The Tree of Life

Transcription

The Tree of Life

The Wonder of
The Tree of Life
Issue #48 | Summer 2016
A publication of the Church of God of Eastern Canada
www.the-messenger.org
The Messenger exists to inform, promote,
encourage and strengthen the cooperative ministries
of the Church of God in Eastern Canada, to share the
light of Christ with the world, build the Kingdom of
God, and stay linked with the ministries of the Church
of God around the world.
Communications & Compiling
Pastor Sieg Pudel
Editing
Evelyn Mantei
Design & Publication
Elissa Den Hoed
Logo Design
Jake Bian
Cover Design
Elissa Den Hoed
The Messenger is a publication
of the Church of God in Eastern Canada,
affiliated with the Church of God
movement
(Anderson, Indiana)
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www.chogec.ca (Eastern Canada)
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Published in Canada
Helping the thinker believe.
Helping the believer think.
Special thanks to the following :
Contributing Writers
Credits
Robert Hazen
Stan Desjardine
Catherine Garant
Karen Goodyear
Scott Hilgendorff
David Seamands
Don Richardson
David Garrison
Scott Moore
Stephanie Ponder
Carl Honore
Winifred Walker
Hope Jahren
T.J. Blackman
Laurie Dove
David Bornstein
Robert Cribb & Emma Jarrat
Chelsea Harvey
Avi Benlolo
Jeff Gray & Laurie Bastian
John Tory
Louise Brown
William Lee Barefield
New Bible Dictionary
weathernetwork.com
Moravian Church in N. America
CHoG Peace Fellowship
The Times (UK)
Harper & Brothers Publishing
Brampton Guardian
Alfred A.Knopf -a div.of Penguin
Random House of Canada
FCPO
Baker Books - a div. of
Baker Publishing Group
WOS interviewees
WebBible Encyclopedia/
christiananswers.net
Inter-varsity Fellowship
theforestacademy
eartheasy.com
science.howstuffworks.com
National Geographic
christianity.about.com
Promise Keepers
Youth Unlimited
cowboysofthecross.com
Regal - a div.of Gospel Light
WIGTake resources
Toronto Star
wikipedia
Word on the Street
Interviews
Evie Mantei
Elissa Den Hoed
Pictures/Images
Provided By
Cartoons
Elissa DenHoed
Evie Mantei
Sieg Pudel
Reverendfun.com
The Messenger celebrates the message and ministry of the Church of
God - in Eastern Canada, in North
America and around the world. We
identify with the authority of the
Bible as the Word of God. On this
basis The Messenger desires to proclaim the message of salvation
through Jesus Christ, spread biblical
teaching and provide resources for the
Christian life. A special passion is to
stand up for the New Testament understanding of the church.
(adapted from One V oice & German
CHoG Perspektiven)
(Ravi Zacharias; www.rzim.org)
The Messenger | Summer 2016
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Editorial………………………………………………………….4
The Bible Speaks………………………………………………..5
Trees & Timber in the Bible………………………..…………...6
People & Places Associated with Trees………..……………….6
Trees in the Bible……………………………………………….7
Word on the Street……………………………………………...8
Tree Rings………………………………………………………9
The Tree of Life………………………………………………..10
Foundations are first! (A Senior’s Searching)………….……...11
The palm tree……………………………………………….….12
Healthy trees………………………………………….…….…..13
The dying embers of destructive forest fires contain the spark of
new life……..……………………………………………...……13
How does a forest fire benefit living things?...............................13
To see character renewed among our youth…………………….14
My spruce tree was not only alive, it had a life………………...14
Experiencing the Tree of Life: a true story of survival…….…...15
Peace Issues…………………………………………………….17
News & Perspectives….………………………………………..19
Mission News: National & International……….………………22
Mission News: Regional & International……………………….24
Save the date: Oct. 1…………………………………………….24
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Our human community recognizes many
wonders on earth, around the globe. According to Wikipedia, various lists of the
Wonders of the World have been
compiled, from antiquity to the present
day, to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural wonders and man made
structures. The Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World is the first known list of
the most remarkable creations of classical
antiquity. Following in the tradition of the
classical list, people and organizations
have made their own lists of wonderful
things of the ancient and present day:
“Seven Wonders of the Modern World”,
“Seven Wonders of the Underwater
World”, “Seven Wonders of the Solar
System” and more. Similar to the other
lists, there is no consensus on a list of
seven natural wonders of the world, and
there has been a debate over how large
the list should be. The New 7 Wonders of
Nature (2007-11), a contemporary effort
to create a list of seven natural wonders
chosen through a global poll, was orga-
nized by the same group that came up
with the New 7 Wonders of the World
campaign. Then there are the numerous
other authors and organizations that have
composed lists of the wonders of the
world.
But then there is the simple, yet profound,
wonder that affects everyone’s life - the
Wonder of the Tree of Life. Pause…
The story of Scripture starts with a river
and trees in a garden and ends with trees
and a river. There are many stories in the
Bible associated with trees. Isn't it interesting that Jesus, the Son of the Living
God and son of man, as a carpenter,
worked with wood of trees (with his
earthly father Joseph), and was crucified
on “a tree” (see Galatians 3:13), becoming the Savior of the world? (hint, hint “tree of life”!!)
Trees contribute something good and
special to creation and to our human com-
munity. They enhance our life and the life
of all creatures. It is a life with many
blessings, benefits and rewards that
comes from trees - from the bark, the
leaves, wood, branches, shade, blossoms,
seeds, fruit, oxygen, and so much more.
E v e r y tree has a story to tell!
Children, teenagers, and nature-lovers
love trees. The God of life – Father, Son
& Holy Spirit – has prophetically provided us with this wonder – the wonder of
the Tree of life, and the gift of trees.
We devote this summer issue to this
unique and amazing topic. Thank you for
your prayers, your support for our Editorial team, and for any feedback and contributions you’ve made. With God’s leading and your help, we continue to shape
The Messenger into the very best magazine-paper it can be.
The Editor
Letters to the Editor
Good stuff...Thanks for sending it [The Messenger
spring 2016 issue – Idols]. Would it be okay for us to
use some of your material for the Newsletter? [CHoG
Peace Fellowship Newsletter]
- John Albright, Anderson, Indiana
When trials come our way, they show us our weakness. Sickness
reminds us how fragile we are, layoffs remind us that hard work
doesn't guarantee anything, and conflict reminds us that we need
Jesus in every area of our lives.... Every single breath, every solitary heartbeat, every ounce of energy is its own individual gift
from God. And while he delights to give us those gifts, he's never
obligated to continue. Be grateful for the numerous kindnesses the
Lord has thrown your way.
(Trip Lee in Rise)
I wanted to let you know that the last Messenger issue
about idols was a timely fit for the specific focus of our
Sunday worship service this last weekend. As I lead the
part of our personal prayer of confession time I mentioned Bob Hazen's article about having the Bible as an
idol vs. focusing on relationships. It was good "food for
thought" to consider as we were challenged to give up
our excuses for not evangelizing; just as Moses was
challenged by God to stop making excuses and become
the deliverer of his people Israel. May we give up our
excuses, focus on I AM and in doing so be compelled to
help bring deliverance to the people who so desperately
need Him.
- A.S., Ontario
Thank you. I enjoyed the Messenger [spring issue –
Idols]!
- Kathy Costa, Kitchener
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The Bible Speaks
The wonder of the
Tree of Life
Bible translation is the NIV
Compiled
byInternational
Sieg Pudel Version)
(New
_________________________________
unless otherwise noted
Trees of life
In the Old Testament - in the garden of
Eden, connected with the story of
Adam and Eve, before Christ lived
among us in the flesh:
And the Lord God made all kinds of trees
grow out of the ground - trees that were
pleasing to the eye and good for food. In
the middle of the garden were the tree of
life and the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil. (Genesis 2:9)
And the Lord God said, “The man has
now become like one of us, knowing good
and evil. He must not be allowed to reach
out his hand and take also from the tree
of life and eat and live forever.”
(Genesis 3:22)
After he drove the man out, he placed on
the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back
and forth to guard the way to the tree of
life. (Genesis 3:24)
In the New Testament - after Christ
lived among us 33 years, suffered, was
crucified, rose from the dead and
ascended back to the Father in
heaven ...then Jesus Christ again reveals to John what will soon take place
(Revelation 1:1):
Then the angel showed me the river of the
water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing
from the throne of God and of the Lamb
down the middle of the great street of the
city. On each side of the river stood the
tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month. And the
leaves of the tree are for the healing of
the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2)
(Gen.2:8-10; Ps. 1:3;
Rev. 22:1-2)
How blessed are those who wash their
robes! The Tree of Life is theirs for good,
and they’ll walk through the gates to the
City. (Revelation 22:14 [MSG])
NOTE: In the extr a-canonical literature
there are two or three additional references. The Ethiopic Book of Enoch (xxiv.
4) describes the tree of life as having "a
fragrance beyond all fragrance; its leaves
and bloom and wood wither not forever;
its fruit is beautiful and resembles the
dates of a palm." The Slavonic Book of
Enoch (viii. 3) says, "In the midst there is
the tree of life…and this tree can not be
described for its excellence and sweet
odour." IV Esd. viii. 52, in describing the
future, says, "Unto you is paradise
opened, the tree of life is planted," etc.
(from
www.jewishencyclopedia.com/
articles/14492-tree-of-life)
Finding an oasis, getting refreshed &
nourished from the water of life &
trees of life
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea
and they went into the Desert of Shur.
For three days they traveled in the desert
without finding water...Then they came to
Elim, where there were twelve springs
and seventy palm trees, and they camped
there near the water. (Exodus 15:22.27)
When people live in safety and sit under their own vine & tree
During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and
Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in
safety, everyone under their own vine and
under their own fig tree. (1 Kings 4:25)
Nation will not take up sword against
nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own
vine and under their own fig tree, and no
one will make them afraid, for the LORD
Almighty has spoken. (Micah 4:4)
In that day each of you will invite your
neighbour to sit under your vine and fig
tree, declares the LORD Almighty.
