Take me to Church

The Hozier song, Take me to Church, offers a harsh indictment against the church as judgmental and rigid.  If that is the image we present then we have done a huge disservice to Christ's bride. The church must be that place where we meet God and then share this blessing with others, For the Life of the World.  During this service we celebrate the baptism of Seth Bootsma, baby boy of Brad & Rebecca. January 4, 10:00 a.m.

My predictions for 2015

Tonight we gather for our New Year's Eve worship service (7:00 p.m.).  We'll be looking back at the year that was, and then turning toward 2015.  I'll even off a few predictions for the year ahead.  The bible is full of predictions, many of which have already happened, but also many still to come.  We step forward with confidence, knowing that God goes with us into 2015.

Mary Pondered

"And Mary Pondered all these Things" is the theme of our candlelight service.  Join us this Sunday evening, Dec 21, at 6:00 p.m. as we hear the good news from Mary's perspective.

Christmas wish lists

We think of "favours" as those fun things at parties.  Or when good things come our way, we consider ourselves to be favoured by God. Our Christmas wish lists might include things that will make our lives easier; we are looking for God's favour. Mary was told by an angel that she had found favour in God's eyes. But that favour did not mean she would live a life of carefree ease. God's favour was not about fame and fortune, but about grace and acceptance.  On this 4th Sunday of Advent, we receive God's favour as we share the communion meal. Sunday, Dec 21, 10 a.m.

Pastor Ed's turn

This Sunday my wonderful assistant (and humble too, I might add!) will be in the pulpit at Ancaster Christian Reformed Church.  Pastor Ed Visser will be continuing our theme of "getting ready for Christmas," this time looking ahead to Christ's second coming.  Sunday, Dec 14, 10 a.m.

The mystery of the incarnation: Meekness and Majesty

Yesterday (Dec 7) we explored the mystery of the incarnation.  At the end of the message we watched the video, "That's My King."  If you would like to see it again, you may borrow the dvd from me, or go to http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/28/Thats-My-King

Hymn Sing, November 30, 6 p.m.

This Sunday evening you are invited to Ancaster Christian Reformed Church for a good ol' fashioned hymn sing, Wonderful Words of Life.  We'll be singing lots of your old favourites.  Join us!

Getting ready for Christmas - put up the lights!

November 30 is the first Sunday of Advent, and we are getting ready for Christmas. We spend some time with an elderly couple who hear the most precious words any of us could hope to hear: "Don't be afraid; your prayer has been heard."  The story of Zechariah & Elizabeth is part of a much bigger story.  The True Light has come into the world! Our stories too, are part of a bigger story of God's plan for the entire world.  Sunday, Nov 30, 10 a.m.

Zoë Isabella Hope

Yesterday was a celebration.  We witnessed the baptism of Zoë Isabella Hope, baby daughter of Rob and Krista Vandekuyt.  Zoë's baptism sealed her membership in God's covenant family.  Thanks be to God for his gift of grace!

Knowledge is power

Knowledge is power.  Many will agree with that statement because they believe that knowledge will enable you to achieve your dreams and your goals, to acquire all the good things this world has to offer.  But knowledge isn't, first of all, about us.  Knowledge points outside of ourselves to an awesome world, crafted by an awesome Creator.  When our knowledge of the Creator and his creation is shared, it is transformed into something much bigger:  wisdom.  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Ps 111).

This Sunday we will see how the knowledge of what God has done in our lives leaves us with no other response than to worship him. Our worship this Sunday morning includes the baptism of Zoe Vandekuyt.  November 23, 10 a.m.

Did Jesus show up?

The list of books I have read this week covers a broad range of topics.  This final book, Creature of the Word; The Jesus-Centered Church, orients it all back to where it belongs:  with Christ.  When I was in seminary, we were required to critique our classmates’ sermons.  The litmus test we used was this question:  “When did Jesus show up?”  Respected voices in the preaching world may contend that not every sermon has to speak the name of Jesus, that the gospel is still being preached.  Yet, I resonate with Charles Spurgeon who said, “You do not really preach the gospel if you leave Christ out—if He is omitted, it is not the gospel!” (Christ’s Triple Character, 1878). 

Authors Matt Chandler, Josh Patterson and Eric Geiger, chose the subtitle “Jesus-Centered” rather than “Gospel-Centered” because they recognize that “although the gospel does impact everything, everything is not the gospel” (7). Creature of the Word is how the Reformers described the church; the church is birthed from God’s Word.  Anything less or more is flawed and dangerous.

This book, written by pastors, covers almost every area of ministry.  I share with you a number of quotes that I found provocative or inspiring.  Enjoy:

If we lose sight of who Jesus is, “Our churches end of with a God who is safe, but weak; domesticated, but limited” (32).

“The reality is that everybody is a theologian; some of us have just unwittingly become heretics” (35).

“Worship gatherings are not always spectacular, but they are always supernatural” (42).

“While our faith is indeed very personal, it is definitely not private” (45).

“Cultural frustration [they are talking about your church’s culture] always precedes cultural transformation” (118).

“Corporate worship celebrates what God has done” (114).

“The church budget is a doctrinal statement” (192).

The church shouldn’t just survive, but thrive (218).

“Ministry will always be inefficient… We must recognize the limitation of best practices, then begin to reprioritize our approach to ministry” (230).

Do Hard Things

As I read Do Hard Things, I’ll confess that I needed to do a bit of repenting.  I too, have bought into our culture’s  view of teens and adolescents, that we cannot expect much of these young people as they go through these troublesome years. While our sons did not cause us too much grief during their teen years, I know I have used the language about having “survived” that era, of having “made it through;” I have made the jokes about locking up our kids and letting them out when they are 25, about how they become “nice people” and then move out! 

    Twin brothers Alex and Brett Harris challenge all of this in Do Hard Things; A teenage rebellion against low expectations.  This is a book by teens, for teens.  At times I felt as though I was eavesdropping on a private conversation.  Had the book been written by a 50 year old pastor, it would never have gotten the attention it is now receiving. 

   The teen years are to be a season of daring, when younger people see life as an adventure and jump in head first.  Oh to retain some of that enthusiasm for life when we reach our 50's!  Historically, there was no separate category for teens; you were either a child or an adult.  We may have done our youth a huge disservice by creating a special nomenclature for them. 

     At the end of the book the authors rattle off a list of 100 hard things that teenagers have done/could do.  A fun read, but more – a rally call to tap into the gifts of our younger members and to expect to see God bless them and use them to bless others.

Prayer & distractions

Just before we left for Florida, two people from my church told me amazing stories about how they had been prompted by God to act in a way that was totally unexpected. They had heard God speaking.  But in order to hear God speak, we have to be listening.  Paul Miller makes that clear in his book, A Praying Life; Connecting with God in a Distracting World.  Throughout his book, Miller weaves anecdotes about his autistic daughter Kim, demonstrating in very real and painful ways that our prayers are often not answered in the way we would hope, or at least not in our timeframe.  One of those prayers was that Kim would be able to speak, but that didn't happen until many years later when Kim learned to speak by means of a computer.
Miller encourages us to listen for God's voice, and he reminds us that "God is weaving a larger story" (216), of which we are a part.  There's a big picture happening, which we may never see (and that's probably true for the two people who I mentioned at the beginning of this post.)
Reading this book has been a joy. It has also been a reminder that prayer must be a priority in my life. One would think that a pastor would not have the distractions that others have - not true.  I couldn't help but think that it was easier for Martin Luther (the book, of course, mentioned his commitment to 3 hours of prayer per day) - Luther was a monk!
What a wonderful gift from my church, to be able to take a reading break, to quiet my soul in order to listen for God's voice.  

