SUNDAY @ THE VILLAGE

This Sunday being the first Sunday in advent, we'll be taking the opportunity to mark the season together at THE VILLAGE...8:00PM @ 96 North Oval.

STUDENT LUNCH...DECEMBER 3RD

Just a reminder that this Sunday @ 12:15pm, it's our final student lunch of the Fall term...SO, if you're university-aged or in your 20s/30s, we'd love to see you there. AND if you're in school and have exams in December, we've made up special exam survival kits just for you (candy, chocolate, study tips, etc...).

A Beautiful Collision

Here's something from the liner-notes of David Crowder Band's latest album A COLLISION (a band/album worth checking out):

"...for the past two years we have ended most nights in concert with the following statement: 'when our depravity meets His divinity it is a beautiful collision.' This recording is about that collision. It is the collision of our fallen state and our Maker's transcendence. It is a rendering of our mortality and eternal life. It is about the tension that exists in the living of life, here, where the sky meets the broken earth. It is about a tsunami in East Asia. It is about a sunrise over Hiroshima. It is about too many who know intensely what pain the word 'cancer' holds and the words of my friend whispered in my ear, 'It's okay. None of us are getting out of here alive you know.' It is about victory. It is about the joy that comes when blood tests return and a miracle is announced. It is the hope in a rescue that has come, the hope in a rescue that has found us, and the relentless hope in a greater rescue that is still coming - one that has not yet arrived but is no less present. This music, broken, improper and inadequate in its response is rooted in that hope. The Kingdom of Heaven is here and now and coming."

THIS SUNDAY...

...we'll be talking about the way that God has been at work in our lives. Namely, sharing our testimonies with each other. Same time and place (8:00PM @ 96 North Oval).

mark your calendars...

...THERE IS NO STUDENT LUNCH THIS SUNDAY.

THE NEXT STUDENT LUNCH WILL BE HAPPENING ON DECEMBER 3RD.

THIS SUNDAY NIGHT

Any specific questions on your mind about the Bible, God, faith, or life in general? This week at THE VILLAGE, we'll be having something called Q-FILES, where we'll have an opportunity to wrestle with some of your questions...feel free to leave your questions below, or email them to Mike: mpowell@missionbaptist.ca.

MP

p.s. 8:00PM, 96 North Oval

We've Raised Enough for Methuselah!

Although goats through the WORLD VISION catalogue were $150 at one time, the Christmas catalogue has them listed at $100. To date, as THE VILLAGE and STANDING GROUND (Sr. High Youth), we have raised exactly $138.25. Great job...and with $100 designated for Methuselah, that means there's already $38.25 that we can put towards another animal. Any suggestions? Maybe a friend for Methuselah?

LOST predictions

The "Fall Season Finale" of LOST airs tonight (8:00PM on CTV, 9:00PM on ABC). Since a number of people @ THE VILLAGE watch the show, feel free to leave your theories about what you think will happen next, who "the others" are, who/what the "monster" on the island is, etc...

MP

THIS SUNDAY...

Sunday the 12th @ 6:00PM, girls from THE VILLAGE will be meeting at 96 North Oval for a girls night...please bring along $ for dinner, a favourite movie, and a favourite snack. We'll either be going out for supper or ordering take-out, and then hanging out in the lounge. Email Heather if you have any questions: heather.macumber@canada.com


Sunday the 12th @ 8:00PM, boys from THE VILLAGE will be meeting in front of the church (100 North Oval), and then going out to play pool. Bring along some cash, and email Mike if you have any questions: mpowell@missionbaptist.ca

The Quintessential Human Act

It has been said that the most elemental form of human speech is prayer...that prayer is "the quintessential human act"(Dr. Victor Shepherd). Considering that God created humankind in His image - designed us with an innate capacity for a relationship with our Creator - this makes perfect sense. But why is prayer so often a last resort, when it should be our first response?

Countless answers could be given to this question, with varying degrees of depth...but as i consider my own prayer life (or lack thereof), the conclusion i come to relates to a lack of dependence on God. Let's be honest. Though we may truly believe that God hears/answers our prayers, how often do we neglect setting time aside to pray because it appears unproductive? In our independence, so often we're driven by what we perceive to be tangible/visible/measurable, aren't we? And prayer may or may not factor into the process. We're self-reliant. We want to be completely self-sufficient. We'd rather do things on our own, without God's help.

But if prayer truly is the "quintessetial human act" - the essence of life in its purest form - then the majority of people in the world aren't really acting very human (myself included). Therefore, against all of our inclinations to be independent, we need to re-learn dependence...and i'm pretty sure it's no accident that prayer is often referred to as a spiritual discipline. Learning to depend fully and completely on the Lord is a life-long struggle, especially in a culture that values independence and considering our sinful nature that is thoroughly self-centred.

Therefore, may we un-learn complete self-reliance, and re-learn dependence on God by devoting ourselves to prayer.

MP

in conclusion...COLOSSIANS

This week @ THE VILLAGE (Sunday the 5th, 8PM, 96 North Oval), we'll be concluding our study of the letter to the Colossians (i.e. Chapter 4). Regardless of whether or not you've been able to join us for our first few studies on the book, we'd love to see you there...

Mike & Heather

PRAYER REQUESTS?

Make a request, pray for a request that has been left, comment on an answered prayer.