(Zechariah 3:10)
The blessing of living like a beautiful &
fruitful tree replanted in Eden
Blessed is the man...who delights 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, which yields
its fruit in season and whose leaf does not
wither. (Psalm 1:1-3)
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in
the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. (Psalm 52:8)
The righteous will flourish like a palm
tree, they will grow like a cedar of
Lebanon… (Psalm 92:12)
Nature - with its trees - celebrates the
Lord's presence
Let the heavens be glad, and the earth
rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it
shout his praise! Let the fields and their
crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of
the forest sing for joy before the LORD,
for he is coming! He is coming to judge
the earth. He will judge the world with
justice, and the nations with his truth.
(Psalm 96:11-13 [NLT])
A lifestyle that provides life for others
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and the one who is wise saves
lives. (Proverbs 11:30)
...And provide for those who grieve in
Zion— to bestow on them a crown of
beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy
instead of mourning, and a garment of
praise instead of a spirit of despair. They
will be called oaks of righteousness, a
planting of the LORD for the display of
his splendor. (Isaiah 61:3)
Continued on the next page
5
Continued from page 5
A person on the margins of community
life encounters the life-giver in a tree
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamorefig tree beside the road, for Jesus was
going to pass that way. When Jesus came
by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called
him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said.
“Quick, come down! I must be a guest in
your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly
climbed down and took Jesus to his house
in great excitement and joy...Jesus
responded, “Salvation has come to this
home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. (Luke
19:4-6.9 [NLT])
The Saviour of the world hangs on a
tree - breaks the power of the curse
Christ redeemed us from that selfdefeating, cursed life by absorbing it
completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is
everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is
what happened when Jesus was nailed to
the cross: He became a curse, and at the
same time dissolved the curse. (Galatians
3:13 [MSG])
A glorious future prepared for all overcomers – life in paradise with the tree
of life
My heavenly guide brought me to the
river of pure living waters, shimmering as
brilliantly as crystal. It flowed out from
the throne of God and of the Lamb, flowing down the middle and dividing the
street of the holy city. On each bank of
the river stood the tree of life, firmly
planted, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and
producing its sweet crop every month
throughout the year. And the soothing
leaves that grew on the tree of life provided precious healing for the nations.
(Revelation 22:1-2 [The Voice])
56 Bible verses about trees – knowing
Jesus
--> see www.bible.knowing-jesus.com/
topics/trees
Check out www.biblegateway.com,
a searchable online Bible in over 100
versions and 50 languages.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Trees and Timber in the Bible
Tamarisk – (Gen.21:33)...
Almond - (Exod. 25:33-34; Ecclesiastes 12:5)...
Places and People
Associated with Trees
Terebinth (turpentine) – (Isaiah 6:13) ...
Trees and timber are frequently mentioned in
Thyine Wood (citron wood, almug?) the Bible... Timber was required for buildings,
(Rev.18:12) ...
ships, wooden musical instruments, farm impleWillow - (Lev.23:40; Isah. 25:7)...
ments, household items, and even idols:
(from New Bible Dictionary, 2nd edition, ©Inter
Acacia - (Joshua 2;1; Exodus 25)...
-varsity Fellowship 1962/1982)
Algum - (2 Chronicles 2:8; 9:10-11)...
Almug - (1 Kings 10:11-12)…
Apple - (Joel 1:12)...
Cedar - (2 Sam. 5:11; Psalm 92:12)...
Cypress – (Isaiah 41:19; 55:13)...
Adam and Eve (ate the fr uit of a for bidden
tree)
Fir – (1 Kings 5:8.10; 2 Sam.6:5)...
Abraham (pitched his tent under a famous
oak or terebinh tree in Hebron / met with 2
angels and the LORD under an oak tree)
Holm – (Isaiah 44:14)...
Amos (a dr esser of sycamor e tr ees)
Jericho (city of palm tr ees)
Tamar
Jotham (fable about him, in which the tr ees
are spoken of as choosing a king—Judg. 9:815)
Ebony - (Ezek. 27:15)...
Oak – a favourite tree under which to sit or to
bury the dead (1 Kings 13:14; Gen. 35:8)...
Behemoth (had a tail like a cedar tr ee)
Palm – typified grace, elegance and uprightness; also a symbol of victory and rejoicing; the booth (made fr om tr ee br anches)
use of palm leaves/branches during Jesus' entry Cherub (pr otected the tr ee of life)
into Jerusalem was significant (2 Chron. 28:15;
Deborah (sat under a palm tr ee as a judge)
Psalm 92:12; John 12:13; Rev. 7:9)...
Eden (gar den of Eden)
Pine – (Isaiah 44:14)...
Plane (chestnut) - (Gen. 30:37; Ezek. 31:8)...
Pomegranate – (1Kings 7:20)... Poplar – (2
Sam. 5: 23-24)...
Sycamine (black mulberry) – (Lk. 17:6)...
Sycomore - (1 Kings 10:27; Lk. 19:4)...
Elijah (sat down in despondency under a
juniper tree and was touched by an angel)
Elim
fiery serpents
gallows
gardens
Gethsemane grove
Jesus Christ (cr ucified on a tr ee—a cross)
Hareth Hiram (sent cedar and fir tr ees to
Solomon)
honey
6
Mamre (oak gr ove wher e Abr aham dwelled)
Mount of Olives
King Saul (had his headquar ter s under a
pomegranate tree at Migron)
The Second Temple (numer ous tr ees planted
in the courts of the Lord)
Solomon (impor ted cedar s fr om Lebanon)
Feast of Tabernacles
tree worship
Wood of Ephraim
Zacchaeus (climbed a sycamor e tr ee to
watch Jesus)
(from WebBible Encyclopedia
www.christiananswers.net)
Trees in the Bible
The Bible is an historic record of real things, people and places.
the trees mentioned in the Bible:
acacia ...algum ... almond... almug ...apple... ash ...ashur tree
balm source... Balm of Gilead...bay tree ...bdellium ...box-tree ... branch
camphire ...cassia ...cedar ...chestnut tree ...cinnamon ...cypress
date trees ...
ebony ... elm ...Ephraim (wood of)
fig ...fir ... forest ....frankincense (resin from Boswellia serrata or thurifera)... fruit
Gilead (Balm of) ...goodly trees ...gopher ...graft
hazel ...heath ... husk—carob tree
juniper ... Judas tree (Matt. 27:5)
leaf-leaves... lign-aloes
mulberry ... myrrh ...
naughty figs ...nuts ...
oak ... oil-tree ... olive ...
palm tree... palm tree prickle, such as is found on the shoots ... pine tree …
plane tree (chestnut)... pomegranate poplar ...
shittah-tree ... sycamine tree (black mulberry)-... sycamore
teil tree (turpentine tree) ... terebinth thorn ... thyine wood ... tow ...
Tree of Life ... Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
willows wood ... Wood of Ephraim ... wormwood
(from WebBible Encyclopedia—www.christiananswers.net)
The challenges of taking a Sabbath day of rest
The Sabbath is our weekly reminder that we are not God... This idea of resting, of ceasing – Sabbath – is that time-honoured tradition drawn from the Jewish vision of life that was lived out by Jesus and that is rarely received with praise in our Western, capitalistic life…
On the Sabbath, I become basically useless to the system of our world, our family stops shopping, buying, driving, and working
total... Keeping a Sabbath goes entirely against the kind of good, American values I was raised to believe in... The challenges to taking a Sabbath day of rest are endless...it completely undermines my American sense of personal economic value.
(A.J. Swoboda in The Dusty Ones – why wandering deepens your faith, by A.J. Swoboda, Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group,
©2008)
7
The following questions were asked of people on the street in the Kitchener
area by Elissa Den Hoed and in the Oakville area by Evelyn Mantei.
Word on the Street
When you see this picture of
a tree/trees [see photo on
right]... what is the 1st thought
that comes to your mind?
“Light always shining through the dark” Female, 19, hairdresser
“Hope” - Male, 64
“Nature” - Female, 12, student
“Hope” - Female, 33, sales associate
“It reminds me of when I went for a hike
with this girl I really care about” - Male,
18
“I see Jesus. I see his light shining
through a rough patch. It reminds me of
the beauty of God’s creation and that
light can be found in the darkest of
places.” - Female, 17
“A nice, warm mid summer say in a forest” - Male, 18
“Peaceful” - Female, 22
“Ancient. Beauty. Wisdom. Peaceful.”
- Male, 22
“Camping.” - Female, 21
“Beauty.” - Male, 48, music teacher
When you consider the trees
in your surroundings, parks
or forests... what do trees
mean to you...how have trees
affected you/your familyfriends? ... what do you think
trees symbolize?
“They give me oxygen, they symbolize
life” - Male, 20, auto mechanic
“I think they symbolize peace” - Female,
12, student
“Trees symbolize strength. They’ve
impacted my life because even though
we live in an environment where people
don’t mind pumping garbage into the air,
they grow on earth to clean the dirty air
we create. I also had a willow tree in my
front yard when I was younger. I would
water it every day and when I wrapped
my arms around it, my arms would only
reach halfway. The tree made me feel
protected, and was always reliable shade
for whenever I played in the front yard.
From the beginning, I’ve always believed
trees play a vital role in all of our lives”
- Female, 33, sales associate
“They symbolize love” - Male, 18
“Trees symbolize growth. They start off
small and fragile but as they age, they
become stronger and sturdier. For that
reason, I’m able to make connections
between trees and my journey with
Christ. Everyone starts out with a small
faith, a sprout, but as time goes on their
faith increases and grows. Life throws
challenges their way and they have two
choices: succumb to the trials or weather
the storm and continue growing. As
people grow, their faith strengthens and
they realize there is nothing they cannot
handle with the help of Jesus” - Female,
17
“They symbolize life in all forms and
have impacted my life by giving me air
and shade” - Male, 18
“Trees are a part of nature which reminds
me of the beauty and peacefulness they
offer. Growing up as kids, trees were the
perfect getaway. They allowed us to be
adventurous and a little reckless at times.
They also gave us the opportunity to see
the world at a different viewpoint, way up
high in the sky. As I get older I don’t really appreciate them as often as I should.
They aren’t only beautiful but in times of
stress, they offer calmness and support.
