Springford Baptist Church

This past Friday and Saturday, our daughter Geneva and I were able to complete another 25 km hiking the Bruce Trail. This brought us to the end of the Sydenham Section which is the longest of the 900 km total at 174 km. The Sydenham Section ends in Wiarton. We had planned the time for our hike, but of course the uncertainty is the weather. We can never know what the weather conditions will be like and how this will affect our trek on the trail. On Friday, we were able to complete our 15 km just a short time before a significant downpour when the skies opened up and there was heavy rain. We wondered what it would be like for our last 10 km which we planned to do on Saturday. Through the night, we could hear the rain still coming down at various points. We wanted to be safe for the 10 km along Skinners Bluff. When Saturday morning dawned, the rain had stopped and although misty, we were able to be on the trail safely and were grateful to finish the hiking we had planned. This experience so parallels life. There are times of uncertainty about what to do and whether to wait or to proceed. Sometimes the conditions for what we hope to do affect being able to carry things out at a particular time. Our opportunity, as people of faith in all this uncertainty, is to trust our God. Consider the Scripture that records the response of Moses and Miriam when God parted the waters and safely brought the people of Israel through the Red Sea, “In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.” (Exodus 15:13) We can be grateful for God’s unfailing love for us. We can trust Him in His strength to guide us each step of the way to our final destination. This will be the inspiration for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow May 24^th at 1 pm. Please plan to join us.

Looking to God to lead us with His unfailing love and to give us strength, Pastor Lola

Our God of grace, we thank You for Your unfailing love that we experience again and again. You do lead us with Your love and give us courage for all the aspects of our journeys that we are uncertain about. Sometimes we are wondering whether or not to proceed on a particular path. Please remind us to keep seeking You and to keep looking to You for direction. When there are less than ideal conditions or there are obstacles that interfere with our plans, please show us how to respond. You did not promise that the way would be easy. We recognize that our misplaced expectations can find us trying to avoid anything that we consider difficult. God, You most certainly remain with us and do not leave us to try to figure things out by ourselves. When we are feeling insecure about our ability to stay well having come through the pandemic, we pray for reassurance about what is needed to keep people healthy. When we face financial insecurity and wonder how we will cover basic needs, we pray for Your provision for our every need. When we feel weak and question whether we can find the strength to keep going, please remind us of Your unfailing love and renew our strength, as we depend on You. Our God when we have seen Your answers to prayer, we do not want to become casual. We pray that we will acknowledge that You are the Source of all that is good. And when the climb is steep and hazardous, we want to  have You lead us and give us strength. We think of the recent passing of people whom we have known and loved. We pray for comfort. We also pray for a regarding of every day of life as a sacred gift from You. We never want to slip into taking life for granted. Please guide us in deeply appreciating the potential in each new day. And God since Your dwelling is holy, we pray to be regarding Your holiness and choosing to follow this pattern in living lives of holiness. We continue to pray for Jesus to become more and for us to become less. May all of this increase our dependence on You and our awareness of Your unfailing love to give us strength. In Jesus’ holy Name. AMEN

When we were at the local garden centre recently, I was reminded how much people enjoy planting and seeing plants grow and flourish. There was a man in front of us at the checkout who was getting some tomato transplants and he also had various vegetable seeds as well as some seed potatoes to plant. Clearly, he was willing to do the work to plant and tend and see these plants produce. There were also several people who were selecting various flowering plants for their gardens and to beautify their yards or porches or balconies. A drive down country roads at this time of the year gives opportunity to witness large tractors and equipment working up the fields and planting acres and acres of crops. After all the effort of planting, these plants need to be nourished and they need to be watered so that their roots grow strong and life is sustained. The same is true for us who have had seeds of faith planted in our lives. We need regular nourishment and watering in order to grow strong and healthy in our faith. There is Scripture in Jeremiah 17:7,8  thatconfirms this necessityin living productive lives of faith. ⁷“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. ⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought  and never fails to bear fruit.” Here we discover that the tree planted by the water sends out its roots by the stream and so is able to be sustained as needed and to never fail to bear fruit. This image of a flourishing tree is used to describe what the one who trusts in the LORD will be like. In order for us to be like the tree planted by the water, we need to keep our trust in the LORD firmly established. It is consistent prayer that keeps us focused on trusting in the LORD and having confidence in Him. This will be what we ask of God in our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow May 17^th at 1 pm

