Last night was pine car race night at FFBC in Brandon. It is part of our AWANA program and was a lot of fun. So great to see so many children out with their parents and grand parents. It was encouraging to also see people from FFBC that do not have children in AWANA come out just to be a part of the event. Everyone of our volunteers worked hard and it seemed everyone had a lot of fun. I was very glad I could be there to be a part of it. So today my theme is racing.
In a race, whether you are running or driving, you need to have your sights set on where you are going, a goal or target needs to be understood. You need a reference point, depending on the race it may be lines on the road, a finish line in sight, pylons, flags or even posts or fences. But if you do not keep your eyes open and aware of the points of reference then you will probably be headed for trouble.
If a driver hits the wall in a stock car race when no other cars were touching them. They most likely did not properly pay attention to their points of reference in relationship to their speed and direction. In a drag race if a dragster begins to swerve and then loose control and crash into the wall or flip, it is usually because the driver did not keep things steady and focused on the end goal.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
In our Christian life, we are to follow Jesus. Jesus came to earth as the Son of God. lived a perfect sinless life and then was killed because of our sins.
Have you ever sinned? Not sure? lets check ...
(Most of these questions were the ones I used with the kids last night)
Have you always listened to your parents and done what you are told, right away, never complained? Never had a bad attitude? Never grumbled to yourself about your parents? That is all sin
Have you ever done something mean to someone else? Told a lie to them or about them? Hurt someone else, hit them, tripped them, screamed at them? Have you ever said mean or cruel things to someone? That is all sin
Have you ever been selfish? Refused to share your cookies, your drink, your snacks, your toys, your bike, your lego? Pushed your way into a lineup in front of others? Gotten upset because someone else was in your seat, used your things or wanted to have some of your fries? That is all sin
Have you always loved God, properly, putting Him first in everything? Living a life of worship and prayerful communion with Him? Always living in obedience to God and what He teaches in the Bible? If not then you have lived a life of sin. I have too.
God said that there had to be punishment for sin and that punishment was death and an eternity away from God in a horrible place called Hell. But God is very good and He sent Jesus who is God, to come in the form of a person and to take on the punishment for our sin. And to those who accept His gift of Grace, as they repent of their sins, He forgives them for their sin and grants them an eternal relationship with God. Jesus enables us to be a people who do not have to sin, we can seek freedom and strength to resist sin by the power of the Holy Spirit. When the spirit of God takes up residence in us, which happens when you become a follower of Jesus, then we can live in greater obedience to Him. We will not be perfect, not in this life, but we have received the perfection of Jesus on our account so we can be God's friend, His Child.
The Christian Life is like a race, Jesus is our point of reference so make sure your sight is set on Him. The Bible is our map for the race so that we can avoid wrong turns. But if we stop paying attention to the map or get ourselves distracted and loose our point of reference, then we will loose our way, get lost and off course or crash. These distractions are sin, when we stop focusing on Jesus that is sin, the sin of selfishness and pride. We need to recognize that as a Christian Jesus forgives our sins and we need to stay away from sin so that we can stay on course, so that we can finish the race without a big crash. Unlike a race though, if you do crash big, you are not removed from the race. Instead Jesus forgives you if you repent and then He picks you up and helps you get moving again.
Pastor Bruce
Over the years at different times I have heard about troubling things. Ideas and even government decisions that would imply that the primary educator should be the state, the government or their appointed institutions. Again today I read of the plight of a family seeking to immigrate to the United States because they were not being allowed to home educate their children in Germany. The US government has not been supportive and it sounds like they are looking to use this situation to create a new legal standard in the court system about whether there is a basic right to educate your children how ever you believe is best.
Many Christian families are troubled by this, especially those who home educate. Really we should all be troubled by this. When the government begins to put in place such restrictions through court rulings, we should all be afraid. When laws and standards are implemented through the courts there is no proper dialogue, no proper representation of the people. Rather it is based on which lawyers argue best to convince the judge of their position. In this case everyone should be upset about the idea that the government knows what is best for my children.
