Luke "give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

To him be the glory!

Todd
TueTuesdayJulJuly26th2011 “You Can’t Un-Sin…only REPENT”
Posted Tuesday, July 26 2011 @ 7 AM byAmy Fotherby Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
I was raised in a Christian family, went to a Christian school, went to Awana…there was no reason why I couldn’t have chosen Christ at a young age and made wiser choices that would have protected me from future hurt…but I didn’t. I was almost 20 when I fully surrendered my life to Christ…sadly there are choices from my past that I wish I could undo but…I can’t. In reality there are choices I made in the past couple days that I wish I could undo but…I can’t.

I talk to a lot of women who live in past regrets of choices made…it’s easy to continue to live in that place but I don’t believe that Christ would have us remain in that place. We need to be broken over our sin and see it as Christ sees it but once we’ve confessed it and are moving on from it we need not look back and remain in that place.

I mean, how appealing does the Christian life look to unbelievers if we continue to live in shame, regret, fear or whatever other negative emotion past dealt with sin conjures up? Living that way doesn’t really bring much glory to the one who died to SAVE us from those sins and offers us forgiveness.

Be blessed and encouraged as you check out this blog by Steven Furtick about repentance and moving forward:

Sometimes it can be very difficult to process your own sin. When we sin, there is usually an element of regret. Which is a good thing. If there was none, we should probably be worried about the condition of our hearts.

But usually we focus this regret on the desire to undo the past action. We wish we could go back and change what we’ve done.

But we can’t. It happened, and there’s no changing it. So we have to face an important truth if we don’t want to perpetually live in a state of regret and self-condemnation: You can’t un-sin. Only re-pent.

Those words you shouldn’t have said…were said.
That guy you shouldn’t have slept with…you slept with.
The compromise that you made at work…you made.

What’s done is done. You can’t un-sin. And while it might be good that you wish you could, ultimately there’s no going backwards.

But there is a way forward. And the way forward is the path of repentance. You can’t un-say what you said, but you can re-pent of what you said. You can’t un-sleep with that guy, but you can re-pent to God for doing it.

As far as the past goes, what happened, happened. But as far as your future goes, with God it could be as if it never happened. You can get a fresh understanding with God. A chance to not let your past mistakes affect your future possibilities.

Un-sinning has an orientation towards the past. Re-pentance, on the other hand, is about the future. It’s dealing with your past disobedience towards God so you can walk towards your future relationship with him. And that’s what he wants for you.

So if you’re dealing with the regrets and guilt of yesterday, or last month, or even ten years ago, don’t waste any more time playing the scenario over in your head and imagining doing it differently. It’s done.

Embrace the truth that God preempted your past faithlessness in your life with his past faithfulness on the cross. Re-pent of what you’ve done. And move on towards the future God has for you.

~ Steven Furtick blog
MonMondayJulJuly25th2011 The Monday blog about Sunday
Posted Monday, July 25 2011 @ 6 AM byEutychus Tagged Monday 0 comments Add comment
Nothing like a "mildly warm" day to get together for church yesterday. 

It was amazing to hear from Jordan Coros about how great the turnout was for our Food Drive Flash Mob for the Barrie Food Bank on Saturday.  Many of you showed up and three truckloads of food were gathered - the Food Bank was so pumped to be blessed by this and the number we're hearing is that the total weight of the food collected was 3000 lbs - glory to God!  Missed out?  Bring your non-perishable food items to church this Sunday.



Mike's message from Galatians 1:1-9 was all about how nothing compares to the Gospel - it has the power to dislodge idols and completely transform the way we think, act and interact with our world.  We all need to deeply grasp that our salvation, our hope, our wholeness as people rest in the Gospel - no other truth is more important for us to grasp.

Mike mentioned "The Cross-Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing" by C.J. Mahaney.  You may want to check it out for some summer reading.

Forever Reign is one of the songs Jordan Donald and the team led us in - it's a message of the Gospel of grace - check it out.



Keep in mind the prayer meetings for the Collingwood/Wasaga Beach campus.  The next two are scheduled for Sunday, July 31 and Sunday, August 7.  Info here.

It was also cool to see John Coros and Ken Rounds affirmed as deacons - how great is it that both these men got saved at our church and have served faithfully for years?!  That's the gospel at work.

God is good.

Eutychus
FriFridayJulJuly22nd2011 The Gospel Is ...
Posted Friday, July 22 2011 @ 11 AM byMike Armstrong Tagged From the Cave 0 comments Add comment
Ever feel like you just don't get it?  Like this Christian life is just swimming up stream or constantly going against the grain?  I know I feel like that sometimes... maybe even a lot of the time.  I tend to put too much energy and focus into "what I must do" as opposed to resting in "what Christ has already done."  Enter the Gospel.  The Gospel is where we learn that Jesus paid it all - he bore our sin and our shame because we couldn't.  He was sacrificed on our behalf to pay a debt we had no ability to pay.  What all that shows is just how much Jesus loves and approves of us, despite our wickedness and failures.  If our hearts would only believe that at its deepest depths, we'd be ok.  We would stop trying hard to earn God's approval or forgiveness, because we already have it.  We would stop living defeated lives because Jesus has defeated sin and death.  We would stop leaning on rickety idols for satisfaction and comfort because Jesus is what satisfies and comforts us.  We know all of this because the Gospel tells us so. 

Over the next two Sundays we'll be looking at Galatians 1, starting with the first nine verses this Sunday.  In it we'll see that nothing compares to the Gospel - nothing comes even close.  Nothing has the power to save us, change us and give us hope.  Pumped to see you all there.

And hey, in advance of Sunday, you can get pumped by spending some time listening to the songs Jordan has lined up for us this week!
ThuThursdayJulJuly21st2011 Blessed
Posted Thursday, July 21 2011 @ 10 AM byJoel Dugard Tagged Prayer Relationships 0 comments Add comment
Blessed.   

If I were to sum up how I’ve felt over the past few days in just one word, that would probably be the one. Just…incredibly blessed. I’ve already had an action packed summer, between working at Harvest as an intern and connecting with friends and family before going back to school in Lynchburg, Virginia. But a few very special things have happened to me of late that have just caused me to go “Wow, thank you God!”

I hope that your summer has been filled with plenty of blessings, too. Be they special times with your family while on vacation, or just finding time to relax and rest up before the fall, there are plenty of blessings that come from our heavenly Father each and every day. It’s important to recognize, too, that God often uses other people to pass on his blessings to us. Personally, I can think of several people that helped me feel God’s deep love and care for me through the ways that they were able to bless me this week. Their generosity, be it through their finances, time, or energy, was used tremendously by God to fill my heart with joy for who he is, how he loves me, and how he continues to bless me.


But my challenge to you today is this: Consider the blessings that are happening in your life right now, and think and pray about the ways that God wants to use you to bless others. This was something that God challenged me on this week big time, and let me tell you, the payoff was enormous. After being able to give generously to someone else through a series of circumstances, my heart instantly was filled with joy, knowing that God had just used me to bless another. I say this, not to boast in my giving, but instead to encourage you as a testimony of the amazing joy that comes from a life of generosity. As I mentioned before, generosity doesn’t have to come through money. Your willingness to just spend time with someone or help them through a problem can be used by God to bless them in a big way and, in turn, bless you as well. In Proverbs 3:9-10, it says,

“Honor the LORD with your wealth, and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

That verse pretty much says it all. God gives generously to those who give generously. Think about that, pray about that, and then act upon that this week.

God bless.
WedWednesdayJulJuly20th2011 Never once did we ever walk alone
Posted Wednesday, July 20 2011 @ 7 AM byJordan Donald Tagged No tags 2 comments Add comment
As a worship leader, you might expect that I enjoy listening to a variety of different worship music.  Listening to so much of it, I particularly love coming across certain songs that I can really connect with.  Songs that seem to theme along just with what I am experiencing in my own life, songs that I haven’t written, but I may as well have because it’s EXACTLY what I am feeling at that time in my life.  With Pastor Todd’s recent series God is faithful in the face of my failure, the Lord brought to my attention some hard things that I really need to give to him, things from the past and things from the present that seemed to just linger around and make my walk with Christ seem difficult and inconsistent.

Seeing weak areas in our walk with Christ is never an easy thing, but it’s so encouraging to me that no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done, he truly is faithful in all our circumstances.  A song that I came across recently that really speaks truth to me, especially within the series we just finished, is a song called “Never Once” by Matt Redman, off his newest release “10,000 Reasons”.  The song is an amazing reminder that God is faithful ALWAYS, even when we often fall short in so many ways.

God never let’s us go through something that we can’t handle. One of my favorite lines in the song says: “Scars and struggles on the way”, and those scars and struggles are different for so many of us.  It could be something deep and permanent, something that’s been with us since our childhood, and it could be something shallow and temporary, someone that bugs us at work or a neighbour even.  No matter what it is though, there’s so much hope in the following line and the chorus of this song that state:

"But with joy our hearts can say, yes, our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone, never once did you leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, you are faithful”

In this video, Matt Redman shares his story of the writing of this song:



Even in the difficult times, we need to have our joy in the Lord.  This album has been so encouraging to me this past couple weeks and I’m truly fired up about it and all that it has to say about our Lord and why he is SO worthy of our praise.  If you were looking for something new for your iTunes library I would most certainly recommend it for you!  Check it out where you buy your music and worship the Lord to it at home and in your car!

