Day SEVEN, Life Journal Essential 100 Challenge

Follow the e S.O.A.P method for bible journaling and you’re ready to go!

Todays’s Reading: Genesis 15:1-21

Theme: God’s Covenant with Abram

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 15:5

⁵ He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

OBSERVATION:

Abram is having a discussion with God in a vision and he’s talking about the blessings that God would bestow upon him.  Abram is reminding God (like he needs reminding) that he has no children so who in the world would be able to receive this estate once I die.  God, gives Abram the promise of blessing that his offspring would be as abundant as the stars in the sky!

Abram not only heard the words of the Lord, but believed in them, and this was something that really placed Abram (later Abraham) as one of our Heroes of Faith mentioned in the book of Hebrews.

APPLICATION:

It’s easy to believe in something that you can see.  But it is a bit more difficult in believing something that cannot be seen and this is exactly why Abram was seen as a righteous man.  He had the ability to believe in God even when he stated that Abram would have as many children as he could “count the stars.”

I’m reminded to trust in God, in good times, in bad times, in times of clear vision, in times of blurred vision.  If God says it- I must believe it!

PRAYER:

God thank you for the Countless Stars in my life.  The blessings that you have provided me with that I must open my eyes to see and enjoy, in Jesus name, Amen.

Dave

Day 5 - The Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-9

S - Genesis 11:3 -4 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

O - This scripture talks about the the advent of a new technology - the brick ; before this time civilizations’ were left to build houses with non-uniform rocks. If you have ever tried to build a tower with non-uniform rocks you will understand how important the brick was.   The invention of the brick brought a whole bunch of possibilities to the world.  And as I sit in my brick house in the middle of a Canadian winter - I can attest that many of the possibilities that the brick inspired were absolutely wonderful. This scripture shows us however, human nature’s tendency to want to exalt ourselves.  With the invention of the brick - human’s now thought they could be something else -that they would be able to make a name for themselves and control their destiny.

A - The story of the tower of Babel is so relevant to my life today.  In the last 50 years there have been more new technologies invented than in the 1000 years preceding this time.  Sociologists tell us that knowledge is doubling every 2-3 years.  With amount of new information within our grasp it is obvious why the term “information overload” has become a common phrase in the English language.  Because of the time we live in history then - it is easy to see why this story carries so much significance.  If one invention - the invention of the brick (which in my estimation is not nearly as slick as an ipad), could cause the whole world to think more highly of the themselves than they ought - could the thousands of new inventions have the same “tower of babel” effect on mankind today?   If I’m honest - I think so.  Now - don’t get me wrong.  I don’t think God is against new technology.  In fact, the Bible clearly says that knowledge will increase (Daniel 1:9).  I think I just need to be aware how I use that technology.  If I use technology to exalt myself - I am abusing the gift God has given me.  But if I think of myself as a steward of technology - someone who uses the new knowledge we have been given to make God’s kingdom come to earth - then I am honouring God.   The difference in intent, although subtle makes a huge difference to the outcome of my life and how I live in the world.

P - Lord, help me to remember - that all truth comes from you.  Today - I admit that I do not control my destiny - but that you do.   Thank you for all the new technology and conveniences that you have brought to our lives.  Help me to use that technology to see your kingdom come to earth.

Jess

Reading: Genesis 8:1-9:17, God’s Covenant with Noah

S-cripture
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.”  And the Lord was pleased…
Gen. 8:20-21

O-bservation:
After many years of building the Ark, several months of enduring the flood, and months of waiting for the flood waters to recede - when the time finally came for Noah and his family to leave the Ark the first thing Noah did was build an alter and sacrifice burnt offerings.  When I think of what Noah went through and his response I’m reminded that the Lord knows what is best, and that I need to be grateful for the blessings I have and not complain about the challenges I am faced with.

A-pplication:
Life is much to short to sit around complaining, Noah at the time was 601 years old and he had no time for complaining (and his life was much longer than mine will be)!  So, I am making the decision to focus on the good in life to avoid complaining about the not-so-good.  Also recognizing that when I do overcome a challenge I won’t grumble about the hardship I went through….I will give thanks to God for guiding me through my difficult times.