My favourite thing about them is when I
take a walk in the trails alone and just
listen to the leaves rustle in the wind.
8
They really help me escape from the present, even if it’s for a short while.” - Female, 22
“Life.” - Female, 21
“They do mean something. Something
very important. God’s presence in the
world. Any kind of trees or forest gives
me tranquility. Not just for me but for
other people. Trees symbolize life. They
do. Anything that’s living represents life
and how precious it is and how vulnerable we are.” - Male, 48, music teacher
The Bible (in the 1st chapters
& in the last chapter) talks
about the Tree of Life and it
bearing fruit every month &
its leaves bring healing for
the nations... -- what do you
believe about this Tree of
Life, it's fruit & healing character…?
“I think it’s a nice concept. It’s similar to
the trees we see every day, how they give
us life by producing oxygen” - Male, 18
“I don’t know a lot about the Bible, but I
realize that the tree of life is about giving
without asking for anything in return. I
interpret the fruit as offerings of opportunities, and the leaves as advice and guidance, as well as a reminder that everything will be alright in the end. I believe
that we are all trees in this sense. We all
give out ideas, our feelings, out love, our
“fruit”. As well as sprouting our lives and
giving to others the way God has given us
life and strength since the moment we
came into existence. The tree of life is
always giving, but it teaches us a lesson
that even though we take and take from it,
we are all growing trees inside of us in
order to do the same thing.” - Female, 33,
sales associate
Tree
Rings
Growth rings, also referred to as tree
rings or annual rings, can be seen in a
horizontal cross section cut through the
trunk of a tree. Growth rings are the result
of new growth in a layer of cells near the
bark. This growth in diameter is known as
secondary growth. Visible rings result
from the change in growth speed through
the seasons of the year, thus one ring usually marks the passage of one year in the
life of the tree. The rings are more visible
in temperate zones, where the seasons
differ more markedly.
(from wikipedia)
Annual growth rings
Life can be pretty tough on a tree!
Drought, excessive rain, fire, insect
plagues and disease epidemics, injuries,
thinning, air pollution, all leave their
mark on a tree's annual growth rings.
Trees are top-notch biological indicators.
Their annual rings reveal the events that
have occurred in our environment.
(www.theforestacademy.com)
Tree ring dating
Dendrochonology (from dendron, “tree
limb”, khronos, “time”) or tree-ring dating, is the scientific method of dating
based on the analysis of patterns of tree
rings, also known as growth rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which
tree rings were formed, in many types of
wood, to the exact calendar year. (from
wikpedia)
--> check out www.we.utk.edu/~grissino
for “The Science of Tree Rings” presented by Henri D.Grissino-Mayer, Dept. of
Geography, University of Tennessee.
“The Science of Tree Rings” is a source
of information on the science of Dendrochronology.
Illustration from
nature - a deeper
level of human
healing needed
Author David E. Seamands, using an illustration from nature, tree rings, writes
about A Deeper Level of Healing Needed
– the recorded rings of our lives:
There is another realm of problems that
requires a special kind of prayer and a
deeper level of healing by the Spirit.
Somewhere between our sins, on the one
hand, and our sickness, on the other, lies
an area the Scripture calls “infirmities”.
We can explain this by an illustration
from nature. If you visit the western U.S.
you will see the beautiful giant sequoia
and redwood trees. In most of the parks
the naturalists can show you a cross section of a great tree they have cut, and they
will point out that the rings of the tree
reveal the developmental history, year by
year. Here's a ring that represents a year
when there was a terrible drought...a couple of rings from years when there was
too much rain...when the tree was struck
by lightning...Here some normal years of
growth. This ring shows a forest fire that
almost destroyed the tree... another of
savage blight and disease. All this lies
embedded in the heart of the tree, representing the autobiography of its growth.
That's the way it is with us. Just a few
thin layers beneath the protective bark –
the concealing, protective mask – are the
recorded rings of our lives... These scars
are not touched by conversion and sanctifying grace, or by the ordinary benefits of
prayer.
In the rings of our thoughts and emotions,
the record is there; the memories are recorded, and all are alive. And they directly
and deeply affect our concepts, our feelings, and our relationships. They affect
the way we look at life and God, at others
and ourselves.
(from Healing of Damaged Emotions, by
David Seamands, ©2002, 1981 by David A.
Semands, Victor Books – an imprint of Cook
Communications
Ministries,
Colorado
Springs, Colorado, pp. 10-11)
It's moments of silence...
that can start to open up
all kinds of doors. You'll
get, ironically, the fast
payoff of the enjoyment,
the recharging, the replenishing of having a slow
moment.
- Carl Honore, journalist in In Praise of
Slowness (Harper One, 2004)
9
Genesis 2:13 we read that “the Lord God
took the man and put him in the Garden
of Eden to work it and take care of
it.” The tree of life was planted along
with the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil.
The
Tree
of Life
by Stan Desjardine
It was this second tree that brought difficulty for Adam and Eve. God had placed
restrictions on them as they were not to
eat from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil. The Bible tells us that
Adam and Eve were tempted by that tree
and acted on that temptation. Genesis 3:6
says that “when the woman saw that the
fruit of the tree was good for food and
pleasing to the eye, and also desirable
for gaining wisdom, she took some and
ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”
Naturally, disobedience has consequences. The consequence of this disobedience
was this: “and the Lord God said, ‘the
man has now become like one of us,
knowing good and evil. He must not be
allowed to reach out his hand and take
also from the tree of life and eat, and
live forever.’” (Genesis 3:22). This tree,
whose fruit gave life, was now out of
reach for Adam and Eve.
Trees are a wonderful part of God’s creation. Not only do they play an important
role in the natural ecosystem, but they
also give us great joy. We read in Genesis two, “the Lord God had planted a
garden to the east, in Eden, and there he
put the man he had formed. And the Lord
made all kinds of trees to grow out of the
ground – trees that were pleasing to the
eye and good for food. In the middle of
the garden were the tree of life and the
tree of the knowledge of good and
evil.” (verses 8-10). There were many
trees planted in the garden which were
pleasing to look at and good to eat. We
still consider trees a beautiful sight and
could spend a lot of time simply observing this part of God's creation.
The story of the tree that began in the
garden continues in the book of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 47:12 says that “fruit trees of all
kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will
their fruit fail. Every month they will
bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve
for food and their leaves for healing”.
The garden had two special trees, however, with unique roles. These were called
“the tree of life” and “the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil”. God had
placed them in the centre of the garden.
Similar to Ezekiel, the tree of life is also
described in Revelation as playing an
important part of our eternal life with
God. We read “the angel showed me
(John) the river of the water of life, as
clear as crystal, flowing from the throne
of God and of the Lamb down the middle
of the great street of the city. On each
side of the river stood the tree of life,
The first residents of the garden also had
unique roles – to look after what God had
created, including these special trees. In
Ezekiel was encouraging Israel, promising that life would return to them after
their exile. The exile has shut down the
temple and any possibility of spiritual
life. God promises that once more life
would flow from the temple. A greater
picture of this is portrayed for us in Revelation.
10
bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its
fruit every month. And the leaves of the
tree are for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1-2).
The tree of life has roots which reach
down to the water of life. This water is
clear as crystal and it flows from God
Himself and the Son. The healing through
the tree of life is made possible by God
through the sacrifice of His son Jesus,
giving us hope for eternity. In John 10
Jesus says, “I have come that you may
life and have it to the full.”
What does the tree of life mean for us?
The tree in the garden, from which Adam
and Eve could find life and live forever,
is for us a tree in the paradise of God
which brings fullness of life and healing. In Revelation 2:7 we read that anyone “who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches. To him
who overcomes, I will give the right to eat
from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God”. This means that the right
to eat of this tree has been given to
us. We must listen to the Holy Spirit and
from this listening and obeying, we overcome whatever keeps us from God and
His Son, namely our sin. John the Baptist
pointed out one day that Jesus is the
Lamb of God “who takes away the sin of
the world.”
The way to the tree of life in Eden was
blocked as a consequence of sin - no one
could get to it. Now, the way to the tree
of life and eternity with God is open to us
through the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus
Christ. What an amazing experience that
will be when we are residents of that eternal city where the water of life flows and
the tree of life bears its fruit. The anxious
moments of life will be gone, tears that
ran freely in life will be dried, and healing of all hurts will occur. The wonder of
the tree of life!
Stan is a retired CHoG in E. Canada
pastor, living in Plattsville with his
wife Pat. They were CHoG missionaries in Tanzania for nine years. Stan
still serves in a few churches, when
he is called to preach. Part of their
joy of retired life is the adventure of
being grandparents of six grandkids, gardening, camping and volunteer work.
A Senior's Searching
FOUNDATIONS ARE FIRST!
'Vivacious' is the best word to describe
her. I knew she was coming to our
church because her grandmother had
called to tell me the news. Her grandmother told me she was an exceptional
pianist and their little church would be
lost without her. She was coming to our
city to study at the University and so our
regular pianists kindly moved over, making a place for her.
She fit in
well. Grandma was right, she was outstanding at the keyboard and radiant in
her personality!
Things went well until the middle of second semester when she asked to speak
with me. Unfortunately, the friends she
was hanging out with and some of her
professors had challenged her Sunday
school belief system. She told me she
would not be playing for us anymore and
was not sure she would be in attendance
anymore.
My response was affirmative of sadness,
however, I kindly challenged her to go on
a personal quest to do her own study. I
asked her to simply ignore the entire Bible except the Gospels that revealed the
life and teachings of Jesus. I asked her to
start with Luke, moving to John, and then
the other Gospels. I reminded her she did
not need to defend Christianity!
We didn’t see nor hear from her until
halfway through summer term. There she
was one Sunday morning, all smiles, and
her first words to me were, "Can I play
the piano again soon?" And certainly she
did.
Why Share Her Story?
Because so much bible study, bible teaching, and bible preaching seems to consistently by-pass Jesus and His teachings
which are the very heart and core of
Christianity!
Because those who question the validity
of the church do not say, "They are loving, caring people. They love one another, they are forgiving, they even love their
enemies! They are so like Jesus!" NO!
Their observations are more like, "They
are hypocritical!"
