S - scriptures: ³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  ³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ^35’For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25: 31-36 NIV)

O - observation: These passages remind me that God cares for the poor, the foreigner, the sick and the lonely. So much so that when we care for them it is just as if we did it to Him. (Read also James 2:15-16, James 1:27; Acts 4:32-35) God will separate those who will obey this mandate and those who will not. And He is ready to give His Kingdom to those who will.

A - application: Our lives can be filled with so much concerns as well, but in this passages, I am reminded of those that Jesus cares about.

P - prayer: Father God, may I never be caught up with so much worldly concerns to the point that I forget those who are needy around me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!

junn

The title of this blog says it all.  I’m not sure what they are saying in this video, but as you’ll notice words are not very important. This is not meant to be spiritual, philisophical, or even of much value other than it made me laugh and I hope it does the same for you!

Enjoy the next minute and 33 seconds.

Have you watched any funny videos online recently?  Send them my way, let’s share a laugh together!

Dave

Free Student Swag!

Well what would you call it?  We just completed our first student giveaway at Humber College and 400 gift packages or SWAG bags were distributed to unsuspecting students on campus.  Most of the students were on their way to or from classes- and there we were, we surprised them with a little care package from Liberty.

The gift bag included: a chocolate bar, pack of gum, pop corn, & Liberty promo material.

But Why?  Well we thought it would be a great way to say, “Hey we care!”  

Truth is, it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there and sometimes it seems like your all alone in this world.  We want to let everyone know that “You matter to us & God!”  That even thought you may live in a big city and are surrounded by masses of people at times, we recognize it can be very lonely and we want to help people build community.

So Who Cares?

I guess if you were one of the recipients of our giveaway you would.  Our response overall was very positive.  Let’s face it what student have you ever met wouldn’t accept free stuff?  Here’s just a few comments as I recall:

“Crispy Crunch,  Woo hoo!”

“Can we trade chocolate bars?”

“Hey thanks, a lot!”

My favourite response after I asked one student “Have you received a bag yet?” replied, “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask and I could get another, but I cannot lie, Yes!” (I guess afraid God might strike him down with lightning for lying).

The student swag giveaway is part of our grassroots campaign to invite people to our Easter experience 2009.  This is our first attempt at showing generosity in a way that many have not experienced before from a typical church.  On Easter sunday all of our first time guests will have a chance to win: an LCD T.V., Digital Camera and all our children will receive free candy and chocolate! 

It’s going to be a blast as we combine Generosity + Controversy =  Jesus

So if you live in Toronto and want to visit us, this is only the beginning, we’ll be giving away more items and fun things (every 6 weeks or so) as our way to say, “You’re appreciated, and thanks for coming to Liberty!”

Well, let me have your thoughts.  What do you think, should we be giving away free swag?

Are we trying to buy people and hook them into attending church?

Is this a good idea or should we try again?

It’s your chance to give me your honest opinion- and you may remain anonymous if you wish.

Talk soon,

Dave

A friend of mine recently introduced me to the site GodTube and I was pleasantly surprised to find such a community of believers online?  I felt as though I might be the only one in the world that had never heard of Godtube (now known as Tangle) before - so I’m glad to share the information with you in case there is someone else out there that hasn’t heard of it either!

The site really is comparable to most other online social networks - but with a strong Christian foundation; without being cheesy!  There are a variety of videos, songs, blogs, posts, pictures, and more all in an effort to share the the goodness of God with the world (while providing a few laughs along the way too!)  What I found most innovative was the “Prayer Wall”.  People from anywhere in the world can post their prayers on this wall so that others can be praying for them.

I would be enthused if my child came home everyday wanting to see what was new on GodTube!  I wonder what the world would look like if everyone put God first?

Check out Godtube & share your thoughts.

Nina

“There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”  

Regardless of what you think about the controversial advertising campaign by the Toronto-based Freethought Association of Canada the ads have been approved and will appear on buses and the subways all throughout the TTC.

The ads, have already sparked debate and whether you agree or disagree the ads will challenge TTC users to think about this issue whether or not they have given it much thought at all.

I’ve got to admit when I heard about this I was angry, I mean how could we let this happen?  Then after I cooled off and had a chance to think about it- I thought this may be a great opportunity for those of us who confess faith in God to stand up for our faith in Christ.

So what will you do, when you’re on the bus, taking the subway, or waiting for transit to pick you up and you see the ad?  

Will you use the opportunity to strike up a conversation and share your faith?  

Will you ignore the ad and just go about your life and pretend you didn’t see it?  

Do you have a responsibility to say something or is it just a waste of time?  

I guess there’s a few things to think about - and maybe some wonderful opportunities coming your way!

Your thoughts are welcome.

Dave

So this week Dave and I stumbled across this amazing website called I am Second.  

It reminds me that God wants to give everyone a unique story of his grace in our lives. 

It reminds me that no one is too far from God (watch Brian Welch’s story -former lead singer of Korn) 

It reminds me that while there is no formula to finding God; He is always searching for us. 

It reminds me that everyday I am in desperate need of His grace. 

And it reminds me that putting Jesus first and myself second is perhaps the best decision I can make. 

So if you have a few minutes, watch a few videos from this site and be inspired.

So I am sitting here watching the 24 season premier special and I can’t help but wonder who came up with the Jack Bauer character.  I really don’t watch very much T.V. mostly because I don’t have time but also because there is not really anything that inspires me.  Jack Bauer, however is the exception.  Here is why I love this man’s character: 

1. Jack is never afraid of a righteous fight.  

2. Jack is always willing to make hard decisions. 

3. Jack cares about people more than he cares about      himself. 

4. Jack never gives up. 

5. Jack knows how to get things done. 

6. Jack sees the big picture. 

7. Jack never complains about his numerous injuries. 

You may think I am crazy that I’m inspired by a fictional character, but I really don’t care.  I like Jack Bauer.  In a weird way - I feel like I can learn Biblical principles from the plot of 24 (please don’t read into this - I’m not saying that 24 is the Bible or even Biblical -just inspirational).   

What do you think?  As Christians should pop culture have a voice in our lives?

Jess

I am not sure really even how to express my feelings about this video.  It is both inspiring and hilarious.  Both Dave and I are watching it with our mouths wide open (gaping wide open).  Warning… you must watch the whole video to get the full effect (If you don’t have 5 minutes start the video at 3:09). 

 I only have one question concerning what you have just seen- what would prompt you as a senior citizen to join a choir like this?  Seriously…

A couple of weeks ago, someone sent me this video… No, this is not a joke or a dress up sketch – this is real - and really funny.

Laugh along – but don’t watch it too many times – or you too will be singing “Jesus is My Friend” all day long!

Actual Lyrics Include…

“Jesus is like a mountie, He always gets his man, and He’ll zap you any way he can!”

“He loves me when I waste my time writing silly songs…”

By the way – who is your favorite singer in this video? Mine is the bearded 70’s background singer – he’s got some sweet moves!