P-rayer:
God help me to see that Your plan is greater than any obstacle that might be placed before me.  I pray that my attitude and the words I speak will be positive in nature and help build others up not break them down.  In Jesus name I pray, amen!

Has there been a time when you faced a challenge and got through it, but instead of giving thanks you continued to complain about how hard the chllenge you faced was.  I know I’ve done that before, but I don’t want to anymore! Let me know what you think, share your comments below.

Thanks Nina!

Scripture:

Genesis 6:9

This is the account of Noah and his family.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

Observation:

From the fall of man into sin we see a steady digression by man into sin and not only into sin but a lack of regret for that sin (Gen.4:23,24). By the time we get to Noah there has been many years since the fall of man and we see that the wickedness of man has got so bad that ‘God grieved that He ever created man’ (Gen.6:6). But in the middle of all this darkness we see a shining light and his name is Noah.

The Bible says that ‘Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time’ and not only that but it goes on to say ‘he walked faithfully with God.’ I love the visual nature of this description, Noah’s relationship isn’t described as close or friends but it is explained that he walked with God. When you read that word WALK we just quick pass over it thinking yes he was close with him. But we fail to realize the closeness that is being described is deep. Stop and think about it for a minute, who are the people you walk with, not just once or twice about on a regular bases they’re the people closest to you, who know you and you know best. That is what is being said here Noah and God KNEW each other. WOW, take a moment and think about that.

Application:

I (We) need to desire to have a relationship with God that resembles Noah’s, one that can be said that we WALK with God. What do I(We) need to do to get to the place where that can be said of me(us)?

Prayer:

God Help us to know you as Noah did. We desire to be righteous and blameless among the people of our time. Lord it is hard to live for you and overcome our selfishness please help us to live every moment for you! Amen

Alex Smethurst

Scripture: The Fall of Man (Genesis 3:1-6)

Observation:

Here we find Eve engaging in a conversation with a serpent – bad idea. Obviously the serpent was up to something. Eve was quick to doubt that she had more than enough in the garden because God is providing for her. She was quick to forget what God had said, “You must not eat fruit from the tree…. or you will die.” Her desires (what’s pleasing to her eyes, the thought of becoming like God and gaining knowledge of what’s good and evil) took control of her and she and her husband, who was with her, disobeyed God.

Application:

The devil is a deceiver. He is the father of lies and has been lying from the very beginning. Any thoughts that are not of God has only one place – out of our lives. We must submit to God every desire in our hearts. There is nothing wrong when we desire good things for our children. It is right to desire education for them, to provide for them, etc. But sometimes our desires (such as a car or vacation I cannot afford, etc.), if they’re not part of God’s plan for us, can get us into trouble. Ask God, “Lord, is this what you want for me?” As Jesus’ followers He is our Lord and we must always seek His will for our lives and be able to say no to things that will hinder us from being in right relationship with God (obedience).

Prayer:

Jesus, today I declare You Lord over my life. Help me to see things in my life that I need to let go, or run away from, or stop doing. I love you, Lord. And I will choose to obey You. Help me to hear you clearly when You speak to my heart.

tet

As a church, every year we make a prophetic declaration about what we believe God is asking us to focus on. We engage in this practice to focus ourselves corporately so that we are all headed in same direction. And so at the beginning of January 2011 we declared this to be the year of “The God of the Impossible”. If you read the declaration you will understand that this year we are believing that God is going to show up in our lives and do some extraordinary things. Now don’t get me wrong – I believe God is always doing extraordinary, impossible things in our lives but this year we are going to keep our spiritual antenna’s up to notice the things that God is doing. I believe we are going to be amazed by all the miracles that God is going to do amongst us.
Over the next year – every Monday I will be posting a “God of the Impossible” blog. We are going to look at scriptures that are going to challenge us to grow in our faith and understanding of this God who says that nothing is impossible with Him. And I’m going to be looking for your stories as well. Each Monday, please feel free to leave your story of God showing up in your life in extraordinary ways. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do over the next 52 weeks of the year!