The Hole in our Gospel

A few weeks ago I was asked to complete a survey which had me rank 10 attributes, in order of priority, that would be important for the next co-director of World Renew to have.  As I read The Hole in our Gospel, by Richard Stearns, I discovered the top priority:  it's a heart that cries for those who are hurting.
As he explores what it is that God demands of us, Stearns traces his own call to become President of World Vision - a call he resisted vehemently.
We've been doing a series of messages at Ancaster CRC that ask the question, "what is salvation for?"  Stearns captures the For the Life of the World refrain when he says this:  "Worship is not enough. Personal morality is not enough. And Christian Community is not enough. God has always demanded more" (3). Stearns reminds us that being a follower of Jesus of Jesus requires much more than a personal relationship with God; we are called to a public and transforming relationship with the world.  (Wish I'd said it that succinctly from the pulpit!).
You don't have to be the director of World Vision or World Renew to move the mountain that is poverty.  Remember the old joke about "how do you eat an elephant? - one bite at a time."  Do you have faith that can move a mountain?  We CAN move mountains-- "What if Jesus meant for millions of his followers to each put their faith into action by grabbing a shovel -- and challenging the mountain one shovelful at a time? Any mountain can be moved -- even the one called Poverty, or Hunger, or Injustice-- if we have enough people 'shoveling'" (275).
God chose to use Stearns; he will use us.  He will also use the new director of World Renew to move a mountain.  [At one point in the book Stearns mentions a meeting with a man named "Andy" from an organization called World Relief.  I wonder if he is talking about CRWRC - Christian Reformed World Relief Committee - now World Renew, and our retiring co-director, Andy Ryskamp. I'll have to ask Andy about that!]

Good Girls

Grace for the Good Girl; letting go of the try-hard life, could alternatively be called Grace for the Good Man, Good Employee, Good Pastor. Don't I know it! The scenario Emily Freeman describes is not foreign to those of us who try to live a good life. Our sense of justice is strong- we harbor the belief that "there should be reward for those who do good and punishment for those who don't" (103).
Someone once wondered about what kind of a pastor I could be because I don't have a "story" --no tragic past of drugs or cancer or poverty from which I had been rescued.  Rather, I am perceived as one of those "good girls."   I resonated with Freeman's observation that "when bad girls perform to get their needs me, they get in trouble.  When good girls perform to get the same thing, we get praise" (24).  We set expectations for ourselves, we strive to meet others' expectations, we keep our private struggles to ourselves.  This is the case for a lot of women, and it's doubly true for pastors.  No church wants a "needy" pastor, we pastors say to one another.
I should probably read this book every year.  I need to stop trying to be like Jesus (143) and simply trust Jesus to be himself through me.  That's grace.

Hell

I thought I'd start with something light, (I'm referring to the length of the book, not the topic!) reading Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle's, Erasing Hell: What God said about Eternity and the things we made up. 
The book has been described as "ground breaking."  While I have read larger tomes on the topic, the book is timely. With several references to Rob Bell's, Love Wins, the book serves as a needed counter-voice to our fingers-crossed hope that all will be saved.  Erasing Hell leaves us with no doubt that the bible takes hell seriously.
The line in the book that resonated with me most strongly was the reminder that "This is not just about doctrine; it's about destinies."  If we eliminate hell, or reduce it to some innocuous state of nothingness, we will be ignoring much biblical evidence to the contrary.  But perhaps even worse, if we deny hell, then we have minimized the work of Jesus.  Our alienation from God was so big, so all encompassing, and the destiny that awaited us was so horrific that God was prepared to pay the ultimate price to rescue his people from "that place."  Really, why would Jesus have willingly died such a torturous death if what awaited sinners was some nirvana-ish state of nothingness?

Hell - it is serious business. The Bible takes it seriously.  Jesus took it seriously.  So should we.

Reading break

I'm heading into a reading break followed by some vacation time.  While I'm away our Assistant Pastor, Ed Visser, and a few guest pastors will lead us in worship.

God's economy of order

In the wake of two tragic deaths this week, in Ottawa and Montreal, we recognize that in a fallen world we long to see greater evidence of God's justice.  What can we do to heal the brokenness?  God calls us to be holy people, but what does that look like?  While our immediate reaction is to withdraw, God calls us to demonstrate hospitality, not just to those whom we know or trust, but to the foreigner, the alien, the stranger.  It's risky, it's uncomfortable, but it is the means by which God's economy of order is established.
During the service we will pause to give tribute to the fallen, Corporal Nathan Cirillo ad Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent.  Sunday, October 26, 10:00 a.m.

Communion Sunday

This Sunday morning, Pastor Ed Visser leads us in worship.  And for the evening service, seminarian Courtney Mooney will be bringing the message.  During the evening service I will be leading our celebration of the Lord's Supper. October 19, 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

GOOD

I can still hear her - my grade 3 teacher telling us to use descriptive words when we write or tell a story.  Words like "nice" and "good" didn't make the list.  Yet, "good" is used often in the Bible.  And so, with apologies to my grade 3 teacher, this Thanksgiving Day we give thanks to the Lord for he is GOOD!  Psalm 100:5.  Join us as we gather for worship this Thanksgiving Day, at 10:00 a.m. - it's going to be good!

