Miraculous encounter

In the previous blog I talked about following God and His leading and how He had given me a Word for someone. Well on Thursday morning I had a first time experience.

I woke up in lots of pain. I couldn't seem to shake the pain so I decided that I would not go out on my shift, at least until much later. I decided to have a hot shower in order to soothe the pain a bit. While I was finishing my shower I felt like the Lord gave me a specific word. Here is what I sensed in my spirit that God was speaking to me: "Go in town right away and go to the McDonalds by the Science Center, go to a specific seat and wait because I have someone you need to talk to."

I went right in and got ready and headed for the door. As I stepped outside a bus arrived to take me downtown and once I got there I took the skytrain to the stop by the Science Center. I walked to McDonalds and sat down in the same seat I sat in 1o days before. I waited for the person God was sending to me.

Within 20 minutes a gentleman walked in and sat down across from me. We discussed many different things including some very challenging things my new friend was dealing with. He had suffered many losses in his life recently including having two co-workers suddenly dying over the past few weeks. I proceeded to ask him how he was dealing with this.

Our conversation then turned to the uncertainty of life and that death can come unannounced. I asked if he was ready to die from a spiritual standpoint. He indicated that he was unsure where he would go in the afterlife. I shared with him that he could know with certainty. I explained what the Bible has to say about this subject and that he could choose to have a relationship with Christ that would ensure his future and help him as he lived his life.

I asked him if he understood what I was sharing and he said he did. I asked him if he wanted to begin a relationship with Christ and he said that he did. We decided to step outside where it was less noisy. As we sat outside my new friend Don gave his life to Christ. He was so much at peace. We then talked about a plan for discipleship.

I can tell you that I have never had this experience before where God clearly directed me to a location. I went to a place that I had only been once before, the skytrain stop was not in my zone (I should not have been there) and I was only there because of Him. I had to be there at just the right time. God is good!!! I was truly blessed!

I hope what you are hearing is not my gloating. I am not!!! I am being very grateful to God for His leading!!! I hope to have more of these types of experiences in the future.

An encouraging word

I had a unique experience this week I want to share. I was at a church in downtown Vancouver and was inside when the Lord gave me a "word" to speak to a man who was working security at the site. I was a bit worried that I would be made to look foolish but I did what I felt the Lord told me to do.

I approached the man and said to him,"I am going to ask you something, and the reason I am doing this is because I feel God has told me to share something with you." He said "ok". I proceeded and said "do you have a daughter that you have an estranged relationship with?" He replied, "yes I do". I then said "well God has told me to tell you that your daughter loves you very much." He stood there with amazement. I then told him that was the only message I had for him and to accept it for what it was, a Word from God.

The next day I went back to the same church to check in with them and the same man then approached me. He said "thank you so much for what you shared with me yesterday, it really made me feel much better." I am so glad that God would use me to speak this word to a man I did not know.

I learned much from that experience. I learned that God can give very clear directions for us to follow. We then have a choice as to whether or not we will be obedient. This as you will see (in my upcoming blog entry tomorrow) had a profound impact on an experience I had yesterday.

For me this was a new step forward in my ministry. To have a word of knowledge from God was incredible and scary. What if I had been wrong? What if I had looked like a complete fool? I guess I am learning that being a fool for Christ is a good thing to be. If I had resisted God's prompting I would have missed out on a blessing, and so would the man I was to share with.

Follow up with "Romey"

We won two medals in this sport!!! Bobsleigh!!

Barbara, "Romey"

I just got back from being out on the streets of Vancouver and it was a great experience once again. One of the reasons it was amazing is because I saw "Romey" for the second time.

Today when I saw her she looked at me and said, "your Pastor Scott Wood". I was surprised that she remembered me, but she did. I told her that I remembered her name as well and she had a big smile on her face.

She went on to tell me that she talked to her mother since we last talked and that her mother was excited that she was meeting so many Christians. My guess is that it was an answer to prayer for her mom and I am glad to be a part of it.

I could see a different look in her eyes today. She seemed to be so more hopeful. My prayer for her is that she will find her way into a relationship with the Lord, that she will choose to reach out to Him in her time of need and in her time of praise.

I would say that Barbara Janet is making progress.

The young man from Iqaluit

I was walking on the streets of Vancouver, spending time in prayer. I headed for the top of the hill on Burrard St. and on the corner I met Yuqa. Yuqa has been on the streets for a number of years and he is just 25.

I asked him about his family and he shared that he has family in North West Territories, brothers and sisters and a mom. He told me that his mom thought he was doing well in Vancouver and that he did not want her to know that he was living on the streets and pan handling. He said it would be too hard for his mother to handle.

