Seeing Before Believing

This is an excerpt from the new book In Real Time, by Mike Glenn. Mike is the Senior Pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church, a "mega-church" of several thousand members, just outside Nashville, Tennessee.

"As our critics have told us, we're so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. We sing about heaven, and we talk about loving one another while we ignore the needs of our neighbours and fail to address the injustices that keep so many of our brothers and sisters enslaved. Our evangelistic fervour told us that the most important thing we could do was to reach the person with the message of Christ. The apocalyptic times we were living in, when the Cold War was at its hottest, meant we only had so much time. The preaching of the gospel was more important than programs to feed the hungry, alleviate substandard housing, prevent or treat disease, and improve education. As a result, churches were regarded as irrelevant to the real issues of people's lives. People stopped listening to the message because they saw no real ministry. This has been a major change in the work of the local church during my career. When I was beginning in ministry, you would open your Bible, and that's where the conversations began. Now no one will listen until they see the work you are doing. When someone see you putting a roof on a house, taking clothes to the homeless shelter, providing neighbourhood tutoring, they want to know what you are doing there. Only then can you tell them that your relationship with Christ compels you to show your love for others in real and tangible ways. This is counterintuitive to most churches I know and certainly feels backward to most preachers I know, including me. Our first inclination is to speak then act, but if we continue to do that and not recognize the change in the culture, we will be pushed farther and farther to the margins of the cultural conversation.

Let's be honest, who does this better than the church? In the aftermath of Katrina, churches responded faster and more effectively than the federal government. In many situations we are still engaged in a lot of different places that were affected. We feed the hungry and work with the homeless to restore to them the dignity of a working skill. We teach English as a second language and tutor at-risk kids. The list could literally go on and on. My point is not to provide a comprehensive list of mission and ministry opporunities but to help us undersand that what the culture is looking for is a natural strength of the local church. Where else can you find an organized group of volunteers with the necessary skills to povide the services required? Once churches grab hold of this strength, communities will respond...

For too long there has been a misleading gap between works and faith. While works certainly cannot earn salvation, too many of us took that doctrine to the erroneous conclusion that good works have nothing to do with an authentic faith. Good works are a natural consequence of an authentic faith the way an apple naturally grows on an apple tree. If the roots and trunk are healthy, the apple will grow. If the faith is healthy, the natural expression will be acts of love toward our neighbours. Without good works, the world has a good reason to doubt our faith."


(Mike Glenn, In Real Time: Authentic Young Adult Ministry as it Happens. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing, 2009, 144-145, EMPHASIS ADDED).

Brown-bagging it

A friend of Servolution recently saw someone at a busy Barrie intersection with a sign asking for help. You might see this in the big city alot, but not so much in Barrie.

Our friend's 11 year-old daughter in the back seat of the minivan asked if there was something that they could do to help the person, but the stoplight turned green and she was forced to move with the traffic and drive away.

At home, this family decided to pack a brown-bag lunch for the person in need, and intentionally returned to the intersection to drop it off.

Mercy. Compassion. Intention.... Servolution.

Is Santa Really REAL?

Here's a letter from a 7 year old girl to Santa because she had doubts about his existence. Don't miss the jolly old elf's response! (Re-posted from The Church of No People).



"Dear Santa, I need to prove that you are real, so if you will sign here that would be great!
Love Rachel
P.S. I love Christmas!"



On Christmas morning, the letter was signed and the cookies were eaten, but Mr. Kringle also wrote this letter:

My Dearest Rachel:

Thank you so much for your letter. It was so nice of you to take the time to write me. Your mom and dad have been very proud of you and your brother this year. Even though you don't always get along, I know that you love each other very much. Sometimes brothers and sisters just get on each other's nerves! You are such a sweet girl. I especially love the way you are always concerned about someone else's feelings, even when they have been unkind to you. It takes a very special person to love that way.

Now as to your question of whether or not I am real. The simple answer is yes, I am. The complete answer requires a bit more complicated explanation. There are many boys and girls of all ages that either believed in me at one time, then stopped believing, or simply have never believed in me. There are even some boys and girls that have never heard of me, if you can believe that! Rachel, what I would like you to understand is that your belief in me makes me real. For as long as your heart tells you that there is a Santa Claus, that is where I will be. For those who say I am not real, I do not exist; for those who believe, I do exist.

