Quick update on plans for this weekend

Based on your responses we plan the rock climbing for next Friday 7-9pm

This Friday Youth Evening at Kotikirkko 7.30-10pm
Sharing
Songs (Sam & Justin could you prepare a few songs?)
Hot Topic Discussion on homosexuality...


Sunday Communion Service 11-1pm
Communion meal
Shared food shared lives
encountering Christ together

See y'all tomorrow,
samuel

Rock Climbing

There has been request to go climb this Friday.
I called the place in Coquitlam and asked about availability.
We have 3 options now to choose from.

option a) This Friday 5-7pm good availability, not crowded
option b) This Friday 7-9pm Crowded, group of 30 people are there, so more waiting
option c) Next Friday 7-9pm good availability

Let me know which way you want to go by Thursday 11.30am.
(if we want this Friday I've gotta call them by 12 Thursday)

Pass the word on that people check the blog everyday now!

Sam

Making Waves

I've been studying in my history class about incredible moves of God through His people. People, who have had great impact on the Church and in the culture. People like William Wilberforce, who out of his Christian convictions fought to end slavery for 25 years.
Maybe we haven't been given similar platforms to impact our time, but we all do have our sphere of influence.
How are we impacting our world?
Are we being faithful in what we can do NOW for God?
And if we are faithful in the little maybe God can enlarge our dreams and help us make bigger waves...

I wanted to attach two stories of people in our time who are making waves for God.
Check these out and be inspired:

Here is a speech a 12 year old girl gave in her school speech competition. Her teachers didn't want her to speak on this and said she could not advance in the competition, but she felt she needed to speak out anyway. 12 year old with passionate conviction!
You can listen to her here:


http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=89135


You'll find one other inspirational story at the end of this message...
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Here is what is happening at Kotikirkko this weekend:

Friday Youth Evening 7.30-10pm at kotikirkko
Hot Topic: Homosexuality - the Church's response

Sunday English Service 11-1pm
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Coming Up:

Prayer and Praise Night

Rock Climbing

We can nail down the dates together...
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Let's make some waves,
Samuel

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And here is the inspirational story of how God moves in mysterious ways...

JOHN BREAUX: CONFOUNDING THE WISE OF THIS WORLD - (Print)

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; -1 Corinthians 1:27

John Breaux was known in the northern Denver area as the guy who rode around on his bicycle picking up trash. People often thought he was homeless because of his worn out shoes, shaggy beard and missing teeth, but he always gave away what people handed him. Those who knew John loved him. He earned the nickname "Jesus" partially because of his long beard, but mostly because of his warm generosity and kindness to everybody he met.

The communities of Lafayette and Louisville, Colorado were shocked by news of John Breaux's death on January 30. Breaux was hit and killed by a car driven by a woman with dementia. A makeshift memorial was set up at the spot of his death, and jars were placed in restaurants and stores all around town to collect money in order to help Breaux's family with his burial expenses. Stories of Breaux's acts of kindness sprouted from people who talked about how he'd touched them by his selfless life. His big, welcoming smile cheered the daily lives of many. He'd carried groceries for people, and sometimes he bought food for them using the money he'd collected from recycling aluminum cans.

"I've never seen the eyes of an angel, but I bet they look like that," said Rev. Jim Burgen, while looking at a picture of Breaux. "We will not be the same, because he changed us forever."

An estimated 2000 people attended Breaux's memorial service. "You just don't know the impact that one life can have on the community," said Rick Williamson, an Erie resident who knew Breaux from church. If a man's wealth were measured by his friends, Williamson said, "I'd say John died pretty wealthy — wealthier than I'll ever be."

According to his aunt, Breaux loved bike-riding, bowling, and Jesus. Breaux had been diagnosed with schizophrenia early in life. When his parents died, he moved with his brother to Colorado, where he completely gave up all his medications. From that point on, his brother said, he just "blossomed." Perhaps he was healed. Perhaps he was misdiagnosed, or had a mild case. Whatever the case, Breaux lived with his brother's family and spent his days loving his neighbors.

According to columnist Dylan Otto Krider:

"Everyone mentioned his big smile… The truth is, he was everywhere, and never seemed to sleep. Then when he died, literally the entire community got the wind knocked out of them. A good number of the people I interviewed broke down crying. All of them had a story about some good dead Breaux did, and when I went to his memorial, thousands showed up to pay respect to the man."

In our world, the most "successful" people are those featured in People or Fortune magazines. They have money; they have looks; they have hot careers. Yet, many of the rich and famous have tragic personal lives filled with drugs and adultery and misery. If more humans were able to look into the peaceful, cheerful life of a man with grungy shoes and see the love of Jesus moving through him to other people, people in the world might change their definition of success.

Until his death, few people outside of Colorado had heard of John Breaux. Yet, he now serves as an inspiration to all of us. We don't have to win the Lottery to be a blessing to the people around us; we merely need to take what has already been given us, and make the most of it with a heart open to the Spirit's leading.

Who was John Breaux? One community member answered, "Just a guy who spent his day making Louisville and Lafayette a better place. Seriously."

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14, 16

Related Links:

• Mourners: Breaux 'Changed Us Forever' - ColoradoDaily
• The Sad, Inspiring Case of John Breaux - Underground Examiner
• The Manifesto of our King:The Sermon on the Mount - Koinonia House

Shaped by God

Who shapes you?

There are different voices and forces that aim to shape us. Our families are our primary growing grounds helping to shape our personalities, values and prioroties. Our friends and peers have their share of influence on how we think and behave. School and education has an intentional program to shape us in our knowing and thinking. The culture all around us is bombarding us with images and messages of what life should be about...

Where is the voice of God in all of this?

We need to be very intentional in learning to hear the voice of God in our lives and let His word and Spirit shape us in His image. It will not happen automatically or passively. We need to be proactive in it. We need to learn to still our internal space and learn to walk with God in this life.

This Friday we will pursue it together.
We will pause in His presence and let Him speak into our lives from His Word!

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
(The Message - guess the passage?)
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Friday Youth Evening at Kotikirkko 7.30-10pm
(Now we should talk and decide if changing to start at 7 is good with everyone - remind me please)
Sharing
Worship
Contemplative Bible reading from 1 Peter 1:13-25

Sunday 11am
Annual Members meeting (Both for Finnish and English congregations)
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Being shaped,
Samuel

Agape

Do you (I) have a burning passion to share the love of God with this world?
The heart of God beats with love for all His creation.
Have I joined His heartbeat?

I think that the most essential feature of being a Christian is to LOVE.
Love is what we should be known for.

Love in action. 

Love wants the best for others. 

Love things of others before me. 

Love is about giving.

I don't have God like love in myself. My love is so selfish.
So I need true love from God.
My desire to learn to love like God has grown more intense.
I want to be moved and controlled by His love in all that I do.
I want to be known by the way I love.

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly ... God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5)
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Friday Youth Evening at Kotikirkko 7.30-10pm
Sharing
Planning (this spring and summer mission trip!)
Worship with songs
Bible Study (BRING YOUR OWN BIBLE!!!)

Sunday English Service 11am
Sam & Päivi Tuokkola sharing and preaching

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With Love,

Samuel