I asked him if he had any kind of spiritual background, or church background. He said that when he was younger he used to skip school so he could go to church. He said that he enjoyed doing that but he no longer has any interest in that.

We continued to talk for a number of minutes. One of the things he said really saddened me. He shared that he feels all alone and that it is just him in this world. He has to try to figure out how to make it through this life all alone. He does not keep in touch with anyone and feels like he has to figure out everything all by himself.

The truth is that from a physical standpoint he is very much alone. I know that the only other people he talks to are other people living on the streets. I am hoping that he will be able to connect with others in the city that can really help him, really give him good advice. It must be so overwhelming.

I did have the privilege of praying for him and he thanked me for doing that. As I was leaving he said to me, "Have a good day or do something good for someone today". He said he learned that as a young boy from his mother. I turned around and shared the same message with him.

I am learning so much from those I talk to on the streets, there are some common denominators amongst them:

• they are wonderful and kind
• they are lonely
• they have had some kind of spiritual exposure
• they need help
• they are suffering from broken relationships with their families
• we need to invest in them

Boaz moving forward

Just a quick note to thank those on my board and fellow servants in Christ who are faithfully reaching out to those in our city that are in need.
I am blessed to know that the ministry goes forward even when I am away from the city. I was so pleased to read a report that seven people were fed last night. That may not seem like much to some but it shows me that we are being a blessing and that God is clearly moving.
Thanks so much to all. You are a blessing to me.

I have an exciting update to share with you, and I will be doing that later today.

Pastor Scott

Long line at the Japadog stand

One of the fancy cars on Burrard Street

The longest lines at the Olympics surprisingly are not at the Olympic events, though we did have to wait for close to 45 minutes before entering the stadium for the hockey game. Those long lines are found at sidewalk hot dog stands. One stand in particular called the "Japadog" has line ups that last well over an hour. Apparently it is worth the wait. I hope it is because you can pay between $6-9 for one "dog"

One of the best parts about the wait is that while standing in line you can get into some wonderful and Godly conversations. For close to an hour you can talk about the Lord with folks that are waiting with you. That is what happened with us yesterday.

I did not have the famous Japadog but one of our other chaplains did. He ended up in the long line and had a couple of great conversations. As I was waiting for my fellow chaplain, an older lady was standing beside me, patiently for her husband who was also in line. It provided a great time of fellowship for both her and I.

She began talking to me about her early years of growing up in the Catholic church. She shared that there were things taught that she did not believe in. She was disgusted by things the Catholic church taught like purgatory. She had reached the point where she no longer even believed in heaven and hell, though she did say she hoped she would go to heaven.

I was able to ask her some deeper questions about her future and she admitted that she had lots of questions. I was holding a Billy Graham book in my hand, the topic was about dealing with pain. She reached over and took it out of my hand and asked me if she could have the book. Before I had an answer the book was in her possession. She told me she needed to read it to see if she could find some answers.

I am trusting that my time near the line for the Japadog was worth it. I pray that this precious lady would find the answers to her questions. I will likely never meet this lady again here on earth but I trust that someday I will meet her in heaven. I hope that she will find her true purpose in life and that His truth would truly set her free.

Another encounter, what's in a name?

There seems to be a certain spot in Vancouver where God directs me to have divine encounters, on the corner of Burrard and Georgia. Today was no different, let me tell you what happened.

I walked up Burrard and saw someone sitting on the side of the curb. I knelt down to talk with "Romey". Romey was trying to earn a few dollars by panhandling, in order to be able to have a few extra dollars because her mom is coming to Vancouver to visit her. She wants to make sure she looks like she is doing ok, so her mom won't be sad.

We talked about lots of things and eventually we talked about God. I asked her if she ever had any kinds of experiences with church or God. She told me that her adopted mom had taken her to church when she was younger and that her mom was a Christian but that she wasn't. She said she was kind of mad at God.

I asked her why and she told me that her biological mom had died a few years ago and that she had always wanted to have a relationship with her real mom but that was no longer possible. It made her both sad and mad. I told her that I understood that she might feel this way. We talked about the pain this has caused her.

I asked if I could go and buy her something warm to eat. All she wanted was a filet of fish from McDonalds, so in I went to buy. As I was walking in I turned and asked her if she liked to read. She said, "I was just thinking today that I wished I had something to read". I gave her a copy of a booklet we have here about the testimonies of some of the athletes. As I stood in MCD's I looked out and saw Romey reading the magazine.

When I came outside with the meal, I wish you could have seen her smile. It was from ear to ear. She was so blessed. we had a great conversation as we shared filet of fishes on the side of the street. I asked her if I could have her email to keep in contact and she said yes. Then she said, "do you want my street name or my real name?" This was a very important question because most street people do not want anyone to know there names. But Barbara was different, she said "my real name is Barbara"!!