I would also like to clear up a little rumor about me that has been going around since before I can remember. It is not true that only good boys and girls get presents from Santa. There are many very good children that get very little; there are others who have been very naughty indeed, yet get lots of toys. The decisions about who gets what toys I must leave to their moms and dads. It is not my place to make these choices.

The truth of the matter is that none of us are truly good except for Jesus. And Christmas is about celebrating God coming to earth in the form of a little baby born in Bethlehem. There may come a day when you no longer believe in me, and I want you to know that that is okay with me. Like I said before, I exist in the hearts of those who choose to believe in me. Jesus Christ, on the other hand, has no such limitations. He is real whether you choose to believe in Him or not, and He loves all of us so very much that He left His perfect home with God so we could someday join Him there. I know I am very special to you, and I appreciate that very much. But I also know you understand that Christmas is not about me; it is about celebrating the birth of Jesus -- the very best gift of all. A very Merry Christmas to you.

Love, Santa Claus

Love the City

On Saturday, a couple of dozen Christ-followers from three local churches descended on the Barrie Kozlov Mall with a very simple goal in mind: Love the City.

People who came to the mall had the doors opened for them, were given free candy canes, and were wished a Merry Christmas.
2,500 Candy Canes were handed out! Each candy cane had a card attached that pointed people to the Love the City website where they can find out more about area churches.

The event organizer, Tim Maassarany, had this to say about people's reactions:

"It's funny how no one expects anything to be free anymore... It was amazing how many people asked if we were collecting donations, or why we were handing out free candy canes. It was hard for some people to accept that they were free, and that was really cool."

Showing people the love of Christ through simple acts of kindness and service will help our light to shine for Him! Stay tuned for more Love the City events that you can get involved with!

Miracle at Walmart

A mom and her nine-year-old boy were living in their van... and then the van was towed away, and they were left homeless, with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

A pastor and some Christ-followers responded to the need. Watch the video:



Here are a couple of quotes from the video that speak for themselves:

You know, the "Call of God" is man's need. It's not waiting for some voice on a mountain top. If you've responded to a need, then you've responded to God's call. And that's it.

(Pastor Matthew Barnett, Dream Center)

I hope you do this in your neighbourhood, because this has been amazing, and you need to experience what we're experiencing.

(Mark Horvath, invisible people)

This is a tangible demonstration of the Kingdom by followers of Christ stepping up in a simple way. What an opportunity to show love to this young mother, and to use this opportunity to introduce her to the Gospel message!

Love the City Event

It's a city-wide movement! Christ-followers from churches across the City of Barrie are stepping up to serve Christ by serving others.

This new campaign is called Love the City.

This Saturday, December 19th, Servolution is joining with Christians from churches such as Emmanuel, Willow Creek, and Barrie Free Methodist to hand out Candy Canes to unsuspecting shoppers at the Kozlov Mall in Barrie.

We need volunteers! Why not come down and join us, and demonstrate the tangible presence of Christ to the city of Barrie in this simple way!

Where: Kozlov Mall, Zeller's Entrance map
When: Saturday, December 19th, 10:45 am

Love the City servolution

The War on Christmas Commercialism

There's a great article from Time on Yahoo News here: Christian Group Launches New Attack on Christmas Commercialism.

Lessons from Pajama Boy

This is reprinted from the Advent Conspiracy blog.
View the original post here.

Lessons from pajama boy.