Because being a Christian should entail
having a basic faith in Christ as our Lord
and Saviour that culminates in resembling
His character. Being a Christian should
mean loving Him, being filled by Him
and ultimately experiencing an abundant
By Bob Hazen
life as we feel inner joy and peace!
Now would be a good time to reaffirm the
words of the old gospel song, "More
About Jesus”!
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me.
More about Jesus let me learn,
More of his Holy will discern.
Spirit of God my teacher be,
Showing the things of Christ to me.
An exercise that will refresh you spiritually is to take a new translation or paraphrase of the Gospels and in the privacy
of your own devotional time, read aloud
to yourself the Gospels starting with Luke
and proceed to John and the others.
Robert Hazen is a regular writer of
this Senior's Searching section. A
retired pastor, preacher and president
emeritus of Gardner College, he resides in Camrose, Alberta. He is
committed to share the Good News
of Christ and also distributes The
Messenger among friends in his
network of relationships in the community.
There is a widespread feeling that the world in the 21 st century is running out of control...these are dangerous forces, the far
right seeking a return to a golden age that never was, the far left in pursuit of a utopia that will never be. They are both enemies
of freedom. - [Britain's renowned] Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
11
The Palm Tree by Winifred Walker
Numbers 33:9-10 (NLT): They left
Marah and camped at Elim, where there
were twelve springs of water and seventy
palm trees. They left Elim and camped
beside the Red Sea.
Many naturalists from Herodotus to Linnaueus have agreed that the palm is one
of the most remarkable of all trees. When
fully grown the date palm is as high as a
hundred feet, its shape quite distinctive
and beautiful. One single upright trunk
rises from the ground to the topmost
leaves. It has no branches, but grows
compound leaves six feet in length and
arranged like a coronet atop the rugged
trunk. The fruit of this palm is the date,
which hangs in clusters below the leaves.
It is a most nutritious food for the Arabs
and their camels. Mats are woven from
the leaves, while the fibers provide thread
and rigging for boats. There is sap in the
palm tree which, after fermentation, is
used as a liquor. It grows everywhere in
the Holy Land and attains a great age.
Jericho is known as the city of palm trees
and Phoenicia as the “Land of Palms.”
According to the New Testament, palm
fronds were carried by the crowd when
they went to meet Jesus, crying
“hosanna” (John 12:13).
Rev. 7:9 (NLT) After this I saw a vast
crowd, too great to count, from every
nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and
before the Lamb. They were clothed in
white robes and held palm branches in
their hands.
(from All the Plants of the Bible by Winifred
Walker, Harper & Brothers Publishing, N.Y.,
©1957 by Winifred Walker, Palm, pg. 160)
Winifred Walker – fellow, Linnaean Society;
artist to the Royal Horticultural Society London, 1929-39; Artist in residence, U of California, 1943
Palm Branch (symbol)
The palm branch is a symbol of victory,
triumph, peace and eternal life originating
in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. The palm (Phoenix) was sacred
in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient
Egypt represented immortality. In Judaism, a closed frond of the date palm is
part of the festival of Sukkot. A palm
branch was awarded to victorious athletes
in ancient Greece, and a palm frond or the
tree itself is one of the most common
attributes of Victory personified in ancient Rome.
In Christianity, the palm branch is associated particularly with Palm Sunday, when
according to Christian tradition palm
branches were waved at the triumphal
entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It was
adopted into Christian iconography to
represent the victory of martyrs, or the
victory of the spirit over the flesh.
Since a victory signals an end to a conflict or competition, the palm developed
into a symbol of peace, a meaning it can
have in Islam where it is often associated
with Paradise.
The palm appears on several flags or
seals representing countries or other places, with the coconut palm associated with
the tropics.
(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Palm Branches in Ancient and
Future Times
In ancient times, palm branches symbolized goodness, well-being, and victory.
They were often depicted on coins and
important buildings. King Solomon had
palm branches carved into the walls and
doors of the temple: On the walls all
around the temple, in both the inner and
outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm
trees and open flowers. (1 Kings 6:29,
NIV)
Again at the end of the Bible, people
from every nation raise palm branches to
honor Jesus: After this I looked, and there
before me was a great multitude that no
one could count, from every nation, tribe,
people and language, standing before the
throne and before the Lamb. They were
wearing white robes and were holding
palm branches in their hands. (Revelation
7:9)
(from
www.christianity.about.com/od/
palmsunday/a/Palm-Branches)
The story of Scripture starts with a river
and trees in a garden (Genesis 1) and ends
with a river & trees (Revelation 22)
The biggest lie & deception
happened at a tree... (Genesis 3:1-8)
Healing for humans and nations comes from
the leaves of the Tree of Life... (Revelation 22:2)
12
Healthy trees
by Laurie L. Dove
make neighbourhoods look beautiful!
They offer privacy screens, as well as
protect people from the sun during the
summer months, and from cold winds
during winter. Trees absorb harmful gases, provide natural habitats for birds and
wildlife, and protect soils from erosion.
All in all, trees make life better for everyone, but they also must be properly managed and cared for in order to get the
most benefits from them and to prevent
them from becoming a danger…
Most would agree that forest fires are
bad. But experts are also realizing there
are benefits as well. In fact, fires (started
by lightning) are a natural part of the circle of forest life. Today, the idea is not to
prevent forest fires altogether, but to use
them, via controlled burns, to our - and
the ecosystem's - collective advantage.
The idea behind controlled burns is to
reduce the fuel that could feed a forest
fire, should one start under uncontrolled
circumstances. This dangerous scenario
has become all too common in the American West, where heat and drought have
turned entire sections of forest into kindling, ready to be sparked by lightning or
lit cigarettes, and fanned by strong winds
[source: Krock]. Yet, even these catastrophic events benefit living things, too.
There can be two sources of tree damage:
biotic, from living sources such as insects
and fungi, and abiotic: from non-living
sources such as construction activities,
lightning, etc. Arborist reports not all the
problems that the tree has, and provides
recommendations
about
possible
solutions to these problems, such as fertilization, pest control, or pruning and
removal.
(from an arborist /tree care & service in the
GTA)
_________________________________
The dying embers
of destructive forest
fires contain the spark
of new life
by T.J. Blackman
This has been the summer of forest fires
in North America. Hundreds of fires still
rage across the US and Canada as fire
season winds down. To the thousands of
people who have suffered loss of homes
and property, there is no silver lining to a
forest fire.
It is hard to imagine anything more dramatic and terrifying than a forest fire
blazing its way through everything in its
path. It seems like the ultimate picture of
destruction. While there is no doubt that
these fires can threaten lives and property, and break down years and often decades of lush growth; all is not lost. There
can be hidden benefits that come with
forest fires. In many instances, forest fires
are natural occurrences that play a vital
role of renewal in the cycle of forest life.
The big picture
After the Forest Fire: Benefits
to Plants
Even a large and severe fire does not usually wipe out an entire forest… Fires also
open the forest canopies to allow sunlight
to reach the forest floor… Fires are a
great way of clearing out the clutter…
Fire often clears out any invasive weeds,
insects and disease… New grasslands are
sometimes created after a fire... The natural order of species within the food chain
adapts and re-establishes to the changed
ecology. Life goes on.
Life springs from the ashes
Don’t be fooled by the grey landscape
after a fire. There is a lot of living going
on in a fire’s aftermath, with new species
quickly sprouting to make use of newly
available nutrients.
(posted 9.3.15; excerpts from www.learn.earth
easy.com/2015/09/the-ecological-benefits-offorest-fires)
T.J. Blackman resides on a tiny island where
she lives happily among the trees. She has
various works in progress, including a novel
that she works on while she is not writing
articles for sites that pique her interest.
_________________________________
How does a forest
fire benefit living
things?
Despite the damage that can occur to
property and people, good things can
come out of forest fires, too.
Forest fires are a natural and necessary
part of the ecosystem. Even healthy forests contain dead trees and decaying plant
matter; when a fire turns them to ashes,
nutrients return to the soil instead of remaining captive in old vegetation.
And, when fire rages through dry underbrush, it clears thick growth so sunlight
can reach the forest floor and encourage
the growth of native species. Fire frees
these plants from the competition delivered by invasive weeds and eliminates
diseases or droves of insects that may
have been causing damage to old growth.
Wildflowers begin to bloom abundantly.
Most young, healthy trees are resilient
enough to survive a forest fire and will
soon have a growth spurt, thanks to
flames that thin light-banning canopies
above [source: National Geographic].
And scientists report young-growth forests recovering from fire are home to
more diverse species, in both plants and
animals [source: Krock]. This is because
the remnants of burned trees offer attractive habitats to birds and small mammals,
and nutrients from burned vegetation continue to leach into the soil to fuel the birth
13
of new plants [source: Pacific Biodiversity Institute].
After the Forest Fire: Benefits
to Animals
Although some animals become injured
or die from forest fires, most survive. The
majority of animals can smell a fire, even
when it's quite small, from miles away.
Some animals, such as deer and bear, will
flee the area while others, such as insects
and small mammals, will burrow into the
ground until the flames pass [sources:
James, National Park Service].
scorched earth will eventually provide an
ideal new home for others -- one that is
full of thicker vegetation fed by nutrientrich soil.
That's because forest fires can create an
all-you-can-eat buffet. More than 40 different kinds of insects, for example, will
eat their way through fire-ravaged territory as they burrow into the wood that remains [source: Family on Bikes].
There's even a species of beetles that
waits for forest fires, using heat sensors to
come in from miles away to eat injured
trees. These fattened insects then become
food themselves as birds hunt for a feast
all their own. The shrubs and grasses fertilized by fire-created nutrients will grow
lushly; soon, deer and other grazing wildlife (even mice) will make a meal of
them. Then, predators -- coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, wolves and bears -will get their fill of prey, too.
Years later, when the forest's growth has
created a dark and damp interior framed
by a leafy overhead canopy, the forest's
remaining residents will move back in.
Deep forest plants like mosses, lichens
and animals like pine martens, spotted
owls, and woodland caribou will once
again call it home [sources: James].