I think for once Barbara was treated like a real person. I can tell you when I write to her I am going to call her Barbara and not Romey.

I had the opportunity to pray with her and to give her a new testament, and to give her a book written by Billy Graham concerning hurt and pain. I am believing for a miracle in Barbara's life.

Barbara represents many hurting people in the world. She is someones daughter, someones sister, and she is God's special creation. Her name is Barbara!!!

More than Gold

Flags of all the countries in front of the Olympic Village

I am here in Vancouver under the banner of "More Than Gold". Many people wonder what More Than Gold is all about, so I thought I would give a little bit of an explanation.

When most people think of the Olympics they think of winning a gold medal. Gold medals are the ultimate prize for a competitor. Only one person can win gold. That means every other person needs to be able to focus on something bigger than winning the gold.

For that one person who wins gold, it is exciting. It is life changing, but it still will not be satisfying enough. There has to be something more, something more sustaining, something more than gold.

That something that is More Than Gold is a relationship with Christ. We are here to help people see that there is something so much more important than fame, winning and popularity. There is so much more to this life. Ultimately life is most well lived when a person is in relationship with Christ.

I shared with you in the previous blog about Cindy Klassen. Cindy gets it, she understands that medals are one thing, but living a life for Christ is of far more importance. That is why when she is in public she is not wanting to focus on the medals she is focused on God.

Compare that with the bronze medal winner for the US in mens snow boarding. He decided to celebrate his medal by having a big party in his honor where the focus was on him. He felt he was bigger than the Olympics and was willing to compromise what the Olympic committee had asked, which was to honor the Olympics with proper behavior. He chose to degrade himself and others with inappropriate pictures and actions. He was asked to leave the Olympics immediately.

More Than Gold ultimately is focused on God and not on ourselves. Maybe we could apply the same principles in our own lives. What is it that is most important to us. Is it winning? Is it being most popular? Is it being patted on the back all the time? What does a gold medal look like to you?

I hope for you and I, that the greatest reward we will ever receive will not be a medal. I hope you and I will hear these words from Jesus,"Well done good and faithful servant, you may enter the Kingdom of God."

Above all else, a life well lived in relationship with Christ is More Than Gold.

Humility

Cindy Klaussen and I after her interview

What does humility look like? How would we describe it? I think one way to describe it would be to consider ourselves in comparison to Christ.

I met someone who truly exemplified humility, Her name is Cindy Klaussen. For those of you that do not follow sport,s she is a Canadian girl that has won the most gold medals in Canadian winter Olympics history. Cindy has won 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals.

I along with a couple of other chaplains were doing our rounds in the city and arrived at Coastal Church in the downtown area. We were informed that Cindy Klaussen was going to be interviewed upstairs in the church in about three minutes, and that we were more than welcome to sit in. It turned out that there were only about 40 people there to see her.

She walked in and sat down and right away you could tell that she was a special lady. As the interviewer asked her questions, she answered them with such humility. She always talked about how God has changed her life and how her relationship with Christ gave her strength each day.

She was asked about all the medals she won and she talked about how her greatest joy was not medals, but knowing Christ. In fact the interviewer asked her about standing on the podium and receiving her gold medals and being a hero to so many Canadians, and how that made her feel. I was sitting one row from her and I could see her eyes begin to tear up. Beautiful!!!

Once she finished the interview she came off the platform and talked to the people there. I had an opportunity to thank her for being such a role model for so many young ladies. I told her that I was a youth pastor and I appreciated her for being so real and for sharing her faith in God.

She was so gracious. I was amazed by Cindy. She could have been arrogant and could have focused on all her talents and gifts. She could have showed up with all her medals around her neck, including her gold medal from the last Olympics but she didn't. Cindy Klaussen showed up, clothed in humility.

True humility is giving God the glory in all things. It is not about us, it is all about Him!!!

If you want to catch the interview go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGIsNdQa7EE

Amazing encounter

My new friend and sister in Christ

As we were walking on the streets of Vancouver, myself and two other chaplains came across a young lady sitting beside a crossing walk stand. She was singing and pan handling. We almost walked by her when we were prompted to go back a few steps and talk with her.

We discovered that she was very hungry. She was in need of something as simple as a sandwich or bowl of warm soup. We offered to take her to Tim Horton's to buy her lunch. She was willing to join us.

As we fed her and chatted we quickly discovered that we were in the presence of an amazing lady. There is so much I could share about her but there is simply not enough blog space to do so. So for now I am going to give you a very condensed version of what she shared. I am also including a video she granted me to do of her.