Praying that we will trust in the LORD and maintain our confidence in Him, Pastor Lola

Thank You God that you give us reasons every day to trust in You. We recognize the blessing that does come to us as we choose to trust in You. This does not mean that we do not have questions or times when we do not understand what You intend to do. Still we choose to secure our confidence in You. Our God we want to be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. When the heat of scorching adversity comes against us, we will not fear. Instead we will trust You. When we are parched in our faith and long for refreshment, we will trust You. We consider what You may have to teach us about what it means to trust You LORD. How easy to say that we trust You when the circumstances of our lives fall easily into place. We look to You God to enable us to trust You when there is a drought and You alone are the Source to keep our faith alive and vibrant. Leaves that are always green are what we request of You in our prayers today. It is through prayer that our trust in You sends out roots. We do pray for the ways that You prepare us for times of drought and hardship. And God we do not simply pray this for ourselves. We pray for Your cooling refreshment for all those who struggle to believe. We pray for those who witness hatred in our world and question those who claim to belong to You while promoting hatred. Please convict each of us of our inconsistencies. Where who we are does not match Who You are, please change us. For some it seems that life consists of just trying to get by. When this is the goal, it seems hard to imagine flourishing. We pray that we will never make the living of our lives of faith about comparing ourselves to others and concluding that we are better positioned than someone else. Use us we pray to bear fruit for Your kingdom. The fruit of Your Spirit comes to mind. How beautiful for our lives to produce the fruit of Your Holy Spirit. This can urge others to trust You and to surrender their lives to You. We pray that our trust in You will always invite others in a loving way to trust You. Place us where we need to be to access Your living water. We pray to be willing to move in order to be sustained by You. As much as we pay attention to the weather forecast when making our plans, Help us to consult You more to ensure Your heavenly forecast of what is coming and how we need to respond. We choose to trust You LORD and to renew our confidence in You so that the faith planted in us will bear good fruit. All this we commit to You and pray for grace to trust You more, in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.

We know that Mothers Day is approaching. We are looking forward to a time planned to celebrate Mothers Day at our church. It is called, ‘Matching to a “T”’. For fun, those who attend are invited to dress alike with someone else (like twins). It can be friends; sisters; mothers and daughters; grandmas and granddaughters; aunts and nieces or whatever other combination. The idea is to look as nearly the same as possible through dress and jewellery and hairstyle. We used to have twin suppers at summer camp and it was always entertaining to see how much we could look the same as someone else. Mothers and daughters often do look very similar with similar features and similar gestures. In a group of people, it is usually possible to pick out who is related. This family resemblance is to be expected. The influence of a mother on her children is profound. We as followers of Jesus are intended to be affected by His profound influence on us. Our calling is to become more and more like Jesus. In Scripture we read, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” Do we in the living of our lives remind people of Jesus? Does our attitude and appearance and way of living cause people to conclude that we are like Jesus? This outcome is only possible as we pray and ask God to work this process in us. This will be our expressed desire this week in our prayer time. We will thank God for Moms who introduce their children to Jesus and we will pray that this faith influence will cause people to want to be like Jesus. You can pause for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow May 10^th at 1 pm.

