Posts by Ryan Seow (Page 2)

From October 19 to 26, a group of five people from the leadership and settlement teams at LifeSpring will be traveling to Greece for a mission trip. This past Sunday, I had an opportunity to update the church family about how the preparations for the trip are going now that we’re a few weeks out from the date. First of all, on behalf of the whole mission team, I want to thank the LifeSpring family for your support for our trip.…

Over the past two Sundays, we’ve had the opportunity to hear from Mary Cho, a missionary who serves in Sierra Leone, as well as Donnett and Daniel who shared about a new mother and baby survival program that Compassion is starting in Rubongi. Later this month, we’ll be hearing more about refugee ministry as well. Sierra Leone, Uganda, the Middle East – it feels like we’re traveling the globe on our Sundays this month! As we shared in Communion this past…

Happy September! It’s hard to believe that fall is upon us. But with the change in weather, kids returning to school, summer hours ending and the like, it definitely feels like we’re heading back to our regular routines. I know for me, it feels like summer flew by this year. I’m glad that as a church family, we had an opportunity to close the summer out by gathering with friends new and old at our central site this past Sunday. A big thank…

Last Sunday we had the privilege of having Joe Chong as our speaker. Joe currently serves as an elder at Lifespring, but I’ve also had the privilege of partnering with Joe when we served together as leaders in our youth group. One thing I always enjoy about Joe’s messages is how he shares from his own life–things that God has been teaching him, as Joe grows and learns in his own faith. His message was an encouragement for all of…

It seems like since Family Weekend, we’ve been seeing a lot in red, yellow, and green! A quick recap – red, yellow, and green relate to different parts of the brain as well as our emotional state. When we’re in green brain (neocortex), we feel relaxed and safe, and are able to think clearly. When we move to yellow brain (limbic) we are in a cautious mode. We feel uncomfortable and start functioning more emotionally, a good example being when we feel…

It was great to have the Wi family back this weekend and sharing with us. As you may know, Adrian served as a pastor at Lifespring for our youth group (back when I was still a youth!) Though their work has taken them around the world, they have remained a part of the Lifespring family. It was so good to welcome them back to a place where they have impacted so many. As I listened on Sunday to their sharing, it felt…

Last Sunday, we had a chance to hear from our Deacon of Kingdom Kids, Denise Lafayette. One thing that I loved about Denise’s message was how she brought together so many important parts of what it means to live with conviction. As Christians, we all share a calling to pursue justice, and to advocate and stand up for others. But we’re also called to the simple task of pursuing God daily. We need to establish good disciplines and habits in our lives…

It feels like summer is in full swing! Whether it’s the thirty degree temperature, plants blooming, or long days, there are many signs that summer is upon us. As a church, we had the opportunity to enjoy the summer and serve our community during the barbeque we hosted last weekend at the 415 Willowdale community. While you may have heard about the small barbeques we run at 415 Willowdale during Food Hub distribution days, we had the chance to host…

It was such a blessing to have Ray Leung speak on Sunday. All of us, at one time or another, have dealt with the issue of fear. There are so many unknowns in life and so many things beyond our control that it can be easy to succumb to fear. And what the world offers us isn’t very helpful. As Ray said, fear often works by isolating us from others. What the world tells us is that we are more…

Happy Canada Day weekend! For those of us who call Canada home, I think we have so much to be thankful for on Canada Day. Having grown up here, I sometimes take for granted some of the basic benefits that come with living in this nation. But the ability to freely live and thrive here is a significant way that God has blessed so many of us. So remember to say a prayer for Canada, that God would guide our nation…

Over the past two years, Lifespring has been on a journey of learning about refugee ministry. Through a trip to Türkiye, Family Weekend last summer, refugee dinners, and work in sponsorship, God has been leading us in ministry among and with refugees. Over the past couple of Sundays we’ve introduced our mission team that will be traveling to Greece in October (watch the full description here, or at the “watch message” link below). In the devotion this week I provide…

While our theme this year is fruitfulness, I’ll admit that I’ve never been very successful at gardening or growing any kind of plant, much less fruit. Since Theresa and I live in a condo townhouse, most of our growing is limited to a few planter boxes on our patio. Last summer, we finally took the opportunity to try to plant a few things in these boxes. The biggest investment we made was to plant two hydrangeas in one of our…