This young lady was 30 years old. She has been on the streets since age 18. She came from a very difficult childhood and chose to go to the streets at that time. She had the opportunity as a young child to go to church, but at some point rejected anything God had for her. She ended up turning to the street culture that stole away all of her self esteem.

One night not too long ago she decided to end her life. She had nothing to live for. As she stood on the bridge, she cried out to God. She felt that God told her not to take her life but to go to a church and stay there and that God would help her in the morning. She did what God told her to do, and He did help her in the morning.

That next morning she met a wonderful caring lady who took her in. That woman loved her, and held her. She taught her and encouraged her. She was supported in every way possible. She educated her about Christ and His love and forgiveness.

Today, my new friend is in Bible School studying theology. She is still dependent on the generosity of people to survive. She absolutely 100% trusts God. She goes to the streets to panhandle just so she can have money to go to internet cafes so she can listen to worship music. How beautiful is that.

She loves the word of God. Her Bible is worn and tattered beyond description. On the back of it is a note with her email address and phone number if anyone should find it, because she loves the Bible. She explains more of this in the six minute video I shot.

She has just finished reading the Old Testament. In her words she said, "When I was reading it, I asked God to write the words of scripture on my heart and He did it. Even now I can remember many many verses perfectly." She even went so far as to drill a hole in here Bible so that she could attach it to her belt because she never wants to lose His word.

Enjoy the words she shared to others who may be on the streets or discouraged. Her words have had a profound impact on me. I know it will on you too.

Heroin addiction

Last night I had three amazing things happen, Godly things, Godly encounters. I am not sure how to even put things into perspective. Let me simply say that I have cried many tears. I will start by sharing the story of Greg.

I met Greg on the street. He was sitting on the sidewalk, wrapped up in a sleeping bag. It was draped over his shoulder and in front of him was a box asking for money. I could tell he was in need and I knelt down to talk with him. I asked how I could help him, and he said he needed money. I offered food but he was not hungry.

I asked how I could pray for him and he said pray that Greg and Sandy be set free from addiction. I asked him if he was Greg and he said that he was. I then inquired as to how long he has been an addict and what his addiction was. He shared with me that his addiction was heroin and that he has been an addict since age 13. Even as I write this my eyes are filling up.

I asked Greg if he got really sick if he didn't get the heroin. He looked up at me with such hurt in his eyes and said,"I can't even think about it. The pain is so horrible." I was humbled by his honesty. He asked me not to pray for him there, but to pray for him at my church.

Brothers and sisters, I would ask that you pray for Greg and his girlfriend. He is 30 years old and is in need of a miracle. I feel in my spirit that I am to go back to the same area over the next few days I am here and pray for Greg. I feel that the Lord wants me to kneel down on the street with Greg and ask God for immediate deliverance from this heroin addiction.

We serve a God of miracles!!! Amen!!!

Conversations on the bus

One of the Olympic torch bearers

Our chaplains are being housed in a church in Surrey which is about a 40 minute commute into downtown Vancouver. It can be a long trip if you have nothing to do but stare at the road, but we are able to get into some great conversations.

Last night on the way back, the bus was full so someone needed to stand, and I decided that I should do it. I stood up and let an older person sit down and this opened up opportunities to chat with lots of people.

I had an at length conversation with two ladies. One was from Australia and the other was from Surrey. The lady from Surrey is not a church attender, she was until she married, but her husband is not an attender so she stopped going. I asked her if she was interested in going to church and she said that she would in the future.

I reminded her that we are not guaranteed tomorrow and reminded her of the luger that lost his life here in the Olympics. I think it struck a cord with her.

She asked what we were doing and it explained it to her. She asked if we were ever going to Haiti and I told her that we were already there as an organization. She then asked if she could send teddy bears to Haiti with us and I told her we could make that happen. She then asked if we ever needed help in Haiti because she had skills in the area of organization and reconstruction.

I was able to share God's love with this lady for 40 minutes. I am trusting that our "divine appointment" will have an eternal impact on her and her family. Wouldn't it be amazing to see a non Christian be raised to be involved in Kingdom work.

Sad scene

Tonight we were outside one of the local sky train (tram) stations where a group of short term missionaries were handing out hot chocolate to whoever came by that wanted a free drink.

As I was standing there talking with them a mom and daughter walked up. The mom was probably in her late thirties and her daughter was in her mid teens. They were both completely stoned, and staggering. They looked like the type of people that have had nothing but hurt in their lives. They were both so desperate.

How will they survive? My guess is that they will survive by being exploited. You could see the pain in their eyes. Hopelessness. Despair. Agony.

I would so love to be able to help them. They left and disappeared into the crowd of other hopeless and desperate people.

