Saturday, June 23, 2012

ANBC Advisory Team


Today we held our second gathering of the ANBC advisory team. It is such a huge blessing to have the input and active support of this group of individuals as we discuss the various aspects of the ministries at Arrowhead.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Ten Shekels and a Shirt

Ten Shekels and a Shirt by Paris Reidhead is a compelling message. I've had the message recommended to me in the past and have never taken the time to listen to it... until today. A friend recently posted a link to the message to my Facebook page, and so today as I mowed the lawns at Arrowhead I listened to it. I will listen to it again. And I highly recommend it to you as well.

There is a sickness that is plaguing the would be church in the Western world, humanism has reared it's head and become an understood norm in evangelism, worship, and lifestyle. This message, an exposition of a passage of scripture (Judges 17) and challenge of worldview with Biblical Truth.

I've had Christian people look me in the eye and tell me that humanism, the idea and reality of it, is a myth invented by those who would cling to legalism. This I'm afraid, as Paris Reidhead draws into rather stark clarity, is the deception, clung to by those who would revel in the world and live to satisfy selfish ambition all in the name of a false understanding of God's Grace, all the while serving self in a socially accepted, expected idolatry.

This message is described on SermonIndex.net as follows:
"Paris Reidhead preaches what could be called one of the most influential sermons of the 20th century. The real point of this sermon is an indictment of individuals and organizations practising humanism behind a mask of Christianity! "This sermon should be preached on a regular basis in every church in America!"
You can download and listen to this message by clicking HERE or by visiting this link:
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=282
 "Humanism is, I believe, the most deadly and disastrous of all the philosophical stenches that’s crept up through the grating over the pit of Hell. It has penetrated so much of our religion. AND IT IS UTTER AND TOTAL CONTRAST WITH CHRISTIANITY! Unfortunately it’s seldom seen. And here we find Micah, wants to have a little chapel, and he wants to have a priest, and he wants to have prayer, and he wants to have devotion, because “I KNOW THE LORD WILL DO ME GOOD!” AND THIS IS SELFISHNESS!!! AND THIS IS SIN!!! And the Levite comes along and falls right in with it! Because he wants a place! He wants ten shekels and a shirt and his food! And so in order that he can have what he wants, and Micah can have what he wants, THEY SELL OUT GOD! For ten shekels and a shirt. AND THIS IS THE BETRAYAL OF THE AGES!!! And it is the betrayal in which we live. And I don’t see HOW GOD CAN REVIVE IT! Until we come back to Christianity, as in DIRECT AND TOTAL CONTRAST WITH THE STENCHFUL HUMANISM that’s perpetrated in our generation in the name of Christ.
I’m afraid that it’s become so subtle that it goes everywhere. What is it? In essence it’s this! That this philosophical postulate that the end of all being is the happiness of man, has been sort of covered over with evangelical terms and Biblical doctrine until God reigns in heaven for the happiness of man, Jesus Christ was incarnate for the happiness of man, all the angels exist for the happiness of man…, Everything is for the happiness of man! AND I SUBMIT TO YOU THAT THIS IS UNCHRISTIAN!!! Isn’t man happy? Didn’t God intend to make man happy? Yes. But as a by-product and not a prime-product!"  ~ Paris Reidhead, Ten Shekels and a Shirt

Volunteer Training in Gorrie Ontario

This past weekend I had the tremendous blessing and privilege to be among the fellowship of believers at Gorrie, Ontario! My primary purpose for traveling to Gorrie was to offer the volunteer training program to the team coming from there. We have a group of eleven people (perhaps more) who are committing to give a week (some as many as 6 weeks) of their summer to the ministry at Arrowhead! It is a huge blessing to have the team come, and it was equally a blessing to have them a part of the volunteer training program.

It was a packed weekend to be sure, we met for a few hours Friday night, all day (and I mean all day) on Saturday and Sunday after church. We discussed some very important issues as they relate to the ministries and programs of Arrowhead Native Bible Center.

It was my first fathers day on Sunday, and I almost made it home just in time, but it was close enough - I flew into Fredericton at about 1:30am on Monday morning. Mike & Jamie treated me to a fathers day feast on the way to the airport, so I was well looked after, and once I was with my girls again it was like I'd never left.

We had some fun too - here are Sarah, Prisca, Jonny & Andy testing out a camp game for me... 

Jessica with the balancing skills...

... and of course Mike & Jamie with the big rattles...

We will be holding the volunteer training program again here at Arrowhead over the Canada Day weekend for all of those volunteers in the Maritimes. We are looking forward to a great weekend of fellowship and time in the word and discussing some very important issues with respect to cross cultural evangelism and discipleship. We have asked everyone who is planning to serve with us this year to avail themselves of the training and are prayerful that this will be of great benefit to all involved.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Ivy Elizabeth Fawcett

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." ~James 1:17
This morning at 5:53am, after a long night, we welcomed Ivy Elizabeth Fawcett to the world with the assistance of a c-section. Little Ivy was nine days overdue on Sunday, and we had an appointment to have labour induced on Sunday afternoon. Everything was looking good, except that through the evening as Liz had contractions, the baby's heart rate would dip occasionally. The doctor decided to keep us here for the whole night and as the contractions increased, so did the problems with baby's heart rate. By five in the morning the labour was progressed along, but the doctor was concerned and they decided on an emergency c-section. And we are so thankful to the Lord that they made that decision. When Ivy was finally born, the umbilical cord was wrapped twice around her little neck. Thanks to the swiftness and skill of the doctors and surgery team, Ivy is healthy and was safely delivered. She weighs 6lbs 3ozs and is 19.75" long.

We praise the Lord for blessing us with Ivy and we look forward to this wonderful new chapter in our lives. We are so thankful for the kind words and congratulations from all of our friends and family, and we can't wait to introduce you to Ivy. We will be here in the hospital for the next few days, but look forward to returning home to Cumberland Bay once Liz has sufficiently recovered.

Our precious little daughter.

Our first family photo.
Of course, they didn't have scrubs in my size... so I got to go in doctor style.