Last weekend I was putting my five year-old son to bed when he asked me a very big question. “Hey Dad,” he asked, “why do we love Jesus?” What transpired was a ten minute conversation with this little blue eyed boy in pajamas about the love Christ has for us. I’m not sure how well it went because when we got done he moved on to much deeper questions like why Spongebob loves Krabby Patties so much. I mean, maybe some of it sunk in. I hope it did. But for me, it was a gut check moment. Am I loving Jesus by Worshiping Fully? Do I even understand what that means? As you know, that’s the first tenet of [AC]. We really can’t give more, spend less or even love all until we get this one right. I think I often talk more about worshiping God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind than actually doing it. I often catch myself approaching the concept of worship in a very linear fashion. It’s something I do at church. It’s something I do in prayer. How robotic is that? Over time it feels more like I’m punching in my worship time with God, rather than making it something that is as common as breathing. So, last night I picked up the book again and read through it. If you haven’t picked a copy up yet, do so. I promise you it’ll be the best ten bucks you’ve spent in a while. It was for me. Reading it again reminded me why worship is so important and why Worship Fully comes first in this movement. It reminded me why I must be an informed co-conspirator. See, a co-conspirator is one who can share with others that something deeper is happening in the story; someone who understands what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. And while we rebel against the empire of more, in winsome and humble ways, we can invite others to say “yes” to the bigger thing that is happening in our midst. God is still in the business of redeeming and restoring--He is still making things right. And for some reason, He’s invited us into that story. It begins a conversation that goes beyond the holiday wish list and how much money we’re spending or not spending. Our prayer is that the book informs, for sure, but more importantly, that it stirs things up--in dorm rooms, small groups, living rooms, sanctuaries, offices,neighborhoods, and little pajama boys with big questions. From there, a whole bunch of us can then begin articulating what it is we’re saying “yes” to this and every Christmas. This is the conspiracy.
- Posted by Tony Biaggne on 12/15/09

What Matters Now

Here's a quote from the new eBook by Seth Godin:

"'Evangelist' isn't a job title. It's a way of life."

Get the free eBook here. More than 70 "big thinkers" contributed to this book, each writing about a single idea that matters as we head into the new year.

There's alot packed into this single quote, isn't there?

What Matters Now.

When God Moves into the Neighbourhood

Here's a great article by Shane Claiborne. It's an open letter to non-Christians, about Christianity.

What if Jesus Meant All That Stuff?

What do you think?

Christmas Toy Drive

There's just nothing better than a Toy Drive at Christmas time!




This year, Emmanuel is teaming up with local firefighters in training to collect new toys and books for children staying at Royal Victoria Hospital.

Our hope is that we will have the opportunity to speak the love of Jesus Christ and His gospel message into people's lives when we lovingly bring Christmas gifts to their children.

Please bring a new, unwrapped Toy or Children's Book to Emmanuel, and look for the giant wrapped box in the Atrium!

Merry Christmas!

<<< Scroll Down through the Blog for additional giving opportunities >>>

Serving up some Gospel Soup!

You would think that when you serve at an out-of-the-cold programme, God's main purpose for using you is to meet the physical needs of the homeless on a cold, winter night. No doubt, that's really high on God's priority list... just read Matthew 25! Then this happened:

This evening, while a group of volunteers were chatting during some down-time, we got to talking about why we were doing what we were doing. The conversation turned to spiritual matters, to God, to church...

When we pray that God would use us, watch out, because He will! Maybe not in the way you expect, either. This evening, doors opened for the Gospel to be spoken into the lives of other humanitarian volunteers. Relationships began to be built. Relationships built on trust and on a shared purpose.

Serving others to meet their physical needs out of the love of Christ is not the same as humanitarian work. We do it because Jesus loves us so much that the only response is to love him back and to love others, as well. This passage came to mind while giving that reason to the other volunteers:

In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

Go and serve somewhere, and watch for how God will show up!

Easy Service Ideas to Meet Immediate Needs

Please consider stepping up and meeting these needs for Christmas:

• Bring a new toy or book to Emmanuel this Sunday or next Sunday. Servolution will make sure that your donation will reach a sick child at Royal Victoria Hospital in Barre.


• Make sure some basic needs are met for clients of the Barrie Women and Children's Shelter. Bring the following items to the Servolution desk at Emmanuel by December 20th (special bags are available at the table):
  
1. child's toothbrush and toothpaste;
2. dental floss or floss sticks;
3. kids shampoo and conditioner;
4. wrapped bar of soap;
5. pump hand soap;
6. washcloth.


• Do some extra Christmas baking, and donate it for gift baskets to "Candlelighters", to show some kindness to families touched by cancer.


• ...and don't forget: Friday, December 4th 6:30-10:30pm, Coffee-house style Mission Fundraiser at Emmanuel.

Servolution: radical grace lived out daily.

Running the Race

Do you ever find yourself lagging in the spiritual disciplines as the week goes on? You know what I mean, right? After a great time of worship and the word in church on Sunday, you're motivated to spend time with God in the Bible and in prayer... But then, as it gets later and later in the week, it's seems to get more and more difficult to set aside the time to do that...