Just down the road from them I came across another young girl. She had been promised a great life by her boyfriend. He had brought her to Vancouver with great dreams. Soon after she was dumped by her boyfriend. Now she was on the streets with a sign that read, "Hungry, Homeless and getting over the flu."

God continues to break my heart for teens that are so lost and confused. My prayer is that somehow He will penetrate their lives. After all they are somebodies daughters and they are His beautiful creation.

Day #1

Here is a picture of three of us who are chaplains and we are all from New Brunswick, Joel, Jack and I.

While I am at the Olympics I am going to share some of the stories of people I meet.

I had the wonderful privilege of serving in coastal Mississippi and Alabama during my time of disaster relief following hurricane Katrina. It is interesting that God had me meet this special lady in Vancouver,BC

This first video is of a lady I met who was from Biloxi, MS. She was greatly effected by hurricane Katrina. I have often wondered how things were progressing in that city so devastated, and the Lord led me to Faye. Here is what she shared:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGtO74hp9f4

I have been trying to upload it here and will soon figure it out, but for now go ahead and click on the link.

Putting together a puzzle

Yesterday was the day to receive some teaching on the spiritual climate here in Vancouver. It is very bleak. The statistics are that only 3% of the population are Christians involved in a local church. That means a lot of people are not in a relationship with Him.

Conversely, Vancouver is a very religious place. In fact most people consider themselves to be religious. Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Muslims make up much of the population. The question was presented to us, "How do we reach these people".

The answer to the question was presented to us as a puzzle. Our role is to help to place another piece in the puzzle. Picture a puzzle with 100 pieces, our role is to add another piece to the puzzle. Maybe we can add something to the puzzle to make it clearer.

The Boaz ministry is focused on youth. I was obviously interested in hearing how we can reach out to teens here in the Vancouver area. I wanted to understand where they were spiritually so we know better how to reach them. Using the analogy of the puzzle, this is what we were told, "most teens do not even have one piece of the puzzle. They do not have even the slightest concept of who God is and who Jesus is."

Pray for us as we go out. We want to be a part of helping people and teens to see the most important image ever. We want them to see Jesus!! For some we will be the first glimpse they see of Him!

Listening to an old song

As I flew from Montreal to Vancouver last night, I was entertained. If you have ever flown on a really long flight, my flight was just 5 hours, the time can go by S-L-O-W-L-Y. Since the airlines know that they provide entertainment to help pass the time.

I decided I would check out what was available. I was flipping through some of the options when I cam across an album that I grew up listening to. It was by Billy Joel, and was called "Glass Houses". I have not listened to that album since I was in my early 20's but the songs all came back to me. I somehow remembered almost all the lyrics and could sing along, well in my head or there would have been complaints...

I had this thought. How well do I really know God's Word? I know there are certain verses that come to me like John 3:16, and Jer. 29:11-13 and John 1:1 and Romans 3:23, but how well do I really know His Word.

I am pretty sure the reason I could recite those songs is because I listened to them over and over. Eventually it just was saved in my storage bin(brain). I want to do the same thing when it comes to His Word. I want to know it, but more than that I want to live it.

God's Word tells us that it is not enough just to hear His Word, but we are to do His Word. Being a faithful Christian involves living out His truth. It is meant to be a verb.

It is important to have His Word inside of us. I know as I begin this next two weeks of ministry here at the Olympics that I am going to need His Word that is hidden in my heart to come out. I pray that God would give me complete recall of all those verses I have retained. Lord let them flow through me to others so that they can have life!!!

Final preperations

Today was packing day, trying to get all the things checked off my list in order that I don't arrive in Vancouver missing necessary things. It is good to have a list to work from and I hope I have included everything.

I have a thought. I wonder how much time we spend preparing for our future home in heaven? Do we just expect to show up there having done nothing to prepare for it. I think we need to evaluate how we live our lives.

What if I showed up tomorrow at the airport terminal with no ID, no ticket, nothing. I am pretty sure I am not going to be allowed on that flight. Oh I could tell them "look I can go, I packed my bags, I got all I need for my trip. I worked hard to get my things packed."

I guarantee the response will be, "you are not getting on that flight because you didn't even do the basic things needed to ensure you are going on this flight. You have nothing that will allow you to go!!!"

How can we prepare for our future with Him in heaven? First and foremost, in fact the only way to possibly get to that eternal destination is to have a relationship with Christ. We have to have sincerely come to Christ and have asked for his forgiveness. There is no other way. Jesus own words said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the father but by me."

Once we have that in place we can do other preparations. Praying, reading the Word, sharing our lives with others, blessing those in need. They wont get you to heaven, but it will sure make it easier to stay going in the right direction.

This is nothing new for those who read this. You know this. I do want to challenge you though... when you enter in to heaven, make sure that you have brought others with you. Lets encourage others to come into that relationship with Christ so they can make heaven their destination too.

