Lessons from Early Fatherhood Pt.1: He Never Sleeps!

Well, it’s almost 1 week in, and my pre-fatherhood sleeping patterns are all but a fading memory right now!  Going to sleep late, waking up early, only getting up when the washroom necessitated it, you know the deal, well, that life is over!  As we were preparing for our baby, one of the many things I heard from numerous sources was “get your sleep now”  or “make sure you stock up on sleep now”.  Usually this was said with a smile and a look of, well, pity from those who have beeen there before.  I could see it in their eyes “you don’t know what’s about to hit you!!!”  After just a few days it has sunk in quickly--my sleep is no longer my own!!  It now belongs to a sweet little girl who needs to eat, feel Mommy or Daddy’s touch, be changed, or just be grumpy if she chooses too!  And believe me, everynight she has chosen one or all of the above!  As I was thinking about my new life sometime this week, I’ve begun looking at some texts in a brand new way.  The one that I’ve been repeatedly meditating  on is Psalm 121:4,5

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper

Amazing.  One of the things we value most as humans, our sleep time, and the thing we need most to efficiently cope and handle a day----God has no need of!  How amazing is that!  We hear so much about parents becoming aggravated and “losing it” when their young one is crying & fussy @ night, robbing them of sleep and rest, and in some cases, I’m sure it most be extremely trying.  But how good is it to know that our God doesn’t get angry, doesn’t become frustrated, but is available at anytime to hear, to answer, to deliver, to talk, to comfort and counsel ---all because of love.  When love is your response to being  ‘put out’ of your way  by someone, great things can happen.  Love is God’s response to us, because love is who He is.  His Love Bank never shuts down and is never in overdraft----He is actually committed to being in overdrive in His love for us.  He is a ‘keeper’, the ultimate parent.  Nothing will catch Him by surprise.  Be encouraged.  Your God does not sleep, He doesn’t nap, He is always looking out for you, and available to you.  That, my friends, is what you call a Faithful Father.  When all is going wrong, trust that God will keep you,  and bring him your worries and troubles...not only is He the best person to take care of them but I also guarantee that you won’t find Him sleeping!

Read More

By Request: Welcome to Our World

Dedicated to Adrielle & the Kingdom Life Fellowship family
Love & Blessed Christmas, "Aunty"  Bev

Read More

Welcome Adrielle!

Read More

RECAP: GO Tell It!

Interesting Similarities Between Christ and the Woman at the Well (John 4)

1)      Both were rejected and resented by their own people v.1-3

2)      Both were interrupted in the middle of their day and plans  v.4

3)      Both were tired and weary (physically and/or emotionally) v. 6

4)      Both were thirsty? v.7

5)      Both were in the wrong place at the wrong time of day talking to the wrong person (socially and politically incorrect) v.6, 7

6)      Both had followers but were essentially alone v.17,18

7)      Both were able to debate theological issues v. 20

8)      Both sought lasting transformation/change and true worship  v.15; 32,33, 34

9)      Both were harvesters of souls v. 28; 34, 35, 36

Shortly after Jesus' John 3 conversation with Nicodemous...the woman at the well provides an object lesson to the disciples and the Jews of what it means to live a "born again" life transformed by the Holy Spirit.   In one amazing encounter this woman went from thirsting to bursting.  That's exactly what happens when we become born again.  We are saved to serve! We dare (and care) to share! Spiritual transformation is not only a blessing to the receiver, but it creates a sense of urgency to share the "good news" with friends and enemies so that they too can be eternally satisfied!

In this season of giving, you possess the greatest gifts of all - the knowledge God's Plan of Salvation and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.  Are you, like the woman at the well, bursting to share it?

Read More

Satisfied!

When the Samaritan women

Finally met the Master

She knew her entire life

Had been a complete disaster

With five ex-husbands

And now no real family or friends

Too scandalous the hurts

To ever make amends

But then one providential day

By the edge of Jacob's well

She met a different Man

Whose passion did not condemn her to hell

And as He persistently sought

To quench her desperate thirst

She finally experienced real love

And she thought her heart might burst

She ran back to her village 

To tell  those she had despised

And her clearly transformed nature

Confounded both the simple and the wise

They all ran out to meet

This unusual, life-changing Man

Who stayed for two extra days

To share salvation's plan

The moral of this story

Is plain for all to see

Just fall in love with Jesus

You'll set yourself and others free!

                      

Read More

You'll Never Thirst

Read More

How Thirsty are You? Based on John 4

So Kingdom Lifers, for the past few weeks we've all been busy.  I mean really busy.  Almost crazy busy.
Kids to chauffeur.  Commitments to keep.   Jobs to commute to.   Homes to maintain.  Friends to connect with.  Issues to deal with it... it just never seems to stop.

And now, with the holiday season upon us, we ramp everything up yet another impossible notch.  

And sometimes... for a rare moment, in the midst of it all... we stop and realize that we are weary.  Tired.  Worn down and worn out.   The temptation is strong to turn off the phones, log off Facebook, close the blinds, and tune out for an hour, a day or even, for the lucky few, an entire week.

Jesus was well acquainted with weariness.   Part of the high price He paid for putting on our humanity was the need for regular rest and recovery from the ordinary demands of life and the extraordinary demands of ministry.   In John 4 we find a weary Jesus at an isolated well - craving a tall drink of water but without even a common pot to scoop some up with.   And now, through dehydrating eyes, he glimpses a mirage... a stranger approaching ... from the wrong gender, from the wrong race, with the wrong reputation, at the wrong time of day.  

What would you do? 

Well... that might depend on how thirsty you are!

You can see how Jesus dealt with the situation in the rest of the John 4.   Although we never learn whether he ever got that desired drink of water, we do know that His thirst after righteousness was filled (Matthew 5:6).   And that's not all! The deep emotional thirst of the desperate Samaritan woman... and the spiritual thirst of her community - all were satisfied as they drank freely from the Water of Life Himself.

It is sobering to think about what would have happened if our Lord had used His deep weariness and urgent thirst as an excuse to rebuke, ridicule, disrespect or ignore the infamous Samaritan woman that day.  Any of these responses might have been justifiable given who He was, who she was, and what He was feeling. 

But our Saviour's thirst for righteousness - as evident in His conversation with the Samaritan woman, as evident in John the Baptist's proclamation that He MUST increase, as evident in His conversation with Nicodemus,  as evident in His clearing of the temple - consistently overrode any personal discomfort He may have been feeling.

So, as the year approaches its close, perhaps the question to ask yourself is, "How thirsty am I?  Do I hunger and thirst after righteousness? Am I seeking first God's kingdom?  Does my life reflect spiritual priorities or physical comforts?  Could I put up with extreme fatigue and dire thirst for a while, if it might help eternally quench the spiritual thirst of someone else?"
Coke got it wrong.  The "Real Thing" is Christ.  In fact,  He is the "only thing" that can satisfy my thirst, your thirst and the thirst of those around us.  

The question remains...How thirsty are you?
Selah.

Read More