Some people say that as you grow closer to God, some things simply fall into place. Your character and actions will automatically reflect your transformation toward Christ-likeness. To a certain degree, that's true... The fruit of the Spirit will grow as you mature. But even mature Christians sometimes find it hard to walk the narrow path.

The Bible says that in order to follow Jesus, we need to be intentional about our discipleship. Paul says it's like a race, and that we should run in such a way as to get the prize. We can't simply make a decision to follow Jesus, and then coast. It takes effort. It takes intentionality. It takes obedience.

Just read John 14 & 15 and count how many times Jesus says that loving him means obeying him. Obedience is intentional... It's a decision that we have to make. Just like spending time with God through the word and prayer, service to others is a spiritual discipline and an act of obedience that we have to intentionally foster in our lives.

This little light of mine...

A text message from Cuba today gave new meaning to the phrase "Let your light shine."

A small team travelled to Cuba this week to assess the damage to a local evangelical church. In January, a full construction team of volunteers will go there to rebuild the delapidated church building.

The Cuban Church Building

The team has spent the last few days visiting the poor, the sick, and the elderly.

While there, they met a woman who has spent the past three months living in a 10 X 10 ft shack. This space, no bigger than a garden shed, includes her kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. On Saturday, the woman was able to get some electrical wire run to her make-shift home.

But... The woman in the shack had a light socket... but no light bulb.

The team found a spare light bulb at the mission house they are at, and delivered light to the woman's home. "High five's all around," as they celebrated one light bulb.

How much will one small act of delivering a simple light bulb--something we take for granted--change this woman's life?

Remember that old Sunday School song? This little light of mine... I'm gonna' let it shine!

From the Heart - the Church that Loves

re|Serve @ Christmas

Some service ideas for Christmas... Locally in Barrie, why not contribute toward some of these needs? Contact us for contact info.

• By Nov 30th: Donate to the Canadian Mental Health Association. 975 people in Barrie will be assisted with your donations of new adult Hats, Mitts, Socks, Toothbrushes/toothpaste, Hand Lotion/Soap.


• Friday Dec 4th - 6:30-10:30pm in the Emmanuel Chapel - "Christmas with a Mission" Fundraiser to support an Emmanuel Youth on her upcoming mission trip. Visit this Coffee-house style fundraiser to purchase photography, art, Christmas cards, T-shirts, and more.


• Donate to the Barrie women's and Children's Shelter. Special bags are available at Emmanuel's Servolution desk to provide basic personal needs.


• "Candlelighters" reaches out with Christmas baskets to families affected by cancer... Baked goods and gift cards needed.


• By Dec 20th: "Christmas Love" Project to assist families with gift cards this Christmas.


• A Cuba Mission Trip (rebuilding a Church in a rural area) is accepting donations of school supplies.


• Pregnancy Resource Centre needs donations for a Silent Auction and for helpers for the "Dads 'n' Daughters" event coming to Emmanuel in February.


• Volunteer, or add your name to the "spares" list, with Barrie Out of the Cold.


• Sort and Pack hampers with Christmas Cheer.

International:

• Help free a person from slavery. International Justice Mission has a Christmas catalogue.


• Give Water. Living Water International provides a cup in Jesus' name.

...and there's much, much more to do...

Love God, Love Others. (Jesus)

Living Water

Compassion, not Consumption.

Since 2006, Christians have been joining the Advent Conspiracy to "Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All".

One compelling success story is that by targeting global poverty instead of indulging in consumerism each Christmas, over 340 wells have been drilled which have drastically changed the lives of more than 200,000 people for the better!

(Graphic borrowed fromLiving Water International)

Not only are lives being impacted in real, physical, tangible ways... Doors are opening for the sharing of the gospel.

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thristy again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14 NIV).

This is just one way that we can share the love of Christ and store up treasures in Heaven this Christmas.

Love one another.

This story was recently shared with us:

"Two couples of our Small Group came to help us move our daughter & grandson into our home. Their love and help was wonderful and so encouraging.
We were served with amazing love...
We thank God for such Christian love!"