Get your bags packed friends, Bless you!

Persevere

I am sometimes perplexed by peoples unwillingness to press through difficult things. I know that it is easier to quit when times are challenging, but often when we give up way to easily we miss out on the blessing God has for us.

We went three previous nights and we handed out a grand total of zero meals. we spent six hours in cold frigid weather and never gave out a single meal. It really was not a problem.

We received our first blessing of providing food last night. A couple I have known for some time came by and enjoyed a warm bowl of soup and a coffee. They are not rich by human standards, they may not even be considered wise by many, but I do know this. Jesus loves them dearly and they were very grateful for what we were doing.

Why is it important that we persevere? We have to do it because the people we are trying to reach out to have to persevere every day just to survive. They have to overcome so much more than I do, so to give up some of my time to help others is imperative.

After we had given out the warm bowl of soup and coffee, the lady asked me if I could get some books for her. She has a favorite author and she wants to learn how to be a better wife and person. We will get her those books.

We had some time to laugh together and chat. Then unexpectedly she gave me a big hug and said, "Scott I love you, thank you so much." I can tell you that has made every night of standing in the cold worth while.

My encouragement is this. Never give up. Persevere. You can make a difference in a persons life. Think about what they have had to persevere through. It will most likely be bigger than anything we have personally faced.

The man in the white coat

A man was rescued yesterday from the rubble of the Haitian earthquake a full 28 days after the tragic and devastating day. No one really knows how he survived, he was severely dehydrated and weak, but somehow against all odds he survived.

He was asked by doctors how he was able to stay alive, and his response was, "everyday a man in a white coat came by and gave me water". I don't know if he is hallucinating or not, and to most people this would seem improbable, but is it?

My first thought was that he was kept alive by an angel. If it were really a "man" in a white coat why didn't that person go for help or start digging. If he was that close to the surface that someone could give him a cup of water, why didn't they pull him out. So I don't think it was an ordinary man.

There is a scripture in God's word about angels and how they come and serve as God's representatives. We read in Matt 4:11 that angels came and attended to Christ after his forty day fast. In 1 Kings 19:6-8 we read that an angel came and fed and provided drink to Elijah during a time of incredible weakness.

I certainly do not know what took place during this mans 28 days of confinement. The fact that he is alive is certainly a miracle. Can I explain what happened scientifically, no I can't. Can I believe God could send an angel to provide, I sure can.

Why is this important? Why even have this discussion? I believe it is so important that we see God in relation to all of our challenges. God still does miracles. He heals the sick, makes the lame to walk, even brings the dead back to life. We serve a powerful God, nothing is impossible for Him.

I believe!!!

Missionaries in Haiti

I am sure many of you have been following the ongoing challenges the 10 "missionaries" detained by the Haitian authorities have been dealing with. I am not going to judge them, that is up for the courts to do. I do have some thoughts on what has happened, at least what is being reported.

• I believe the best way to help Haitian children is to do it within their own country. As Christians we need to provide proper assistance to people and children in a way that they can be near their families.
• It would never be ok, to take people and especially children and teens, out of the country without proper paperwork. Think about this, even if the group got the children out of the country, then how would they ever get proper paperwork. The children would then become children without an identity.
• I think most of those on the trip had a pure heart for what they were doing. They really wanted to help the children. They clearly did not know all that was being done by the leader.
• I think this story has taken away from the overall need in Haiti which is sad.
• We need to pray for those in jail who were trying to be God's hands and feet.
• There are hundreds of other missionaries who are doing a tremendous work in Haiti without controversy

I do not want to be critical, I want to remind us all to pray for the people in Haiti. The children need our prayers and we need to continue to find ways to bless those in need.

Remember it is not our place to judge. It is our responsibility to pray!!! I am sure that the families of those in jail are hearing lots of condemnation but that is not what they need. they need prayer.

• 
  

Underage prostitution at the Super Bowl

I am a football fan and I look forward to the game tonight. I am disgusted though by a report on CNN that talked about some of the other activities that surround the Super Bowl. It is not a part by any means of the Super Bowl or the Super Bowl committee's plan. It is sick people who take advantage of this big event.

What I am talking about is teenage and underage prostitution. Young girls are brought into Miami for this week to serve as prostitutes. These girls are forced to do this because of the pimps who came alongside to "help them" when they were desperate.

Here is a quote from the article: "We know that a very high percentage of runaways will end up being approached by a pimp within 72 hours of hitting the streets and they will be prostituted in order to survive on the streets," Novicki said. "So we know there is an extremely high correlation between runaway juveniles and underage prostitution.

