Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year

May this season and new year bring great blessing and success to your family, life, business, character, finance and soul!

Always remember that Jesus is the reason for any season, and every day of your life!

Pastor Fred,

P.S. Check out our new Family Picture!

Resolutions or Revolutions

New Year is here again, and it's time for us to re-evalutate our lives, make changes, do things differently and love a little harder.

So many people make resolutions, which Webster defines as

• "1. Fixed purpose or determination of mind; as a resolution to reform our lives; a resolution to undertake an expedition.
  
• 2. The effect of fixed purpose; firmness, steadiness or constancy in execution, implying courage."

It is a resolve to make changes, but so many times there is no action, back bone or determintation to actually make the necessary changes you've decided to do. Often I feel that resolutions are so common place that we don't feel bad to neglect them, or forget them altogether. Things that are common place don't hold very much value, but like the old saying "you don't no somethings value until its gone." People don't value water until they don't have it any morel. People don't value friendship and love, until they are all alone with no one around. People don't value anything really until they don't have it anymore.
I believe its time for a revolution instead of resolutions!
The Wikipedia describes a revolution as:

• A revolution (from Late Latin revolutio which means "a turn around") is a significant change that usually occurs in a relatively short period of time. Variously defined revolutions have been happening throughout human history. They vary in terms of numbers of their participants (revolutionaries), means employed by them, duration, motivating ideology and many other aspects. They may result in a socio-political change in the socio-political institutions, or a major change in a culture or economy.

A complete turn around! It is much like the word we use to describe our part in the salvation process - repentance. A revolution and repentance are basically the same thing! They both describe going one direction and then seeing the error of that way and making a complete U-turn, and going the opposite direction!
All of our lives need a revolution! We are travelling, many of us, down a road, which the Bible describes as, "the end thereof are the ways of destruction!" It is time we got some determination, back bone and stood up to ourselves, and make a revolution that we can look back on with pride and resolution. Let us be able to say of this day, "that was the day I changed my life for the better!" May we also be able to say, "I gave my life to Jesus, and Oh, what a change!"

Revolutionize your resolutions, and really make change in your life!

Yours for positive change,
Pastor Fred

What A Wonderful Christmas!

Greetings again to all my blogger friends from around the world! God has been good to us, as He always is, this Christmas! Surrounded by family and friends it has be just great!

My wife and children were very good to me as well, boy what wonderful gifts they got me! My family and friends, thank you for these blessings!

Among the many wonderful things I received, my wonderful wife got me a new Bible! I love it. It has large print (now I don't have any trouble reading it!). It is just the right size! Thanks Baby!

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. May the Peace that Passes all understanding come upon you during this end of the year! May you have a divine visitation from Jesus our Lord and Saviour, the Christ child!

P.S. I will be putting regular posts up during this week and the new Year again. Thanks for visiting over the holidays, and may God richly bless you all!

Yours for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ,
Pastor Fred

One Week Left, and I'm up before 6:30am!

Micah, my youngest boy - 14 months - woke up briefly at about five after 6 this morning! I walked him back to sleep rather quickly so now at about 6:40 am I'm writing in my blog. I didn't figure that it would be much point going back to bed for about a half hour - my alarm is set for quarter to seven. So, here I am taking a great opportunity to talk to you; my blog friends!

It's one week until Christmas! This time next week we will most likely be celebrating the Birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ! I'm so excited!

What do you get excited about? In general I mean? Not necessarily about Christmas, but what in your life gets you excited? Here are some things that get me excited:

• When I'm being spontaneous with my wife!
• When I see my children doing something cute, special, funny and or profound!
• When I watch my oldest, Ethan, pray and God answers His prayer - pretty much every time! (For example: It has snowed every time my son has prayed for "Jesus to throw more snow or water up in the air so that it will snow.")
• When someone repents of their sins, and/or gets baptized in Jesus Name for the remission of their sins, and/or receives the Gift of the Holy Spirit into their spirit. (I say and/or because it doesn't always happen one after the other.)
• During Holiday's when I'm celebrating something about Jesus. i.e. Easter, Penecost Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas...
• When I get to buy something for someone and watch them get excited when they receive it.
• When God answers my prayers, and/or when God blesses me just because!
• When God opens a door for me to witness to someone about His greatness, grace, love and mercy!

There is so much more I could say, but I think you can see how I work from this short list. Again I would like to know - "what makes you excited?" This is a very particularly excited time of the year, so maybe it would be a good time to reflect about this. So often we go through life and do not take time to reflect on our own lives. Looking back over your own life can be a very helpful way to see what direction your life is currently taking, and maybe will give you the opportunity to see that you need to make some very important changes.

The Bible tells us in the Proverbs that there "is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end of that way are the ways of destruction!" During this last week before we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ, take time to reflect, and see what needs to be changed. Nothing would excite me more if I know of someone who gave their life, spirit, soul and body to Jesus during this Christmas season!