Isn't this an encouraging story? When people see the love of the Christian community, it speaks to our witness. Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

How have you shown love to someone in your church this week? Have you lended a hand, where help was needed? Have you given someone an encouraging phone call? Have you gone out of your way to show Christ's love to someone, whether in your church community or to someone in your neighbourhood, workplace, or school?

Comment here, or email us your story that might inspire others...

Worth

In Colossians 1:10, Paul says to "live a life worthy of the Lord" and to "please him in every way". He then goes on to list four ways to live this kind of life.

It's not very surprising that the first way to please the Lord here is "bearing fruit in every good work". This is a theme that we see repeated throughout the New Testament, and especially in the teaching of Jesus.

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16 NIV).

Living a life worthy of the Lord means so much more than just pleasing him by doing good... It means living in such a way that demonstrates how he has transformed your life so radically that it is obvious in every aspect of your life.

Even more than that... It means living like him. Elsewhere, Paul says this:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant... (Phil. 2:5-8 NIV)

Are we living lives worthy of the Lord? Are we living like Jesus, like a servant?

Servolution on Campus

Some college students hit the local campus to hand out free boxes of macaroni and cheese to any and every college student they saw. The boxes came complete with a servolution card attached to point the students to the servolution website where they could hear about the love of Christ!

Other students spent the afternoon baking cookies, which they delivered to firefighters at the local firehall.

The student teams met later to purchase some warm socks which they delivered to the Out of the Cold Programme.

Showing the love of Christ to others in tangible ways can be so easy! What ideas do you have for serving others with the love of Christ?

Impacting our World

A recent submission to the servolution website said this:

It was my family whose house was almost totally renovated with the help from a lot of people at church. I am so thankful for all the help we received to help get my house ready to move into. The love that was shown was absolutely amazing just like God's love. Thank you so much for all your help. I really appreciate it and getting to know so many more people from our church community.

This kind of service for others is part of our witness to the world. Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).

Another website submission said this:

The greatest act of kindness was that a special family at Emmanuel helped me send my daughter to Fall retreat where I know that is the greatest place she should be.
Thank-you

...and another:

The person in front of me paid for my Tim Horton's coffee..
I just wanted to say thank you.

After experiencing the love of Christ in such a simple way, this person came to the servolution website and had the opportunity to hear about Christ's love, perhaps for the first time. As a previous story illustrated for us, God is already at work all around us, and we simply need to be receptive and willing to respond with love.

How have you experienced or demonstrated the love of Christ? We'd love to hear your story. Comment here, or anonymously here, or email servolution.

Seeds

This is a true story.

A couple were out for a walk along the city's waterfront, when they came across a young lady who was looking for her keys. They continued walking, keeping a close eye out for the lost keys.

The gentleman then suggested that they offer the young lady a ride home so that she could get her spare keys.

The young lady wasn't sure where her spare keys might be, so it could take some time to find them while they wait for her.

That's fine, they said... But they did need to get to their Bible study on time!
The young lady asked what church the couple went to, and when they told her, she said that she had some friends who had gone to that church to take the Alpha course. She was also interested in attending Alpha, and she had been reading her Bible.

Isn't it interesting how God can use us through a simple act of kindness? God was already at work in this young woman's life. The Christian couple, aware of and receptive to the opportunity to respond to a simple need in a simple way, were in the right place to plant--or perhaps, to water--a seed.

Evidence

What is the mark of a follower of Christ?
Sometimes we over think the answer, don't we? It's easy to list our beliefs, or a set of doctrinal statements, or point to a decision that we made sometime in the past. But what is the evidence that shows that we are Christ-followers?
It's very simple, isn't it? Jesus said this:

If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit... (John 15:5 NIV).

There has to be some kind of evidence that our faith is real. Jesus says we're like a tree (or a vine), and that we are known by our fruit (see also Matthew 7:15-23). Jesus teaches very clearly that the fruit grows out of obedience to him.

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love... My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:9-13).

Living a life marked by love for others is the evidence of our faith in Jesus Christ. The New Testament even tells us to be intentional about living that way. Read and reflect on the words of Peter in 2 Peter 1:3-11. How do we become "effective and productive" Christ-followers?

Current Service Opportunities

Servolution wishes to respond to needs in our communities by providing connections between the needs and people with the resources to respond to those needs.