Blessings,

Jordan
TueTuesdayJulJuly19th2011 Truly Epic
Posted Tuesday, July 19 2011 @ 7 AM byTodd Dugard Tagged No tags 3 comments Add comment
Time to catch up on something I’ve wanted to bring to you for a while now. Back in June I had the opportunity to get away for a few days to pray, study and plan out the preaching calendar for the coming year. It has been our practice as elders to lay out in advance what God would have us hear, and we have seen the Holy Spirit work powerfully in that in people’s lives over the years.

At the beautiful retreat location I was able to use again this year, I looked at one book only knowing that if we dove into it, we would be there for the whole year.

As elders, we had already decided that the theme for 2011-2012 would be, “To him be glory!” from the benediction in Ephesians 3:20-21. It is a decidedly vertical theme in that the focus is entirely on our God. 

So as I prepared to lay out the preaching, I wanted us to study a section of Scripture that was quite vertical as well…something that would take us into the throne room of God each week…something that would be transcendent…something that was all about how awesome our God is. Something that was truly…epic.

For me, that’s the Book of Hebrews. The title of the series is “Truly Epic: Jesus Christ and the power of an indestructible life”.

There’s no doubt that there are plenty of things being described as “epic” these days. For the record, none of them really are. For something to be truly epic it must transcend the normal. It must be beyond the ordinary. It must astound, surprise, or cause us to catch our breath. To be epic is to be heroic, majestic, or impressively great.

And Jesus Christ is all of that and more. And it is a good thing because, whether we fully grasp it or not, we are in need of one who is an epic Saviour. An epic God. One who radiates, “the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16).  That’s epic!

In our weakness, we need him because our lives are characterized with epic failures of all kinds. In Hebrews we will find one who “endured the cross”—the most epic failure in history—and who now sits “at the right hand of the throne of God”—the most epic victory in history.

Because of Jesus Christ we too can live a truly epic life.

The series is thirty-four messages long and is divided up into four sub-series. Here’s the whole outline:

Listen Up…
1:1-3 - He has spoken
1:4-14 - Angels are cool, but…
2:1-4 - Lest we drift
2:5-18 - He is able to help
3:1-6 - Moses is great and all, but…
3:7-19 - Do not harden your hearts
4:1-10 - There remains a Sabbath rest
4:11-13 - We must give account

Hold Fast…
4:14-16 - Draw near to the throne
5:1-10 - Beset with weakness
5:11-14 - Solid food is for the mature
6:1-12 - We feel sure of better things
6:13-20 - Jesus: A sure and steadfast anchor of the soul
7:1-10 - Jesus: King of righteousness; King of peace
7:11-28 - Jesus: Able to Save
8:1-13 - Jesus: Much more excellent
9:1-14 - Jesus: Securing an eternal redemption
9:15-28 - Jesus: Mediator of a new covenant
10:1-18 - Jesus: A single sacrifice for sins

Run Hard…
10:19-25 - Without wavering
10:26-39 - A fearful thing
11:1-3 - Faith is…
11:4-7 - Faith pleases
11:8-19 - Faith obeys
11:20-22 - Faith blesses
11:23-31 - Faith chooses
11:32-40 - Faith believes
12:1-3 - Faith endures
12:4-11 - For our good
12:12-17 - Be healed
12:18-29 -  A kingdom that cannot be shaken

No Fear…
13:1-6 - Let brotherly love continue
13:7-17 - Remember your leaders
13:18-25 - Jesus Christ, to whom be glory

We start in on 1:1 on Sunday, September 11.  The elders believe this is going to be an amazing year of blessing and challenge as we study this book together and celebrate 10 years as a movement of churches in Canada. Glad you’re going to be part of it all.

To him be glory!

Todd
MonMondayJulJuly18th2011 The Monday blog about Sunday
Posted Monday, July 18 2011 @ 8 AM byEutychus Tagged Monday 0 comments Add comment
It was another powerful Sunday as we wrapped up our time in Esther yesterday.  It was cool to see so many standing in response to the Word as we considered each of those failures we face.  If you haven't heard the message because you were away, check it out here.  Each of the messages in the three week series are available here.

Pastor Todd let us know that the whole "Not Going Back" series in Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther will close on Labour Day weekend with a message on Psalm 126--the hymn that the returning exiles sang about God's restoration.

The reason we're waiting awhile for that final message is because Pastor Todd is taking his annual preaching break for the next six weeks.  No new sermon prep for him for a bit.  He'll be heading off with Cheryl to Scotland for some vacation and to preach at Harvest Bible Chapel Glasgow. If you missed it, check out last week's blog from Pastor Scott Hamilton, senior pastor at Harvest Glasgow.

