Loading...
The Citizen, 2015-09-24, Page 26This week Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson opened up nominations for the 2015 Huron- Bruce Outstanding Citizen Award, which seeks to recognize the hard work of community leaders from across the riding. “Huron-Bruce is shaped by the countless individuals who dedicate themselves to their communities,” said Thompson. “Recognizing their achievements is important, and I am looking forward to doing it again this year.” Past winners have ranged from members of community organizations, to chairs of local committees, to church choir members. Send nominations to lisa.thompson@pc.ola.org, or mail them to, or drop them off at the Blyth or Kincardine constituency offices. Nominations must include the name of the nominee and a 250- word submission that highlights why the individual is deserving of recognition. Nominations close Nov. 20, 2015. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015. PAGE 27. By Pastor Andrew Versteeg Brussels Community Bible Chapel Recently we began a sermon series at our church on the book of James from God’s word, the Bible. James is a book about practical Christianity. It is about living out our faith in the everyday circumstances of life. James is about remaining faithful to God and trusting Him through the good and bad. It is in the everyday circumstances of life that our faith is tested, and the reality of our faith, or lack of faith, is made evident. James wants us to have a firm faith in God that will pass the test and will not collapse when tested. James was the pastor of the early church in Jerusalem and he seems to be particularly concerned that his people remain firm and joyful in their faith even through hardship. He says something that is quite radical right at the beginning: “consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various trials”. What he means by ‘various trials’ are the hardships that just seem to drop into our lives that add stress and difficulty and disappointment. These hardships could be health problems, financial problems, relationship and family problems, etc. For the Christians that James was writing to, they were also facing hardship because they were living in a society that was hostile and antagonistic to Christianity. We are told here to consider all this as joy. Joy in not our usual response to hardship, but we are told here that it should be the Christian response. We are then told why this should be our response. Joy should be our response because the trials of life produce endurance and Christian growth in us. Trials are designed by God for our good so that we would grow closer to Him, and discover new things about Him, and hold on to Him even tighter. When I am with my two- year-old son and we go somewhere that is unfamiliar to him and he is a bit frightened and feels overwhelmed, he holds on to me tighter. I feel him grip my hand or my leg a little tighter. God wants us to be like that with Him and He sends trials our way to make that happen. Trials do not always have that effect on us. Sometimes we are tempted to doubt God through these times. We are tempted to doubt His goodness and maybe wonder if He still loves us. Sometimes we have a wrong idea about God and think that if we follow Him everything in our lives should go well. Then hardship comes and our understanding about God is brought into question and we become confused and don’t know what to think. Maybe we think that we deserve better and we become bitter in our hearts against God and we are tempted to abandon our faith in Him and just walk away from Him. Anyone of these could be our response because trials are difficult for all of us. Christians are not above suffering and disappointment and trials can be very hard to bear. So what are we to do when the going gets hard, our joy is fading, and we are tempted to doubt God? God has given us the answer for this as well in the book of James. He says, “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and does not reproach (scold), and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). What we need in times like this is wisdom from God. We need His wisdom to understand and see things from His perspective. We need His wisdom to understand that this is for our good and has been given to us by a God who loves us. We see here as well that God loves to answer this prayer and He loves to answer it generously. He understands our questions and disappointments and our temptation to doubt Him, and He does not scold us for these things and then send us away to figure it out for ourselves. No, He gives us wisdom so that we can understand and receive this with joy and trust in Him. Thompson seeks outstanding citizens 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’s Sunday 11:00 a.m. 1025 Wallace Avenue N. Youre Invited to come worship with us Sunday, Sept. 27 Brussels Business & Cultural Centre at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. 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. For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621 Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS Rev. Elwin Garland SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 Nursery care available 519-887-9017 Worship & Sunday School - 10 am Coffee & Snacks - 11 am We invite you to join our church family in: 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. SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00 am Evening Service 7:30 pm Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743 Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH 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 Sunday, September 27 I Want You To Take This Personally Sunday, October 4 We’ve Saved You A Place At The Table Worship Service & Sunday School at 10 a.m. MUSIC DIRECTOR Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed. Children Welcome With Author Todd Burpo in person Only A Handful Of Tickets Left Blyth Memorial Hall October 3rd Tickets at Blyth Festival ticket office or Radiant Living Bookstore in Goderich ickets at Blyth Festival ticket office or Radiant Living Bookstore in GoderichT AOnly ickets at Blyth Festival ticket office or Radiant Living Bookstore in Goderich Blyth Memorial Hall October 3rd HandfAA ickets at Blyth Festival ticket office or Radiant Living Bookstore in Goderich Blyth Memorial Hall October 3rd ickets LeftT Handful Of ickets at Blyth Festival ticket office or Radiant Living Bookstore in Goderich Blyth Memorial Hall October 3rd ickets Left ickets at Blyth Festival ticket office or Radiant Living Bookstore in Goderich ickets Left Author With oTToAuthor odd Burp po in per rson BRUSSELS WORSHIP SERVICE AND SUNDAY SCHOOL 11:00 am All Welcome United Church Minister: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M.Div. Bulletin notices: 519-523-4224 blythunited@tcc.on.ca Church bookings: 519-887-6377 Other concerns: 226-963-1175 getlivingwater.org Living Water Christian Fellowship 10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God) Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848 Sept. 27: Gal.2:17ff, 4:1ff “From Legalistic Bondage to Spirit-living Freedom” Evangelical Missionary Church Tuesdays 7:30 pm Wingham Small Group From the Minister’s Study Enduring hardship, keeping trust in God BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED