Devotions (Page 4)

One thing Pastor Anita spoke on earlier in February was that in increasing our faith, there will be tests and challenges because God is looking for someone He can trust. God has certain assignments for us to do, and He gives us grace to do them, but there are criteria; and thus, testing for it. You can watch her full message here. You might have felt it already; this year is starting to feel less like an increase in faith…

Happy Grandparents month! In the month of March, we take the opportunity to honour all our LifeSpringers from the grandparent’s generation. LifeSpring first started meeting in 1981 and was planted by the grandparent’s generation. Today, we are blessed to have a church with many generations, from great-grandparents all the way down to infants. Personally, the grandparent generation has been a tremendous blessing to me in so many ways, starting with my own parents. Thank you grandparent generation for all that you’ve…

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw…

For most people, refinement is not a practice one chooses to participate in willfully. However, it is necessary for our spiritual development, especially in this season of “Increasing Our Faith.” The idea of increasing our faith suggests that our previous levels of faith will not suffice in this season. It infers a change in our beliefs and trust in God needs to happen. Refinement is one of the means in which we can change our beliefs and learn to trust…

To start off Grandparents Month we had “G-Ma” Donna come and speak to the church family. Donna has journeyed with us from long ago and has seen us grow and mature in the things of God. We thank God for Donna as she has been instrumental in helping us hear God – listen well, obey quickly. As Donna spoke, she once again brought a presence and depth that to be totally honest, I am still wrapping my head around. Please…

I had slowly stopped reading my Bible. What started out as occasional, sporadic missed days turned into bigger gaps in my week until it flatlined completely. I hadn’t even noticed. I also hadn’t been listening to worship music as often as I had before. Something else I hadn’t noticed. What I did notice was that something was different, though for a while I couldn’t figure out what. When I realized what had changed in my routine, I realized that it…

Last Sunday, we had our Volunteer Appreciation Day, where we had a chance to honor all of you who serve at LifeSpring. There is a saying in churches that it is common for 20% of people to do 80% of the work. This really doesn’t apply at LifeSpring, and we see that Sunday after Sunday. On a weekly basis, between our two sites, we have worship, tech, Kingdom Kids, speaking, refreshments by life groups, and clean up–at a minimum–and it’s…

We want to honor all of the LifeSpring family. The pastoral team is so blessed to be surrounded by a family that genuinely loves God and genuinely cares for others – including us. I want you to know that we feel loved; you care when we hurt, you think of our families, and you genuinely care for others. Please don’t ever take this for granted – people here are genuinely looking out for one another. Whether physically, spiritually, emotionally –…

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20:29 NIV This is one of the famous “doubt verses” that we often throw at our questions. Some might even take this as a rebuke from Jesus towards Thomas for doubting. However, when we look at the passage as a whole, we can see that this not the case.  “Now Thomas (also known as Didymus),…

In this season of life, I’ve been thinking more and more about children. Particularly, my daughter. What will her personality be like? Who will she look like? What will she enjoy doing?  I remember reading a quote that says, “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” ― Angela Schwindt Perhaps I will soon experience this quote in a tangible way and know what it really means. Until then,…

We are so blessed to have Rodney, an elder, share with us his own personal journey and conviction about how he and his family approach tithing. Jerry says this often, “Money makes people funny.” And although it is a comical saying, it is unfortunate that we often see that this is true. When Karyne and I went to Israel years ago, they told us that Jerusalem was divided into four different quadrants; Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Armenian. They told us that…

Dear LifeSpring Family, This past Sunday, Dorothy and I had the privilege of speaking with our brothers and sisters in Mississauga. We shared from Ephesians 6:10–20 on the topic of the Armor of God, and I would like to share what the Lord impressed upon me: 1. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. This serves as a reminder that my strength as a soldier for the Lord does not come from my own abilities,…