Back here in Barrie we'll be sitting under the teaching ministry of Mike Armstrong on July 24 and 31, Norm Millar on August 7, Jon Miller on August 14, and Roger Freeman on August 21 and 28.  It is a great line up and we'll be hearing some great preaching.

Having mentioned Mike, it was so good to see his name in the bulletin to affirm him as a pastor. He has served so well as both the student ministries director and now as family ministries director.  If all goes well, the elders will lay hands on him in an upcoming service. Sometimes when you "lay hands on" someone it is a bad thing, but this is a very good thing.

Back to the sermon for a sec...Pastor Todd mentioned the book, The Hiding Place. It is the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family hiding Jews during World War II. It is a powerful story of forgiveness.  Great summer reading if you're looking for things for your reading list.

Word is that the Harvest office is on the move again.  I heard about an email from one staff team member who wrote, "Well, it is that time of year again when we pack up all our things and move the office." Punchy! This time is should be semi-permanent as the team moves into the space at 258 Bayfield Street.  Watch for news about the actual move date.

And one final note, the Flash Mob Food Drive is happening this Saturday. Don't miss this fun event. Here are the details from the main page of our website. We intentionally landed on a July drive to bless the food bank at a time that no one else is thinking about them. Let's fill those trucks, Harvest, and show our love.



Wait, one more final note.  Was anyone else hot in there on Sunday? The temps, according to the guy I met with the six thermometers placed strategically around the building were 78 to 82 F. Pretty warm.  The staff is working with our landlords at TCS to find a solution.  Thanks for your patience as we work it out. Have a great week! Stay cool.

Grace,

Eutychus
FriFridayJulJuly15th2011 Haman…boooooooooo…hisssssssssssssss
Posted Friday, July 15 2011 @ 10 AM byTodd Dugard Tagged From the Cave 0 comments Add comment
I had mentioned a couple of weeks ago in the opening message in Esther that Jewish people to this day, when celebrating Purim, boo and hiss whenever Haman’s name is spoken. Purim was established as a holiday for the Jews in the book of Esther.  

But before we get too energized to call out Haman for his wretched plans, we need to remember something. We are all sinners. The prophet Jeremiah called us all out when he preached these words, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” That isn’t just a sermon point for Haman. Jeremiah was preaching to professing believers. He was preaching to me. And you. Paul said in Romans, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Notice…“all”. 

So I’m thinking that when my name and your names are mentioned someone needs to boo and hiss. In the end our rebellion is no worse and no better than Haman’s. In the end, both find us separated from God and his glory.  

As we wrap up our time in Esther this Sunday, we’ll look at the last three characters in the narrative: Haman, the Jews, and the true hero of the story, God. We’ll look again at our failures in light of what we see in these characters. So far we’ve looked at, 

The foolishness of over-indulgence in King Ahasuerus;
The pursuit of comfort and what’s-best-for-me in Mordecai; and
The crisis of love and identity in Esther’s life.

On Sunday we’ll see, 

The bitterness and rage that flow from unforgiveness in Haman the Agagite; and 
The consequences of past choices in the Jews.

These are all failures that we see in our own lives. They all mark ways that we demonstrate our own unfaithfulness to God. Having identified closely with these failures, we are ready to hear the powerful message of this book, that GOD is forever faithful in the face of these failures! God never disappoints and always fulfills his promises and his covenant. 

We have already seen God doing some powerful work in people’s lives through this teaching. Prepare for more impact as we meet together as the church by listening to the songs Jordan has lined up for us, by taking the time to read Esther, and by praying that the Holy Spirit would grip us as we worship and hear his Word again this week. 

Todd
ThuThursdayJulJuly14th2011 HY Missions Update
Posted Thursday, July 14 2011 @ 8 AM byMike Armstrong Tagged Global Ministries Youth 0 comments Add comment
Well everything is going really well so far.  We're currently enjoying some downtime which is why I am able to write this.  Our team members are doing things like playing cards, guitar, reading, resting and bonding right now which is a nice break from all the work we've been doing.

As a reminder to you all, a group of 13 students and four leaders from Harvest Youth Sr. High are on a missions trip in Bradford with CrossTrainers this week helping run a Vacation Bible School for kids at a local church in town.  We've finished three days so far which has us leading kids ages 4-10 though worship, games, scripture memory, crafts and more. It's been an incredible time of building relationships with both the kids and CT staff.  The students are growing and learning which has been cool to see. In the afternoons we've been painting the outside windows on the building that CT operates from in the heart of Bradford.  It's been disgustingly hot but there hasn't been so much as a complaint from the students about it.  They've been working hard painting and cleaning the place from top to bottom and it's been a huge blessing to the CT staff. They are blown away at what God is doing through our group. 

Here's a picture of the team getting ready to run the VBS as well as one of them prepping the windows of the building we're painting.





Please pray for our team - that we would continue to stay unified and have positive attitudes.  Also pray that there would be much impact for the kingdom through what we do - for children to come to know Jesus as Saviour and for much fruit to bear in their lives.  We're grateful for your prayers and your support!

Mike
WedWednesdayJulJuly13th2011 God’s Best for Us
Posted Wednesday, July 13 2011 @ 7 AM byAmy Fotherby Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
I appreciate a good plan. I really appreciate being the one to come up with a plan and carry it out. I don’t appreciate when plans don’t go quite the way that I think they should. Lindsay McCaul has a line that I love in her song The Door that says, “I thought for a while you’d come to my senses and see…” There have been many times when I have fought with God because I believed that my silly little human plan was better than the one that he apparently had for me. I have no reason to doubt the faithfulness of God in my life or that his plans are good (the best, really) and will far surpass my own – so I’m learning to wrestle less.

Romans 8.28 is a verse we hear often - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. This is a fantastic verse, a verse I believe with my whole heart but sometimes when we just throw it out there at someone who is in the midst of a tough time or when that verse is quoted at us in the midst of grieving the demise of a plan when we can’t see God’s best right ahead of us it can come across as flippant. A friend shared with me a great blog that explains this verse well and was an encouragement to me so I wanted to pass it along. Check out Suffering's Sweet Result.

I’m convinced the ultimate good is most definitely the best for me.
TueTuesdayJulJuly12th2011 Harvest Glasgow
Posted Tuesday, July 12 2011 @ 7 AM byScott Hamilton Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
Being asked to write a blog about a Sunday service here in Glasgow seems a bit like telling you all stuff you already know. But maybe that’s the point. We had a couple from Harvest Oakville come visit us last summer (just to whet your sense of the competitive - Oakville holds the record for the most non-missions trip visitors to Harvest Glasgow).  It was such a great thing to see the tears well up in the eyes of those ex-patriot Glaswegians as they saw the four pillars, heard the worship team running through songs so familiar, Party with the Pastor, the commitment to preaching for transformation not just information, and "you are loved." They marvelled that God’s hand had been so gracious to allow a Harvest to be planted in their home city. (Even if you move away from Glasgow, it’s always home.)

That’s the great thing about being part of the Harvest family; you can be far away and still feel at home. So right now we are working through a series called ‘Basic Instructions’ on the book of Proverbs. We have studied parenting, speech, discipline, friendship with pride and teachability still to come. God’s Word is transforming lives. As senior pastor here I am always blessed by the tangible sense of hunger that there is for God’s Word and the earnest desire to apply it.

We sing songs that are contemporary in style with the core being a desire to lift Jesus' name high and within the content a commitment to sing God’s Word. God has blessed us from the outset of the church with some gifted musicians and singers in disproportionate number to our size. Lead guitarists, keyboard players, singers, drummers (okay we have one drummer who works amazingly hard regularly and humbly). So here are my present (albeit changing regularly) top five songs that we sing at Harvest Bible Chapel Glasgow.

1. Lift Up The Name
2. Everlasting God (my kids love this song so I need to put it down)
3. Your Love Never Fails
4. Made Us Alive
5. Revelation Song

One of the most encouraging things that we have found is that Sundays have become like a family gathering. In fact more and more people are using the term "church family" to describe who we are to one another. And that includes you, our church family in Barrie. We already have a sense of belonging with you in the convictions we share. We already have a sense of longing with you for the city you call home. We already have a sense of excitement for you at all that God will do in and for and through you as you stand faithfully for him, strengthened by him.

Come visit us - it will feel a lot like home.

You are loved!

Scott Hamilton
Senior Pastor, Harvest Glasgow
MonMondayJulJuly11th2011 The Monday blog about Sunday
Posted Monday, July 11 2011 @ 12 PM byEutychus Tagged Monday 0 comments Add comment
It was another great time of worship and of being the church this past Sunday as we continued our look into the Book of Esther. Pastor Todd took us to the Word to examine the lives of Mordecai and Esther, and he challenged us about how we normally look at these supposed “heroes” of the story. If you missed it, check out the message audio.

The worship time included a time of open mic sharing of favourite verses on God’s faithfulness. It was powerful to hear so many voices lifting up the Word of God. To those who shared, thanks for doing that.

It was also amazing to have Amber sing and Jordan, Travis and Victor accompany her for that high impact song, Your Hands, which we heard during the message. Here’s the original artist JJ Heller singing it. If the song impacted you, you can buy it for $0.99 on iTunes. Worth it!



It was good to see Travis Doucette on team playing keys too. Travis is a member here at Harvest but we only really see him around Christmas and in the summer. He lives in Lynchburg, Virginia, is a member at Thomas Road Baptist Church there and works as a prof in the worship faculty at Liberty University. Always a blessing to have him with us.

At the end of the worship service we prayed for our youth mission team which is now in Bradford for the week running a Vacation Bible School there in partnership with CrossTrainers Ministries. We’re grateful for our partnership with this ministry and with Harvest members Josh and April Schrader who are part of the fulltime team there.

And Sunday night there was a special prayer gathering in Nottawa as the elders and a group of eager Clearview Township people prayed about a Harvest campus in the Collingwood-Wasaga Beach area.  It was so encouraging to see those who came and to think about the possibilities for making disciples and church planting there.



And before I let you go, Harvest Bible Chapel Muskoka commissioned her first elders yesterday. Our elder chair, Terry Codling, was there to lay hands on these men. Pastor Todd was an elder there since the church launched in 2008.

And if you’re looking for a cool thing to do this week, Pastor Ron Zappia, who planted the first Harvest Bible Chapel in 2000 in Naperville, Illinois, is speaking up at Muskoka Bible Centre (MBC). Call them for details on when he is speaking.

Did anyone else notice it was a little warm in the room on Sunday? Those upfront preaching and leading worship sure did. The staff is working with Timothy Christian School (our landlords) to rectify the situation.

Hope that wherever you are, you’re enjoying this gorgeous week of summer.

To him be glory!

Eutychus
FriFridayJulJuly8th2011 God is Forever Faithful
Posted Friday, July 08 2011 @ 9 AM byTodd Dugard Tagged From the Cave 0 comments Add comment
God is Forever Faithful

I need to hear that. Mostly because I know how much I fail. I know how often I’ve failed in the past. I know how failure dogs me. I know I’ll fail yet again today or this week coming.

But God is faithful.

I don’t have to count on my own strength or my own wisdom or my own resolve.

God provides all of that.

As we continue our look into the book of Esther, the message is clear: God is forever faithful in the face of my failures.

Last week we looked at King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) and his brutal failure in the foolishness of over-indulgence. If you haven’t yet heard that message and the set up to the three-message series, listen online.

This Sunday, we look at Mordecai and the pursuit of comfort and what’s-best-for-me; we’ll see Esther and her crisis of love and identity; and we’ll look at Haman and the bitterness and rage that flow from unforgiveness. Each of these reflect a complete failure to live as God would have us live. The Lord has a message for us in each one: I’m faithful.

If you haven’t read the Book of Esther yet, take a half hour or so before Sunday to do that. It is a compelling little narrative. And check out the Sunday worship setlist as you prepare ahead of time to be with the church in worship.

See you Sunday,

Todd
ThuThursdayJulJuly7th2011 A new campus of Harvest Barrie?
Posted Thursday, July 07 2011 @ 11 AM byTodd Dugard Tagged No tags 1 comments Add comment


It was an exciting announcement for those who are part of our church family who live in the Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Clearview Township area. On June 5, they heard about the potential for a new Harvest Bible Chapel campus in that part of the county.

As part of the vision plan, the elders announced that prayer meetings would be held this summer and into the fall to seek the Lord for his leading with regard to planting a campus of Harvest Barrie in that area.  We are grateful to God for a strong small group that meets in Nottawa and for good leadership and faithful servants who live throughout the area.

You need to know that the first of these prayer meetings is happening this Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Tim and Roxi Shaw, 46 Mckean Blvd, Nottawa (map).  Tim and Roxi will be giving local leadership to this effort with their home being the base for these initial meetings.

I am also pleased to let you know that the point person who will be coordinating the effort on behalf of the staff is Jeremy Desota. Jeremy has a degree in ministry and brings some solid business experience to the table as well. He has a heart for Christ, for the mission to make disciples and plant churches, and is eager to lead the charge here.

If you live in that area and are eager to see a Harvest Bible Chapel campus there, come and pray with us. If you know someone who lives in that area and believe they should know about it, pass along the link to this blog. If you are "merely" supportive of this effort no matter where you live, join us for prayer as we seek God for his will and his blessing on this effort.

To him be glory!

Todd
WedWednesdayJulJuly6th2011 What I know for sure
Posted Wednesday, July 06 2011 @ 7 AM byRoger Freeman Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
What do I know for sure?  Sherlock Holmes always used this principle to deduce the answers to the mysterious circumstances he faced.  No matter how implausible the answer he always followed what he knew to be clearly true to reach the unclear explanation.   “Elementary” indeed!

This can be a good principle to follow in life also.  Sometimes we are not sure what we should do.  Often it isn’t all that murky, it’s just an issue of our will! But sometimes it really is unclear and we need some direction. When we have some big decisions to make it sometimes helps to figure out what we know for sure and keep going that direction. 

Here are some truths to stake your decisions on:

Faith – I know Jesus is my Saviour!  Salvation changes so many things.  When I am committed to following Jesus a lot of decisions become clear.  There are some directions I am not going to go.  Trusting in God’s Word settles a lot of issues up front!

Fitness – We often ask, “What is my shape?”  We mean, what am I designed for?  What are my spiritual gifts, what do I have a heart for, What are my abilities, what is my personality and what experience do I have?

Fulfillment – What fills my tank?  Some things are draining while other things are uplifting.  The same thing can have opposite effects on different people!  What are the things I get excited about?

Fruitfulness – Where have I seen God’s blessing in my life and on my endeavors?  Perhaps that is where I need to continue to expend my energies.

Favour – What does good counsel tell me?  Do those who know me and know the Word agree this is a good direction?

Friendship – Who am I called to walk with?  Is this a direction the people of God are going in?

These are not easy questions.  No going through the checklist and coming up with an easy answer.  But if we can pin down what we know for sure in these areas it can help give some direction to our steps. How has figuring some of this out helped you make a decision?  How did it work out?
TueTuesdayJulJuly5th2011 Churches Helping Churches: Haiti Update
Posted Tuesday, July 05 2011 @ 7 AM byHarvest Bible Fellowship Tagged Harvest Bible Fellowship 1 comments Add comment
From Thomas Kim, Churches Helping Churches

When I was in manufacturing, I wanted every operator on the plant floor to know the answers to three questions:
  1. What is the numeric goal?
  2. Are you ahead or behind?
  3. Do you know if your work is good or bad?
More concerning than the actual answers to these questions was whether or not they knew the answers.

I find these questions translate seamlessly to disaster relief.  So, as we continue the work in Haiti, let me give you our update:
  1. The goal is 50 churches by the end of summer.
  2. We’re behind schedule.
  3. What we’re producing is very, very good.
When we first came to Haiti, we quickly realized we would not be reconstructing churches, but instead would need to approach our building effort as if we were constructing churches for the very first time. There was simply nothing to work with.  We quickly donated 34 transitional shelters, made of wood, which has allowed pastoral work to continue.  Then, we immediately began making long-term plans for permanent structures.

Although the project has been delayed due to logistical problems, we have been committed to providing a solid foundation for our Haitian churches to build upon instead of rushing to an inferior solution.

Today, we’re in striking distance of putting up the first of these structures.  Here are some of the distinctive features of this building:
  • Structurally sound: The open-air structures have been designed according to California seismic codes, which account for 8.0 magnitude earthquakes.  They are also hurricane resistant, or able to withstand winds of up to 140 MPH. 
  • Jumpstart: This is a roof-only structure that will allow churches to meet under a stable roof.  Over time, the church will build the walls and inner furnishings to their taste, which will not have an affect on the structural integrity of the building.  This works in harmony with traditional Haitian construction as they build their homes over a lifetime while living in them.
  • Clear span: Most steel structures of this kind have a large I-beam spanning the entire building, weighing thousands of pounds, and requiring heavy machinery for assembly.  However, our partners, Metal Construction Resources and Joe Meheen, inventor of the tunable bridge, have replaced that I-beam with something that looks like a bridge.  The clear span (i.e. free from support posts in the middle aisles) is achieved through light-weight trusses.  If you’ve ever sat behind a column in church, bumped your knees and strained your neck to see the pastor, you’ll know why a clear span is a practical architectural move for a church.
  • Capacity building: Most importantly, the unique and lightweight composition of the structure allows it to be assembled almost entirely by the congregation with simple hand-tools.  The building team will be recruited, trained, and eligible to receive certification when the building is complete, which in theory will help them find employment in steel construction – a blossoming Haitian industry – after the project ends.  The team of builders will in turn head to the next church to train a new team, who will build their own church, and then send a team to the next church, until all of the churches have been built.
  • Match-funding: Notably, these structures will cost between $4-$5 per square foot to complete, an unbelievably low price per square foot for a seismic and hurricane resistant structure.  CHC financially matched the program 1:8 to intentionally provide our Haitian pastors with ownership in the project.  It was important to involve the churches in the process financially.  Jesus could have fed the 5,000 with nothing, but instead, purposely multiplied what they already had – no matter how small – to provide more than enough to feed the multitudes.  These congregations have each seen God multiply their limited resources to meet their needs far beyond what they could have imagined.  CHC is proud to match over $100,000 raised through the local church congregations.
When I describe our Haitian church structure, its cost, and the method we will use to build each building to experts in the industry, they don’t believe it can be done.  They say the technical specifics are too high, the building is too cheap – and wonder how it’s possible that average people with limited training can work together to build something so strong.

