God is Our Refuge

by David FortunePastor's BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

2020 was a rough year and 2021 has some challenges ahead. The coronavirus continues to rage, political polarization is dividing people, the economy is fragile, people are tired and frustrated. It’s a bad combination of events. So the beginning of Psalm 46 is one we all need to hear: God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble, Therefore we will not fear The image that comes to mind when I read Psalm 46 is that of a parent and child. The child is frightened or scared, maybe overtired from the day. They are crying and can’t seem to settle down. The parent comes along and wraps their arms around the child, saying “there, there, everything is going to be okay. I’ve got you, just relax.” No matter how old we get we still need that kind of love from our heavenly father. Israel was a nation that faced many threats. The Psalmist declares that God is greater than any enemy – seen or unseen. God himself is in Zion, he dwells among his people, and so they need not be fearful. The Psalm ends with this, Be still and know that I am God I will be exalted among the nations I will be exalted in the earth! No matter what is happening in the nations these days, God will be exalted. He is above all of this. None of this surprises him or will take away from his sovereign plans. Be still and know. Your heavenly Father is caring for you.

Invention of the Night Light

by David FortunePastor's BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

Abe Donsky from Connecticut is credited with inventing the night light in 1965. Not surprisingly, he was the father of four children. If you have young children at home then one of the must have items in the house is night light. They have been greatly improved over the last 55 years but still serve the same purpose – to help children who are afraid of the dark. If wonder if in the days before electricity parents had to leave a candle burning or oil lamp on for the night. Parents in need of sleep will do many things to get it. Now that I know Mr. Donsky was the inventor I can send him my thanks. What makes the darkness so frightening? For one thing, we can’t see and when we can’t see our imagination takes over. Children begin to envision or imagine all kinds of creatures that might ‘be out there.’ Despite parents best speeches about how safe it is at night, some children just can’t let it go. So, they place a small light somewhere in the room or a hallway, just enough that if the child awakes they can see that all is well. As we grow up, we usually overcome our fear of darkness but our imagination still works just fine. When we can’t see what lies ahead of us, when we feel like there might be danger, we have plenty of voices painting scary pictures in our mind. When we sense danger there is no end to the scenarios that we can create and that only leads to more fear. Psalm 27 begins with this verse: The Lord is my light and my salvation. (27:1) How reassuring that verse is. Because he is our light, we can see the reality of where we are. We can see the world; we can see our own situation in the light of Jesus Christ.  Even when there is legitimate danger we can rest assured that nothing in the darkness is hidden from God. When everything around us seems to be dangerous or hard to comprehend, “he will hide me in his shelter.” (27:5) Learning this truth is another good reason to keep reading through scripture.

The Little Black Dot

by David FortunePastor's BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

One day, a teacher announced to her class there would be a surprise test.  She handed out a sheet of paper face down to each student. The teacher said, “When you turn the paper over, I want you to write about what you see.” When the students turned the paper over there was just a small black dot in the centre of the page. It was an odd test but the students started writing. Once the papers were collected the teacher started reading the answers out loud to the whole class. All of the students had written about the black dot, trying to describe it, its size and position. After reading out all the answers, the teacher said to the students: “None of you will be graded on this test. I just wanted you to think over something. All of you wrote about the black dot. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. The same thing happens in our lives too. We all have a white paper to observe and learn from, yet we always focus on the dark spots. We have so many reasons to celebrate – our parents, co-workers, friends, good health, a satisfactory job, a child’s smile, the miracles we witness every day, and so on. However, we simply limit our horizons by focusing on just the dark spots – our disappointments, our frustrations, our fears and anxieties, things that bother us, people that wronged us, etc. In our day-to-day lives, we tend to take so many good things for granted, and focus our energy on insignificant dot-like failures and disappointments.” (Source: R. Sharma) The Psalmist says, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” (Psalm 9:1) As you read through Psalm 9 it is clear that there is much pain and suffering but the Psalmist wants to focus on the goodness of God. Life is more positive when we let our praise and thanksgiving to God govern our thoughts.