Praying for all families that we will be loving like Jesus in our relationships with each other, Pastor Lola

Thank You God for the gift of families. We know that every family is different. It has been your design for families to be places to experience love and acceptance and to learn about faith in You. Thank You for mothers who prayed and did not rely on their own capacity to raise us. Thank You for Your answers to those prayers that we continue to experience today. We think of resemblance to mothers and pray that the good and helpful things we learned from our mothers will stay with us always. Thank You God for the courage You give to mothers to persist in teaching important life lessons. We are grateful that as we have learned about faith in You, we have learned to trust Jesus and His influence on our lives. We do want to become more like Jesus. We want our attitude to be the same as that of Jesus. We recognize in Jesus His humility and willingness to serve. This same kind of attitude is often reflected in mothers. We offer our prayers for mothers who give so much of themselves and can at times feel depleted. We pray that you will energize and equip mothers for the essential task they have and trust You that the influence of their love will cause those around them to encounter You and Your love. We think of the impact it has had on us to know that we are loved unconditionally. Our love is imperfect, yet we still strive to love as Jesus loves. Our God these days there is a great deal of pressure on homes and families. We think of mothers who feel like they are moving in several different directions all at once. They are trying to balance multiple responsibilities. Please show us how we can support mothers and families. We know that mothering relationships continue into adulthood. Please guide the changing relationships as younger children become adults. We pray that children at any age will feel at ease to come to parents and to be able to talk over their thoughts and feelings and to know that they are deeply loved. Where there have been family break ups, we pray for those affected and ask for wisdom in navigating a way forward that is respectful and caring. We pray for young parents who are eager to raise their children well and ask that You God will show us how to be available to encourage. And God where there is a need for forgiveness and new beginnings in our families, please make this possible. We do want to see evidence of our resemblance to You and we want others to be able to say honestly that our lives are becoming more like Jesus. We trust You for this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.

Apparently, the average person speaks about 300 words per minute. Some people speak more quickly, so may utter more words per minute than that. Others speak more slowly and would obviously have fewer words per minute. The important consideration for any of us is not how many words we speak per minute, but rather what is the motivation and content of the words that we choose to speak? Do we choose to speak words that matter and have significance? Do we select carefully words that will build up another person? Do we speak words that bring people closer to God and His infinite measure of love? In the time that Jesus had with His followers following being raised back to life, we read in Scripture what Jesus spoke to them about. This would have been what Jesus considered vital for them to know. In Acts 1:3b, we read, “… He (Jesus) appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” Jesus spoke often of the kingdom of God during His earthly ministry. Now that He will soon be returning to heaven there are still things about the kingdom of God that Jesus wants to speak about with those He will leave behind. When we feel rushed, it can be difficult to choose what to say. Sometimes our thoughts become jumbled. Jesus confidently used the time He had to say what needed to be said to His disciples. This helped to equip His followers well for what lay before them. We too can choose to speak about the kingdom of God.  We can trust God to guide the words that we speak in conversation and in prayer. When we are speaking about the kingdom of God, as God gives us the words to speak, others can be encouraged to pray for God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. Tomorrow for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER, at 1 pm, we will invite God to keep on teaching us about the kingdom of God and we will pray for the coming of His kingdom in and through us.

Welcoming the kingdom of God expressed by Jesus through us, Pastor Lola

Our God, we thank you that in Your mercy You sent Jesus to speak the words that would bring life and hope. We also want to speak words that bring life and hope. It is our prayer that the living of our lives will help to usher in Your kingdom. We want to see evidence of Your kingdom being established in the world around us. While there are those who try to build their own selfish empires, we pray that we will seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. God, we think of those today who need to hear words of forgiveness that are consistent with Your kingdom and we ask that we will speak those words of forgiveness that are needed. It is our desire for us to express more than just words of forgiveness. By Your grace, we pray that the attitudes of our hearts would also speak forgiveness. Many people these days wonder what the future can hold when our world is in such a disordered state. We pray oh God that we will speak words of hope that come from You. May these words of hope be centered in You as King and the kingdom that You intend to establish. Thank You God for the words of love that You speak to us. We also want to speak words of love. And we pray for these words to be confirmed by our actions. It is our prayer today that we will understand more of Your coming kingdom. God, when we see needs around us, we pray that we will not turn away from those needs. Instead, may our recognition of need draw us to ask You how You want us to respond. We know that this matter of the words that we choose, gives the potential for us to represent You well. Our ongoing prayer is for more of You and less of us. Jesus, we really do want You to become greater and for us to become less. We think of times when someone speaks and a particular accent is recognized. Please God give our words Your accent. When we are speaking about and living Your holy kingdom, we long for our lives to be transformed and for the lives of others to also be transformed. God we wonder how things can be made right in a world and in our communities where much seems wrong. We are praying that we will persistently pray and expect to encounter You among. Thank You God that even small steps can advance kindness and respect in our interactions. We do pray for healing in our relationships where that is needed. We pray for concern for the feelings of others and a desire to treat others as we would want to be treated. Please God change us and change our world. In the Name of Jesus. AMEN

