- Polly Erb I know Ash Wednesday is sort of a Catholic thing. I don't know if anyone celebrates Lent, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's actually quite a good thing. It's a time to reflect and repent over the course of the time that we celebrate Easter. I was pondering that this week and praying and asking the Lord, “what are the things in my heart that maybe I need to reflect upon and repent of?” And I was thinking of this scripture. It's in Ephesians 4. It says: D

-Andrea Haughian I was wondering what to talk about, and in my art studio I have on my drawing table encouragements, words and truths from God and others I scribble down to remind myself. One of my writings says that "failure is a good teacher." I think it's in our nature to want to avoid failure, pain or discomfort—but for me, personally, it seems to be the best teacher. I learn the most through my hardships...in my struggle to be a godly wife, mother, and friend. It's where

-Michael Reddick We thank you, Jesus, for this morning; that we get to be with you. We love you, God. We're here to worship you. We want to join with the rivers that clap their hands. We want to lift our voices up to praise you. I encourage you to remember how good our God is this morning and praise him. Give him your praise. Psalm 98 Sing to the Lord a new song,     for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm     have worked salvation for him. The Lord 

-Maria Enns I received a devotional called “He Is Strong” from a friend and have been going through it this past month. One of the questions the author asks is: “In what area of your life are you tempted to muscle through and handle heavy things by own strength?” Ha, I thought to myself, in ALL the areas. 'Muscling Through' is the theme song of my life. The trouble is that, for most of my life, it has worked really well. Physically, I could move fridges or king-sized beds all

-Karen Priebe What a beautiful morning we have today. We had a wonderful time of prayer and now we get to worship some more. I trust today you came already worshiping God, for this is the day that the Lord has made this one. So let's rejoice in today. Psalm 63, verses 1 and 4 says: Oh God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in your sanctuary, behol

-Richard Meyers ‭‭ I received a lesson in hope this week. I was in Toronto for work this week and if you know me, my favourite thing about Toronto is the trip home, lol. I always check the weather ahead of time. It looked okay, a few cm of snow and okay temps for the most part. I didn’t even bring a jacket, in and out of the airport and the hotel and the office, I wouldn't need it. I got there Tuesday night. On Wednesday what was supposed to be 2 cm of snow quickly turned int

-Heather Meyers Psalm 1:2-3 says But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does. I think that's a wonderful promise in God's Word: that if we delight in his Word, He's going to make us strong. He will make us strong when we are planted by His living water and we can grow. I'm so thankful for God'

Maria Enns Christmas is over, always too quickly, but thankfully the truth and beauty of this season does last. We’ve been talking a lot about truths and lies in our house lately, about the lies that we often preach to ourselves rather than the truth that God offers us. The truth, the Gospel, says that God loves us, He chose us, that yes, we are infected with the disease of sin, but that he sent His Son to pay that price and offer us healing and life. Unfortunately, that is

Richard Meyers This morning we light the candle representing Joy in our Christmas advent series. Joy is one of the greatest gifts we receive from the Lord. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 

Andrea Haughian During our Prayer Sunday, Andrea began this painting, and through it God reminded her of a powerful truth about how our beliefs shape our lives: Some of you saw me start this painting a couple weeks ago at the encounter service. I started two paintings that morning, honestly not knowing what I would make and just hoping they would turn into something! Life is a lot like art to me in that way, I can have an idea, a plan, a sketch of how I think things should go

Maria Enns Our trip to Morocco wasn't what we expected or hoped it would be. Most of it was dangerous and scary, which was disappointing. The long days were uncomfortable and a bit terrifying at times, riding along steep mountain roads with sheer drop offs and no guard rails, being buffeted by wild wind gusts as we navigated tricky mountain passes, or feeling the tires slip under us when we were riding in the rain and darkness, always going much faster than we should have, ju

Heather Meyers For you created my inmost being;     you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;     your works are wonderful,     I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you     when I was made in the secret place,     when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body;     all the days ordained for me were written in your book     before one of them came to be. How preciou

Karen Priebe I knew I was the service leader this morning, and I needed something to share. So last night I prayed and said, “God, you need to show me what you want me to say.” This morning, as I put my knee on the ground, my eyes fell on my devotional book. I picked it up and thumbed through it. The title was “Grateful: Giving Thanks to God in All Things.” And then my eyes fell on Psalm 138. I want to read it to you: “I will give you thanks with all my heart. I will sing you

Richard Meyers “ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you .” James 4:7-8 Being close to God has been on my heart lately. There are a number of things in my life which I am seeking the Lord on for wisdom, understanding, what should I do, how should I feel, sometimes just needing comfort or encouragement. The scripture from James 4 comes to mind, “Come close to God and He will come near to you.”

Maria Enns Today is our “Back to School Sunday.” You know, 'Back to School' isn't just for the kids, is it? As adults, many of us are entering new rhythms right now–new schedules, new commitments, new challenges. And if I'm honest, sometimes these season transitions can feel pretty overwhelming. This week has been one of those reminders for me that when life comes at us all at once–whether it's getting back into homeschool, managing work and farm and ministry responsibilities

Benjamin Fehr Matt 5:15 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden:” Christ is informing the believer of not only their position in the spirit realm, but also their structure and substance. When we believe on Christ, we are as a city, set on a hill. We do not choose our position, He does. He has chosen to set the believer in a place of prominence. He has chosen to display you as a city. By virtue of believing in Him, you have no choice but to stand