Here are some current, and some urgent, needs... Please consider how you can use your time or resources to demonstrate the love of Christ. Here are some of the current needs:

1. A donation of a crib for a client of the Barrie Pregnancy Resource Centre;
2. People of all ages to visit with the elderly for a group visitation & hymn sing this Friday, October 23rd (it's a school holiday!) from 2:30-3:30 pm;
3. Winter clothing donations for street outreach to those in need -- bring your donations of gently used Coats, Hats, Mitts, Gloves, Boots etc, in Children's and Adult sizes, to Emmanuel Barrie on October 25th or November 1st;
4. Volunteer once per month (just a couple of hours) with Barrie Out of the Cold. Plan to attend their Volunteer Orientation and Recruitment meeting at the Christian Reformed Church on Shirley Avenue (between Anne Street and Sunnidale Road, Barrie) on Saturday, October 31st, 9:00-11:00 am. Check out the volunteer vacancy chart here;
5. Continue to look for ways to demonstrate the love of Christ daily through simple acts of kindness... Leave a servolution card to point people to the good news on the website!
6. The Barrie Pregnancy Resource Centre needs volunteers -- see below:

The Barrie Pregnancy Resource Centre is a Christian organization that needs volunteers: The PRC is a

non-profit organization offering compassionate support and assistance to anyone facing an unplanned pregnancy or experiencing post-abortion stress. The centre receives no government support, but is funded by churches, individuals, and businesses. This support allows us to offer valuable services at no cost to our clients.

Here are some ways to get involved with the Barrie Pregnancy Resource Centre:

1. Help with the annual Dads 'n' Daughters Fundraiser event: Donate to the silent auction, decorate, serve food, set-up and tear-down... and plan to attend. Planning for this event is happening now, so please don't hesitate to volunteer. Dads 'n' Daughters (8 and up) will be hosted by Emmanuel Barrie in February;
2. Volunteers are need to work at the Centre;
3. The Centre has an ongoing need for a person with fundraising experience.

For contact information for any of the needs listed above, please contact servolution@emmanuelbarrie.org

Thanksgiving. That special time of year when we reflect on everything that we are thankful for.

What were you thankful for this year? Family? Health? Prosperity?

We're usually pretty quick at thanking God for what we have, for what He's blessed us with. But does He really bless us with comfort, with material things, and with affluence, for our own contentment and happiness? Does God reward us for our "good stewardship" in this life? It's easy to say that He does, like many of us have been taught or have always simply taken for granted.

Consider, however, what Paul said to the Corinthian church:

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (Corinthians 9:10-11 NIV)

As we share with others, this passage says (vs 6-9) that God will bless us so that we can share with others even more. God doesn't bless us materially for our own benefit or as a reward for our good works... He blesses us so that we might bless others even more. And we thank Him for our ability to do so by doing so!

As the Message says, "You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone" (vs 12-15).

Servolution Success Stories!

Here's what some people have been telling servolution:

• someone helped a person move (last minute);
• someone fixed a person's car;
• a man is helping a lady with some maintenance and upgrades in her basement, while his family visits with her;
• a mechanic went and helped a single mom look at a used vehicle... for free!
• a family sponsored another woman's daughter to go to camp;
• a man bought something to eat, and brought it to a person he had just met in the hospital;
• people have emailed, and expressed their thanks for being served!
• a group that meets for coffee and a devotional time asked how to get involved;
• someone had been served, and asked for servolution cards to hand out when serving others!
• a person expressed how much joy they experienced by serving others!
• people from another church have stepped forward to ask how to spread servolution!
• an elderly lady used her talent to bring some joy to a retirement home through the gift of music;
• and more...

How are you serving? How are you sharing the love of Christ? How are you becoming a servant to many for the sake of the Gospel message (1 Corinthians 9:19)?

A Firm Foundation

What comes to mind when you hear Jesus' words about the wise and foolish builders? (Matthew 7:24-27).

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

What is like the wise man? Is the foundation belief in Jesus? Or is there more? Jesus said, "everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice".

It's not just belief. It's obedience. It's living by the Kingdom principles outlined by Jesus that ends with this story of the wise and foolish builders. It's not just belief in Jesus... it's living for Jesus. It's living with the compassion that is the currency of the Kingdom. It's living out Jesus' words.

Ideas on a Rainy Day

Today would be a great way to stop and offer someone a lift if you see them walking down your street or waiting at a bus stop.

Don't forget the Thanksgiving Food Drive! Why not ask your neighbours if you can pick up their donations from them?

Have you thought about Hallowe'en? Why not pack little gift bags, and instead of collecting candy, go door-to-door and hand them out at houses in your neighbourhood just to share God's love for people?

Working a midnight shift on the weekend is no fun at all! Why not bring some coffee and muffins to an Emergency Room near you just to share God's love with the staff?

Wouldn't it be nice to discover that there were soda's in the pop-machine dispenser that someone had already paid for and left there? You could leave 2 or 3 of them there with a servolution card attached to each can with an elastic band!

It's fun to pay for the drive-thru order for the car behind you, and leave a servolution card with the cashier!

It's almost time to start raking those leaves... Have you thought about who you could bless this fall?

Can you come up with some more ideas...?

Give me that old-time religion...

The words of the prophets echo loudly in James' letter to the scattered first-century Christians. Like the messengers of the Old Testament, James reminded God's people to live what they believe.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27).

The word that James uses for religion is actually worship. Taking care of the most needy around us is what God considers worshipful religion.

In Isaiah's time, the people humbled themselves and sought God by fasting. But God told them that that's not what pleases Him. If they truly wanted to seek God they could find His heart by acting justly, by ending oppression, by feeding the hungry, by sheltering the poor, by clothing the naked, and by caring for one another (Isaiah 58:6-7). This is true fasting; this is pure and faultless worship.

Sure, we are supposed to keep ourselves from becoming polluted by the world, but we are also supposed to live in the world... we're supposed to change the world (see a dangerous way to pray and marketing the royal priesthood below). Have we truly worshipped God this week?

A Dangerous Way to Pray

In the introduction to his new book "The Hole in Our Gospel", Richard Stearns (President, World Vision, U.S.) states that "Christ calls us to be His partners in changing our world." That's a pretty bold statement, especially since he's questioning if, as Christians, our actions match our words.

What is God asking for, really, from you and me? Much more than church attendance. More than prayer too. More than belief, and even more than self-denial. God asks us for everything.

Jesus calls His followers to a life commitment of the passionate pursuit of God's will. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' redefinition of Kingdom living: Don't live like that anymore... Live like this now. Forget about murder--don't even think bad thoughts about your brother... turn the other cheek, love your enemies, give to the poor, put your trust in God...
This is where Jesus tells his followers how to pray:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Have we grasped how dangerous this prayer is? This is about lining up our will with God's. When we pray it, do we really mean it? Are we really willing to give everything to God for His Kingdom? Because that's what Jesus is telling us to pray... In light of our recognition of our heavenly Father, as the holy, sovereign God, we want to align our wills with His and we want His reign to be supreme.

That's a dangerous prayer! That's a radical, life-altering commitment to God! Jesus demonstrates for us how to live compassionate lives by bringing shalom--healing and wholeness and peace and joy-- to the world around us, and teaches us what that means in both word and deed... and then he asks us to commit ourselves to this way of life through this prayer to God.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and pefect will (Romans 12:2).

If we have experienced the transforming power of God in our lives, then the only response is to live for His will--for His Kingdom... to demonstrate God's rule to others. That's what James, the brother of Jesus, was writing about when he said "I will show you my faith by what I do."

It's a dangerous prayer to align our will with God's, to dedicate ourselves to Kingdom living, because in the Kingdom, our actions have to match our words.

Community | Marketing the Royal Priesthood

It's all about community.
From the very beginning, God's plan was to set apart a people for Himself. We see this when God promises Moses that He will deliver the Hebrew people from Egypt:

I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God (Ex. 6:7).

This theme, this phrase, is repeated throughout the Old Testament and into the New... "You will be my people, and I will be your God". When John is shown the New Jerusalem in his vision, he hears a voice announce this:

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God (Revelation 21:3).

God has a plan to create a community, God has a plan to preserve His community, and God has a purpose for His community. Consider Jesus' words in John 13:35:

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Our behaviour in community demonstrates our witness to the world.
The best illustration of God's purpose for His community was written by Peter. He wrote to encourage Christians, scattered in their little communities throughout the Roman empire, and in it he reminded them of God's plan:

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God (1 Peter 2:9-10).

