Devotions (Page 11)

In God’s design, a requirement for growth and fruitfulness is the act of pruning. Pruning is the process of cutting away dead or overgrown branches/stems. The act of pruning is required to increase fruitfulness and growth. When Karyne is working in her garden, she is constantly snipping away. I often see dead branches and leaves being cut off so that it makes room for the new. However, sometimes I see her cut off large, fresh, and lively branches. In cutting…

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…

Last week, Sam Tse spoke at Wildfire (and she invited us over for dinner too. Best speaker ever!). The thing that stood out from her teaching was this line: “Am I [God] not bigger than this?”   This hit me because I am a great worrier. I love to plan things out and then worry about a million ways in which things can go wrong (under the guise of being prepared). And it’s not difficult to see all the problems,…

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…

Having the Wi family here in Toronto was such an amazing time. For me, it was extremely nostalgic. Every place that Adrian & Sherene went, I was reminded of moments that happened over 15 years ago where we shared laughs, tears, and moments with the Lord. Whether it was in the Fireside room where we used to have Overflow, in the sanctuary where I decided to go into the priesthood, or at Redeemer where I had a deep encounter with…

It was so great to hang out with the church family over the past weekend. What I noticed during the Family Weekend is that there are a lot of green spaces in LifeSpring. Whether I noticed it first hand, or it was brought up by others, I could see how we have created spaces that are green, especially for our kids. I had a conversation with someone who pointed out that it was very rare to see so many generations…

Dear LifeSpring Family, What a wonderful Family Weekend we had at Redeemer’s University! It was such a blessing to gather as a church family. We were especially delighted to have Adrian, Sherene, and their family with us. It was a sweet reunion and their ministry was truly impactful. Dorothy and I were also thrilled to see so many children from our Kingdom Kids program, and it was encouraging to have visitors join us for the weekend. Adrian and Sherene shared…

I don’t know about you, but when I hear and see the bigger picture of the ministries and world we live in, it does make me feel that what I do is a little insignificant in the grand scheme of things. For example, when I heard Adrian & Sherene’s update about their ministry and environment in which they’re operating, I sat there thinking, “There are so many people out there who are hurting. What should I do about it? Is…

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…

It has been so good to have the Wi family back the past couple of days and we are so excited as they continue to prepare to speak at our upcoming Family Weekend. The Wi boys are so big, Sherene is still mama bear, and Adrian is still short. Everything is so different, yet everything is the same. In worship, I saw a fast-forwarded vision. I saw hundreds of moments where the Holy Spirit had fell over the people of…

Dear LifeSpring family, Jerry and I are currently at our Power to Change Staff Conference at Redeemer University. It has been a week of worshipping, celebration, and learning with our Power to Change family of over 400 people. As I processed everything that was shared this week, two main things resonated with my heart, and both are connected with fruitfulness. Firstly, Brad, with whom we celebrated 50 years with Power to Change shared: “Father God is more concerned about our…

There is a story about a professor who asked his students to look for the yellow things around his classroom. He then asked them to close their eyes and instead, name the blue things in the room. His students were annoyed and naturally found this difficult to do. Sometimes it is challenging for us to see the things that God is doing and the ways He is moving, because we can look at a situation and only see the yellow.…