The Citizen, 2011-03-03, Page 24PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011.
St. Anne’s resumes classes
By Brent KipferBrussels Mennonite Fellowship
Imagine being alone in a cell for
33 years, with one book to read. The
story is told of Prince Martinette of
Grenada, who at the turn of the 18th
century, was sentenced to a life of
solitary confinement in a Spanish
prison. He was allowed one book:
the Bible.
After more than three decades, he
died. When his cell was cleaned out,
workers found notes he had written
with nails to mark the soft stone of
the prison walls:
“Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse
of the Bible.”
“Ezra 7:21 contains all the letters
of the alphabet except the letter J.”
“The ninth verse of the eighth
chapter of Esther is the longest verse
in the Bible.”
“No word or name more than six
syllables can be found in the Bible.”
The Prince of Grenada spent 33
years of his life studying the most
important and powerful book in the
world. Did he come to appreciate the
goodness and greatness of God?
Did he develop a relationship with
Jesus Christ? Did he learn to rely on
the Holy Spirit to give him strengthfor his ordeal? Did his reading
change him in any way? There is no
evidence that it did. From all we
know, he only became an expert in
Bible trivia. He may have missed the
point.
How can we be sure that we do not
do the same? We have better access
to the printed Word of God than any
generation in history. Are we letting
it do its work in us?
In his book Amusing Ourselves to
Death, Neil Postman argued that
television created a low information-
action ratio in our culture. Even
more, the internet exposes us to vast
quantities of information. What do
we typically do with the knowledge
we gain? Nothing! We are
consumers of ideas who rarely act
on what we learn.
This is not really a problem if we
are learning about Justin Bieber’s
latest haircut, but what do we miss
when we approach the Bible as
superficial readers?
Psalm 119 says, “Oh, how I love
your law! I meditate on it all day
long.”
How do we actually do that?
Sometimes, I rush through aScripture so fast that there is hardly
time for it to register! How do we
give God’s Word time to sink in and
become part of us? There are a
variety of good strategies:
memorizing Scripture, taking part in
a Bible study, listening to the Bible
on CD. Over the years, I have come
to appreciate an ancient approach
called Lectio Divina, “divine
reading” in Latin. It is not as
complicated as it might sound.
Essentially, it involves taking time to
listen carefully for God to speak as
we meditate on Scripture.
To begin, it is best to choose a
familiar Scripture; maybe Psalm 23
“The Lord is my Shepherd” or John
15 “I am the Vine, you are the
Branches”. Ask God to speak to you,
clearing away any obstacles that
would make it hard for you to hear.
Start, then, by simply reading the
passage, listening with the “ear of
your heart”. Pay attention to see if
there is a phrase, a sentence or even
one word that stands out to you.
The second step involves reading
the passage again, and reflecting on
the word of God. What touches you
in what you read? What do yousense the Lord is saying to you
personally through the Scripture?
Let the word soak into you.
After taking time to reflect on the
word, read the passage a third time.
This time, respond to the word of
God. Talk to God about your
response.
Fourth, read the passage a final
time and rest in the word. Allow God
to speak in the silence. When you
are finished, take the phrase,
sentence, or word into your daily
activity and listen to it, reflect on it,
pray over it, and rest in it as time
allows during the day. Allow it to
become part of you.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that
“the word of God is living and
active”. Have you taken the time to
find out for yourself?
By Mikenna Lane
Following a relaxing Family Day
filled with family fun, students came
back to St. Anne’s Catholic
Secondary School prepared to get
involved.
The second semester is already
very busy. The athletes of the school
had a very eventful week as the
nordic ski team brought home two
WOSAA championships sending
many students to OFSAA provincial
championships.
The Boys’ hockey team competed
at the Huron-Perth championships
on Feb. 24 with the entire school
cheering them on during a very
exciting game.
St. Anne’s swimmers headed to
OFSAA to make some waves in
Etobicoke.
The school chaplain has begun
visiting classrooms and helping
each homeroom class create a creed
based on the Catholic Graduate
Expectations. Also, for those who
are in Grades 9 or 10 and who are
interested in a special academic
opportunity, there is a Michael
Smith Science Challenge on March
10. The challenge includes a one-
hour national science test presented
by the University of British
Columbia. The competition will
occur at 12 -1 p.m. at St. Anne’s and
students can submit their name to
their science teacher or in student
services.
The St. Anne’s Student Uniform
Committee created a great video for
the weekly edition of “Wednesday
Pre-Recorded” and the Agents of
Change are busy preparing a survey
to have student voice heard.
Parent/teacher interviews happen
right after March Break on Thurs.
March 24 so book that in your
calendars now.
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS.
OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Brussels:
St. Ambrose
Saturday
6:00 p.m.
17 Flora Street
Wingham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, March 6
Brussels Public School
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
6:30 pm - DVD series on the Book of
Revelation by James MacDonald
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age (mornings only)
Childcare provided for infants and toddlers
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact:
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Chris McMichael 519.482.1644
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
Sunday, March 6
Ethel United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, MARCH 6
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
Tuesdays 7:30 pm - Wingham Small Group
1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm - Women’s Ministry
Fridays 7:00 pm - Youth Group
March 6: Matthew 17:1-13
“Seeing Ghosts,
Shunning the
Glorious”
Transfiguration Sunday
— Communion
Evangelical Missionary Church
March 4: World Day of Prayer
at Anglican Church, 7 p.m.
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
March 6th ~ Words of Wisdom
from Rev. Peter Kugba-Nyande
March 13th ~ Penny For Your Thoughts
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
Church Office: 519-357-4883
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, March 6
Rev. Perry Chuipka
www.nabcom.ca/church
Please join us for worship
Hwy. 4, Blyth
519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor Gary Klumpenhower 519-523-9233
119 John’s Ave., Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
9:30 a.m.
Sunday School
10:30 a.m.
Morning Worship Service
Guest Speaker:
Rev. Gerry Wilson
AHOYAHOY
MATIES!MATIES!
March Break Event
Wednesday, March 16th
1-4:30 pm for Kids
ages 4-12
Come aboard for some fun!!
There will be games, crafts,
lessons, snacks and so much
more. Join us as we
set sail for a
great afternoon!
From the Minister’s StudyDon’t just read, retain the Word of God