Springford Baptist Church

Last week I was speaking at a church women’s group in Woodstock when cell phones started sounding with the warning of a potential tornado issued by Environment Canada. We paused to pray that God would keep everyone safe and as the wind and rain continued outside, we continued our meeting. We were talking about how we can give community to others as we are prompted by our faith in Jesus to care beyond ourselves. Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:13-14 urge those who choose to follow Jesus: ”You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…”. This is a challenge for us to flavour the world in which we live with the taste of God’s love for them and for us. If we are to be light in our world then we will need to reflect the light of God’s own Son Jesus. In order for this to happen, it is necessary for us to “LET GO OF WHAT WAS” in order to “TAKE HOLD OF WHAT IS”. Afterwards, we were sharing experiences of when a tornado struck the Woodstock area back in 1979.At that time, people did respond with care and concern for each other. People’s homes had been destroyed and some churches were heavily damaged. In the process of rebuilding, neighbours and strangers reached out to help each other. I am aware that we are called to pray for and to love each other and this does have us moving beyond the walls of where we feel safe and secure. I am very grateful that people were safe that night last week both inside and outside the walls of that church. If we are going to build community that is both loving and caring in God honouring ways, then it does begin with prayer. It will involve us getting to know people in our communities and not just making assumptions about them. We can spend time thinking about how things used to be and times when more people seemed committed to being more committed to God. What we have to work with is how things are now and how God calls us to be salt and light in our world now. Will we take hold of what is and the opportunities that God presents us with now to offer His love and care to those around us? Please plan to join us in our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow June 21^st at 1 pm when we pray the prayer below and invite God to show us how to build community as He intends.

Thanking God that He is the One Who inspires us to build loving community, Pastor Lola

Thank You God that You call us to be salt and light in this world in which we live. Thank You for our personal encounters with Jesus Who came to be Light in the darkness. We know how much we need Your grace in order for the Light of Jesus to shine through us. Thank You for ongoing reminders of what it can look like to be salt and light where You have placed us. We do understand that this cannot happen unless we are praying for and caring for people around us. When we consider what it could look like to give people community, we know that we need You to guide us in how this will happen most effectively. We pray that we will take time to notice what is happening with others and how they feel. When people we encounter are sad, please remind us to take time to listen and to sit with them in their sadness. When people we know feel misunderstood, please guide us to take time to understand. When we disagree with someone else, we pray that will not be an excuse not to love that person as Jesus loves. Our God we see such potential for you to impact us and those around us, if we are praying for Your will and way. Forgive us for the times that we huddle inside where we feel safe and comfortable instead of being willing to go where You need us to go and to be with people with whom You want us to share Your love. We think of ways that those of all ages can receive Your love through us. When the flavour of Who You are is missing, please help us to bring that distinct taste to conversations and activities. When the Light of Your loving Presence seems hard to discern, please reignite our light to burn brightly for You. When we keep returning to previous experiences of faithful living for You, challenge us to move into new territory in order to embrace what You are doing now. We will need courage to take hold of what is and our part in it. Please do Your Divine arranging in order for this to happen. With all the other demands that whisper and clamor for our attention, please establish within us a commitment to prayer and action. We look to see how You will continue to use each of us to give community and a place of belonging to You through faith. Yes, Lord we do want to become more like Jesus Your Son in Whose Name we offer this prayer. AMEN.

