This last weekend thirty of my friends and I went fishing up at Roche Lake and had an awesome time together teasing, making fun of each other, putting up with each others snoring, just being guys together. We had a blast expressing our hu-man-ity, beating our chests, avoiding showers and shaving and enjoying cholesterol and all meat meals.

Besides all the caveman cavorting we were able to be men who love being men who love other men in a very real and transparent way.

Yes, I did say thirty friends.

You say, “I wish I had thirty friends…”

These guys are all from my Church, and somehow we all get along and actually like each other so much we can spend a weekend together trying to catch the most or biggest fish so our name is engraved on a gawky second hand trophy.

The richest relationships I have are with my brothers from the Church, that is why we call our Men’s ministry, ‘A Band Of Brothers’.

We are building lasting supportive relationships where we encourage, assist, mentor, hug and even cry on occasion because we love each other as brothers.

The rainbow trout dancing on our lines is always a bonus. It’s the deep relationships and bonding that we experience that keeps us coming back year after year. We all want and need friends. The Church is a great place to make lasting friendships and experience brotherhood. I hope you can come with us next year…see if you can put up with my snoring…

One simple definition is: a strong mental or instinctive feeling.     As we all know, our feelings or emotions sometimes get the best of us and effect our actions either for good or not so good. Case and point is the coach of a local professional hockey team, who in a recent game, displayed emotions out of control.

When things like this happen, it is an example of a lack of self-control, self-discipline and poor self-restraint in the face of opposition or pressures. It was emotions getting the best of him.

If we do not learn to control our emotions when under pressure or when we don’t get our way, then they can launch us into doing things or saying things that we will regret, hurting ourselves and others.

Titus 2:11,12 offers us insight into God’s provision to help us be good examples through our actions. God’s grace will teach us and help us to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.

And yet for the many times I have succumbed to the urge and made a wild purchase, there comes a time when the Visa statement arrives and I am filled with “buyers remorse”…and I have been there more than once. The “bright and shiny” is replaced with regret.

Here is a great quote by Doug Cecil:

“You will never find in sin what you go into sin to find.”

…what a challenging thought…

How many times are we tantalized by the bright and shininess of a sin, maybe in the form of an illicit action or conversation, a choice morsel of gossip, or “venting” on someone, then realize what we thought we would obtain has now vanished?

Where did all the bright and shiny go?

Today, I have a fresh view of James 1:14 (NIV) “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed”…I am just a little more cautious of the enticement of bright and shiny sins…and maybe a little wiser too.

Pastor Dave S.

One gift you gave was our 19th Annual Nativity Drive Through. It was a huge success with over 800 cars passing through that’s approximately 5000 sets of eyes taking in the glory of Christ’s birth. Thank you for standing out in the rain, setting up, feeding and dressing everyone to make this event possible!

As a result of the Nativity Drive Through you hosted, another gift you gave was $3,389 for the Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope, serving the homeless in our City, and in addition to that, a truckload of food for the Abbotsford Food Bank and our in-house food bank was collected.

You gave the Christmas Morning Gift to the homeless. You donated money and countless items and assembled 140 huge duffle bags full of socks, underwear, pants, shirts, winter coats, warm blankets and food stuffs. And together in a unified effort with other Churches, orginizations and individuals hosted a breakfast for the homeless where they received gratefully these duffle bag gifts!

You gave 26 nicely wrapped Christmas presents that were carefully chosen, purchased and wrapped with care by you to give to 26 children from single parent families in our congregation. This Annual Love Tree expression of your giving blessed 26 children!

This year through your in-house Church Food Bank and Charity Dept. you gave out 25 huge food hampers furnished with Christmas Turkeys and Hams to families who needed a bit of help.

Another gift you gave was organizing, hosting and attending this year’s Christmas Banquet as a fundraiser for our Interns Peru Trip that raised over $1,500 for their costs.

You also gave a $2,000 Christmas Blessing Offering to help the Vancouver City Church plant and Pastor Herb and Pearl Lee.

Thank you for giving to the Lord! It’s a blessing to serve the Lord together with you and be a part of such a generous group of people.

Pastor Mitch

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   I’m always amazed and so happy that my wife loves me so much. I’m so far from perfect yet my wife loves me in spite of my flaws and mistakes. My mishandlings of her tender emotions at times or misunderstanding or somehow forgetting her needs. My impatience, my moods….I could go on and on. Now without sounding arrogant, I do believe I must possess a certain amount of quality characteristic that she loves and that makes her feel wonderful & loved but, I fail often and suffer from inconsistency. The most amazing thing is that she loves me in spite of my lack. That’s unconditional love!    

   It’s awesome when people love us unconditionally, but what is even more awesome is that God our Father loves us absolutely and totally with an unconditional love. So much so, that He pursues a relationship with us that is only subject to our agreement and willingness to interact with Him. You see, He wants you not for what you can give Him but for what He can give you. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  

   Now it’s up to us to respond to His love. It’s not forced nor is it illusive. His invitation to you says, “Come to me all you who are week and feeling burdened…I will give you rest.”

   He knows you and loves you as if you were the only person on the earth. You are the apple of His eye! So if you are feeling like you have to measure up or be more lovable to qualify for His love, forget it. He accepts you as you are, freely and without reserve in spite of your inconsistencies and failings. He doesn’t base his love for you on your good performance either. You can’t earn His love. He’s bigger than that. You don’t want religion nor does he. He wants a relationship with you! He loves unconditionally and He is God…not a human being.