At that point I simply tell the critics that the story gets even better: God also provided JC Construction, a startup light-gauge steel construction company based in Haiti, willing to loan us their equipment.  And he provided unexplainable favour from other Haitian and American vendors.

We may be behind schedule on our new churches.  But by taking the time to understand what will work best in the long term, and then thoughtfully designing our approach, and serving a gracious God who has blessed this project abundantly… these Haitian congregations will receive more than just a new church building.  They will be part of a building process will be edifying to God, to his churches in Haiti, and to the congregations that serve him.

When all is said and done, we will have more than just 50 church structures.  We will have 50 congregations that have each grown exponentially through the effort.

God is at work in Haiti.  And we’re glad to be there to help.

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.  Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. (Psalm 127:1)
MonMondayJulJuly4th2011 The Monday blog about Sunday
Posted Monday, July 04 2011 @ 10 AM byEutychus Tagged Monday 2 comments Add comment
Pastor Todd said, “We are not going to go easy on preaching the word in July are we?”  The Word of God never needs a rest and I always need the Word in me.  We cannot afford to take a holiday from God’s Word, so I am excited about making it a priority!

One thought from the message that really gripped me is that “I am not defined by my failures”. How many of us see ourselves in light of our failures instead of faithfully living out our identity in Christ?  I know that is a struggle for me, yet my point of failure is exactly the point where God’s grace touches my life most powerfully.  (If you missed it, listen to the message here.)

I still have to deal with my tendency to over-indulge just like that king dude in Esther.  These questions Todd gave to apply to various areas of my life are pretty significant for testing how I am doing:

1. Do I find myself wanting this thing more and more?
2. Have I become defensive when questioned about it?
3. Do I think life will be boring without it?
4. What have I neglected in order to spend time doing this thing?
5. Do I use this thing to manipulate my feelings?
6. Can I set this aside for a significant period of time?

I asked myself, “What is the one thing I need to test myself in by having a fast from it?”  What do you need to fast from?

One last thing: Todd said that, “We need to confess our sins to one another”.  Who will I call?  Who will you call? 

And what do you need to do if someone calls you and confesses?  Here are some suggestions:

1. Don’t panic!  If you are not ready to receive it, politely tell the person.  If you are ready, listen and then pray with the person.
2. Ask them what kind of follow-up they would like.  Do they want ongoing accountability, ie – regular phone calls, or would they like extended help?
3. Ask how you can help them take the next step or even find out what the next step is.
4. Continue to pray for them and set a date to ask them how they are doing.

I sure am glad to know that it is God changing me, otherwise this would be too scary.  I’m not going to let lack of faith or fear hold me back.  Let’s grow together!

And don’t forget to watch for more details on the Food Bank Drive for July 23!

Peace,

Eutychus
FriFridayJulJuly1st2011 I Like Beer Commercials
Posted Friday, July 01 2011 @ 7 AM byTodd Dugard Tagged From the Cave 2 comments Add comment
What can I say, I like beer commercials. Oh, don’t go all religious on me now. I don’t like all beer commercials, but you know the ones I’m talking about. The ones that are all patriotic. All Canadian. They get me all jazzed about this great country. And as we head into the long weekend and celebrate the great country that is under our feet, remember to thank GOD for what we have here. Thank him for the HUGE blessing it is to be Canadian.

As citizens, the following is granted to us in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,

Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.

Be grateful for these freedoms. They allow us to worship, gather in worship, organize as a church, and speak of our faith publicly. 

It simply isn’t like that everywhere in the world. And at many points in history including today, God’s people have been the target of intentional persecution and opposition. Often these persecutions have been enshrined in law.

For the next two Sundays we will be in the third book of the post-exilic trilogy. The history of building the temple and the city walls in Jerusalem after the exile is done. We will now circle back to hear the account of Esther in the capital city of the Persian Empire, Susa. It was a time when God’s people faced extermination under the king’s law. 

But God was watching over his people and carrying on with his purpose for the world. As he works among the characters of the story, we see the perfection of his plan and the power of a sovereign God. The failures of the human characters of the Book of Esther are not difficult to see. The message that hits the reader is that God is forever faithful in the face of those failures. Whatever struggles, challenges, sins, failures you’re facing right now, God knows about it, cares about it (and you) and has a plan to carry you through it and bring blessing into your life.

In preparation for this Sunday and next, read the Book of Esther. It is a great narrative that can and should be read in one sitting. Pray for the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the messages this week and next and give a listen to the great line up of worship songs that we’ll be singing together as the church as our new worship director Jordan Donald leads us.

This Sunday also launches our JULY FOOD BANK DRIVE. You’ll be hearing more about it Sunday morning, but it isn’t that complicated. Bring food. I know our intern Jordan Coros has some great things planned.

See you Sunday,

Todd
Seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
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