(excerpts from www.science.howstuffworks
.com/environmental/green-science/how-forestfire-benefit-living-things)
And even though some animals may be
displaced during a forest fire, the
——————————————————————————————————————–———————————————
To see character renewed among our youth
It is a highly developed skill in our youth culture today to detect inauthenticity
– and dismiss whoever might be so. I'll be sniffed out if I preach
patience, but lose my cool every time I'm coaching. I'll be sniffed out if I teach
on respect, but badmouth our municipal, provincial and federal politicians incessantly. To see character renewed among our young people
requires us to humbly be on the same journey alongside them. We aren't perfect, nor do we have all the answers, so it is with authenticity that we must
pursue the renewal of character we so desire in those we serve. It is when we
share ourselves, warts and all, and our journey of growing in
virtue that young people will see the potential and hope for transformation in
their own lives. - Scott Moore in Y outh Unlimited Times- summer 2016,
Vol.17, issue 2
Scott is YU (Youth Unlimited GTA) Exec. Director
My spruce tree was not only alive, it had a life
In [the book] Lab Girl, author, scientist and geobiologist Hope Jahren draws parallels between herself and the natural world
she loves so much:
Like most people, I have a particular tree that I remember from
my childhood. It was a blue-tinged spruce (Picea pungens) that
stood defiantly green through the long months of bitter winter. I
remember its needles as sharp and angry against the white snow
and grey sky; it seemed a perfect role being model for the stoicism being cultivated in me…
My tree had also been a teenager. It went through a 10-year
period where it grew wildly, with little regard for the future.
Between 10 and 20 it doubled in size, and was often ill-prepared
for the new challenges and responsibilities that came with such
height. It strove to keep up with its peers and occasionally dared
to outdo them by brazenly claiming the odd pocket of full sun....
Good neighbourhoods, rich with water, thick soil – and most
importantly – full sunlight, give rise to trees that reach their
maximum potential. In contrast, trees in bad neighbourhoods
never achieve half of that height, never have much of a teenage
growth spurt, but focus instead on just holding on, growing at
less than half of the rate of the more fortunate....
I think of the irony that I only fully appreciated that my tree was
alive, just in time to hear that it had died. But it's more than that
– my spruce tree was not only alive, it had a life, similar but
different to my own. It passed its own milestones. My tree had
its time,and time changed it. Time has also changed me, my
perception of my tree, and my perception of my tree's perception
of itself...
(from Lab Girl, by Hope Jahren, ©2016 by A. Hope Jahren, published
in Canada by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House of
Canada Ltd.)
14
Experiencing the Tree of Life
A true story of survival – my story
by Catherine Garrant (some excerpts)
“A true story of survival ... a childhood
plagued by sexual molestation and a
home life ruled by an unpredictable, violent, alcoholic father. How God's hand
guided my healing.”
Every single morning of my whole life
began with feelings of dread, not
fear...dread! When I say my whole life it
is because I can't find the beginning place
no matter how hard I try, no matter how
far back I go in my memories. I would
open my eyes in the morning. It was how
all my days started. This all encompassing “bad” feeling was always there waiting for me. What dreadful, terrible thing
could happen to me today? I would have
to press through that feeling, push it
aside, somehow get up and pretend it did
not have power over me. This struggle
with dread was part of my morning routine. It kept me pinned in my bed until I
mustered up enough mental courage to
put my feet on the floor. You couldn't see
my struggling, it's not like seeing someone brush their teeth, but fighting dread
was definitely part of my regular morning
routine.
When I began my relationship with Jesus
I learned to pray and how to pray. My
initial prayers always started with “Dear
Jesus, Thank you for pursuing me,thank
you for choosing me, and thank you for
keeping me safe.” Safety was crucial to
me. Safety was the biggest gift God could
give me! I prayer that same prayer of
thanksgiving for years. You see,when we
are babies, toddlers, and young children
our parents provide us with food and
shelter. Our next greatest need is for safety. In my childhood that major building block of safety did not exist. I was
robbed. Within my immediate family
lurked a paedophile, and also within my
immediate family lurked a violent alcoholic. Terror and danger were constants
in my childhood life. The people and
places where I should have felt the safest, my own family and home, was in
reality for me, a mine field....
When I was asked to tell my story, I im-
mediately said yes because I am a woman
of action! Then came all the negative self
talk. I had to realize that at the root of it
all was this banner I had lived my entire
life under "UNWORTHY". That was
who I was on the inside. I didn't project it
on the outside, but that's who I was on the
inside. I was so unworthy, that most of
my life I spoke very quickly, because I
didn't feel I was even worthy enough to
take anybody's time to listen to what I had
to say....
Just a year into our marriage Greg and I
moved to Etobicoke where I grew
up. We had just buried my father. He
had a stroke when I was seventeen years
old and proceeded to live in a nursing
home for fifteen years. The doctor said
he would only live a year or two, but he
lived for fifteen more years. My mother
visited him every single day for those
fifteen years. We no sooner buried my
father and my mother started her seven
year journey with Alzheimer's. So I spent
twenty two years of my young adult life
visiting my parents in nursing homes. A
lot of what my friends are going through
now is ancient history to me.
If you were to see a snap shot of my life
at that time, in Etobicoke, living in a typical solid but cute bungalow, with manicured yard, swimming pool in the back,
Volvo in the driveway, sales awards galore on the wall in my downstairs office,
you could not help but think life was perfect. On the outside life sure looked perfect. But on the inside was a different
story....
Eventually Dr. Robert retired and he
passed me along to his son, fourth generation naturopathic doctor. A man somewhat closer to my age....Ahh the perfect
family, a loving Dad, a man who could be
comforting and wise, who could scold
you
without
even
raising
his
voice. Unheard of in my house. Well
that was Dr. Jim. My new naturopathic
doctor. I loved going to my visits with
Dr. Jim. He was wise. He was comforting and understanding. He encouraged
me to open up. He asked me a lot of profound questions.
One day in Jim's office, I had the courage
to say for the very first time in my life, "I
have never felt loved". Jim put his two
hands across his desk, reached out and
took my two hands, looked me right in
the eyes and he said "Jesus loves you". It
was like an arrow straight from heaven, in
that moment in that chair, broke through
this thick hard shell that I had built up
over my heart since childhood. That experience changed the course of my life. I
cried. I still tear up when I think about it
to this day. Dr. Jim introduced me to
Jesus.
Jim taught me that what is underneath
your physical is your emotions, and underneath your emotions is your spiritual
part. Well that part of me was long long
long locked away. Dr. Jim opened my
eyes to my spiritual part. He sent me
home that day in August 1992 with a prescription written on his Naturopathic
Clinic prescription pad: 1. read Romans 2. read the gospel according to St.
John 3. read Ephesians. He told me lovingly that I needed some pretty serious
and deep healing, and that Jesus was going to help me. I still have that piece of
paper. On the back I wrote my first two
lessons. 1. We are body, soul and spirit. 2a. Religion = rules which leads to
bondage 2b. Faith = experiences which
lead to freedom
Freedom to be who God created you to
be. Religion, that was my upbringing,
strict Roman Catholic: make the sign of
the cross, dip your fingers in the holy
water, kneel, sit, stand, recite traditional
prayers and of course wear your Sunday
best clothes and be perfect. Freedom, I
didn't even know what that meant. What
would it look like? How would it
feel? How do I get there? All I knew
was that I wanted it. I wanted to be who
15
God had originally created me to
be. Somehow I had sadly and monumentally gotten derailed. I want to be who
God originally designed me to be. That
was now my personal goal!
I left Dr. Jim's office, I had given my life
to Jesus. I went home to tell Greg. He
was tickled pink. He had been praying
for me for ten years, I now find
out. What was I doing during those ten
years?! Reading new age books, studying
Buddhism, doing anything and everything, except believing there was a
God. I drove Greg crazy. We would be
in Florida on holidays and I'd see a Christian Scientology place, and get Greg to
stop so I could run in and get some literature. He would wait in the car. Greg has
the patience of a saint.
Before that day in Jim's office, I had already booked a week at a Buddhist's retreat in Massachusetts. While I was gone
my husband immediately found us a
church.
Mississauga
Community
Church. We had been together almost ten
years and had never gone to
church. Apparently when Greg first
walked in, there was a baby dedication
going on and he took that as a sign this
was the place for us.
We stayed for twenty years barely missing a Sunday. Pastors Hardy and Cindy
Steinke were incredible teachers and
mentors for me. I knew nothing. I was a
blank slate. Greg and Dr. Jim were also
great teachers. I was a sponge....
In the fall most churches kick off their
new programs. One particular Sunday a
man named Al Mair goes up front and
announces he will be leading the Christian version of "The Twelve Steps... A
Spiritual Journey." I happened to be
standing at the back of the room, and I
swear to you, I felt a physical nudge from
behind.
There was no one behind
me. Okay...hint hint, nudge nudge, I
guess I'm supposed to sign up for this
course. So I did. Greg did too. Talk
about walking the walk together. We
started the course. I had been a Christian
all of two months!
You know how books have introductions
before you even get into the book. Well
this was a roman numeral page and on it a
phrase jumped out at me as if it was writ-
ten in neon..."revealing
family secrets". Well I
knew that I had a family
secret! I was 37 years old
and I had never told a
soul, not my mother, not
my father, not my life
long friend Linda, nobody. Nobody knew. But
in neon those words were
rebounding off the page at
me… "revealing family
secrets". Mine was a big
ugly family secret. My
sister had married a man who was a pedophile. He had molested me. He molested
me throughout my entire childhood. Not
once, not twice, but every Christmas,
every Easter, every Thanksgiving, every
Mother's Day, every Father's Day, every
wedding, every funeral, every family
birthday, including mine. He ruined my
childhood, he took it from me. Just as
painful was the fact that nobody even
noticed.
I was a friendly, energetic, petite blonde
haired girl, needy for love. I blamed myself. You cannot heal from anything unless you are willing to bring it out of your
darkness and into the light. I had a secret
and I had tremendous anger and God
wanted to heal me. I had to face it and
bravely I did. I was blessed with special
people who helped me do the necessary
work with God's leading. It felt like a
two hundred pound weight was lifted off
my shoulders.
I am a work in progress...
One night, years later, in my intimate
prayer time at 4 a.m., when I was first
preparing my story, I sensed the Spirit
whisper "get a calculator". I heard it clear
as a bell. I remember questioning "get out
a calculator?" Well at a bare minimum of
abuses per year multiplied by the number
of years it went on, Bill had sexually molested me over three hundred times. He
had touched me inappropriately three
hundred times. I went into shock. I had
never looked at it like that before. It made
me nauseous.
I want to quote something from John
Bradshaw's book Healing the Shame that
Binds You. It sums up how I had lived
my entire life. "Toxic shame is experienced as the all pervasive sense that I am
flawed and defective as a human being. It is a state of being, a core identiThe Messenger | Summer 2016
16
ty. Toxic shame gives you a sense of
worthlessness, a sense of failing and falling short as a human being. Toxic shame
is a rupture of the self with the
self. Toxic shame is the feeling of being
isolated and alone in a complete sense. A
shamed based person is haunted by a
sense of absence and emptiness. One
may have an all pervasive sense of never
quite belonging, of being on the outside
looking in. The condition of inner alienation and isolation is also pervaded by a
low grade chronic depression. This has to
do with the sadness of losing one's authentic self. Perhaps the deepest and
most devastating aspect of neurotic
shame is the rejection of the self by the
self. It is crucial to see that the false self
may be as polar opposite as a super
achieving perfectionist or an addict in an
alley. Both are driven to cover up their
deep sense of self-rupture, the hole in
their soul."
To Be Continued in the fall issue……
Catherine shared her story of survival at Joshua Creek Church worship gathering, Thorn
Lodge Public School, Mississauga Nov. 23,
2014. Anyone interested to know more or get
in
touch
with
Catherine:
e-mail [email protected]
(excerpts from My Story, by Catherine Garrant, 11.23.14, with permission)
Catherine lives with her husband Greg in Collingwood. She has been married to Greg for
29 years, who married her not knowing anything about her past, and who has supported
and encouraged her throughout her healing
journey. Catherine and Greg have two adopted children (siblings) and are grandparents to
three young grandchildren. She is a happy and
grateful owner of a horse and two Jack
Russells.
Paz
Peace Issues
Frieden
And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of
peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:18
Salaam
(NLT)
Paix
Peace starts with a smile.
(seen on a church sign in Caledon)
_________________________________
Question: Are you making inner & outer
peace with your own person in the context of your family story?
____________________________
Elementary Students – Role
Models of Peace
From role models to peacekeepers, and
selfless volunteers, 10 elementary
students from Brampton, Mississauga and
Caledon received
the annual Elmer
award at a special ceremony May 28 at
the Emil V. Kolb Centre for Police Excellence in Mississauga. The awards recognize elementary school children for using
their initiative, good citizenship and safety knowledge to make the community
safer.
(from Brampton Guardian, 6.16.16)
_____________________________
Mayor of largest city in
Canada learns & supports the
journey & process of reconciliation now being embraced
across Canada
Toronto Mayor John Tory visited the
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug and
Bearskin Lake First Nations communities
in northwest Ontario [about 1,800 km
northwest of Toronto]. He came back a
more complete citizen and better leader,
he writes... I had an obligation both substantively and symbolically to show our
support for the reconciliation process
now being embraced across Canada...
People also overlook the fact that Toronto is home to some 35,000 indigenous
people – in fact 30 per cent of the clients
of our homeless shelter system are urban
indigenous people, though they represent
Shalom
only 1 per cent of the population... History is very clear on who was here first, it's
what happened since which gets debated...
All of these past acts have a lasting
negative impact. The broken relationships, broken families and broken hearts
have continued to reflect themselves
down through the generations... Even in
the 21st century we seem prepared to accept living conditions for indigenous people in remote communities that we would
never accept for ourselves. These places
are, after all, in Ontario.... So what to
do? The process known as reconciliation
is a good start. We can learn the history,
warts and all. We can reach out and embrace these wonderful accepting Canadians. We can learn from them and about
them....If we decided one person, one
family, one neighbourhood at a time that
we were going to do something to tangibly demonstrate that we have turned the
page, we would all be the better for it,
including our indigenous people. That is
what reconciliation is all about.
(adapted from What I learned on my journey
of reconciliation, by John Tory, TO Star,
7.24.16)
_________________________________
How ar e follower s of Chr ist people of
peace? While making & maintaining
peace with ourselves, we overflow, bringing peace to others; by our own living
example & struggles, following in Jesus'
footsteps.
Helpful Scriptures to consider: Luke 10:5
-6 ; Romans 12: 14-21; Ephesians 4:1-3;
Philippians 4:4-7; Colossians 3:15-17; 1
Peter 2:21
On their life & faith journey disciples of
Jesus/ambassadors of Christ pray and
work intentionally & passionately for
peace in hearts, homes, communities,
nations and the world. We believe that
God's vision for all of creation is SHALOM – justice, wholeness, integrity, harmony, joy, well-being, and peace.
____________________________
Residential school in Brantford being transformed into a
full educational centre
The haunted brick shell of the Mohawk
Institute Residential School in Brantford
has landed the funds it needs to become a
full educational centre about one of the
country's greatest shames. The institute
received $1.4 million from Queen's Park
and $220,000 from Six Nations Community. It also received matching funds from
the city of Brantford and local groups...
The school closed at last in 1972.
Now, the ghosts will get a voice so
that others never forget. “This place
needs to be kept, so people know what
happened,” former student D.H. said
[now a grandmother, was renamed “34”
when she arrived in 1957]... She is one of
the survivors of what was a residential
school for more than 100 years...
Spreading the truth about residential
schools is the first step toward the reconciliation needed between Canada and its
First Peoples, according to the landmark
Truth and Reconciliation Report....
“Some wanted the school torn down,”
said Six Nations Chief Ava Hill, “but we
need to save the evidence so we can remember what happened to First Nations
people for more than 100 years, so it will
never happen again.”
...the overall lesson will remain noted
MPP David Zimmer, Ontario's minister of
indigenous relations and reconciliation,
during a recent visit. “It's presence will
always be a reminder of colonization and
the racism of the residential school
17
system; one of the darkest chapters of
Canadian history.”
(from Giving a voice to residential school
ghosts, by Louise Brown, Education reporter, TOStar 7.2.16)
_________________________________
Connecting with other peacemakers:
Church of God Peace
Fellowship
The Peace Fellowship is an international
network of followers of Jesus who take
seriously his call to be peacemakers, and
who work and pray for peace in hearts,
homes, communities, nations and the
world. We believe that God's vision for
all of creation is SHALOM – justice,
wholeness, integrity, harmony, joy, wellbeing, and peace. We believe God calls
us to radical acts of reconciliation and
peacemaking. If you believe that God
calls us to “seek peace and pursue it,” we
invite you to join us on the journey.
Major decisions are made by a steering committee of 15-20 members. Steering committee members in the Anderson,
Indiana area meet regularly to discuss
agenda items.
The PF team is in process of rethinking and re-framing future possibilities to create peace fellowship forums &
how we get out the message of peacemaking to our own CHoG tribe and
other friends.
The Peace Fellowship Steering Committee can be reached at peaceCHOG
@gmail.com or in Ontario at smphope
@interlog.com
e-m: [email protected]
Facebook group: Peace Fellowship of the
Church of God
Twitter: PeaceCHOG
Good resources for the ministry of reconciliation and peacemaking:
www.peacemaker.net
“The illiterate of the 21st century will
not be those who cannot read and
write, but those who cannot learn,
unlearn, and relearn.” - Alvin Toffler
(www.goodreads.com/quotes/8800-the-illiterateof-the-21st-century-will-not-be-those)
Alvin Toffler
As one of the most well known futurists of the modern era, Alvin Toffler's insatiable curiosity drove him to challenge common perceptions and offer keen insights into the trajectory of business and civilization. His ground-breaking work
has influenced the worldview of countless global political and business leaders
and is the foundation of the work we do today.
Their work has influenced politicians, generals, executives, musicians and
writers...., and some of the most prominent innovators of our time.... Ted
Turner credits Toffler works with inspiring him to start CNN in 1980. And for
Steve Case, The Third W ave struck like "a lightning bolt" that created his obsession with cyberspace and ultimately led to his co-founding
AOL. (www.tofflerassociates.com/about/the-toffler-legacy/)
Alvin Toffler (October 4, 1928 – June 27, 2016) was an American writer and
futurist, known for his works discussing modern technologies, including the
digital revolution and the communication revolution, with emphasis on their
effects on cultures worldwide.
Toffler was an associate editor of Fortune magazine. In his early works he
focused on technology and its impact, which he termed “information overload.”
In 1970 his first major book about the future, Future Shock became a worldwide best-seller and has sold over six million copies. He and his wife Heidi
Toffler, who collaborated with him for most of his writings, moved on to examining the reaction to changes in society with another best-selling book, The
Third Wave in 1980. In it, he foresaw such technological advances as cloning,
personal computers, the Internet, cable television and mobile communication.
His later focus, via their other best-seller, Powershift, (1990), was on the increasing power of 21st-century military hardware and the proliferation of new
technologies.
(wikipedia.org)
18
We must take sides.
Neutrality helps the
oppressor, never the victim.
Silence encourages the
tormentor, never the
tormented.
- Elie Wiesel
News &
Perspectives
Things to think deeply about... have fruitful conversations and prayerfully dreaming
together to find solutions ... to then prophetically engage and network, working for
the good with community, as God gives wisdom and leading
A Call for Calm
The benefits of infusing every aspect of
our lives with slowness
by Stephanie E. Ponder
What used to be free time has been hijacked by work, classes, social events and
errands. And we're tethered to devices
that offer an unprecedented amount of
information and accessibility.
This constant connectivity, combined
with the feeling that there is too much to
do – and with no end in sight – leads to
negative stress.
That stress, in turn, can take a toll on
health and ability to focus on work tasks;
alter how employees feel about their employer; undermine accuracy and creative
thinking, and foster depression, resentment and feelings of paranoia about job
security.
The bottom line: Sustained busyness is
taking a toll on the quality of our work
along with our personal relationships...
