Pastor's Corner

Take a Test!

When life gets confusing, stressful, or even tragic, you may wonder if God sees or cares about you. Then a coincidence or answered prayer enters your life and changes it for the better. I do not believe that these personal touches happen just by chance alone. They’re messages sent directly from God to us – winks from a loving Father who wants us to know He’s watching over us.

How can we recognize when God is winking at us?

1. Take a test! Even if we’re not sure that God exists, decide to act as if He does, telling Him that you’d like Him to reveal Himself to you. Try placing our trust in His existence, then look for communication from Him. Know that He will be faithful to respond if we’re sincere in our desire to know Him.
2. We need to listen to messengers, and be one ourselves. Expect that God will use people as unwitting messengers of His encouragement to us in many situations. Whenever people are kind to us, consider how God might be reaching out to us through these acts of kindness. Should we not then, treat everyone with kindness to encourage them. Take a test of listening and be listened to.
3. Look for the extraordinary in the ordinary. Pay close attention to how God may choose to validate His presence through any situation in our life. Under-stand that God reveals Himself in small, mundane moments. Take a test and look for God in the smallest of moments.
4. Dig into our memories. Take some time to recall moments in the past when we experienced coincidences or answered prayers. Consider how those events were timed just right to assure that we’re not alone in this world, and thank God for communicating with us when we needed to hear from Him. Take a test and recall.
5. Embrace hope. No matter what our current circumstances or feelings, choose to hope in God and His promises to us. Know that our hope will help us see God’s winks more clearly, and inspire others to decide to hope, as well. After God give us renewed hope, spread the hope around. Use kind words – spoken in conversation, or written in notes – to reinforce other people’s hope. Take a test of hope.
6. Consider the big picture. Remember that God’s perspective is much bigger than ours. During times of diffi-culty, let the grief spur us on to look for winks that show us we’ll be okay, knowing He will comfort us. We need to be reminded that He is constantly with us on our journey through life. Know that, in the big picture, everything does make sense. Trust that God will take even the worst situation in our life and bring something good out of it if we invite Him to do so. Take a test and look at the big picture.
7. Confirm that prayer works. Recognize that God’s winks are evidence that prayer has real and strong power to change our life. Take a test and let the winks we experience motivate us to continue to pray.
8. See the blessing hidden inside unanswered prayers. Recall the times when we’ve prayed for something, yet didn’t receive it, despite our strong desire for it. Consider now that time has gone by, how God’s decision not to answer those prayers was actually the wisest choice. Recognize that unanswered prayers are often God’s way of moving us from one direction to another so we can walk on the best path. Take a test of looking for the blessing.
9. Consider the timing. Understand that God will often wink at us just in the nick of time – either to deliver us from misfortune or disaster, or to give us good news when we need it most. Remember that God is never late. Take a test and check it out.
10. Take steps toward our dreams. Let God’s winks inspire us to continue moving toward fulfilling our dreams. Understand that the path we travel on will not just come to us as we passively wait; instead, God will use winks to guide us as we take active steps of faith along the way to making our dreams come true. Use God’s divine navigational system. Trust God to correct our course wherever necessary, and that He will lead us down new roads toward fresh opportunities.

Take a test and find His peace and joy on the way. Have you taken a test yet?

As we head into the full swing of a Fall schedule, may we be encouraged through His Holy Power. Peace be with you.

Pastor Samuel King-Kabu

China Reflections: Linda Tae

I spent 5 weeks in China again this summer, teaching English with the Amity Foundation. This is an independent Chinese voluntary organization, created in 1985 on the initiative of Chinese Christians to promote education, social services, health, and rural development from China's coastal provinces in the east to the minority areas of the west.

This year I was sent to LanZhou, in Gansu Province, in the north-west area of China. On a map of China, it is almost in the central area of this vast country, but in real terms, it is on the western frontier. The murky Yellow River cuts through the city. On all sides one sees high, yellow-clay "mountains", which tend to keep the pollution in the city. It was a breath-taking sight as we flew in to the airport. The hills are dotted with caves - many of them shelters, even homes, for the farmers (peasants) who eke a living here. Irrigation is important - essential - to their survival.

LanZhou is on the fabled "Silk Road", the road that opened China to the west. If you have heard of the "terra-cotta" warriors, in Xi'An, we were farther west. In fact, we flew from Nanjing to Xi'An to get our connection to LanZhou. The new railroad to Tibet, just opened this July, begins in LanZhou. It is the terminus for 4 other railroad lines.

Our "team" consisted of 5 people : Fred, from Texas, Willis and Shirley, from Minnesota, Gary, from upper New York state, and me, the Canadian !

Our assignment was to teach English mainly to medical personnel - doctors, research workers, nurses, and a small group of teachers. This was very different from the last two times I went, when we taught only high school teachers. But it was very interesting to learn another aspect of China.

Our facilities were wonderful - our school building had elevators - no trudging up 7 flights of stairs carrying loads of books. Our "hotel" was about 20 minutes walk away, again, very nice, and airconditioned ! I even had a TV - but everything was in Chinese - except one night when I couldn't sleep and I watched a murder mystery IN ENGLISH !

Our food was true Chinese - lots of rice, fish, chicken, vegetables - and we were given the option of using knife and fork instead of chopsticks ! (The worst meal I had was when we were taken out to a Kentucky Fried Chicken place as a treat - that's the only time I got sick ! )

What I will never forget is the TRAFFIC ! Quebec drivers are wonderful, in comparison. Here they drive with one hand on the car or bus horn, and rules are meant to be broken.

Although we are there as Christian volunteers with a Christian organization, we are not allowed to "proselatize". But when we talk about our festivals - Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, of course we emphasize the Christian celebration. We had a Christian wedding (thanks, Rosemarie, for sending a copy to me!) and I wrote a Christmas play for my class - I tried to put in enough characters so that all 30 of my homeroom students would have a line or two.

There were many tears on all sides when we left, and I am receiving email letters from our students who are still keen to improve their English.

On a final note : we attended church there 4 times. The churches are full, and there are several services each Sunday, more during the week. I was pleased to see so many young people at the services. China is waiting for Christians to come, to help, to encourage. God bless all the devoted missionaries and workers in this emerging country.

Reflections on twenty years of devoted ministry

Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. - Acts 9:8a

When God calls one of His servants into service, there is often much work. Consider Paul, who was stricken blind on the Damascus road. Consider Peter; when he denied Jesus after the crucifixion, he was in total despair. Consider Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were thrown into the fiery furnace. Consider Daniel, who was thrown into the lions' den. Consider David, who was forced to flee his former employer for many years and lived as a fugitive. It may seem strange to us that God uses such incredible adversity to prepare His servants for greater service, but I believe this is God's way. God knows that the human heart is incapable of voluntarily stepping into situations that take us beyond our comfort zone. He intentionally brings us into hard places to prove us and to drive us deeper into the soil of His grace. In the dryest regions of the world, trees cannot survive unless their roots grow deeper to where the water table can be found. Once they reach the water, these trees become stronger than any tree that can be found in tropical climates. Their root systems ensure that they can withstand any storm. In the same way, God brings us into extremely difficult situations in order to prove His power and drive our spiritual roots deeper. God’s love may be questioned, but our confidence cannot be thrown away. "My righteous one will live by faith.” (Hebrews 10).

Pastor Samuel, this message is dedicated to your twenty years of faithfulness to standing for God’s work and Word.

The Editor

Web Page prepared by:
Roger Kenner & Jette Blair.
Content-New Topics Last Updated: 2007/03/14
St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal