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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2017-07-20, Page 17t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2017. PAGE 17. From the Minister's Study Royall recounts brush with God in Red Bay By Rev. Mark Royall Huron Chapel Evangelical Missionary Church, Auburn I don't know what you are struggling with or negotiating with in your life right now as you read this article, but what I am about to tell you is probably the most profound thing I could ever say to anyone facing any trial. Here it is, "Having a high view of God is the solution to most of your problems." There is nothing we could ever face in our life that would catch God offguard. There is nothing we come up against here in our life that finds God in heaven wondering what to do or how to overcome our problem. The Bible declares this fact, "0 Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for You!" (Jeremiah 32:17). So while you may feel overwhelmed and tempted to worry, God isn't. He's got this. Nothing is too hard for Him. You and I can still make the same choice today King David made many years ago when he faced uncertain times. He said to God, "But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You" Psalm 56:3 One of the biggest problems facing Christians today isn't a secular government or illness, or a lack of money, or finding the right person to share our life with or the right job to make a living. The bigger problem than any of these is how little a view we have of God. Let me share with you again a story that happened to me when I was a young pastor which always reminds me how big our God is, especially when we feel particularly small and insignificant in this world. Along with myself, two pastor friends of mine, Dave and Doug, were given the use of a cottage up on the Bruce Peninsula in the Red Bay area. Normally in the summer this place would be packed with tourists and cottagers, but we were there in the month of May. There was no one, and I mean no one, to be found but the three of us It was so deserted there I could have laid down in the middle of the road while reading a book without any worries of being run over by a car. It was that quiet... which was good for us because we were there to pray, to read, to share and recharge our batteries. One morning after making breakfast at the cottage, we went for a walk together. As we walked by a nearby summer campground we noticed the restaurant there had a lit `open' sign in the window. We thought to ourselves this must be a mistake. Someone must have turned the sign on accidentally because why would a restaurant be open when there is absolutely no one around who would come to dine? However, we vowed that if the sign QLiving 1Vater Cfwrefisafiip July 23: Rom. 8:31-39 "Slaughtered but Unstoppable" God's Dove Never Fails Evangelical Missionary Church July 30 - Blyth 140 Community Church Service, 10 a.m. at Lion's Park 10:30 a.m. - Worship & Sunday School at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God) 16.1 Pastor: Ernest Dow - 519-523-4848 getlivingwater.org� was still lit the next morning during our walk, we would check it out. The next morning we walked by the restaurant and sure enough, the open sign was lit so we walked up the campground's lane to go in. We were pleasantly surprised to find the door was unlocked. The three of us eagerly stepped into the restaurant. As we entered, a middled -aged women appeared, looking out at us through a serving window from the kitchen. She looked more surprised than we were as we found our way to a booth and sat down. We sat alone. We were the only patrons there. A few moments passed by when the same woman who had looked at us coming in appeared with menus in hand. As we browsed over the breakfast selections she began to tell us rather apologetically, "I don't do the cooking. My husband does and he went into town this morning to get supplies. I'm not sure what I can really do but I can try" I could tell she was really nervous about cooking us breakfast so I spoke up and asked, "What if we came back to the kitchen and helped you cook breakfast?" She broke into Concentrate Kate Snell was one of the many area young people who took advantage of the Blyth Christian Reformed Church's annual Vacation Bible School, which is funded by all of the village's churches. Here, Snell flexed her crafting muscles with some yarn and popsicle sticks. (Denny Scott photo) BRUSSELS United Church July is vacation time at Brussels United worship with Melville Presbyterian at 11:00 a.m. See you at Brussels United on August 6 at 11:00 a.m. To reach Hillary MacDonald during July Call: 905-246-7386 Email: macdonald.hillary@gmail.com ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS Al. BLYTH BRUSSELS ,Trinity, St. John's lAk C1� 9:15 am No service for Church Office month pr 1 519-357-4883 Of July Everyone Welcome! COME WORSHIP WITH US! MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS SUNDAY, JULY 23 We invite you to join our church family in: Worship & Sunday School - 11 am Coffee & Snacks following the service Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm - Soup & More 2 - a free community meal held in Melville's basement, and made possible by the Brussels churches working together. t ( Nursery care available 519-887-6687 a huge smile and said, "You wouldn't mind doing that?" "No," I said. "We would love to." And with that the three of us got up and headed back to the kitchen. Dave, Doug and I got the coffee going, began frying eggs, cooking bacon, and making toast. We were laughing and joking having a good old time cooking our breakfast in the restaurant's kitchen. The woman stood off to the side watching us as we joyfully went about doing our work. Then looking at me she asked, "What do you gentlemen do for a living?" I gave her the same answer I always give someone when they ask me this question. I told her, "We have the greatest jobs the world." Now, when I tell people this no one has ever guessed what I do for a living. There has only been one exception in my 28 years of pastoring and it happened in that restaurant kitchen that morning. Her eyes lit up and she asked in astonishment, "Are you pastors?" Now it was my turn to be astonished. "Why, yes we are," I said. Then she began to cry which caught us off guard. She began to tell us how she and her husband had just moved from the Kitchener area and bought this campground. She was a follower of Jesus and she had been recently diagnosed with cancer. When they moved from Kitchener she had to say goodbye to her church and Christian friends there. It was different living where they do now. She went from being surrounded with support to be isolated. On this particular morning, all alone in a far off place, she began to think of her illness and she was growing discouraged. So there in the kitchen she began to pray for God to send someone to encourage her that day. It seemed like a hopeless prayer because she knew no one was even in the area during the off season, let alone a fellow Christian who could Continued on page 19 10:30 am Every Sunday in Auburn 10.06 AM app This Sunday at Huron Chapel, apps that actually help yo in your li huronchapel.c Y'au re 9nvited a join 2.1s Jn GWors/iip SUNDAYS Morning Service Evening Service 10:00 am 7:30 pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN 4 REFORMED CHURCH Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743 tad4eed, eeoeffatedtv Vac, &god You're Invited to come worssrtiy with us Sunday, July 23 - 10:30 a.m. 650 Alexander St. (former Brussels Public School) Sunday School for children 4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m. Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers during the sermon. Coffee & cookies after the morning service. Evening Services July 9 to Sept. 3 6:30 p.m. at various homes For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621 Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 Blyth United Church Est. 1875 Visitation Sundays for the month of July please worship at a church near you Regular weekly services resume August 7th at 9:30 am All are welcome OFFICE: 519-523-4224