A high-speed lifestyle is like a drug,
says
[journalist
Carol]
Honore
(carlhonore.com); it's where we're in the
fight-or-flight mode. It changes the chemistry of the body and the brain. That's
how people become stress junkies.
The Slow Movement isn't about doing
everything at a snail's pace. It's about
doing things at the right pace. “I call it
slow; other people might call it flow,” he
says. You're fully immersed in the moment and you're at one, almost, with the
act of the task itself... If you're going to
make the most of your life, then you have
to have the time, the attention, the energy
to invest in what's happening right here,
right now. You can never do that if you're
overburdened, if you're over scheduled, if
you're doing too many things.
(adapted from A call for calm, by Stephanie E.
Ponder in The CostCo Connection, May/June
2016
_____________________________
Instead of looking down at their
thumbs pounding on keys …
[Camp] gives kids opportunities to be
independent, says [Bill Stevens, Camp
Big Canoe exec. director]. Instead of
looking down at their thumbs pounding
on keys, they're looking up and seeing
sky... Camp is no anachronism... For a
week or two, campers resist the temptation to Snapchat every second. In fact
phones are discouraged among staff and
quickly confiscated from campers.
(from Doing 'what needs to be done' for camp,
by Zoe Mcknight, TO Star, 7.2.16)
______________________________
Old-growth forests – Original
skyscrapers
In British Columbia, First Nations, environmentalists, tourism groups and others
have joined their voices in a call to protect old-growth forests. Their message: the massive trees are worth more as
a natural marvel than they are turned into
wood products. Highlighting the province's commitment to protecting oldgrowth forests, B.C. cabinet minister Steve Thomson, responsible for forests, says:
“it's about protecting important values
and making sure we have that balance
that continues to provide jobs and employment in the forest sector.”
(from Original skyscrapers in Toronto Star,
6.4.16)
________________________________
Who will be our moral compass?
In today's world, where life often seems
to have little value, where faceless innocents are slaughtered by the dozens in
terror attacks and quickly forgotten, Elie
Wiesel reminded the world of life's incredible value. With Elie Wiesel's passing, the great generation that empowered
us and guided us to speak out against
repression, violence and hatred – is gone.
He is one of the last of the last from a
generation of wise people who served as
humanity's conscience. We still needed
his wisdom to help us navigate these tumultuous times. His generation was the
generation of the 20th century that struggled to put a broken world back together...
Freedom from our oppressors. Freedom of faith. Freedom from hunger and
deprivation. Freedom from darkness.
Freedom from hate and intolerance - this
is the wisdom that our great prophets
[Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller, Mother Teresa, Nelson
Mandela, Holocaust survivor & Nobel
Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel] have imparted to us.
(adapted from Who will be our moral compass, by Avi Benlolo, Toronto Star, 7.9.16)
19
_________________________
Slow down, live better
Carl Honore, who coined the phrase
“Slow Movement,” has the following tips
to add a little slowness to your life.
Breathe. Slow, deep br eathing r eoxygenates the body, which slows the
heartbeat and stabilizes blood pressure…
Speed audit. Stop and ask yourself if
you're doing whatever you're doing
too fast…
Downsize your calendar. Look at
your schedule for the next week, pick
the least important scheduled activity
and drop it…
Schedule unscheduled time. Block
off two hours in your week when you
don't plan anything in advance…
Find a slow ritual. Find a slow r itual
that acts as your personal brake and
helps you shift into a lower gear…
The well-documented and growing
abyss between the seriously affluent and everyday people in societies around the world is tangible
evidence of [global integration] not
always helping real, flesh-andblood people.
- A. Baker
Canada is fast earning a new
reputation
Our country is becoming a key player in
the global surrogacy scene as international couples turn here for help having a
baby…
Canada, renowned worldwide for maple syrup, hockey players and good manners, is fast earning a new reputation in
the global economy: a place where a
small but stable band of women are willing to carry the babies of strangers…
A confluence of factors have led to
this
demand,
including
Canada's
advanced fertility technology; a sophisticated publicly funded health-care system;
and an increasing number of countries
banning foreign surrogacy while Canadian law allows for it...Thousands of women were effectively employed as full-time
incubators in exchange for hefty profits
collected by clinics and industry bosses.
(from Made in Canada, by Robert Cribb, &
Emma Jarratt, TO Star, 6.25.16)
_____________________________
A country learns to love the Good
Samaritan
In March, following a petition and six
years of effort by SaveLife Foundation*,
India's Supreme Court issued a judgement
to protect Good Samaritans. Indians who
assist others will no longer be subjected
to questioning by police; they cannot be
detained at hospitals for any reason and
they are protected from civil law or criminal liability. The law is just one of many
efforts being advanced by SaveLife and
other advocates to improve road safety.
Since 2009, SaveLife has also trained
10,000 police officers in 10 states to provide trauma care tailored for crash victims.
*Nine years ago, as tragedy struck the
family of P. Tewari (no one helped a badly injured 16-year-old cousin, hit by a
speeding jeep; he bled to death in full
public view on the side of the road),
Tewari established the SaveLife Foundation.
(adapted from India learns to love the Good
Samaritan, by David Bornstein, author of
How to Change the World, TO Star, 6.25.16)
_________________________________
Most of the world relies on nonnative food sources
by Chelsea Harvey
A collaborative effort of more than a dozen researchers around the world suggests
that countries rely on crops that originally
came from other parts of the globe – and
the interconnections among global food
systems are only continuing to grow...
Nations around the world have established seed banks, or safe places where
seeds are stored both for research purposes and in case of disaster – whether war
or a cataclysmic weather event – should
seriously damage a region's crops. On a
remote archipelago in Norway, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault serves as an international seed bank where any nation can
make a deposit of seeds to be safeguarded
for future generations...
Worldwide food supplies will be challenged by the social and environmental
issues facing the planet, and it's increasingly apparent that collaboration is the
key to tackling these challenges. [source:
International Centre for Tropical Agriculture]
(from The Tangled roots of global food supply, by Chelsea Harvey, the Washington Post,
20
6.25.16 TO Star
_______________________________
City residents send Open Letter to
Canada's largest city mayor &
councillor to save Toronto's tree
canopy
An open letter, dated May 21, 2016, was
posted in the Toronto Star paper to the
mayor & councillor, with a call to spare
353 mature old growth trees from being
cut down in the Lawrence Park area. The
reason? A 20-street sewer and water main
project - to address concerns about basement flooding, developing new sidewalks
and sewers. Residents appeal to the city
leadership by proposing alternative plans
that do not require eliminating 353 trees,
inviting them to a public meeting May 26
at a local community church at 6 p.m.
_____________________________
A world overwhelmed by the mass
movement of people fleeing wars
The European Union struggles to bring a
kind of order to a world overwhelmed by
the mass movement of people fleeing
wars...The migrant numbers have exposed not only the effects of unresolved
global wars, but also Europe's inability to
tackle the crisis coherently...
Europe has become a Tower of Babel.
If nothing else the EU must address all of
its most vulnerable entry points... it must
negotiate with all of its neighbours... Migration has become an international emergency; 2015 set grim records and this
year could be even worse. It has become
the biggest political challenge of our
times.
(adapted from The Tower of Babel, The Times
(UK), 3.18.16)
___________________________
A forest is much more than what
you see
by Suzanne Simard
These are the words of forest ecologist
Suzanne Simard, whose recent talk at
TEDSummit 2016 revealed some
astounding discoveries from her 30 years
of research in Canadian forests...Trees,
Simard says, talk often and over large
distances.
"You see, underground there is this
other world. A world of infinite biological pathways that connect trees and allow
them to communicate, and allow the forest to behave as if it's a single organism,"
Simard explains.
But their communication and comprehension skills go much deeper than that -trees can also recognize their offspring,
and nurture them both below and above
the ground.
Simard notes that the conversation
between trees increases the resilience of
the entire community -- similar to the
way human social communities are
stronger with increased communication.
(7.30.16 ; www.theweathernetwork.com/
news/articles/tree-mothers-are-a-lot-likehuman-mothers-research-shows/70703)
________________________________
Airports around the world have
increasingly transformed into family-friendly malls to lift earnings
amid restrictions and competition in
the aviation business.
(Richard Weiss, Bloomberg in TOStar 7.2.16)
________________________________
Hard to process – person killed by
a falling tree branch
Man struck, killed by falling tree
branch in popular Toronto park
A man has been declared dead after sustaining injuries from a falling tree
branch in Toronto's Trinity Bellwoods
Park. Police say the man was sitting under the tree with his wife when the branch
fell. He was shielding his wife when he
was fatally struck. Police say the man was
in his 30s; he and his wife are both from
France, in Canada on a work permits. The
incident happened around 7:15 p.m.
Witnesses told Global News’ Peter
Kim that the couple was enjoying a picnic
when the branch fell. People gathered
around to try and help the man, who a
witness said was unconscious, his face
bruised. Despite attempts to revive the
man he was declared dead at the scene.
Villers said he’s never seen anything like
this in his 16 years with Toronto police.
He called it one of the “once in a lifetime
things that we see.” Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff at the site said
the tree appears to be healthy, but they
have not yet completed their investigation.
(by Tania Kohut, National Online Journalist,
Global News 6.17.16 www.globalnews.ca/
news/2770699)
Toronto parks officials investigating how
a massive branch plunged from a tree and
killed a man in a west-end park on Friday
say a mysterious phenomenon known as
“summer branch drop” may be responsible. At about 7:30 p.m., witnesses said, a
tree limb fell to the ground after a loud
pop, killing a 30-year-old French citizen
sitting with his pregnant wife near the
front gates of popular Trinity Bellwoods
Park...