Don't wait to get right with Jesus! NOW! is the time, to day is the day of salvation! Take care of your spirit, and soul's eternity now! The longer you wait the harder it gets. Don't get me wrong nothing is impossible with God, but I found that the longer people live in sin and their own will the hard it is for them to let go, and let God have His way! Jesus is here right now! Just reach out and touch Him, as He passes by. He isn't to busy to here your hearts cry. He is passing by this moment your needs to supply. Jesus is here right now, reach out and touch Him, as He goes by!

Don't ever for get that Jesus really does love you!

Your's for and exciting Christmas with Jesus!
Pastor Fred

Are you in the "mood" for Christmas?

(As you might have noticed I've been occupied else where. As I've said in my previous post it's the season to be busy!)

Over the past couple of weeks I've... (I had to stop writing this post because my son was sick, and needed me to hold him, and now a couple days later I don't remember in which direction my thoughts where going!)

Let me start again!

Are you in the "mood" for Christmas? Do you like Christmas? What is your reason for celebrating Christmas? There are so many answers to these questions, and I'm sure most everyone would have a different answer to each question. The other night while doing some Christmas shopping I over heard a couple of old ladies complaining about the hustle and bustle while they where trying to shop in WalMart. One old lady said something as I passed by that really struck home to me. She said to her friend that the problem is that we allow ourselves to get sucked into the bustle, and we forget what it's all about. (That was a little bit paraphrased!)

This statement is so true. We allow the commercial industry to dictate what we must do to have a fun, festive and happy Christmas season. Yet, there is truly only one thing that can make us happy, and that is Jesus Christ! A personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is the most satisfying thing you'll ever experience. It helps you have peace in turmoil, joy during pain, love through hate, faith while in despair, and endurance through the tough times. He is always there to lean on in every situation!

Yesterday we where able to go Christmas shopping in Corner Brook yesterday (Saturday), by ourselves. (Just the wife and I.) We left the 3 children at a friends house and went shopping all day! It was most relaxing. We were definitly tired after, but we had a large amount of gifts, and a large amount of fun! Why am I saying this? How many people really have fun during this season? How many people really enjoy shopping while about 5,000 other people are too? Not too many, but because of Jesus, and because the children where at a trusted friends house we had nothing to worry about, and just had fun! See, even during the most stressful time of year you can have peace and joy when your trust is in Jesus!

Yours for a peaceful happy Christmas,
Pastor Fred

Tis' the season to be.....busy!

Seasons Greetings,

I guess this week kicks off the Christmas season in its highest gear! I've been going crazy for the past 2 weeks, and I'm just realizing that I need to slow down, take a deep breath and take a look around.

During Christmas everyone seems to forget the reason we celebrate, and goes crazy getting gifts, decorating, baking, shopping ect.... Yet, if we would only take time out of our craziness, and remember this is the season we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour. We ought to give the greatest gift to Jesus, because He is the one who came to save us from our sin, the wickedness of the devil and death. We ought to give of our time, money and most importantly of ourselves to Jesus.

The greatest gift this Christmas would be if you met Jesus this year, and started a personal relationship with him!

Read Acts 2:38 for more information on how to start a relationship with Jesus.

Yours for a Christ filled Christmas,
Pastor Fred

Seasonal Joy!

Christmas has officially started at our home! On November 1st we start the Christmas music and start putting up some decorations - we love to celebrate Christmas as long as possible!

When you develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the time of year we designate to celebrate his birth becomes extra special! We love to share, give, rejoice, love and sing about His coming from Heaven to Earth to show us the way!

During this time of seasonal Joy let the spirit of Christ and His coming wrap its warm arms around you, and lift you above your sorrows, strife, problems and stress! May you learn to have your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ!

Yours for the Kingdom of Christ,
Pastor Fred
P.S. If you'd like more information about having a personal relationship with Jesus please feel free to email me!

Culture Shock

What a great weekend! Thanksgiving here in Canada! Jesus is so good to us! On Saturday morning I was talking to my mother and she invited us out to her place for Thanksgiving dinner, which we were going to have on Sunday afternoon. So in the proper impromptu fashion I woke up my wife, gathered the kids, packed some clothes and wisked off to St. Philips, (which is near St. John's) a 6 hour drive!

I ended up preaching on Sunday morning, and the Holy Spirit really met with us! I preached on "The Message of Fall". I'll blog about it another time - it was really good!

Thanksgiving dinner arrived and we had another guest. A man from England who my brother is working partners with. We both had culture shock! The poor guy has been in Newfoundland for about 16 months, and has had to relearn his ways of doing things!

In England any trip 1 hour or over requires a suit case! They don't eat pumpkins, which I might at is a shame because they are quite good! (pumpkin pie mmmmmm.....) This is in no way to slander or downplay the British, but I'm pointing out some interesting cultural differences between Canada and England.... We sometimes take our culture for granted, but we don't realize that other people just don't do it how we do, and we should be thankful for our respective cultures, and learn to worship God in them.

Another point before I go, it dawned on me this weekend that the Holiday of Thanksgiving is really only observed in North America (i.e. Canada and the U. S. of A.). What a priviledge to share some of our unique culture with someone, and on such a special holiday!

Yours for Christ,

Pastor Fred