Freedom 55

Since the inception of the ad campaign back in 1989, Freedom 55 has become a catch phrase, signifying a vague and optimistic hope that we might be able to retire at 55.  But is that the only reason we work - to save enough to quit working?  God has another plan, a bigger plan, and we are part of it.  Our work fits into that plan.  And so, rather than work to live, we discover that we live to work.  This is the focus of the message for Sunday, Oct 12, 10:00 a.m.

Re-thinking love and family

“Multitudinous definitions for love, marriage, family and community pile up like options on a menu.  Is there an original design or purpose we have forgotten? Why did God create the family? Let’s explore a true and ancient source—the Bible.” This is our second message in a series which follows the dvd, For the Life of the World; Letters to the Exiles.  Sunday, Oct 5, 10 a.m.

Movers & Shakers

"Jesus" is his name.  "Christ" is his title. One's title says a lot about a person.  Prophets, priests and kings were the movers and shakers of society.  They still are today - as Christ followers, we too are prophets, priests and kings, assigned the mission of moving and shaking this world.  Sunday evening, October 5, 6 p.m.

Aleisha Taylor Van Houten

Yesterday we celebrated the baptism of Aleisha Taylor Van Houten, baby daughter of Mike & Marita.  We welcome baby Aleisha into God's family!

What's in a name?

What's in a name?  Juliette insisted that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.  And yet, there is something more to a name. Scripture says that "there is no other name under heaven...[than the name of Jesus]...by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).  This is the heart of the gospel; there is no other way to God than through Jesus.  This is not an optional thing, this is not one way of many.  Jesus is the only way.  His name is life.  Sunday, Sept 21, 6:00 pm.

Smart enough to teach?

James says that not many of you should become teachers, because teachers will be judged more strictly (James 3:1).   We might not think we are smart enough, or gifted enough, to teach- may of us might not do so well on "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?"  And yet, Jesus commands us to go and teach (Matthew 28:20).  As Jesus was commissioned to preach the good news (Luke 4:18, 19), so he now commissions us.  This Sunday we bless our teachers and leaders as they begin a new season.  We will also be blessed as we celebrate both sacraments.  We share the communion meal and we baptize Aleisha Van Houten.  Sunday, Sept 21, 2014, 10 a.m.

Right in front of us!

This Sunday we worship outdoors at the Mount Mary Retreat Centre in Ancaster.  It's going to be a great service where we see that God's good things have been revealed to us, already now (I Corinthians 2:9,10).  It's like a scavenger hunt - finding those things that are right in front of us!

After the service everyone is invited to stay for a picnic lunch.  The weather forecast says it will be sunny but cool.  If that changes and it's rainy on Sunday, the service will move indoors at the church.  Sunday, Sept 14, 10 a.m.

What is our salvation for?

That's our Ed Glasbergen accepting the ice bucket challenge!  It's been great to see "our people," that is, Christians, getting into this.  Too often our salvation is reduced to an exercise in piety and patience - we try to live good lives and wait patiently for the day we leave this world and live with Jesus.  But our salvation is bigger than that.  This Sunday we begin a series that takes us beyond a narrow view of salvation and draws us into God's "oikonomia," his economy for all of creation - "For the Life of the World." I will be drawing on the video series by that name for these messages.  Sunday, September 7, 10 a.m.

Celebrating! (audio included)

This weekend we celebrate Labour Day.  Sorta.  Yes, we might enjoy the day off, and we might be happy that school is starting (maybe), but to say this is a celebration, sounds a little over the top.  There's isn't much that really excites us.  In this final message of our Esther series, we discover that the book ends with a celebration.  It's a reminder to us that yes, God redeems us, and yes, he justifies us, but he doesn't stop there. He then glorifies us!  Good, better, best! Sunday, August 31, 2014, 10 a.m.  Hear the message here:  https://soundcloud.com/pastor-rita/esther-922-good-better-best

North of 60

About 40 people enjoyed the beautiful weather, excellent company, and great food at our North of 60 picnic.  This year's venue was the Kinsmen Park in Caledonia.  We expect to return next year!