How can we best pray for families as we approach this Fathers’ Day weekend 2023? One of the things that we can realize is the big sense of responsibility that many fathers carry. When fathers really do love their children (both growing children and adult children and grandchildren), they do want things to work out well for their children. Loving fathers sacrifice and work hard for the benefit of their families. Their concerns really are centered in their family more than in themselves. Loving fathers hold a constant concern for their families in their hearts. Sometimes they may not find the words to speak all their concerns out loud. Sometimes they may not feel comfortable trying to express the depth of their commitment to their families. We can pray with an understanding of God our Father being available to help and support all of us. We can find reassurance in the Scripture, “Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you. (I Peter 5:7) We can pray that fathers who long for good for their families will know they can bring every care to our Father God and receive His tender and loving care. Approaching this Fathers’ Day weekend we can also consider families and homes where fathers are absent. There may be others who step into this role to provide support and care. Anyone who is trying to bring consistent love and support for families needs help. God is available to help and so we can choose to approach the One Who cares for us and to surrender all of our cares for our families to our ever loving God. I urge us not to underestimate how important encouragement and faithful prayer is for families. Tomorrow June 14^th, we can plan to pause at 1 pm for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER. We can pray for our own families and for the families of others that God inspires us to commit to His care.

Praying for increased awareness of how much our loving Father God cares for us and those for whom we pray, Pastor Lola

Our Father God, we come to You as Your children, conscious of how much we need You. Thank you that we can rely on Your constant love and care for us. We thank You our God for all the ways that You demonstrate Your consistent care for us and those for whom we pray. Our Gracious God, we are grateful that in Your wisdom, You have placed us in families. We recognize that no family is perfect, still it is in our families that we are meant to find security and love. Please be near to help all parents who are seeking to nurture their children well. It is our prayer that not only will families provide food and shelter for children, but that children will also be nurtured in faith. We think of what it will mean for children as they grow to know Your love and care for them. When we think of the pressure these days on families and households, we lift them up to You. Please reassure families that they are not alone and that You care for them in all their struggles. Thank you for those who work to support children and families. Thank You for ways that we can demonstrate love and care for our families. We pray that we will be available to be family for those who are lonely. Sometimes we can get very caught up in the needs of our own families and not be available for others who need us. Please guide us in balancing this gift of time that You have given to us. We choose to bring all the cares we have for our families to You. Our God You now where there are health concerns in our families. You know where there are relationship tensions in our families. You know where there is discouragement and disappointment in our families. You know where there is uncertainty for the future in our families. In every situation of need our Father god, we ask you to be with us and to guide us through. It is a relief to cast all of our cares for our families on You and we do that now. We also bring to you other individuals and families for whom we pray. Thank You God that You take us beyond ourselves to care about and to pray for others. Thank You that no one we name is outside of your care. As we name those who are on our hearts to You, You already know every need and care. Please do inspire us to be an active part of the way that our prayers will be answered and the way that Your care will be expressed through us. When we grow weary in extending care and support, we pray that You will renew and refresh us. For homes where fathers have not provided the loving presence and influence that You intend , we pray that awareness of You and Your loving care will be experienced. For those who have recently said goodbye to fathers and grandfathers, we pray for your comforting peace over this Fathers’ Day weekend. Thank You Father God that we can know that You do care for us and will always be near to help us and to guide us. We do bring all of our cares to You, confident that You do care for us. We commit everyone and everything to You in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.

I was enjoying a pleasant walk along a country road when I saw that the cows in the field had taken quite an interest in me. They all moved together towards the fence and then walked together while chewing away and keeping their eyes on me. It occurred to me how influenced cattle are by the herd. Their herd mentality has them all following what the others are doing. It seems that not much thought is given to anything, but simply following what everyone else is doing. This may be okay for cows, but it is not okay for people. In fact it is potentially dangerous and destructive to go along with what everyone else is doing, saying, and thinking. We as people of faith, continue to ask God to lead and guide our thoughts and attitudes and actions. In Scripture we read, “Yet, O LORD, You are our Father. We are the clay, You are the Potter; we are all the work of Your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8) When we sincerely look to God in prayer, we are asking God to shape us as He intends. We can invite God to influence our lives closer to Him. This will not have us going along with what everyone else around us is doing, but rather inviting God to show us His will, His way, and His time in all things. This will be our approach for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow June 7^th at 1 pm. Please plan to pause for this significant time of prayer.

Thankful that our God is available to show us His way, Pastor Lola

Loving God, we choose to thank You for being the One Who gives our lives purpose. Thank You that You have called us to so much more than just following the crowd. We know that it takes intention and focused prayer to discern Your will for us. We want to be available for this so that You can shape us as Your will, Your way, and Your time. We thank You that we can call you Father and know the tenderness and compassion of Your love for us. As clay in Your hands, God, we want You the Potter to form us as your own. We are confident that Your plans for us are good. When we mindlessly follow what everyone else is doing, we miss the personal ways that You want to reveal Yourself to us. We miss the unique ways that You want to use us and who you have created each of us to be. Often our thoughts get focused on what will benefit us and how we want to arrange things for our comfort and security. Forgive us, we pray. Please expand our vision to consider the concerns of others around us. The days and weeks could go by with us so consumed with ourselves that we are not shaped by You to live Your love in our world. Today we continue to pray for The Ukraine and for resolution of the conflict there. We thank You for the anticipation of the arrival of Nikoli to be reunited with his family. We trust You God for this time of transition and change. Thank You for those who are coming to Canada to find a new home here. We pray that we will be welcoming and helpful. God, please guard against selfishness and move us to respond with generosity of heart. As we consider that we as human beings can be learning from each other, we pray for how this will happen. Rather than succumb to herd mentality, we pray that each of us will seek and find You and be led by You in all things. It is humbling to know that we are the work of Your hand. It is also apparent to us that Your work in us continues. Still there are areas of our lives to be surrendered to You and Your plans and purposes. Surrender does not come easily, yet this is our desire. Only as we allow Your work in our lives are we becoming Who You have designed us to be. When we resist this process, we pray that Your Spirit will show us a better way. Please forgive that resistance and replace it with a greater love for You that urges us to release what we insist on grasping. Our prayer is for both ourselves and others to be liberated by our commitment to follow You always. All of his we pray in the Name of Jesus our Saviour. AMEN

With the end of another month, we are conscious of the passing of time and the significance of how we invest our time. I had a recent conversation with someone who had planted oak trees in her backyard. I was reminded of the inspirational saying that, “Faith is planting trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” When we offer ongoing prayers of faith, trusting God for His timing and what He will do, it is the same principle. In Hebrews 11:1  we read, ”Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Our decision to pray and to place things in God’s hands means that we are releasing the outcome to God. Our tendency is to expect immediate results. If this does not happen, sometimes we begin to waver in our prayers.  We may not live to see the outcome of our prayers and the ways that God will bring blessing and cooling shade and breezes of refreshment. Yet, still we pray and commit to God with the hope that our prayers will bring blessing to others. We can again participate in this life changing activity of prayer when we pause for our WEDNESDAY TOGETHER tomorrow May 31^st at 1 pm.

Asking God to increase our faith as we pray, Pastor Lola

Our loving God thank you for the trees that others have planted that have brought blessing to us. Thank you that the faithful prayers and lives of others before us continue to nurture us today. We pray that we too will be willing to invest in ways that will encourage others in their faith and in their opportunities to know you. We recognize that often we cannot imagine what will be the impact of decisions and actions that we now take. With this understanding, we humbly pray to be led by You always. We do not want to give up when the spiritual well being of others depends on us. We are aware that planting takes hard work and determination. There also needs to be tending and care for faith to grow and we want to be available for this. Our desire is for our own faith to develop strong roots and to grow healthy. This is also our longing for others. For those who face circumstances that shake their faith, we pray that they will experience You close with them in their adversity. For those who become so occupied with everything else but taking time for You, we pray that there will be recognition that You keep knocking and wanting to gain access to their lives. For those who have grown self absorbed and do not feel there is any place in their lives for you, we pray that they will recognize their need for You. Our God, the thought of ways that we can help to plant seeds of faith that will introduce You and Your hope filled Presence to others is a thought that compels us to keep praying. Even when we do not see evidence of what is going to happen through the work of Your Spirit, please give us courage to keep on believing in You and Your life changing power and to keep on praying. We commit ourselves and all that we are and have to what You want to be now and in time to come. In the Name of Jesus. AMEN.

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