Although we did home educate for part of our children's education, I am not writing today to try and convert people to that position. Rather I want you to think about the long term effects. Today if the government makes home education illegal because they did not see a particular group, race, religion etc... that was 100% in support of it. What will be next? Religion based private schools? Other private schools? Not everyone of us agrees on which school we should send our children to. It is a slippery slope to base an argument on less than complete agreement on anything. Those who advocate this line of thinking would have us all fit the same mold, there would be no freedom to do anything unless everyone else also wanted to do the same.
The basic right in question here is not a right to home educate but a basic right to freedom in how we are to raise our families and how they are to learn. If you do not home educate would you want the government to tell you that you had to? Would you want the government to make you send your child to a different school that you did not think was the right place for them to be? Who should be the one to decide what is best for your children, your family? Well I believe that you, if you are a parent, are the one who should decide.
It is true that the government needs to make sure society is a healthy place and that there are proper boundaries. But they are totally in the wrong zone if they are thinking that home education is not good. look at the many many studies about the high achievement of home educated kids. Look at the way post secondary education has changed to accept more home educated students because they shine like the stars that they are. Sure you cannot generalize, but most home educated students are taught to gain "competency" in a course or skill. Now post secondary institutions are more and more looking at competency as how assessment should happen not just on test scores.
Anyway I could go on but I needed to let off some steam on this one. Make your voice heard, I know I am in Canada but we should all make sure our governments know where we stand before the storm hits.
Pastor Bruce
Family, often such a misunderstood concept in our culture today. I could go into a long discussion about my thoughts on the current culture but instead I want to take a moment to share my current pondering.
I love family, I love the idea of family, I love experiencing family. Family is a beautiful God given gift for us. A set of relationships wherein we can find love, compassion, care, encouragement, laughter, tears, comfort, strength, life, mourning, sadness, and a true sense of community among other things. I know no family is perfect, in fact I think all of them are a bit messy in one way or another.
I got to spend time with a very special part of my family tonight. Time with my wonderful wife, two sons, daughter (in-law) and yet-born grand child. Such a great and close family. Warms my heart. Are we perfect ... NOPE! But even when things get tough we will always love each other and be there for one another.
As I pondered family, my mind regularly flashes to different people. Many of them as close a part of our family as anyone and yet we are not blood related, at least not close "blood-relatives". We all have the same common ancestors in Adam and Eve but we do not necessarily share last names or grand parents. I have so many family members that I often long to spend time with. They are all over the world. Some are my parents, grand parents, brothers, sisters, etc... but so many are close to me because we are part of the family of God. god brought us together and connected us.
Some people who are family to me I have spent very little time with, and yet I feel a close bond to them. Others I have had the honor of spending a lot of time with. All are so very special to me. I am glad we have such modern technology so that I can try and stay connected with them.
Here in Brandon where I have been only a short time, I have already been finding more family. I love discovering all of the family members God has for me to meet up with. This family idea is amazing, a great opportunity to make sure others know they are valued and cared for. We are so blessed that God gave us this model. I pray that we learn to embrace it better.
Find someone to encourage every day, if the day is not yet over find another one and then repeat.
Blessings,
Pastor Bruce
Today it is Valentines day, named after Saint Valentine as a day to remember those we love dearly. If you want to look at the history behind it, feel free to google it. Our culture has taken Valentines day and made it all about "romance". This is not a bad thing in general but often I find the real point of love is missed.
Love, true "Love" is much much larger than "romance". It is meant to be selfless, giving and not looking to receive. The Truest form of Love is learned from God, as Jesus is our prime example of this Love. We learn that Love is a commitment more than a feeling. We learn to love not only those who love us but those who do not. We begin to understand that hard work of loving during times when the people we are caring for are not treating us well. When we seek to Love like Jesus, then we begin to understand what Love really is about.
Sure for couples romance is a part of their Love, God gave them those emotions and desires, it is good for married couples to enjoy their romance. To those who are single this day is a great opportunity to be reminded of the Love God has shown you. The great Love that you can show to your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and even strangers, can become your focus. Take the day and redeem it to use for God's glory.
Let us all walk together in unity and Love, the same Jesus resides in all of His people and as such we are united. Regardless of our marital status, age, race, culture, as Christians we are the Family of God.
Pastor Bruce