When I was setting out for my regular morning walk, I thought to myself, “I am going to go in a different direction today.” We can get so used to always walking the same route and always doing the same things in the same way. With our faith in God, we can take the risk of doing something different in a different way,. This could lead to a whole new understanding of God and His Presence in our lives and His will for us. The choice to be willing to walk a different route could result in a fresh encounter with our God, the Living God. In order for us to trust God for the possibility of walking in a new way and on a new way, we will need the assurance of His Presence with us. We can find this assurance in Scripture: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) When we pray, we can claim this promise that the Lord our God will be with us wherever we go. Knowing that God accompanies us always can give us the courage to walk a new path that we had not considered before. This week our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow April 26^th at 1 pm will affirm our trust in God when we are not sure where a new path may lead.

Praying that we will be strong and courageous for the possibility of a new path that God has for us, Pastor Lola

Thank You our God for this gift of faith in you. Throughout our lifetimes, we have seen and experienced that You have been with us wherever we have gone. We admit to You that it is easy for us to fall into familiar patterns of repeatedly doing the same things in the same ways. This can be good, yet we do not want this to keep us from openness to new ways of living for You and new experiences of You and Your loving Presence in our lives. Sometimes our hesitation to consider a new path has to do with our uncertainty of what that will mean for us. We wonder how we will respond to new challenges. We do want to trade being afraid and discouraged for being strong and courageous. The only way we can do this is if we claim Your promise and recall that You are with us wherever we go. We rest in the assurance that You are available to lead us and to guide us. As springtime is introducing new signs of life all around us, we want to see new signs of life in us. We invite You God to bring these about as You continue Your holy work in us and through us. Where there is faith that is ready to blossom in fresh ways, we invite that. Where there is new growth in becoming more like Jesus, we long for that. God, there are times when the world we live in seems like such an unlikely place to find strength and courage. There are multiple circumstances that could stifle growth in faith. We know that wanting to walk in the way You have for us will require continued dependence on You. Our God, we pray that we will not limit our expectations of what You can do. As we walk new paths of commitment to You and Your direction for our lives, we do want to be strong and courageous. We are well aware of our weaknesses and lack of capacity for the challenges we face when we move into new territory. If it were not for you and Your promised accompaniment, we cannot imagine taking the risk to step onto a new and unexplored path. And God we do want to be aware of others that we meet on a new path. If we had not taken that risk and trusted You to guide us, we would have missed meeting with and sharing life with others who are also earnestly seeking You and looking for Your presence on an unfamiliar path. Sometimes those who travel with us on a different path than usual are struggling. They do not know that You are available to walk with them and to give them strength and courage. How can we be those who generously share our faith in You? If our willingness to walk on a new path leads to encounters with those we have not yet met and those who have not yet known You then we welcome that. Please guard us against resistance to change. Please guard us against putting off the inclination to explore a new direction. We are asking God that every day You will prompt us and show us what our lives could be for You. Please set us free from regret over wasted time and move us to embrace the possibilities of the time we have in today and each coming day. As you show us the way, we want to walk in it. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.