The city’s probe of the incident continued over the weekend, as parks department officials and arborists inspected
both the tree and the fallen branch, which
has been moved off-site. Matthew Cutler,
a parks department spokesman, said on
Sunday that the tree was in good health,
although some smaller dead branches
were pruned from it by city workers on
Saturday. But he said like all other trees
in high-traffic parks or along streets, it
had been subject to a special inspection in
the wake of the 2013 ice storm, and in a
2014 report was deemed healthy. However, the tree, a Siberian elm, is one of 19
species known to be susceptible to a bizarre phenomenon known as summer
branch drop, which sees otherwise
healthy trees suddenly drop a large
branch, even in the absence of high
winds. While not fully understood, arborists believe that when a heavy rain and a
cooling follows a prolonged dry, hot period, large amounts of water that have
moved into a tree branch can no longer
evaporate as quickly through its leaves,
rendering the branch heavier than normal. “It’s possible. It’s something we’re
looking at,” Mr. Cutler said. “Basically,
the tree gets really stressed out in the
weather and at some point you hear a
loud popping sound. There’s somewhat of
an internal explosion in the branch, and
the branch just falls. That’s consistent
with not only what we have seen so far, in
terms of our inspection, but also the witness accounts.”...
(by Jeff Gray & Laurent Bastien, Toronto-The
Globe &Mail, 6.19.16, www.theglobeand
mail.com/news/toronto/summer-branch-dropmay-have-caused-death)
Lord forgive me for not acknowledging your presence
when I'm surrounded with the stressors that rise up to
blind me of your ever present reality.
Help me recognize that I'm not alone to face these issues
that life brings.
Help me to increase my trust in You - Oh Lord
Help me to remove my momentary blindness as you did for
the apostle Paul as you revealed yourself to him. Surely I
know that it is not by my power or might but your Spirit
Lord that I will accomplish a trust in you that will grow
stronger each day.
Help me not to worry and know that you are ever so close
to me.
Amen Lord. I will lean, rely and be confident in you oh
Lord.
(from FCPO devotional 4.30.16 - prayer by Dino Doria, Ontario
Director of FCPO)
21
Mission News
National & International
Cowboys of
the Cross
Back in 2013 we introduced this unique
ministry that has become a part of our
North American culture.
The Blyth
church leadership and family have known
Scott Hilgendorff for many years and
have supported his vision & mission outreach. This ministry is reaching a large
subculture that is open to the Gospel message.
Scott is a chaplain of cowboys at rodeos
and bull riding events. He is with the
guys in the locker rooms having conversations and discussions. He leads cowboy
church before each bull riding & rodeo
event. He conducts discipleship ministry,
prays with the cowboys, leads Bible studies, preaches, visits the cowboys in the
hospital when injured, and more.
In September 2013 Scott was also approached to become the chaplain of a
university rodeo team in Tennessee. This
is the 11th year he’s been in cowboy ministry.
The ministry depends and operates entirely on the generous donations of others.
Whoever would like to support this cowboy ministry can contact Keith. Keith
faithfully sends out the Cowboys of the
Cross monthly newsletter to churches and
individuals.
God is at work in all the different parts of
human life and community interests, as
people find all kinds of creative expressions of joy, challenge, team endeavours
& disciplines, fun, sports, and entertainment.
The Mission
Recognizing that the majority of cowboys
in North America claim Christianity as
their faith, Cowboys of the Cross is first
and foremost a rodeo, bull riding and
In addition to the focus on discipleship,
Cowboys of the Cross distributes Cowboy Bibles (small new testaments designed to be kept in gear bags and glove
boxes with cowboy-themed covers to
make people feel more comfortable carrying them around).
cowboy ministry. We are entirely funded
by individual donations and our main
purpose is to lead cowboy church at
events while fostering discipleship relationships.
Cowboys of the Cross is headed by Scott
Hilgendorff, who grew up close to London, Ontario and answered God’s call to
leave a 14-year career in journalism to
pursue ministry full time. Scott is living
proof that God can and will use anyone
for his purposes as long as we choose to
listen to him and be willing to make sacrifices.
Most rodeo cowboys and bull riders will
attend cowboy church, a short service
with a Bible-based message and prayer
before the start of a rodeo.
While cowboy church is the main focus
of this rodeo ministry, being at rodeos,
bull ridings and equine events is what
helps us build relationships with the cowboys, giving us the opportunity to help
them grow in their faith. It is through
personal relationships that we have been
given some amazing glimpses into how
God has used this ministry to support and
impact many of the cowboys we encounter.
To stay accessible, Scott maintains a
strong social media presence while working directly with rodeo and bull riding
associations as well as event producers to
ensure his availability to cowboys is
known.
22
The ministry maintains their own website
as well as other social networking sites,
reaching 3,000 cowboys and rodeo fans
through monthly messages and devotionals. They are constantly generating online
discussion and prayer requests from
across North America and even Australia.
Scott Hilgendorff, Cowboys of the
Cross: www.cowboysofthecross.com
e-m: [email protected]
Tel. 865-293-2668
Scott considers Blyth Community ChoG his
Canadian home congregation when he is not
engaged and traveling across the land. The
Blyth church family has supported Scott for
many years. For any information about Scott
and the cowboy outreach contact Keith Loder
at [email protected] or his cell number, 519282-3080.
Excerpts from May 2016 update: Ministry is back in Ontario!
Praise God, Cowboys of the Cross [was]
back in Ontario thanks to the willingness
of bronc rider James Douma to serve
along with his wife Jenn and son Mason.
The family [attended] rodeos in Ontario
this summer [Rawhide Rodeo June 12 in
Arnprior, ON and Rawhide Rodeo June
26 in Lindsay] and [hosted] cowboy
church on the rodeo grounds at their trailer, mixed with food and fellowship, representing Cowboys of the Cross and their
church, Discovery Church in Bowmanville, Ontario. James and I met last spring
at a bronc riding school in Ohio where I
got to lead a short Sunday morning service for the students at the school...He
found encouragement from his church
and clear direction that God was leading
him and his wife to minister at rodeos.
James, Jenn and Mason [served mostly]
at Rawhide Rodeo events where producer
BJ Prince has also been encouraging of
seeing ministry return there.
BJ’s encouragement was one of the last
pieces of the puzzle that James needed to
know God was truly calling him to minister. He [was as] nervous as I was when I
first started out and while he feels unsure
of himself, I’m excited for what God will
do through James and the opportunity this
will be for him and his wife to grow closer to God.
Several riders in Ontario have expressed
interest in turning out for the fellowship
time to support James and we’re hopeful
this will be something that grows. James
may start doing services behind the
chutes before the rodeos start at a later
date. That’s the format that I had followed but I think what James is trying to
do will work well in the less Christian
climate that God has placed him to work
within. Announcements [are] on Facebook and through the Cowboys of the
Cross website letting everyone know
where James and I are this summer as I
continue to minister in the U.S.
I first led cowboy church in Ontario with
Rawhide before Cowboys of the Cross
became a full time ministry and I was
able to move it to the US to operate the
ministry under LifeSong Family Church
in Lewisburg, TN. In the US there are
rodeo and bull riding events year-round
with no real off-season.
your help in keeping us headed down the
right road.
While we have church affiliations, Cowboys of the Cross depends on the generous support of our donors. As we see the
ministry grow and the work God continues to do through us, we thank you for
Cowboy Wisdom
We couldn't be more excited to have
James leading cowboy church in Ontario
again.
-Scott Hilgendorff
When you give a lesson in meanness to a
critter or man, don't be surprised if they
learn the lesson.
Get up and live in
God's Great Story
Society says youth is a time for carefree self-expression,
but Trip Lee says God has called everyone to RISE from
slumber, above low expectations, and to live for the risen
King.... Most of us spend our youth in a sad state of slumber – sleeping in on life until we're forced to get up. The
problem is that life has already begun. It's happening right
now. And God has called you to live it.... Rise, to live the
way we were created to live. Young or old, we've been
called to live for Him. Right now.
(Book review: Rise – Get up and live in God's Great Story, by
William Lee Barefield, III. ©2015 by William Lee Barefield, III)
Trip is a hip-hop artist and teaching pastor at Cornerstone
Church in Atlanta, Georgia
23
Mission News
Regional & International
CONGRATULATIONS!
We CELEBRATE with Children of Hope Haiti
& Karen Goodyear (Mississauga)!
Now - Mrs. Karen Kerr Goodyear, M.S.M.
from Rideau Hall – 1 Sussex Drive, Ottawa
The Chancellery of Honours May 10, 2016, Director of Honours, Orders, Darcy DeMarsico, on
behalf of His Excellency the right Honourable
David Johnson, Governor General of Canada,
sent Karen Goodyear - on behalf of Children of
Hope Haiti - the notice on May 10 that she has
been awarded to receive the prestigious honour –
the Meritorious Service Medal!
site www.gg.ca. A presentation ceremony will be
held at a later date, to which she will receive an
invitation.
Thanks to the support of many people, volunteers
who are interested in making a difference in the
world, Karen has been given this award M.S.M.
by The Governor General of Canada. The award
represents all the work that has been done in Haiti
under our program Children of Hope Haiti since
2002. Karen understands they need a name for
this award, although in her heart this award is
dedicated to so many of you here in Canada and
Haiti who have reached out to make a difference
in the lives of children and families in Haiti. A
sincere heartfelt thank you for your prayers and
continuous support for these families.
The Meritorious Service Division (Civil Division)
enable the Governor General, on behalf of Her
Majesty The Queen and all Canadians, to recognize outstanding accomplishments that set an example for others to follow and bring benefit to our
country.
At a later date, the award will be presented at an
official ceremony where the Governor General
will present her with the award.
More information can be found on the website
www.gg.ca.
Karen Goodyear
Karen is now entitled to use the letters M.S.M.
after her name! As well... her name
was published in the Canada Gazette on the first
Saturday after July 1st and appeared on the web-
(Email) [email protected]
Karen feels so honoured and humbled to receive
this award.
Children of Hope Haiti, Canadian Coordinator
(Phone) 905-820-5956
--> see www.childrenofhopehaiti.com
Save the Date!
Annual regional
WORSHIP ARTS-FEST (former Songfest)
Sat. Oct. 1 @Pioneer Park Church, Kitchener
To sign up for contribution, or to display creative arts or for info contact Jennifer Shahi
by Sept. 18 [email protected] or call (519)896-8073 or speak to her at Family Camp
in Thamesford. camp) Those interested to play or sing on the ArtsFest worship team
contact Jen by Sept 1.
2 pm - 3 pm
Worship Arts creative arts displays &
fellowship potluck snack time
3:15 - 4:45 pm
Worship ArtsFest Service
24

The Tree of Life

Transcription

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