How does this happen? Lets remember that not everyone has a heart to recuse at risk teens like we do. Others have a sick desire to take advantage and abuse these young people. These young girls, especially young girls, come from difficult, abusive homes, and walk from them into even more abusive situations. It is so disturbing!!

Another quote from the article is this: The epidemic of underage sex trafficking isn't contained to Super Bowl weekend. An estimated 100,000 girls in the United States are under the control of a pimp or trafficker.

America and Canada need to step up and address this issue. As much as they need to stand in the gap for these precious teens and sadly young children, we as the Christian community need to find a way to make a difference too.

A child should never be forced to sell their bodies in order to survive, yet many have been forced to do this. It is not right!!!

Isn't it saddening and disturbing to know that our teens face such tremendous difficulty. My heart breaks for these beautiful people. They need to know there is hope and love. They can receive that hope and love from God and from ministries like ours.

Let us pray for our teens and pray for God to intervene and rescue some even today.

Water into wine part 3

The master of ceremonies is handed the pitcher by the servants, and to his amazement, it is full of the best tasting wine. It is incredible. He has no idea where this first class wine has come from. All he knew and really cared about was that he had wine.

There were some people who knew that a miracle had taken place. The servants certainly knew, because they saw it happen right in front of them. They must have been smiling form ear to ear. It really happened this person Jesus did an amazingly miracle. He must be everything that his mother had said.

The disciples knew too. John 2 says that because of that event they truly believed. For them it was actual living proof that he was who John the Baptist and a few others said he was. It was a miracle done by the coming Messiah. The Savior of the world was walking with them. They were blessed. They were thankful.

Which one are you and I? Are you like the servants, people who are trying to do what God asks, but sometimes if the truth were known not too sure if he really can do miracles. Maybe you need to see the miracle unfold right in front of you before you will really believe. Maybe you go back and forth on whether or not you trust Him.

Are you like the disciples? You have come to the knowledge that Christ is the Messiah. You believe in Him and trust Him. You know He can do the miraculous. You are willing to step out and do what he asks because you have seen His glory and want more of Him.

Are you like the master of ceremonies? You could care less what happens as long as you have what you want. You never stop to think about the miraculous provision God supplies. You are only concerned about one thing, your own satisfaction.

The question we must ask ourselves is do we have a true understanding of who God is and what He is capable of? When we pray and God moves to we thank him for who He is or just take what He provides and move on to the next thing we need?

I choose to be His disciple. I choose to be thankful for who He is and how He loves me and provides for me.

I choose to lay Boaz at His feet and ask for His blessing over us. When He does move I will be very careful to thank Him and let others know who He is and what He has done. Thank you God you are still in the miracle business of changing lives.

Water into wine part 2

Picture this in your mind.

There are a number of servants, people who have the responsibility of making sure the guests are taken care of. They look around and see that the wine is about gone. Could there be some miscalculation? How could this happen? Would they be accused of wasting the good wine? What could they possibly do? The answer to the last question is nothing. They were powerless to perform a miracle.

Along comes a young man in his early thirties, a man who looked much like them. Yet this man comes to where they are standing. They remember the words spoken by Mary, this guys mother. She had said, "whatever he tells you to do, just do it!"

So Jesus starts to tell them what to do. "Fill the jugs with water". Well they have done this hundreds of times. This was nothing spectacular. How was this going to solve a problem? Who is this guy? I mean filling all these jugs with water was pointless, they already lots of water. What they needed was wine.

After they do this Jesus tells them "to fill their pitchers". They do this. When they look into their pitchers, what do they see? Water. It is still water!!! How was this helping? So far they have filled the jugs and now the pitchers and they are no closer to wine than when they started.

Now the final direction. Jesus tells them to take the pitchers to the "master of ceremonies". Can you imagine the way the servants must have felt. Maybe they were thinking we are going to make complete fools of ourselves. Maybe they even spilled a little over the edge to see if the water was still water. I can imagine their fear, concern and anxiety as they steeped out in this act of faith.

There are times when God asks us to obey Him and do something that doesn't make sense to do. Maybe you have settled into the routine of everyday life and serving Christ is just a matter of going through the motions? Maybe you have decided that it is better to play it safe and not take any risks. When we do that we really miss out on all he has planned for us.

I am glad that this ministry is willing to take risks. We want to step out in faith and know that we will fail unless He intervenes. We know that if we spend time with Him, hear from Him and do what He says to do, that He will provide all we need. Again it is in His time.

Where are you? Are you being asked to do something and you are afraid to try? Don't try and figure it all out, step out in faith and Trust Him! If he has called you to do something He will provide.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the conclusion of this message on the miracle of water into wine.