Staying Strong with Good Mental Health

by David FortunePastor's BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

One of my concerns, as a pastor, during this time of coronavirus is how people are staying mentally healthy. Even during the best of times, there are plenty of stresses in life but this year has brought extra concerns. There is increased pressure on our work/life balance, more isolation from friends, and now the days are getting shorter and darker. For many people, this is not helpful. If you are someone who struggles please know that it is okay to take care of yourself. You may wish to reach out to a doctor or mental health professional for some support. That is wisdom, not weakness. Taking care of our mental health is just as important as taking care of our physical health. Here are a few things to keep in mind: Watch your routines – Our regular routines have changed and that can bring disruption and leave us feeling unsettled. Intentionally making some new routines can bring a sense of normalcy. Whether that’s a coffee break every morning or a walk each afternoon, having some repetition is helpful. Keep up good eating and exercise habits.  Go to bed at a regular time.  Cut back on news & social media – Less social media is good advice anytime but if things start to feel overwhelming it is better to cut back. Find a good book or play a board game with the family but leave the phone alone for a while. Find a friend to vent with – We all need a place where we can share and be heard. Often this is best done outside our family circle. You might need to ask a friend if you can just vent. I’m in a Whatsapp group with some friends and it has been one of the most helpful things for me this year. Being able to share my real frustrations in a safe place is refreshing.  Practice turning it over to God in prayer – we can pray specifically about our concerns and anxiety and ask God to lift them. We might have to repeat this often but he is interested and willing to help. Take a few moments now and ask yourself if there are any changes you need to make. By paying attention to how you are doing today, you can help prevent more difficulties tomorrow. You will keep in perfect peace    all who trust in you,    all whose thoughts are fixed on you!Trust in the Lord always,    for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Supporting Missions

by David FortunePastor's BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

I remember the first time I met a missionary. I was about six or seven years old and she had returned from four years in Kenya. During the morning service she invited all the children to the front of the church and gave us each a small 45 rpm record.  (This was advanced technology at the time.) The album featured a children’s choir in Uganda and she encouraged us as children to pray for other children around the world. The moment made a big impact on me and that 45 rpm record now hangs on the wall in my office. When I was younger I thought of my country as a ‘Christian country’ and other countries as needing the gospel. It was our job to send missionaries to other nations. But, cross-cultural misisons isn’t just one way. I now understand that the ministry of sharing the gospel goes in multiple directions. We are a world of senders and receivers who are crisscrossing the globe. In our Western world these days we see a decline in Christian worship and life. Thankfully, there are many people from other parts of the world coming to share the good news with those who have forgotten about it. Jesus was clear in his command when he said “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)  The history of the church is one of advancing the cause of Jesus through missionary work and acts of compassion. Supporting missions, missionaries, and gospel ministries is a humbling thing. We get to be involved in the greatest work there is. Not all people are called to go and live in a different country but we can all see the value of it and we can pray for it. We all have a role to play. Even children are able to catch the vision and see the importance of this work.  When we lose sight of the importance of sharing the gospel, either at home or abroad, we have lost sight of the vision of the kingdom.

The Years Are Short

by David FortunePastor's BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

There are many pithy sayings about parenting and this one rings true for me, “With children, the days are long but the years are short.”

A Strong Tower

by David FortunePastor's BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

There are times when we all just need to know there is a safe place to run when we feel the enemy is on the move.

Watch Out for Bad Breath

by David FortunePastor's BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

By now most of you have realized the worst part about wearing a face mask; you can smell how bad your own breath is! Most of the time, we aren’t aware of our halitosis.  We have no idea what other people go through when leaning into speak with us. Now we are in the unique position of smelling what we have been breathing out onto other people. I’m sure that sales of breath mints and gum must be going up. It’s an opportunity to consider something else that comes out of our mouth without us much thinking about it; our words. Some people have spiritual halitosis and the evidence is in the words they speak which are often offensive, ugly and mean. We are encouraged to consider our speech lest it stirs up strife, jealously or hatred. It’s possible to be breathing in good clean air and yet breathe out evil towards others. Jesus said, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. (Matthew 12:33-35) I don’t think there is a mask available to catch our words but we can watch out for what we are putting in our spirits. When we pray, “Lord, give us clean hearts” it also leads to life-giving speech rather than all that bad breath.

The Masks Are Coming Off

by David FortunePastor's BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

There’s a fair deal of controversy in many parts of the world over whether or not people should be wearing some kind of face mask to help control the spread of COVID 19. It has become a particular issue in many churches. I confess that I don’t understand all the hype. After all, Christians have been wearing masks to church for years and years. That’s right. I’m calling you out. Long before the coronavirus came along you were already wearing a mask at church. You put on your best face to try and disguise the real you. You wore a mask to show others what a good Christian you were. You used a mask to hide your hurt and disappointments. You covered up your weaknesses and you presented an image to people of who you wanted to be. We all do it. We all put on our best face for others but especially in church. But the masks are starting to come off. That happens when people are under stress, cracks appear and the real you begins to show through. It is often ugly but at least it is honest. Under the current stress our tempers are short. We demand our own way.  Selfishness rules the day. We are frustrated about the things we cannot control and we can no longer hold onto the mask that we have used for so long. Jesus said, “You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known.” (Luke 12:2 The Message) It’s okay to be stressed out in this environment. It’s okay to acknowledge that we are fearful and feel like life is out of control. It’s okay to be honest about what is really happening in our homes under the stress we are in. This is a time that calls for real transparency and real honesty about who we are and what we are experiencing. It’s only when you take the mask off that you can receive God’s help, strength and forgiveness. It is only with his assistance that you can be transformed and changed into the person He created you to be. When you take the mask off you invite him (and others) into your life. Wearing a medical mask might save a life but wearing a religious mask could cost you your life.