God chose His people, set them apart as a Holy Nation for His use, and gave them the role of intercession and minstry as a Royal Priesthood.
Why? So that they would declare His praises. Peter goes on to urge believers to

live such good lives... that they [non-Christians] will see your good deeds and glorify God (vs. 12).

Community declares praise for God. Community proclaims the goodness of God. Community does good for God, by doing good for others.

Shine:

Maybe you're a member of a small group, a small community. How can you, together, demonstrate God's goodness to others? Here's just a few ideas. You can probably come up with a few more...

• Visit an extended care facility, and share some love with the residents and staff;
• Serve for just a few hours once per month at the Out of the Cold program;
• Adopt a park or school playground, and spend a Saturday morning picking up litter;
• Join a Cause, like the walk for a cure;
• Serve breakfast or lunch at the downtown shelter one Saturday morning every five or six weeks;
• Purchase supplies and deliver them to that same shelter (demand is way up, and donations are down);
• Deliver some treats and coffee to your local fire department, police, or Hospital Emergency Room (like on the midnight shift!);
• Buy some nutritional items, and give them out randomly to students on the college campus.

In our city, servolution can even connect your group with some opportunities, and outfit you with t-shirts and cards that point people to the gospel at servolution.ca!

How are you expressing God's goodness with your community?

Sunday Service or Sunday Serving?

Someone recently described their dilemma: This person was invited to participate in a walk for cancer research. The problem? The walk was scheduled for a Sunday, and it meant missing church.

That can be a difficult choice for some of us to make, right? We want to participate in the community and support a worthy cause, but we also know that we have a need and a desire to attend our regular church service.

It made me think of the story of Jesus and the healing of the blind man on the Sabbath (see John 9). The Pharisees (the religious leaders) completely overlooked the miracle, and instead they indicted Jesus for working on a holy day (verse 16). But this is what Jesus said:

As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world (verse 4).

What did Jesus mean when he talked about day and night? Jesus was living out his mission in the shadow of the cross, and his work needed to be completed no matter what day of the week it was. Notice also that he said "we must do the work"... he included the disciples in his mission.

Jesus used this as a lesson to the religious people that were there: "I have come into this world so that the blind will see" (verse 39). This story is about belief... the blind man could see, and he believed. This story is about proclaiming... Jesus shone his light in the world so that the blind would see... and believe.

In a famous sermon, Jesus told his followers,

"You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).

Until Jesus returns, the responsibility falls to us, his followers, to shine his light so that the blind will see. Jesus was accused of not keeping the sabbath by doing his work... what will they say about us if we choose to shine our light outside of the church walls on a Sunday?

Shine:
What if a group of Christ-followers showed up to support the walk for cancer research?
What would that say to the un-churched people there? How brightly would our light shine?
Here's a challenge: What if a group of Christ-followers showed up wearing servolution t-shirts (we got 'em!)? What if people asked why you were there and what your shirt means?

New servolution.ca Site is Live!

The new http://www.servolution.ca/ website is live!

We're so excited to have this online presence! It's a tool that each one of us can use to share the love... to invite others to join the movement... to plant a seed so that someone might want to explore further.

Share the link with your friends. Let us know what you think.

There are four ways that you can interact with servolution online:
Comment here on the blog,
Comment anonymously at http://www.servolution.ca/,
Join servolution's facebook fan page, or
Comment via email to servolution@emmanuelbarrie.org

Are you excited to be part of the movement?

Join the Revolution!

Welcome to the servolution.ca blog. This is the place where we will muse about life, about purpose, about love... This is where we will exchange ideas as a community as we seek to follow in the footsteps of Christ, and as we seek transformation in our lives and in the world around us.

From time to time, we will post ideas--ways in which we can impact our world through loving acts. We will share success stories--your success stories--how you served someone, or how someone made an impact on your life by serving you. Sometimes we will share our thoughts on life, philosophy, theology, and maybe even our shared frustrations and challenges

Please join us as we journey together to seek ways in which we can fulfill the plans that God has prepared for us in ages past. Join the conversation by commenting here, or by interacting with us on the servolution.ca website. We're looking forward to hearing from you!