Grant me my life, and the audio

It's the most basic of human (and animal!) instincts:  the will to live. The deepest desire we have is to be granted life (Esther 7:3).  That was Esther's request to King Xerxes when he encouraged her to ask for whatever it was that she wanted.  God knows that life is precious.  And so he gives us life, eternal life, in Jesus.  Join us this Sunday, August 24, for the next message in our Esther series.  We will also be sharing the communion meal.
https://soundcloud.com/pastor-rita/esther-7-pt-3-my-one-request

Teen Challenge guests

This Sunday, August 17, we welcome the men from Teen Challenge to lead us in worship.  They will share their stories of healing and restoration through the ministry of this amazing organization.  We praise God with them!

Congratulations to Ivo & Jeanine!

Congratulations to Ivo Tamm and Jeanine Velez, who were married last weekend, August 9.  Ivo's mom from Ecuador was there for the celebration. Our entire church family wishes you, Ivo & Jeanine, along with JP and Elizabeth, God's amazing blessings upon this marriage.

Turned the tables, and the sermon audio

In our second message from the book of Esther, we see a remarkable turn of events.  The one most honoured is humiliated; the most lowly is exalted.  God's sense of humor emanates from this story in the 5th and 6th chapters of the book, as the tables are turned in the space of 24 hours. When we despair, we can remain confident that God may change things up at any moment. Come, and see what God will do for the one the king delights to honour! (6:11c). Sunday, August 10, 2014, 10 a.m.
To hear Sunday's message, click on this link
 https://soundcloud.com/pastor-rita/esther-part-2-the-tables-are-turned

The Go Do Team's trip to Highland Park, New Jersey

Risk & Romance (& link to the message)

In the original "Bachelor," Esther receives the final rose.  Having won the favour of the king, she can now live in the lap of luxury, happily ever after.  Instead, Esther risks all in order to save her people from certain demise.  Following Jesus involves risk, but this is what God expects of us.  There is no greater tragedy, says John Piper, than the wasted life (Don't Waster Your Life).  This Sunday we begin a series from the book of Esther. Join us!  Sunday, August 3, 10 a.m.
Hear Sunday's message here:
https://soundcloud.com/pastor-rita/esther-ch-4-romance-risk

Here is your life!

Guy Smiley does a segment on Sesame Street (or at least he used to do it when my kids were young) called, "Here is your Life."  One of those segments is about a house, recalling the contributions of the architect, the bricklayer, the carpenter, and so on. "Here is your life," he says.  It sounds a bit like I Corinthians 3:1-15 where Paul talks about a construction project.  This Sunday we look at the quality of our work in light of the messages to the 7 churches of Revelation.  Our church is built on the foundation which is Jesus Christ.  We are to build on that foundation and then God himself will judge the quality of our work.  Let's take the test, so that we can truthfully and honestly, gauge the health of our churches. Go to http://www.buildingchurchleaders.com/quiz/?id=IBORX   , take the little test, and then talk about your test score with your elder or your friends.  What might we do, as a church, to get that score up?  We are building on a solid foundation - that foundation demands a strong and beautiful building of quality workmanship and lasting materials.  Sunday, July 27, 10 a.m.

Serve send-off

HAMILTON SERVE 2014:  Next week Ancaster Christian Reformed Church and Meadowlands Fellowship CRC will be hosting 75 youth and leaders from Athens, Brighton, Blyth, Orillia, Kingston, and Port Perry to Hamilton Serve. They will be volunteering at Hamilton's Good Shepherd Centre. Our two churches will worship together this Sunday, July 13, at Meadowlands Fellowship CRC to commission the Serve team and bless them for the week ahead.  10:00 am, at Meadowlands.

God's love is....

 This week over 100 students and volunteers filled our church for our Vacation Bible School.  We sang fun songs, listened to Bible stories and saw them acted out; we memorized Bible verses, made amazing crafts, played crazy games, and enjoyed great treats.  We watched a week-long play as the actors searched for treasure.

All of us found the best treasure ever:  God's love. And we discovered that God's love is shown in Jesus, his love is kind and patient, his love is for everyone, God's love is forgiving.  God's love never fails!

It's Vacation Bible School Week at ACRC!

This Sunday, July 6, we kick off our VBS week.  We welcome to our pulpit Pastor Paul Droogers from High River CRC, AB.  This Sunday, and for the entire week, we will be discovering the amazing treasure that is God's love.