Jess

Day ONE, Life Journal Essential 100 Challenge

Join us in reading 100 of the most essential passages in scripture that every believer needs to read. We’ll take a look at 50 from the Old Testament and 50 from the New Testament and begin to read and journal our insights over the next 100 days.

So grab your reading plan and use the S.O.A.P method for bible journaling and you’re ready to go!

Todays’s Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:25

Theme: Creation

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 1: 3-5

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

OBSERVATION:

God begins creation by speaking it into existence, “Let there be light.” Some of the simplest observations I see in this passage is that light offers hope, it provides a clear vision, it removes all darkness. There is power, obvious power in the Words of God. Whatever God says, comes into existence. In this new creation God brings light into a dark expanse. The light provides a new creation as God wills it into existence.

APPLICATION:

If light is the first thing created in God’s universe and since he mentioned that it was good, there must be something more to this light that we often take for granted. Also noted that God is the source of light, it does not come from the sun as we understand and live in the universe today- it comes from God’s provision. Therefore, I must realize today that God’s source of light is something that is more powerful, more brilliant, more inspiring than what I originally had understood.

I want to live with the power of God’s light re-creating in me new vision, new hope, new sense of God’s awesome power and might!

PRAYER:

God help me to see the light in the way you want me to see it. May I continue to strive for the source of the light that you provide as I seek you daily. Thank you for your awesome brilliance in my life and in this world. Amen

Dave

Just thought you might want to watch the following clips in case you missed them.

The program was aired live and 2 other times Tuesday December 21, 2010.

Watch and enjoy what God has been doing in our children and in our community at Liberty.

“PEACE” Rumble Kidz Performance,

written by Jessica Di Sabatino & Caleb Ellis

“A Saviour’s Born”  Rumble Kidz Performance,

written by Jessica Di Sabatino & Caleb Ellis

“Helping Kids Discover a Bright Future”

Dave & Jessica Interview with Moira Brown on 100 Huntley Street

Hope you enjoyed it!

Dave

As I meet and talk with different people in our community I am recognizing that Christmas means a variety of things to a variety of people. Here’s just a few things I noted:

Christmas is the time of year where Christians all around the world celebrate the birth of Christ.  It can also just mean another holiday for the non Christ follower.

Christmas is a time of giving and sharing with each other.                                                                                   It can also mean that this year we’ll go into further debt trying to keep everyone happy.

Christmas can be that once a year celebration where we get together with friends and family and enjoy each others company.                                                                                                                                                    It can also be a difficult time where we struggle to be with friends and family members where relationships are strained, and often broken.

Christmas comes in all shapes and sizes.  It means many different things for many different people.  This year let’s be reminded that Christ is truly the reason for this incredible celebration and allow God’s Holy Spirit to bring you peace where you need it most.

Join us for our Candle Light Christmas Eve Service as we celebrate the birth of Christ through scripture readings of the Christmas story, songs and a family atmosphere.  Service begins at 6:00pm and will only be one hour in length so make this Christmas special as we celebrate with our friends and family at Liberty.

Join us and begin a new family tradition!

Dave

Our annual Christmas Gift Giveaway will take place on Sunday December 12, 2010 at 10 am as we strengthen our value of social justice in the city of Toronto.

This year our Great Gift Giveaway will reach into our surrounding communities with the tangible love of Christ.  Our goal is to provide 200 gifts to families in need and connect them to our community at Liberty.  We understand that Christmas can be a financial challenge for some and Liberty wants to help assist those families in need.  The gifts will be presented to registered children between the ages of newborn to 12.

On December 12 not only are we hosting the GGG, but the Rumble Kidz will be performing “Christmas in the City” before the GGG.  Original and traditional Christmas songs infleunced by gospel and rap music.  Dance and spoken word will make this one of Rumble Kidz premier performances to date.  Admission is free, so come early and reserve your seat.

If you would like to register online click here.

If you would like to participate by purchasing a gift for a child this Christmas please pick up an ornament from our GGG tree on Sunday.

If you would like to make a financial donation online click here.

Looking forward to an incredible Christmas in the City as we celebrate Christ’s miracle birth!

We’ll be looking for you as well!

Dave