Water into wine

I was doing some study today on the scripture found in John Chapter 2. The account of Jesus first miracle, one where he turned water into wine. Of ten when we read the scripture we focus on what was done and not on who did the miracle.

Let me share some background. Jesus and his mother and friends were at a wedding celebration, sometimes they lasted for a whole week. It was about halfway through the celebration and a problem was developing. As you know the problem was they were running out of wine. There would not be enough to last the week. On the surface this seems like no big deal, right? Well it was a big deal, and here is why.

The family who hosted the celebration had an obligation to provide for all that were celebrating and if they didn't they may have faced a lawsuit or for certain complete humiliation. It wasn't like they had a lot of options for other drinks at that time, it was either wine or water. They had lots of water but nothing else to offer the celebrants.

Jesus mother approaches him with the problem. Jesus knows he can perform the miracle, but the question he faced was if it was the right time for him to begin his ministry of miracles. Was it the right time?

How about you and I, have we ever been in that place where we knew that we needed a miracle? Have we ever told Jesus that he needs to perform a miracle and he needs to do it now. If He would just do it now it would be so much easier. Our timing is important to us. The truth is this: God does not often do the miraculous in our time frame, it is when it is best.

What is it that you are praying for a miracle in? Have you been praying and feel like your request has gone unnoticed? Have you decided to give up asking? Let me encourage you with this: Jesus never forgot the request he had been given, he was going to perform the miracle, in His timing and in His way.

It is a great reminder to all of us in this ministry that our God performs miracles, it is not up to us to dictate to God how He is to do things. It is up to us to choose to trust Him for his provision in His timing!!!

I hope you will check back in tomorrow as we consider more truths from this scripture.

Hardships

The apostle Paul was a tremendous man of God. He wasn't always, but God helped him to become great. How did Paul become some a man of God? I believe the answer is found in Paul's writing in the book of 2 Corinthians.

We read this: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Often the greatest growth we experience is in the hardships of life. No one ever looks forward to them, if they do they must think much different than I do that's for sure. There are times when I need to put myself in those challenging places in order for God's true strength to be revealed in my weakness.

Going on a mission trip to a place like Haiti or somewhere that I do not have all the comforts of home is good for me. When I do those types of things, I have to really trust Him. I also become very appreciative of all I have. That way when I come home and I have to suffer some inconveniences, I don't have to grumble or complain.

Tonight is another one of those nights. The temperature is -20 or so and that is cold. Yet I am truly looking forward to going out and trying to serve those in our city who might just need a warm bowl of soup or a cup of hot coffee. I am glad that I have the promise from the Lord that He will be with me. He will strengthen me, He will uphold me.

Today I received an email from a man that really blessed me, especially with his attitude. His situation is that he has been told to report to the hospital in the morning because he just had tests taken that reveal he has a prostrate problem, potentially very devastating. This is what he wrote: God is the potter, I am the clay,Whatever He does with me is OK!!!!

I do believe that this brother understands the words of scripture: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What are you and I dealing with in life? What about the people we are serving in this ministry. Will you join me in praying this scripture over yours and their situations? God make us all strong in you!!

Deep hurting teens

I was reading an article today regarding how teens deal with the challenges they face in life. In reality it was talking about teens that are facing difficult, really difficult things.

The article revealed that approximately 20% of teens have tried to "cut" themselves. It said that 11% of teens are regular cutters. Let me project those numbers out into terms here in Fredericton. We have two high schools in our city with about 4000 students in the two schools. That would mean that roughly 800 students have cut themselves at least once and that 440-450 of them are regular cutters. That saddens me.

I was talking to some teens about this today and one teen told me that she personally knew nine teens that were cutters. She came up with that number in about 30 seconds of thinking. She said she feels they do this because they do not know how to deal with the pain and sadness. She talked about how they are having family and relationship problems that they can't deal with so they turn to this type of abuse.

Another teen I talked to shocked me when she told me she knows a ten and seven year old that are regular cutters. That is a child in grade 2. That makes my heart break. She told me the kids regularly cut themselves with scissors and knives. What could possible be so bad that a seven year old would be cutting themselves?

The answers may not be obvious at first, but if we think about it things are really bad for many teens and children. They are confused, rejected, abused and feel like they have no one to talk to. They must truly hurt at a very deep level.

I was reminded of the young lady I met at SoulFest, the same one that prophesied about this ministry. After she prophetically prayed for me, she sought me out. She later showed me the cut marks on her arms and told me she overcame the cutting when she understood how much God loved her and how He wanted to help her with her problems. I know Boaz needs to be involved in helping teens with this behavior too.

Our ministry is about helping teens. We need to seek God's face and ask Him how we can make a difference in this area. I know he loves every single person and His heart must break for those who choose to hurt themselves.