Happy Canada Day!

We're away for the Canada Day long weekend.  Pastor John Veenstra will be preaching in Ancaster Christian Reformed Church this Sunday, June 29.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Lost and found

If you find yourself feeling lost, if you are questioning your sense of worth, if you wonder if God may have forgotten you, then you need to hear the message that Jesus has for the church in Philadelphia.  The Christians there had been driven out of the synagogue by their own people - the city of brotherly love wasn't so loving after all.  Jesus assures them that HE is the one who holds the key that keeps people in or out of his kingdom. And then he reminds them that he has written his name on them.  If Jesus has written his name on us, we will never be lost. He loves us, and the whole world is going to know that. June 22, 10 a.m.

Froggy Soup

The boiling frog experiment is about complacency, about being so comfortable that we fail to see the dangers in which we find ourselves.  That's the complaint Jesus has against the church in Sardis - it's a warning every church, every Christian, must heed (Rev 3:1-6).  If you would like to see the entire frog experiment go to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyBKz1wdK0M
Warning:  not for the faint of heart!  But then, neither is Christ's warning.
Sunday, June 15, 2014, 10:00 a.m.

We also gather Sunday evening, at 6 p.m., to discover what we are saying when we profess that we believe in "God, the Father almighty" -- a fitting topic for Father's Day!

June 8 message - Thyatira, Revelation 2:18-29

Since his ascension, God has entrusted his ministry to us - average, normal people.  You can hear last Sunday's message by following this link:  https://soundcloud.com/pastor-rita/june-8-thyatira

Who, me?

This Sunday we listen to the message Jesus sent to the church in Thyatira.  Thyatira is a blue-collar town. They have a great work ethic, and Jesus commends them for it. But somehow, they start thinking that they have to bend the rules in order to survive.  Jesus reminds them, and us, that we are to live by a higher standard.  With the power of the Holy Spirit, you - yes you! can expect to do great things in the name of Jesus. This is a great message for our new office bearers who will be installed during the service.  June 8, 10 a.m.

Last week's grade 7 & 8 retreat

Last weekend 16 students gathered at Crieff Hills for our "Thinking About your Faith" retreat.  We had some great discussions, excellent meals, amazing weather... and very little sleep!  These students are at the point in their lives when they will decide if the faith of their parents and teachers and leaders and pastor is their faith. May God bless them on this journey as they open themselves to hearing and seeing God at work in their lives.  For more pics of the weekend, see the slide show to the right.

Ascension Day

Yesterday was Ascension Day.  For 40 days after he rose from the dead, Jesus walked this earth.  And then, right before their eyes, Jesus was taken up into heaven.  The disciples, and we too, may feel short-changed by this development. Why couldn't Jesus just stay with us here on terra firma?
He couldn't stay because he had work to do.  He does not sit idly at the Father's side in heaven. Rather, he is working hard on our behalf.  In heaven Jesus pleads our case, prepares a place, and equips us for the race.
Hear more this Sunday evening, June 1, at 6:00 pm.  Our morning service is led by Rev Breedveld while I am on retreat with our grade 7 and 8 students.

"If you declare with your mouth...

...'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that Gopd raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).  And that's exactly what Hannah, Tom, Julia and Esther did yesterday-- they stood before their church family and publicly professed their faith in Jesus.  It was a wonderful morning to celebrate God's grace and his love!

You're richer than you think

It's a catchy line for an ad campaign, but before the bankers claimed it, Jesus used it.  He told the church in Smyrna, and us, that we are RICH! (Revelation 2:8-11). This Sunday, at Ancaster Christian Reformed Church, four people will stand up and declare that they are rich; they will be making public profession of their faith in Jesus Christ.  Sunday, May 25, 10 a.m.  You are welcome to join us.

Leeanne's & Matthew's baptisms

Last Sunday, May 4, we witnessed the baptism of Leeanne Voorberg and her and Mark's baby boy, Matthew.  It was a wonderful celebration where we saw at the same time, evidence of God's unearned grace (baptizing a baby) and of God's irresistible grace (baptism of an adult).  Leeanne and Matthew are God's children - as is Mark, and everyone else who was reminded of his or her baptism.  May God bless Leeanne and baby Matthew as they live into God's promises.
The message from May 4 is posted below.

Last week's 3D picture- looking for the image of Christ...